Mammoth Recall Seven Players
Ahead of the first playoff game in team history later tonight in Vegas, the Utah Mammoth shared that several players have been called up from AHL Tucson. Forwards Andrew Agozzino, Cameron Hebig, and Ben McCartney were summoned, along with defensemen Maveric Lamoureux, Maksymilian Szuber, and Scott Perunovich. Finally, goaltender Jaxson Stauber will also join the group.
Similar to the moves made by several other playoff teams this week, Utah’s intention is for the players to serve as “Black Aces”, spending time at the highest level but not expected to play at any point. They join Daniil But and Matt Villalta, who got the call Friday. The Tucson Roadrunners had a respectable season, finishing 19th, but missed the postseason.
Lamoureux, 22, is the most notable of the group, a top prospect. Arizona’s first round choice at 29th overall in 2022, the towering righty only got into five games with the Mammoth this year, a step back from 15 in 2024-25, but held down a top-pairing role for the Roadrunners this season and was finally able to stay healthy. Into the future, Utah’s defensive core is mostly locked up, but it will allow for the Quebec native to ease into a full-time role.
Agozzino has just 53 games of NHL experience at age 35, but any dedicated fan of the game is likely familiar from his excellent AHL tenure. Making his NHL debut with Colorado in November 2014, back when Nathan MacKinnon was just a second-year-pro, the undrafted 5’10” winger has impressively stuck around in North America ever since. He’s 34th all time in AHL scoring with 662 points in 847 games, fourth best among active players. The Ontario native got into two games for Utah back in October but otherwise spent the year in Tucson. If he can earn another contract for next year, Agozzino will have the chance to play alongside Tij Iginla, son of Jarome Iginla, a teammate in his NHL debut years ago.
Hebig and McCartney, 29 and 24 respectively, were top scorers for the Roadrunners this year but neither were able to get a look on the big club. Hebig, a center, still awaits his NHL debut despite two straight seasons as Tucson’s #2 top point-getter. McCartney, a 2020 seventh-round choice of Arizona, got into two games with the Coyotes four years ago but has been in the AHL since, putting together his best professional season in 2025-26 with 51 points.
Szuber, 23, continues to show promise at the AHL level as he looks for his first action wearing a Utah uniform. The 6’3″ lefty made his NHL debut in the Coyotes’ fifth-to-last game in existence. Not only having size, Szuber has put up real offensive output in Tucson, 59 points over the last two years and has real upside as a third pairing defender.
Another defenseman who flashed offense this year, Perunovich led all defenders in scoring with 49 points in 64 games. Once a promising Blues prospect, the 27-year-old spent the entire year in the AHL and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Stauber rounds out the bunch serving as another practice goalkeeper. The 26-year-old split duty between the pipes with Villalta almost evenly in the AHL, where he had a slight edge in goals-against-average (3.07). Undrafted, he has 12 NHL games of experience both in Chicago and Utah, son of Robb Stauber, a Los Angeles Kings netminder in the early 1990s.
The crew, composed of impressive AHL veterans and younger prospects, will relish being along for the ride for an inaugural playoff series in Salt Lake.
Senators Recall Six Players
This afternoon the Ottawa Senators announced that six skaters have been recalled from AHL Belleville. Carter Yakemchuk, Arthur Kaliyev, Tyler Boucher, Xavier Bourgault, Graeme Clarke, and Oskar Pettersson will all join the club.
In the midst of their first round playoff series against Carolina, the group will serve as typical “Black Aces”. Belleville failed to qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs, finishing 27th in the league with a 28-35-8 record. As a result, they have nothing to lose in adding depth players who will benefit from getting a closer look with extra practice time before the offseason, and experiencing the day-to-day of the NHL playoff routine.
Out of the bunch, Yakemchuk stands out as the most likely to actually get in a game, although still unlikely, barring any major developments. The Sens’ top prospect, chosen seventh overall in 2024, Yakemchuk got into four games this year, bursting onto the scene with a two-point debut. However, the defenseman’s NHL stint in late March ended after a concussion suffered against Florida.
