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Central Notes: Blues, Yamamoto, Korchinski

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The Blues are one of two teams eligible to clinch a playoff spot tonight. They and the Oilers can book their ticket to the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs if the Flames lose to the Sharks in regulation. St. Louis will need to hold up their end of the bargain by defeating the Jets in regulation to wake up tomorrow morning with an “X” next to their name in the standings. Doing so would mark their 13th straight win, the longest winning streak since Edmonton won 16 straight last year between Dec. 21 and Jan. 27. The Blues haven’t lost since a 5-3 defeat at the hands of the Penguins on March 13. They’re now 34-16-6 since replacing Drew Bannister with Jim Montgomery behind the bench in November and are two points ahead of the Wild for the first wild card in the Western Conference. Both St. Louis and Minnesota have four games remaining. The Blues have a 64% chance of holding onto the WC1 spot, a 33% chance of falling back behind the Wild and finishing in the WC2 slot, and a 1% chance of lapping the Avalanche for third place in the Central, per MoneyPuck. Their streak has been fueled by top-line center Robert Thomas, who leads the league in scoring since March 15 with 4-19–23 in 12 games.

More from the Central Division:

  • Utah has recalled winger Kailer Yamamoto from AHL Tucson after papering him down to the minors yesterday. The 26-year-old righty has a goal and an assist in five games since being recalled from Tucson on March 26, his first time on the NHL roster since clearing waivers early in the year. The 2017 first-round pick signed a rich two-way deal with Utah at the end of training camp following a successful professional tryout, although he’s spent most of the year in the minors for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign. While he only has those two points to show for eight NHL appearances this year, he’s Tucson’s leading scorer with 19-34–53 in 52 games with a +14 rating. He’s recently seen time in a second-line role with Barrett Hayton and Nick Schmaltz and will presumably return there when Utah hosts the Kraken tomorrow.
  • Despite iffy boxcar stats this season, the Blackhawks are pleased with how 2022 No. 7 overall pick Kevin Korchinski has developed in 2024-25. “We forget how young he is,” Blackhawks interim coach Anders Sörensen told Mark Lazerus of The Athletic. “His development curve this year overall has been a positive one, and it’s going up.” Korchinski highlighted his own defensive improvement – a must this season, considering his lack of offensive production. The 20-year-old lefty is a passer first and foremost and was dominant offensively in juniors, but he has no points to speak of in 13 NHL games this season and has been underwhelming with AHL Rockford with 3-24–27 in 54 games.

Jets Sign Kieron Walton To Entry-Level Contract

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The Jets have signed forward Kieron Walton to his entry-level contract, Murat Ates of The Athletic reported Sunday night. PuckPedia adds his three-year deal carries a cap hit of $858,333 and begins next season. His deal carries the minimum base salary of $775K throughout and includes a signing bonus and minors salary of $80K in 2025-26 before jumping to $85K each for the final two years of the contract.

Walton, 19 later this month, is coming off a major breakout season with the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League. The 6’6″, 212-lb playmaker more than doubled last year’s offensive production, leading the Wolves in scoring with 38-54–92 in 66 games. He added a goal and four assists in four playoff games as Sudbury was swept out of the first round of the OHL playoffs by the Kingston Frontenacs.

Selected in the sixth round (No. 187) of last year’s draft, Walton is undoubtedly one of the biggest risers year-over-year – not just in Winnipeg’s prospect pool but league-wide as well. A natural center who can shift to the left wing, the Toronto native finished ninth in the OHL in scoring this year, having better offensive showings than fellow 2024 draft class members like Oilers first-rounder Sam O’Reilly. Walton ranked as the No. 4 prospect in the Jets’ system in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s midseason rankings, notably ahead of plateauing first-rounders Chaz Lucius and Colby Barlow.

