Predators Recall Matt Murray, Juuse Saros Out
The Nashville Predators had to change plans just before puck drop in Thursday night’s game against the Seattle Kraken. The team recalled depth goaltender Matt Murray to back up Justus Annunen after it was revealed that Juuse Saros would miss the game with an upper-body injury. The injury was sustained at morning practice, per Alex Daughterty of The Tennessean.
Murray is having to travel away from the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, who are on their own road trip through Canada, to fill his recall to the NHL. He is traveling from Winnipeg to Nashville and is expected to arrive in the second half of the game, per NHL.com’s Brooks Bratten. That news will likely necessitate an emergency backup goalie in the stands for the first half of the game, though Nashville did not officially sign any temporary tryouts.
Saros is officially listed as out day-to-day. His absence will leave big shoes to fill after the veteran goaltender posted wins in four of his last five games, including back-to-back shootout wins. He has faced an average of 31 shots against since March 1st and posted a .910 save percentage in that stretch. That stretch has far outperformed Saros’ season-long performance, marked by 24 wins and a .894 save percentage in 51 games.
The Predators haven’t found much more relief in turning to backup Annunen, who has six wins and a .888 save percentage in 21 games this season. He has matched the save percentage he posted in 23 games with the Predators last season, after joining the team in a December 2024 trade that sent Scott Wedgewood to the Colorado Avalanche. Annunen will stand as the de facto starter if Saros is forced to miss additional time, as Murray hasn’t played in the NHL since the Dallas Stars’ 2023-24 season. He recorded a shutout in his last NHL contest.
Murray has spent this season in command of the Admirals’ starting crease. He has recorded 17 wins and a .908 save percentage in 37 games: team-highs in all three stats. His stat line was much stronger in his debut with the Admirals last season, when Murray posted 28 wins and a .932 save percentage in 43 games. He will offer extra hands if Nashville runs into another goalie injury – though the team should go back to their usual pairing of Saros and Annunen as soon as the former is back to health.
Penguins Recall Ryan Graves From Conditioning Stint
The Penguins announced they’ve recalled defenseman Ryan Graves from his conditioning stint to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. For now, he remains on injured reserve.
It wasn’t clear why Graves had been out of the lineup for well over a month when Pittsburgh sent him for his conditioning stint a week ago today. He was on the active roster after recovering from a lower-body injury and being reinstated from IR in early February, but he hasn’t played since. Instead, it appears he’s either still working his way back from that initial issue or sustained a new, undisclosed one, as he landed back on IR to allow him a conditioning stint. Regular conditioning loans are prohibited after the trade deadline; only those related to long-term injuries are permitted.
Graves suited up twice for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, so it appears he should be good to go and should be activated off IR soon. Now in year three of the regrettable six-year, $27MM deal he landed with the Pens in free agency in 2023, he cleared waivers earlier this season and, when healthy, has split time between Pittsburgh and WBS. After a horrid showing in a full-time roster role last season, he’s had improved impacts as an #8/9 piece who can occasionally jump into a bottom-pairing role. He’s averaged 15:29 of ice time per game across 19 contests for the Pens this season with one goal and a -2 rating. His 52.2% shot attempt share at 5-on-5 is his best since the 2020-21 season.
He’s also been an impact player in the minors, where he has 10 points and a +4 rating in 15 games for the Baby Pens. It’s likely too much to expect him to return to being the top-four fixture Pittsburgh hoped he could be, but injury troubles aside, this season has been a step in the right direction for Graves’ play. Unless cap space becomes a concern, it wouldn’t be all too surprising to see him back on the opening night roster in the fall as a bottom-pairing or #7 piece.
Oilers Place Leon Draisaitl On Long-Term Injured Reserve
The Oilers were expected to eventually move star center Leon Draisaitl to long-term injured reserve after it was announced he’ll be shut down for the rest of the regular season with a lower-body injury. That’s now happened, per a team announcement, and they’ve used their newfound cap space to recall winger Roby Jarventie from AHL Bakersfield in the corresponding move.
As the ever-durable Draisaitl gears up for the longest absence of his career at one of the worst possible times, the Oilers had just a few days left to be eligible for cap relief by placing him on LTIR. They have 28 days left in their regular season, and there has to be at least 24 days or 10 games – the LTIR minimums – left on the regular-season calendar to initiate an LTIR placement.
Edmonton is now over the cap by nearly $2.5MM, but with Draisaitl now generating some relief in addition to the previously LTIR-bound Colton Dach, Mattias Janmark, and Curtis Lazar, the Oilers’ LTIR pool is now at almost $7MM, leaving them $3.3MM in current cap space after Jarventie’s recall, per PuckPedia.