Kaliyev, 24, is also a familiar name, with over 200 games of NHL experience. Once a promising Kings prospect, the 6’2″ sniper hasn’t played with the Senators since October. Still, he’s made the most of his 70 games in the AHL, the most time spent in the minors across his entire career to this point, netting an insane 40 goals and 68 points. He has the distinction of the only 40-goal-scorer in the AHL this year, and the first since 2023-24. Anyone capable of such can be considered an NHL-level player, but Kaliyev’s skating and hockey sense have held him back, unable yet to hold down a bottom six role at the highest level.
Boucher is another prospect who has had his own development issues. Widely known as a 10th overall selection five years ago, the winger has not come close to expectations, but thankfully he put together a best-as-a-pro campaign this year. 26 points in 47 games isn’t ideal for any 23-year-old former top pick, but he leaned more into a grinder role with 68 penalty minutes, the same total as his previous two seasons combined. His contract ends this summer, with restricted free agent status, where Ottawa must determine if his improvement is enough to warrant a future in the organization.
In Bourgault there are many similarities to Boucher, other than that he’s a center. Edmonton’s first round choice in 2021, the Quebec native never played for the Oil due to lackluster AHL production. Dealt to Ottawa, he enjoyed his best professional season with 57 points in 70 games, good for second on the B-Sens, and earning his first two NHL games back in the winter. If the 23-year-old can eventually solidify himself in the league, it’ll likely be limited to full bottom six duty.
Clarke, 24, is not the most recognizable name, but he made three appearances with the Devils, his first organization, during the 2023-24 season. A full-time AHLer since, the winger has bounced around various teams but flipped the script after a March trade, nearly matching his point total across 50 games as a Hershey Bear in just 15 games with Belleville, a nice ending to the campaign. Born in Minnesota, the righty actually grew up in Ottawa, the older brother of Los Angeles’ Brandt Clarke.
Finally, Pettersson has the most limited NHL upside, as he recorded 18 points in 69 games with Belleville, wrapping up his second full season with the team. A third round selection in 2022, the Swede is not among the team’s top 10 prospects, mostly serving as a bottom-sixer. At 6’2″, the righty has the size and strength, but he’ll hope to showcase more play driving ability in his final contract year starting next fall. Just 22, it’s not too late for a step forward.
The Senators are back in action tomorrow night, where they’ll look to snatch a road win from Carolina and even the series before returning home.
Transaction Notes: Lambert, Yager, Copley, Kraws
Two of the Winnipeg Jets’ best forward prospects will continue their season in the Calder Cup playoffs. The Jets announced that they’ve reassigned forwards Brad Lambert and Brayden Yager to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.
Despite spending much of the season in the AHL, Lambert, 22, remained with the Jets after the trade deadline. Although he set a new career-high in NHL games played, he was largely ineffective. Lambert finished the campaign with three goals and six points in 25 games with a -5 rating, averaging 10:48 of ice time per game. Earlier this season, the Jets permitted Lambert to seek a trade. There’s no telling if his lengthy opportunity after the deadline was enough to change his mind.
Meanwhile, Yager, 21, only spent the last few games of the season with Winnipeg. Still looking for his first NHL point, Yager skated in three games for the Jets, averaging just under 11 minutes of ice time per game. Still, he was a decent tertiary scorer for the Moose this season, scoring 10 goals and 30 points in 68 games with a -15 rating.
Additional transactions:
- The Los Angeles Kings announced that they’ve recalled netminder Pheonix Copley from the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Copley will serve as Los Angeles’ third-string goalie for their Round One matchup against the Colorado Avalanche, and for the remainder of the playoffs should they advance. He spent much of the year with the Reign, managing a 21-11-1 record in 33 games with a .901 SV% and 2.59 GAA.
- Similarly, the Dallas Stars recalled netminder Ben Kraws from the AHL’s Texas Stars to serve as their third-string option through the postseason. Kraws has much less name recognition than Copley and spent most of the 2025-26 campaign with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads. However, the Stars don’t have the benefit of higher-end goaltending prospects in the AHL, and are leaving their better options in the AHL for Texas’ playoff hopes.