With names like Barlow (2023, No. 18 overall) and Lucius (2021, No. 18 overall) more uncertain than ever as impact contributors down the line, it’s important for Winnipeg’s scouting staff to hit on a few later-round picks to keep some youth infusion coming during their playoff contention window. Early returns suggest that’s what’s happened with Walton, who could make his professional debut by joining AHL Manitoba for the stretch run of the 2024-25 season. He’ll remain ineligible for a full-time AHL assignment next season but could see full-time duties with the Moose beginning in 2026-27.

As such, Walton’s contract is slide-eligible for 2025-26. If he plays fewer than 10 NHL games next season, the contract will begin in 2026-27 instead and run through the 2028-29 campaign. He’s still owed his $80K signing bonus for 2025-26 in that event, lowering the cap hit of the deal to $831,667 when it goes into effect. In either scenario, he’ll be a restricted free agent upon expiry and isn’t eligible for unrestricted free agency until the summer of 2033.

Oilers Notes: Carfagna, Clattenburg, Rodrigue

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Sunday has been a busy day for the Edmonton Oilers’ AHL ranks. It was kicked off when the Bakersfield Condors announced that they’ve signed college free agent Damien Carfagna to an amateur try-out for the remainder of the season. Carfagna will turn pro after wrapping up his junior year of school at The Ohio State University. He was first draft eligible in 2021, during his time with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL.

Carfagna was a high-impact defender in juniors on the back of strong play on both blue lines. He began his final year in the USHL – the 2021-22 campaign – with a strong 37 points in 40 games with the Green Bay Gamblers, then joined the eventual championship-winning Sioux City Musketeers via trade and contributed an additional 13 points in 31 games. Carfagna moved to the University of New Hampshire in the following year, and managed a stout 16 points in 35 games as a freshman. He moved to Ohio State for his sophomore season, and saw a dip to just six points in 34 games in his first year as a Buckeye. But Carfagna straightened that out this season, finishing the year with 28 points, six penalty minutes, and a plus-16 in 38 games.

He’ll now look to maintain his strong footing into the pro ranks. Carfagna is likely to serve as a depth option, rotating in-and-out of the lineup, through Bakersfield’s final seven games of the season.

Other notes out of Edmonton:

  • Joining Carfagna on the Bakersfield blue-line will be Connor Clattenburg, who the Oilers have reassigned to the AHL after the end of his OHL season. Clattenburg has spent the last two seasons with the Flint Firebirds and totaled 35 points, 108 penalty minutes, and a plus-two in 46 games this season. His OHL career – which was split between tenures with the Firebirds and Soo Greyhounds – ends with 74 points in 162 career games. Edmonton drafted Clattenburg in the fifth-round of the 2024 NHL Draft – drawn in by the hard-hitting style of the six-foot-two, 205-pound centerman. Clattenburg will also serve a depth role through Bakersfield’s remaining season.
  • Longtime Bakersfield goaltender Olivier Rodrigue is expected to receive his first career NHL start on Monday night per Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. Rodrigue made his NHL debut in relief of Calvin Pickard on March 27th, after the latter allowed five goals on 29 shots. Rodrigue went on to allow one more goal on eight shots. Pickard has allowed 13 goals and platooned starter Stuart Skinner has allowed 15 in their last five games respectively. With that precedent, and a playoff spot all but guaranteed, Edmonton will look for a spark with their AHL starter. Rodrigue has set a 18-15-7 record and .899 save percentage in 40 AHL games this season. He posted a .916 in 37 games, and a .912 in 29 games, in the last two seasons respectively.

Blues Recall Dalibor Dvorsky

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The St. Louis Blues have recalled top center prospect Dalibor Dvorsky from the minor leagues. Dvorsky was reassigned to the AHL on Wednesday, but will now return to the Blues roster after news that top-line winger Dylan Holloway is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

Dvorsky made his NHL debut on his last recall. He didn’t manage any scoring in what was a productive 4-1 over the Nashville Predators, but Dvorsky looked effective enough in a bottom-line role. He returned to the minors for two games and one point this weekend, bringing his year long totals in the AHL up to 20 goals and 44 points in 59 games. That scoring ranks Dvorsky fourth on the Springfield Thunderbirds and eighth among all AHL rookies in total points. He’s carried his strong scoring into international play this season as well – netting five goals and nine points in nine games of the 2025 World Junior Championship, while captaining Team Slovakia. Everywhere he’s gone, Dvorsky has earned top scoring totals on the back of his confidence on the puck and poise on the forecheck. His strengths look like they’ll clearly translate to the top flight once he gets comfortable, and this recall could be a golden chance to find that footing before the season ends.