With all those names sidelined, the 23-year-old Jarventie should be ticketed for his first NHL appearance since debuting with the Senators in November 2023. An early second-round pick in the 2020 draft, he was traded to Edmonton in the 2024 offseason for Xavier Bourgault, but he missed all but two AHL games last season due to knee surgery.
Jarventie initially planned to return home to Finland with Tappara early last offseason, but ended up accepting a two-way extension from the Oilers in June. That decision has proved fruitful for both parties. The 6’2″, 184-lb Jarventie hasn’t clicked at the near point-per-game rate he did in the minors before his injury, but he’s back to at least being a serviceable producer. In 52 outings for Bakersfield, he has 17 goals and 36 points with a +12 rating. That’s good for fifth on the team in scoring.
Rangers Recall Connor Mackey
The Rangers announced Thursday that they’ve recalled left-shot defender Connor Mackey from AHL Hartford. He’ll ensure New York has seven defensemen for the time being after Urho Vaakanainen left Wednesday’s loss to the Devils with an upper-body injury and didn’t return. Vaakanainen did not travel with the team to Columbus this morning, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports, so he’ll be out for at least tonight’s contest against the Blue Jackets.
It’s Mackey’s sixth Rangers stint of the season. He’s been up on several brief recalls as injury insurance throughout the year, but none of them have resulted in playing time, sitting as a healthy scratch in 11 contests. Mackey is in his third season with the Rangers organization after initially landing there on a two-way deal in free agency in 2023, subsequently signing a two-year extension that will expire this summer. His offense isn’t what it used to be, but he’s still been an imposing physical presence in Hartford, logging 52 games with a 5-10–15 scoring line, 81 penalty minutes, and a -8 rating.
Mackey, 29, has played in parts of five NHL seasons but not since December 2024. He previously suited up for the Coyotes and Flames. The 6’3″, 205-lb lefty has totaled 42 NHL appearances with a 4-7–11 scoring line, a -1 rating, and 78 hits while averaging 14:11 of ice time per game. He’s a few years removed from his career year split between Calgary and Arizona in 2022-23 that saw him traded to the Yotes at the deadline, becoming a regular for them in a depth role down the stretch. After notching seven points and a -4 rating in 30 games that year, he’s suited up just three times with the Blueshirts in the three seasons since.
The Rangers have preferred to keep Mackey in a press-box role only this season. It remains to be seen if that will change, since Vaakanainen being out means their top six group is now made up of four righties and two lefties. It remains to be seen whether someone will shift to their offside to allow righty Vincent Iorio to elevate from the press box and play his first game since March 7, or if Mackey will make his season debut to keep an even lefty/righty alignment. It’s of little long-term consequence to a Rangers club that’s dropped two in a row after a four-game winning streak, keeping them in a five-point hole behind the Panthers for last place in the East.
Penguins Reassign Avery Hayes
The Penguins announced Thursday that they’ve reassigned winger Avery Hayes to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The move comes after Sidney Crosby was activated from injured reserve for yesterday’s loss to the Hurricanes, bringing Pittsburgh up to 16 forwards on the active roster. With that obvious excess, they’ll trim a bit here by returning the waiver-exempt Hayes to the minors.
Hayes was scratched in back-to-back games leading up to today’s demotion. He was initially removed from the lineup for Monday’s win over the Avalanche to make way for Evgeni Malkin‘s return to play following a five-game suspension.
The 23-year-old has suited up 11 times for Pittsburgh in his first taste of NHL action this season, scoring twice with a -6 rating. Both of those goals came in his NHL debut against the Sabres back on Feb. 5. Since then, it’s become abundantly clear he needs more development time before he’s serious about competing for a big-league role. He’s averaged 10:37 of ice time per game with some quite hairy possession metrics. Pittsburgh is only controlling 45.3% of shot attempts with Hayes on the ice at 5-on-5 despite him starting 63% of his shifts in the offensive zone.
The 5’10”, 180-lb righty has been one of the better stories in Pittsburgh’s prospect pool. He signed an AHL deal as an undrafted free agent coming out of juniors in 2023 and subsequently broke out for 23 goals and 42 points in 60 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2024-25, leading to him landing an NHL contract for this year. He’s continued to build on that production in the AHL, racking up a 19-11–30 scoring line in 36 games, but simply hasn’t been able to convert his high-energy game into a meaningful NHL impact in limited minutes yet.
Hayes has essentially been on the NHL roster since Feb. 23, but he was sent down to the AHL for a few hours on deadline day to make him eligible to return to the minors down the stretch. Pittsburgh will reap the rewards of that decision today. Even with Kevin Hayes and Blake Lizotte dealing with upper-body issues, they still have youngster Ville Koivunen around as an extra forward, so they’re not at risk of needing to make an emergency recall yet if another forward injury pops up.