Ducks Sign Roger McQueen To Entry-Level Deal
April 18th: As expected, the Ducks have announced McQueen’s entry-level contract, beginning next year. He’ll continue with the AHL San Diego on an amateur tryout agreement through the Calder Cup playoffs. McQueen has scored one goal and three points in six games with a -1 rating with the Gulls so far.
PuckPedia shared the year-by-year breakdown of McQueen’s entry-level deal:
| Year | NHL Salary | Signing bonus | Potential performance bonuses | Minors salary |
| 2026-27 | $922.5K | $102.5K | $550K | $85K |
| 2027-28 | $967.5K | $107.5K | $800K | $85K |
| 2028-29 | $1.0125MM | $112.5K | $1MM | $85K |
April 1st: The Ducks are working to finalize an entry-level contract for top center prospect Roger McQueen beginning next season, PuckPedia reports on Wednesday. He is also expected to sign an amateur tryout with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls to make his pro debut in the coming days.
McQueen, 19, was one of last year’s most polarizing prospects. His 6’6″, 198-lb frame was of significant intrigue, plus the fact that he’d tallied nearly a point per game for the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings in his pre-draft year.
A power forward with great puck skills, he only ended up getting into 17 games last year. He missed most of his pivotal draft season because of a fracture in his lower back known as spondylolysis that was initially misdiagnosed as a bulging disc. The symptoms that accompanied had stretched as far back as August 2023, McQueen told Adam Kimelman of NHL.com last year, but were finally completely resolved by the end of the season, allowing him to participate fully in the draft combine.
Some viewed McQueen as a top-five talent. Obviously, with his injury concerns, that didn’t happen. Still, after managing a 10-10–20 scoring line in 17 games for the Wheat Kings in his difficult age-18 campaign, the Ducks had seen enough to take him 10th overall.
The latest addition to a deep stable of first-round forward talent in Anaheim that includes Leo Carlsson, Beckett Sennecke, and Cutter Gauthier, McQueen opted not to return to juniors for 2025-26 and instead committed to Providence College, taking advantage of the new development path for players who came up through top-level Canadian juniors. The Saskatoon native hit the ground running and was among the Friars’ top talents this year, finishing with an 11-16–27 scoring line in 36 outings to rank third on the team.
In doing so, McQueen took home a Hockey East regular-season championship and won the conference’s Rookie of the Year Award. The team was upset by UConn in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament before bowing out to Denver in the regional semifinals of the national tournament.
The right-shot McQueen’s standout freshman year solidified him as Anaheim’s #1 prospect, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic writes. Last offseason, NHL.com had him at #3 behind the since-graduated Sennecke and defenseman Stian Solberg, so there’s been some real upward movement in his stock over the last 10 months.
In all likelihood, McQueen will still need a bit of AHL seasoning next season before he’s ready for an everyday NHL role. All four of the Ducks’ centers are either signed or under team control through next season, so there’s no huge rush to incorporate him, either – although it wouldn’t be surprising to see Mikael Granlund or Mason McTavish shift to the wing if McQueen does force his way onto the roster with a strong training camp.
Jets Sign Cole Koepke To Two-Year Extension
The Winnipeg Jets are retaining some of their bottom-six depth for a few more seasons. The Jets announced that they’ve signed forward Cole Koepke to a two-year, $2.9MM ($1.45MM AAV) extension through the 2027-28 season.
Truth be told, many believed Koepke would sign a similar deal last summer. The 27-year-old was coming off the best season of his career with the Boston Bruins, scoring 10 goals and 17 points in 73 games, averaging 11:15 of ice time. The Bruins’ fourth line of Koepke, Mark Kastelic, and John Beecher was arguably the most dominant on the team, averaging a 61.6% xGoals% according to MoneyPuck.
Despite the solid season, Koepke settled for a one-year, $1MM contract with the Jets for the 2025-26 campaign. Fortunately, Koepke proved that his 2024-25 season wasn’t a flash in the pan, and instead, his baseline. He finished this season with eight goals and 17 points in 66 games, averaging 10:28 of ice time. Additionally, he marginally increased his physicality from last season, leading the team in hits with 186.