It seems clear that Dvorsky is headed right back into St. Louis’ lineup with this move. The Blues managed a closely-fought 5-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, extending their win streak to a franchise-record 12 straight games. But nobody in St. Louis’ bottom-six managed any scoring through the record-setting win, and names like Mathieu Joseph and Radek Faksa seemed near invisible. St. Louis is now confidently in hold of a Western Conference Wild Card, and adding Dvorsky to the lineup over a quiet fourth-line veteran could go far in giving them another spark plug. With the season dwindling down, the Blues will have to find some way to make up for Holloway’s electric 63 points in 77 games this season, and 14 points in his last 10 games. High-offense rookies like Dvorsky and Jimmy Snuggerud, who recorded his first NHL point on Saturday, may be the key to keeping the offense afloat.

Canucks Recall Max Sasson

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With the Canucks dealing with more injuries up front with Nils Aman leaving practice early Friday and Nils Hoglander’s availability in question, they’ve added some extra forward depth.  Per the NHL’s Media Site, Vancouver has once again recalled winger Max Sasson from AHL Abbotsford.

It’s the eighth recall of the season for the 24-year-old NHL rookie.  Sasson has played in 24 games with Vancouver this season, collecting two goals and four assists while averaging a little over ten minutes a night of playing time.  However, none of those appearances have come since late January as aside from a brief recall late last month, he has exclusively played in the minors.

Sasson had a strong first professional year in 2023-24, picking up 18 goals and 24 assists in 56 games with Abbotsford.  Despite the frequent travel to and from the big club, he has produced at a similar clip in terms of per-game numbers this year, tallying 10 goals and 17 helpers through 39 AHL appearances.

While not specified, it’s likely that Sasson’s recall will qualify as an emergency one given the uncertainty with the injuries to Raty and Hoglander.  Accordingly, it won’t count against their post-deadline regular recall limit of four.

Boston Bruins Recall Fraser Minten, Reassign Jeffrey Viel

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The Boston Bruins will likely see the organizational debut of one of the prospects they acquired from their trade deadline firesale. Boston announced they’ve recalled forward Fraser Minten from their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, and have reassigned forward Jeffrey Viel in a corresponding roster move.

Minten, drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs with the 38th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft, was the principal player acquired by the Bruins in the Brandon Carlo trade. He’s suited up for the AHL Bruins since, scoring three goals and seven points in 10 games.

There’s been a slight uptick in scoring for Minten, who had only recorded six goals and 13 points in 26 games earlier this season with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. Still, that may partly be based on his stay with the Maple Leafs earlier in the 2024-25 calendar, when he scored two goals and four points in 15 games, averaging 12:14 of ice time per game.

Given their plummet in the standings since the trade deadline, the Bruins are positioned to give nearly every prospect a look on the NHL roster for their remaining games. Minten had shown the ability to play up and down the forward core during his stay with Toronto, and Boston will look to see if he’ll offer them the same.

Meanwhile, Viel suited up in his fifth game of the year a few days ago. The seven-year veteran is primarily known for fisticuffs rather than his talent with the puck, but he has registered 12 goals and 34 points in 62 games for the AHL Bruins this season.

Pacific Notes: Draisaitl, Frederic, Gudas, Mølgaard

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The Edmonton Oilers will again be without star forward Leon Draisaitl in their lineup. According to team TV host Tony Brar, Draisaitl has sustained a minor lower-body injury, although it’s unrelated to his previous ailment.