Bruins Recall Lukas Reichel Under Emergency Conditions
The Bruins announced that they’ve recalled forward Lukas Reichel from AHL Providence under emergency conditions. As Boston has 13 healthy forwards rostered, there are evidently a pair of undisclosed injuries that may affect their lineup against the Jets tomorrow, allowing Reichel to qualify for the emergency designation.
If Reichel plays, it will be for his third NHL team this season. The 17th overall pick in 2020 by the Blackhawks, his development in Chicago had stagnated over several seasons. After sitting as a healthy scratch to start the campaign, he was shipped to the Canucks for a fourth-round pick in late October. Reichel initially got a long look in Vancouver’s top six but was quickly demoted, ultimately posting just one assist in 14 games before landing on waivers in December and clearing waivers.
At the deadline, the Canucks sold him at a loss to the Bruins, who picked him up for a sixth-round pick. He’s getting his first call-up less than two weeks later after a strong start to his time in the Boston organization in the minors. In three games for Providence since the trade, he’s lit up the scoresheet for a goal and four assists. He’d had only six goals and 13 points in 23 games for the Canucks’ farm team in Abbotsford, a stark contrast to his record as a consistent point-per-game threat in the minors since arriving from his native Germany in 2021.
All told, Reichel has 22 goals and 59 points in 188 NHL contests, averaging out to a 10-16–26 scoring line per 82 games. That comes with an eye-opening -65 rating and consistently poor possession metrics along the way. He’s been an elite goal-scorer at virtually every level he’s played, but has yet to really fill out into his 6’0″ frame, weighing in at 170 lbs. That’s inhibited his availability to get to prime scoring areas in the NHL.
He’ll turn 24 years old in May, so time is running out – if it hasn’t already – for him to establish himself as a major-league talent. His time with the Bruins, who are unlikely to tender him at a qualifying offer of $1.3MM, could be his last chance to do so.
Maple Leafs Sign Brandon Buhr To Entry-Level Deal
The Maple Leafs have signed college free agent forward Brandon Buhr to a one-year, entry-level deal for next season, per a team announcement. He will finish out the current year with AHL Toronto on a tryout agreement.
Buhr, 23, just wrapped up his senior season at Union College, where he spent the final three seasons of his NCAA tenure. He transferred there in 2023 after playing 10 games with Clarkson as a freshman. While he was sparsely used as a first-year player, he emerged as a high-end threat for virtually his entire time at Union. He finishes his run at the school with a 49-39–88 scoring line in 106 games.
The 6’2″, 205-lb righty continually upped his production year over year, culminating with a 19-goal, 36-point effort in only 35 outings for the Garnet Chargers. A sniper with pro-ready size, he’s the second UDFA Toronto has plucked out of college in as many days, but is perhaps the polar opposite threat physically compared to the undersized but skilled defender Vincent Borgesi.
Because of his age, Buhr will get just one year with the Leafs before he becomes a restricted free agent, giving Toronto an out if they choose to non-tender him at that time. If they choose to keep him around, by virtue of his challenging for an NHL job or proving valuable in a minor-league support role, they now control his rights until 2030.
Jets Assign Alfons Freij To AHL
The Jets announced that they’ve recalled defense prospect Alfons Freij from his loan to Timrå IK of the Swedish Hockey League and have sent him to AHL Manitoba to finish the season. Timrå’s campaign ended with the conclusion of the SHL’s regular season last weekend, finishing 12th out of 14 teams – not enough for a postseason play-in opportunity but not low enough to face relegation.
Freij, 20, was an early second-rounder in 2024, going 37th overall. He spent the entire season in Swedish juniors with the Växjö Lakers’ under-20 club. For his post-draft season, Växjö chose not to keep him on their main roster and instead loaned him to second-tier pro club IF Björkloven. He thus didn’t make his top-level pro debut until he signed a two-year contract with Timrå last summer.
He signed his entry-level deal with Winnipeg a couple of months into the offseason after inking with Timrå, but since he wasn’t a first-round pick, the NHL’s transfer agreement with the SHL required that he be offered back to his Swedish team before being sent to the AHL. All parties involved were happy to offer Freij another year of development in Europe to get accustomed to top-level play as a pro.
The 6’1″, 198-lb lefty was viewed as one of the best skaters among defenders in the 2024 class. He finished this year with six goals, 11 points, and a -6 rating in 42 games with Timrå. That may not jump off the page, but point totals rarely do among young defenders in that league. He was excellent for the Swedes in their march to gold at this year’s World Juniors, posting seven assists and a +6 rating in seven games.
Freij checked in as the #7 prospect in Winnipeg’s system last summer, according to Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis. When the yearly reports come out this year, there will likely be some upward movement, since several names ahead of him have taken steps backward in the AHL this season. The fact that Manitoba hasn’t proven to be an effective development environment recently could be a concern for Freij’s path, but considering he’s already established himself as a professional overseas, he arrives as more of a finished product than other higher-drafted Jets prospects who turned pro straight out of junior hockey.