At the very least, as they look to retool this summer and get back to contention, the Jets know Koepke will bring some energy and toughness to the team’s bottom-six. Although he’s not much of a fighter, teams will have their heads on a swivel when Koepke is on the ice, which should benefit prospects such as Brad Lambert or Brayden Yager if they crack Winnipeg’s roster out of training camp next season.
Kings Activate Andrei Kuzmenko Off Injured Reserve
As the Kings get set to kick off their opening round series against Colorado on Sunday, they’re getting an offensive boost. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated winger Andrei Kuzmenko off injured reserve.
The 30-year-old played in the first game after the Olympics in late February and has been sidelined ever since due to a knee injury sustained in that game against Vegas. He soon underwent meniscus surgery with a week-to-week designation after that. He’ll wind up missing a little more than seven weeks overall with the injury.
Kuzmenko is in his first full season with the Kings, who acquired him from Philadelphia at the 2024 trade deadline and after a promising showing down the stretch, he inked a one-year, $4.3MM contract to avoid the open market last summer. He had an up-and-down showing during the regular season, chipping in with 13 goals and 12 assists which had to be considered a little underwhelming after putting up 17 points in 22 games to close out 2024-25.
However, Kuzmenko’s numbers were put up before Jim Hiller was replaced as head coach, so there is a chance that things could improve under interim bench boss D.J. Smith. With Los Angeles having the worst offense out of the 16 playoff teams, any potential upgrade should be a welcome one as they enter the postseason as a heavy underdog against the Avalanche.
Michael Pezzetta Clears Waivers, Assigned To AHL
Saturday: As expected, Pezzetta has cleared waivers as the team announced that he has been assigned to AHL Toronto. The Marlies enter the weekend with an outside shot at the third seed in the North Division which would allow them to avoid the opening round of the postseason. Pezzetta becomes the seventh player sent down by the big club this week.
Friday: The Toronto Maple Leafs placed forward Michael Pezzetta on waivers on Friday, per PuckPedia. This move would allow Pezzetta to join the Toronto Marlies for the Calder Cup Playoffs if he clears the waiver wire. He was in the minor leagues until mid-March and filled a depth role for Toronto through the last few weeks of the season.
Pezzetta played in 37 games with the Marlies before a March 12th call-up. His season was limited by injuries in November and January. He finished the year with four goals, 10 points, and 52 penalty minutes. It was a quiet year in Pezzetta’s return to the AHL, after he spent the last three seasons in a full-time role with the Montreal Canadiens. He was a nightly fixture of Montreal’s 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons and combined 27 points and 136 penalty minutes in 124 games. That low-scoring fell to zero in 25 games of the 2024-25 season.
That bumped Pezzetta to free agency this summer, where he signed a two-year, $1.6MM contract with the Maple Leafs. He began the year in the AHL and quickly stood out as a bruiser. Pezzetta recorded 37 penalty minutes in the first 17 games of the Marlies season. He will return to that role on a Marlies team that clinched the last playoff spot from the AHL’s North Division. The Marlies split their games without Pezzetta this season – 26 wins and 25 losses.
AHL Shuffle: 4/17/26
Several smaller-profile moves will come across the wire today. Teams done with their seasons are sending their fringe talent back to the AHL for postseason play, while teams bound for the first round of the playoffs could be making some small alternations as well – in particular, settling on their “emergency” third goalie as the league permits for the playoffs. We’ll keep track of those moves today:
- The Flyers announced they’ve recalled goaltender Aleksei Kolosov from AHL Lehigh Valley and reassigned Carson Bjarnason there in his stead. Bjarnason was up just yesterday for practice, but it now appears they’ve re-evaluated and will prefer to have the more experienced Kolosov as their #3 behind Daniel Vladař and Samuel Ersson to begin their clash with the Penguins rather than Bjarnason, a first-year pro. With Lehigh Valley now eliminated from playoff contention, there’s no use keeping Kolosov down there to try to get them in. Kolosov, who has a 5-11-1 record and a .863 SV% in 21 career NHL appearances, will be eligible to enter a playoff game as an emergency backup if both Vladař and Ersson leave with injuries.