Draisaitl had recently missed four consecutive games for Edmonton with an undisclosed injury. Upon his return on April 1st, the 11-year veteran tallied one goal and one assist against the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks. Thankfully for the Oilers, there’s no concern that Draisaitl’s recent string of injuries will impact his availability for the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.

On a more positive injury note for Edmonton, Brar also reported there is a “slight” chance that Trent Frederic could debut with the team tomorrow against the Los Angeles Kings. Frederic is still recovering from a lower-body injury suffered in February when he was rostered with the Boston Bruins.

Other notes from the Pacfic Division:

  • Contrary to a report from yesterday evening, Anaheim Ducks’ captain, Radko Gudas, isn’t headed for the operating room this off-season (Tweet Link). The initial was generated to contextualize Gudas’s “struggles” this season, but it doesn’t appear to be based on much accuracy. Gudas has essentially only struggled with his possession quality this year, as his physicality and defensive metrics (both of which he’s excelled at his entire career) have improved.
  • Moving to a prospect note, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken, announced that prospect Oscar Fisker Mølgaard is joining the team for the remainder of the season. Mølgaard, the 52nd overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, recently finished a strong campaign with the SHL’s HV71, scoring five goals and 19 points in 38 contests.

San Jose Sharks Reassign Gabriel Carriere

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Apr. 4th: Unfortunately, Carriere’s first recall will end without his NHL debut, as the Sharks have reassigned him back to AHL San Jose.

Apr. 3rd: The Sharks announced they’ve recalled goaltender Gabriel Carriere from AHL San Jose. He’ll back up Georgi Romanov tonight against the Oilers while starter Alexandar Georgiev is scratched due to an upper-body injury, head coach Ryan Warsofsky told reporters (including Max Miller of The Hockey News).

Carriere’s first NHL recall comes weeks after his first NHL contract. The 24-year-old Ottawa native got a two-way deal from the Sharks on deadline day to make him recall-eligible for the remainder of 2024-25. He’s been in their system on an AHL contract since the end of last season, when he signed as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Vermont.

The Sharks needed another goaltender under contract after trading backup Vítek Vaněček to the Panthers last month, and top prospect Yaroslav Askarov remains unavailable due to the lower-body injury he suffered while on an AHL assignment in mid-February. His absence is drawing to a close soon, though. Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News confirmed today that Askarov traveled with the Sharks’ farm team on their road trip and should make his return in the coming days.

That paves the way for Carriere to see his name on an NHL roster and earn a big-league paycheck for the day, although he’s unlikely to see game action. It’s still been a promising season for Carriere, who was quite good while on assignment to ECHL Wichita to begin the season until his services were needed in the AHL following Askarov’s injury. He posted a 2.60 GAA, .922 SV%, three shutouts, and a 14-9-2 record in 25 appearances for Wichita. Things haven’t gone as well in the AHL with the Barracuda, where Carriere has a .893 SV% and 3.13 GAA in 19 showings with an 8-8-3 record.

Carriere will be a restricted free agent this summer with arbitration rights. He’s likely done well enough in the ECHL to earn a qualifying offer from San Jose, but that remains to be seen. Askarov, who signed a two-year, $4MM extension when the Sharks acquired him from the Predators last August, is the only goaltender under contract with San Jose for next season. He’s a virtual lock for their opening night roster after again excelling in the AHL and looking strong in his NHL viewings this year (.896 SV%, 1.7 GSAx, 3.10 GAA in 13 GP).

Predators Sign Magnus Chrona To Two-Way Extension

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The Predators announced today they’ve signed goaltender Magnus Chrona to a two-way deal to keep him in the organization for the 2025-26 season. It carries the league-minimum cap hit of $775K. Nashville didn’t disclose his minor-league salary.

Chrona, 24, is in his first season with the Predators. Nashville acquired the depth netminder from the Sharks in last August’s Yaroslav Askarov blockbuster to help replace the latter’s minutes with AHL Milwaukee. He’s had a lukewarm showing with the Admirals, posting an 11-11-5 record, .901 SV% and a 2.87 GAA in 29 appearances. Those numbers are disappointing considering he’s been outperformed by 27-year-old Matt Murray (2.21 GAA, .927 SV%) by a wide margin. His career numbers – a 3.19 GAA and .897 SV% in 60 AHL matchups – don’t inspire a ton of confidence either.