Predators Sign Zachary L’Heureux To Two-Year Extension
The Predators announced that they’ve signed left-winger Zachary L’Heureux to a two-year extension carrying a cap hit of $875K. The lefty, who lands just a slight pay bump over his expiring entry-level contract, would not have been eligible for arbitration as a restricted free agent this offseason. It’ll split as $850K in 2026-27 and $900K in 2027-28, all in base salary and all in one-way structure, via Renaud Lavoie of TVA.
L’Heureux, 22, has had an up-and-down development path. The 21st overall pick in 2021, he had a strong rookie showing in the minors when he turned pro two years later and turned that into a roster spot in Nashville for the majority of the 2024-25 campaign. Drafted as a top-nine skill piece with a laundry list of on-ice disciplinary issues in junior hockey, the hope was that he could rein that in to become an effective agitator without hurting his team with penalties more than he helped.
In 62 games last season, L’Heureux managed a 5-10–15 scoring line. Naturally, his 63 penalty minutes were up there, and he earned a midseason three-game suspension after multiple lengthier bans while starring for Halifax in the QMJHL. He also led Nashville forwards with 198 hits. His defensive impacts were a mixed bag. According to Natural Stat Trick, he ranked ninth out of 14 Nashville forwards last season (min. 200 minutes at 5-on-5) with a 49.7% Corsi share, but his 52.1% expected goals share was a strong sixth.
This year, the injection of 2023 first-rounder Matthew Wood into an NHL role, plus other young names like Joakim Kemell and Reid Schaefer earning long looks, has limited his playing time. L’Heureux remains waiver-exempt until next season, and Nashville has taken advantage of that to stash him in AHL Milwaukee for a good chunk of the year. It’s not usually a great sign developmentally to drop back into a minor-league role after challenging for a full-time job as a rookie, but he’s been exceptional in the AHL with 14 goals and 28 points in only 28 games.
He’s also been added back to the NHL roster down the stretch after the Preds sent out Michael McCarron and Cole Smith at the deadline. Through 10 games, he’s averaging 11:51 per contest and has one goal with a +3 rating and 19 hits.
L’Heureux won’t be heading back to the minors next season. It would be shocking to see the still-retooling Preds opt to expose a recent first-round pick to the waiver wire. He would almost certainly be claimed given his AHL production. The question now becomes whether Nashville will opt to deploy him in an everyday role from the jump next season, or if he’ll be used more as a traditional 13th forward-type enforcer. He remains under team control until 2030.
Kraken Recall Jani Nyman On Emergency Basis
The Kraken announced that they’ve recalled winger Jani Nyman from AHL Coachella Valley under emergency conditions. Seattle hadn’t yet burned through any of its five post-deadline standard recalls anyway. They have 14 forwards on the active roster but are dealing with injuries to Jaden Schwartz (face, indefinite) and Eeli Tolvanen (upper body, day-to-day), leaving them without any healthy extras. Evidently, the Kraken believe somebody else may be questionable for tomorrow’s contest against the Predators, making Nyman eligible for an emergency recall.
Nyman, 21, started the season on the NHL roster but was assigned to Coachella Valley before the Christmas break. The 2022 second-round pick has remained there since. He’s still in the second year of his three-year entry-level deal and has another two seasons left before he requires waivers, so there’s no reason to rush his development.
The 6’2″, 212-lb Finn is in the minors to prove he’s more than a one-trick pony aside from his elite shooting ability. He doesn’t play a physical style for his size but has scored at a torrid pace in the AHL since arriving in North America in 2024, including 18 goals in 29 games this season since his demotion. He’s now up to a 48-25–73 scoring line in 92 AHL games.
Nyman’s results have been tempered in an NHL role. He’s slotted into the lineup 36 times over the past two seasons, scoring seven goals and 12 points. That’s fine production considering he’s averaging 11:48 of ice time per game, but his defensive impacts have been disastrous. Seattle has only controlled 46.1% of shot attempts with Nyman on the ice at 5-on-5 despite him starting over 60% of his shifts in the offensive zone, indicative of how the Kraken might plan to use him long-term as a bottom-six supplemental piece and a power-play specialist.
He could get another brief chance here to make an impact in the Kraken’s lineup as they chase down the second playoff berth in franchise history. Seattle sits tied with the Kings for the second wild-card spot in the West at 71 points, sitting just inside the playoff picture as they hold the regulation wins tiebreaker over Los Angeles. With the Sharks, Predators, and Jets all within striking distance, though, their postseason odds only sit at 36.4%, according to MoneyPuck. That’s the second-best odds out of the group after the Kings’ 50%.