- The Flames have reassigned forwards Rory Kerins and Aydar Suniev, as well as goaltender Arsenii Sergeev, to AHL Calgary following last night’s season finale against the Kings. Sergeev, 23, was exceptional in his first career start, guiding Calgary to a 4-1 win while posting a .964 SV% and saving 2.6 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck. Kerins and Suniev were both late-season call-ups for the Flames once the playoffs were no longer a possibility but didn’t do much in their reps, combining for one assist (Suniev’s) in 10 games. There won’t be any playoff action in store for the trio; the Wranglers are last in the AHL’s Pacific Division and won’t be heading to the Calder Cup Playoffs.
- The Blue Jackets have added goaltending prospect Evan Gardner to AHL Cleveland’s roster, per a team announcement. The 20-year-old’s Saskatoon Blades in the WHL were swept out of the second round of the playoffs by Prince Albert this week. The 60th overall pick in 2024, Gardner will be turning pro full-time next season with either Cleveland or somewhere in the ECHL (Columbus is one of the few teams without a designated affiliate). His entry-level contract remains slide-eligible for this season, so it won’t kick in until 2026-27. He had a .902 SV% and 2.96 GAA – both great numbers for career-lows – in 52 games for Saskatoon in his third and final junior season.
- The Sharks have assigned winger Igor Chernyshov and defenseman Luca Cagnoni to AHL San Jose for the Calder Cup Playoffs, per Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest. It could very well be the last AHL action of Chernyshov’s career. The 20-year-old looks well on his way toward being a top-six piece from the drop next season, rattling off a 9-10–19 scoring line in 28 games of call-up action this year while seeing significant time on Macklin Celebrini‘s left wing. The 2024 second-rounder also had 13 goals and 33 points in 41 AHL games to date. Cagnoni, a 5’9″ lefty, had only been up for the last few games to get an end-of-season look once the Sharks were eliminated from playoff contention. The 21-year-old went pointless in three games after seeing a six-game debut last season. He leads Barracuda defensemen in scoring with an 8-35–43 line in 67 games.
- The Oilers have added Calvin Pickard back from AHL Bakersfield to serve as the EBUG behind Connor Ingram and Tristan Jarry in the postseason. Pickard started the season as Edmonton’s backup but was supplanted by Ingram after struggling to the tune of a .871 SV% and 3.68 GAA in 16 appearances (5-6-2 record). Fresh off his 34th birthday, he’s started playoff games in each of the last two years for the Oilers – including Game 5 of last year’s Stanley Cup Final – so there’s zero hesitancy about tossing him into the fray if Ingram and Jarry fall flat. Since clearing waivers and being assigned to Bakersfield at the beginning of February, Pickard has a .886 SV% and 3.26 GAA in eight games with one shutout and a 4-3-1 record.
- The Mammoth announced that they’ve recalled winger Danil But and goaltender Matt Villalta from AHL Tucson. With Tucson out of the playoffs, recalling their AHL starter in Villalta isn’t an issue to serve as their EBUG. He has just two NHL starts to his name but is a known AHL commodity, posting a .895 SV% in 33 outings for the Roadrunners this season. The more pressing move, of course, is the re-infusion of But into the mix. Utah has given its 2023 12th overall pick several looks on the roster this season in top-nine duties, with the 6’5″ Russian managing three goals and four assists in 29 games. It doesn’t appear he’ll be in their Game 1 lineup to start, even with Barrett Hayton and Jack McBain still unavailable, but he’ll almost surely be the next man up in case of any other lineup changes.
- The Islanders added Russian forward Daniil Prokhorov to their AHL roster, from KHL side Dynamo Moscow. The club drafted Prokhorov in the second round, No. 42 overall, at the 2025 NHL entry draft, their fourth selection overall. The 18-year-old forward was recently ranked as the No. 6 prospect in the Islanders’ system by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. Wheeler called Prokhorov, who stands 6’5″, a ” big, strong, driven, hardworking player.” AHL Bridgeport will be the fourth team Prokhorov has played for, in the fourth league. He scored one goal in 23 KHL games for Dynamo Moscow, 18 points in 25 games for Dynamo St. Petersburg in Russia’s second-tier VHL, and had six points in eight games at the MHL level, which is Russia’s top junior league. Prokhorov will soon make his debut on this side of the Atlantic for a Bridgeport team that has already clinched its playoff spot, and is playing out its final season in Connecticut before an offseason relocation to Ontario.