Nonetheless, he’ll be back for another season, albeit as a No. 3 option at most. The Swede is in just his second professional season after turning pro with the Sharks out of the University of Denver in the 2023 offseason. He saw some brief NHL action last year, but he understandably fared poorly behind a league-worst San Jose squad. In eight starts and one relief appearance, he logged a 1-6-1 record, a .859 SV%, and a 4.71 GAA. He only managed three quality starts and conceded 7.6 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck.

After trading Askarov, the Preds don’t have any high-end prospects for Chrona to split time with in the minors. Juuse Saros and Justus Annunen remained signed through next season and will presumably return as their NHL duo. Nashville does have 2023 fourth-rounder Juha Jatkola in the system, but his signing rights are set to expire on June 1 if they don’t get him under contract. The 22-year-old had a .886 SV% in 28 games with Liiga’s KalPa this year. Thus, it’s likely they either re-up Murray on a two-way deal or look elsewhere on the free agent market to find a veteran depth netminder to pair with Chrona in Milwaukee next season.

Chrona was coming off his entry-level contract and would have been a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer. The same status now awaits him in 2026.

Ducks Recall Ville Husso

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The Ducks have recalled goaltender Ville Husso from AHL San Diego after John Gibson left last night’s start with a lower-body injury, according to the AHL’s transactions log. In a corresponding move, the team reassigned prospect Damian Clara to replace Husso on San Diego’s roster. He was previously on loan to Liiga’s Kärpät.

Anaheim has recalled Husso frequently since acquiring him from the Red Wings in February, constantly as a fill-in for the oft-injured Gibson. This is Gibson’s third injury-related absence in the past six weeks, including a three-gamer in February and a seven-gamer last month. While the latter was due to a lower-body injury, it’s unclear if the injury he sustained last night against the Flames is related.

While Gibson’s absences have meant more playing time for the upstart Lukáš Dostál than for Husso, the third-stringer has made a start and a relief appearance for the Ducks since the move. He’s allowed five goals on 51 shots for a good .902 SV%, although his only decision was a 3-2 loss to Utah on March 12. When considering his nine appearances with Detroit, his numbers for the year are still underwhelming. The struggling 30-year-old has a 1-6-2 record, .874 SV% and 3.71 GAA in nine starts and two relief appearances across both clubs while allowing 7.0 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck.

A pending unrestricted free agent, Husso won’t earn anything resembling his current $4.75MM cap hit on the open market this summer. A two-way deal may even be necessary for him to land another NHL contract. He’s still been strong enough in the minors to command a No. 3 role, posting a 2.64 GAA, .910 SV%, and a 15-6-0 record in 22 appearances split between AHL Grand Rapids and San Diego.

With the Ducks now mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Husso remain up for the last two weeks of the campaign while Gibson gets an early start to his offseason.

As for Clara, the 20-year-old will get his first taste of life in North America to close his 2024-25 season. It didn’t go as well as he’d hoped overseas, posting a .879 SV% and 3.19 GAA in 21 appearances for Färjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League before his late-season transfer to Finland. It’s worth noting that was Clara’s debut against top-level European competition – his breakout 2023-24 campaign was spent in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan, helping Brynäs IF gain promotion back to the SHL for this season with a .913 SV% in 34 outings.

The 6’6″ Italian improved his play down the stretch, logging a 2.49 GAA, .910 SV%, one shutout, and a 3-7-0 record in 10 showings with Kärpät to end the season. He’ll almost certainly serve as Italy’s starting netminder for the 2026 Winter Olympics, which they’ll participate in as the host country. A second-round pick by Anaheim in 2023, he adds to a decent complement of young goalies in the organization behind Dostál that also includes Calle Clang and Tomas Suchanek – neither of whom are available to San Diego right now because of injuries.

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