- The Wild recalled netminder Cal Petersen from their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild today. Petersen, 31, is the No. 3 netminder on the Wild depth chart and will likely occupy a spare goalie role for the team during its first-round playoff series against the Dallas Stars. Recalling Petersen today allows him to join the team in advance of the start of their series against Dallas. The AHL Wild have already been eliminated from playoff contention, so today’s move turns over their net to Samuel Hlavaj and Riley Mercer, while allowing the team’s No. 3 goalie to join the NHL team and provide them with additional insurance in case one of Minnesota’s two regular goalies (Jesper Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson) become unavailable.
- The Kraken reassigned forward Jani Nyman and netminders Niklas Kokko and Victor Ostman to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. With the Kraken’s season concluded, the move allows three potentially significant contributors to re-join Coachella Valley in advance of what the club hopes will be another extended playoff run. Nyman, 21, scored 21 goals and 33 points in 38 games at the AHL level this season, and was the Firebird’s leading goal scorer in 2024-25. Kokko, 22, went 18-10-2 in 33 games for Coachella Valley this season and posted a .903 save percentage. Ostman, 25, signed out of the University of Maine for 2024-25 and spent last season as a tandem goalie in the ECHL. He has had a strong AHL campaign in his second year of pro hockey, going 17-14-3 with a .907 save percentage in 35 games with Coachella Valley.
- The Canucks announced that forward Ty Mueller and defenseman Kirill Kudryavtsev have been reassigned to the club’s AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. Both Mueller and Kudryavtsev had been on the Canucks’ NHL roster in the final days of the club’s NHL campaign. They have each been key AHL contributors this season. Mueller, 23, scored 35 points in 58 games this year for the AHL Canucks, while Kudryavtsev, 22, scored 18 points in 42 games playing a top-four role including time on both sides of special teams.
- The Ducks reassigned defenseman Tristan Luneau to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, as the team prepares for their first-round playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers. The 22-year-old got into his first NHL game yesterday. A 2022 second-round pick, Luneau has been one of the AHL’s most productive offensive defensemen since joining the league. He led San Diego in scoring last season with 52 points in 59 games, and leads the team in scoring by a defenseman this year with 41 points in 69 contests.
- In a similar move to the Wild’s recall of Petersen, the Senators recalled netminder Leevi Merilainen from their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators today. Belleville, like Iowa, has already been eliminated from playoff contention, so Ottawa is seemingly content to turn its AHL net over to other names for the final games of the season while getting the team’s No. 3 goalie onto their NHL roster a few days early. Merilainen played a solid 18 games for Belleville this season, posting a .909 save percentage, but struggled in 20 games at the NHL level. His .860 save percentage in 20 games with the Senators this season is the lowest save percentage by any goalie with at least 15 games played.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Maple Leafs Reassign Easton Cowan
As other teams have done in the past few days, the Maple Leafs reassigned their end-of-season call-ups back to the AHL to aid in their affiliate’s playoff run. Joining that contingent for Toronto will be rookie Easton Cowan. He was briefly assigned to the Marlies at the trade deadline to make him eligible for Calder Cup participation. He’ll be flanked by forwards Luke Haymes, Jacob Quillan, and Ryan Tverberg, defenseman William Villeneuve, and goaltender Artur Akhtyamov as part of today’s reassignments, the team announced.
Cowan will be quite the high-powered reinforcement. The 2023 first-round pick has only played twice for the Marlies in the regular season, recording an assist way back at the beginning of the schedule as the Leafs needed to do some roster shuffling to get him back up to the NHL full-time.
But since Nov. 14, Cowan has been a Maple Leaf, not a Marlie, aside from that paper demotion on deadline day. The 28th overall selection finished his rookie season with 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points in 66 games with a -5 rating. He spent the year bouncing up and down the Leafs’ struggling forward core but got a lengthy run in the top six to end the year after Auston Matthews‘ injury, skating on the left side of a top line with John Tavares and William Nylander.
A natural center, he can play all three forward positions. His possession numbers this season weren’t ideal – a Corsi share of just 45.7% at even strength – but the same could be said for virtually every other Leaf.
The other five had all been recalled in the days and weeks following the trade deadline as the selling Leafs wanted to get some fresh faces in the rotation down the stretch. None of them jumped out in a notable way, though. Quillan was the only one to receive a real look this year, suiting up 23 times, but was limited to a 1-2–3 scoring line while going 42% on faceoffs. His two hits per game ranked sixth on the team (min. 10 GP) and were the most impactful feature he brought to the table as his possession play struggled.
Haymes, Tverberg, and Villeneuve all combined for one assist in nine games, belonging to Haymes, as they each got a few reps down the stretch. Akhtyamov started two of the Leafs’ final four games with Anthony Stolarz sidelined and allowed 11 goals on 76 shots for a .855 SV% in a pair of losses. Including a relief appearance back on Dec. 13, Akhtyamov conceded 0.6 goals above expected through his first three career outings, per MoneyPuck.
Stars Sign Nils Lundkvist To Two-Year Extension
The Stars announced that they’ve signed defenseman Nils Lundkvist to a two-year extension worth $1.75MM annually. That’s a total value of $3.5MM for the righty, who could have gone to arbitration this summer.
Lundkvist, 25, just wrapped up his fourth regular season in Dallas. The offensive-minded Swede was the 28th overall pick by the Rangers back in 2018. After finally coming over from Luleå in the Swedish Hockey League three years later, he had a rocky first season in New York that saw him split time between the NHL and AHL without having great results in either. Without a clear path to a full-time NHL job, Lundkvist quickly requested a trade and ended up in Dallas for his second NHL season.
Lundkvist got his wish and has remained in the Stars’ NHL rotation ever since, albeit in a depth role. His development has been a slow burn, routinely getting long looks in regular-season action before falling out of the picture come playoff time. While Dallas has now made the playoffs all four seasons during Lundkvist’s tenure, he didn’t log a single appearance for them in either the 2023 or 2025 postseason, although the latter was due to shoulder surgery.
However, as team radio analyst Bruce LeVine relays, the organization is extremely pleased with Lundkvist’s work this season. He hasn’t been a healthy scratch at any point – his 52 games played on the year were the result of missing time with a lower-body injury early in the season – and put up 11 points with a +12 rating while averaging a career-high 16:29 per game. He’s far from a physical threat and doesn’t factor in on either special teams unit, but he’s used his great skating acumen to work his way up the even-strength depth chart.
Lundkvist actually spent most of this season on the club’s second pairing with Thomas Harley, playing as their #2 right-side D-man with Miro Heiskanen on his offside on the top pairing. Trade deadline pickup Tyler Myers has slotted in behind Lundkvist at even strength. In over 500 minutes together, Harley and Lundkvist controlled 52.9% of expected goals and outscored opponents 27-17. Among pairings with at least 500 minutes together, Harley and Lundkvist ranked fifth in 5-on-5 goal share at 61.4%, per MoneyPuck.
Even if the Stars aren’t getting much point production out of him due to a lack of power-play time, he’s proven to be a valuable complement at even strength to help advance the play to their forwards. At a sub-$2MM cap hit, they’ll be getting spectacular value out of Lundkvist for the next two seasons if he can keep that up.
That’s important, as the Stars’ cap situation is in a tough spot for the second offseason in a row. With Lundkvist’s deal registered, they’re down to $13.19MM in projected space with four roster spots to fill, per PuckPedia. Virtually all of that will need to go to pending RFA and leading scorer Jason Robertson, who’s projected to cost nearly $12MM annually on an eight-year extension, according to AFP Analytics.
That’ll leave space for just one more contract as things stand – likely a bridge deal for Mavrik Bourque. However, he’s arbitration-eligible, so lowballing him from the jump comes with significant risk. Even still, that leaves Dallas with next to no flexibility to start the season, and they wouldn’t be able to carry a full roster. It’s likely that at least one cap-clearing move – likely ridding themselves of #7 defender Ilya Lyubushkin‘s $3.25MM cap charge – will be incoming.
Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.