Nashville Predators Sign Daniel Nieminen
4:45 p.m.: A short while after Nashville’s announcement, the team over at PuckPedia released the financial details of Nieminen’s entry-level deal:
| Year | NHL Salary | Signing bonus | Potential performance bonuses | Minors salary |
| 2026-27 | $850K | $75K | NA | $70K |
| 2027-28 | $900K | $75K | NA | $70K |
| 2028-29 | $950K | $75K | NA | $70K |
3:21 p.m.: The Nashville Predators have put pen to paper on one of their draft selections from last summer. The Predators have announced the signing of defenseman Daniel Nieminen to a three-year, entry-level contract that will begin next season.
Nieminen, 20, was selected with the 163rd overall (sixth round) pick of the 2025 NHL Draft by Nashville. He was coming off a season almost exclusively with the Finnish Liiga’s Pelicans, registering four goals and 11 points in 39 games with a -1 rating. Additionally, he played for Team Finland in the U20 IIHF World Junior Championships, scoring two assists in seven games with a +2 rating.
This season with the Pelicans went much better for Nieminen on both sides of the puck. The Lahti, Finland native finished the year with five goals and 17 points in 47 games with a +3 rating. Unfortunately, his production at the World Junior Championships slipped, as he went scoreless throughout the tournament.
Odds are, Nieminen will begin the 2026-27 campaign with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Although he’s unlikely to challenge for any rookie-scoring leads, Nieminen already has the skating ability for professional hockey in North America. He’s managed terrific gap coverage in Finland and has the straight-line foot speed to close gaps on the rare occasion he finds himself out of position.
Still, unless the Predators trade multiple defensemen this summer, or have an unexpected number of injuries during preseason play, Nieminen doesn’t have a clear path to the NHL, at least for the time being. Nashville already has four left-handed defensemen signed through next season, and that’s without including top prospect Tanner Molendyk, who will undoubtedly challenge for an opening night roster spot.
Toronto Maple Leafs Recall Dennis Hildeby
The revolving door of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ backup goaltender continues, with Anthony Stolarz done for the season with a lower-body injury. The Maple Leafs announced that they’ve reassigned netminder Artur Akhtyamov to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and recalled Dennis Hildeby in his place.
Because of the numerous injuries to Stolarz this season, Hildeby, 24, has spent quite a bit of time with the Maple Leafs. Throughout his three years playing in the organization, the 2025-26 season has provided Hildeby with the most opportunities at the NHL level.
For the most part, he’s played particularly well in those appearances. Hildeby has managed a 5-6-4 record in 19 games this season with a .910 SV%, 2.90 GAA, and 7.3 Goals Saved Above Average (according to HockeyReference).
For one reason or another, that stability with the Maple Leafs hasn’t translated to his time with the Marlies. In 22 AHL games this year, Hildeby has a 9-8-8 record with a .896 SV% and 2.70 GAA.
Still, his performance this season makes Hildeby an obvious trade candidate this offseason. Yes, this year has proven that Toronto needs an experienced third-string option given Stolarz’s injury troubles. However, given that they signed Akhtyamov to a three-year extension last month, that leaves Hildeby in a difficult spot.
Meanwhile, Akhtyamov, 24, returns to the Marlies, where he has almost exclusively played this year. The Kazan, Russia native, has had a respectable 2025-26 campaign, managing a 20-12-6 record in 36 games with a .903 SV% and 2.90 GAA. Unfortunately, his start last night against the Dallas Stars didn’t go well, as Akhtyamov gave up six goals on 32 shots (.813 SV%).
Penguins Recall Rafael Harvey-Pinard
The Penguins have recalled winger Rafael Harvey-Pinard from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, per a team announcement. He’s in line to make his Pittsburgh debut tonight in their regular season finale against the Blues, while the Pens will sit virtually their entire top six to get them some extra rest ahead of their first round playoff matchup with the Flyers.
Harvey-Pinard landed a two-way deal with the Penguins at the beginning of free agency last summer. He cleared waivers during training camp and, aside from a brief recall in January that didn’t result in any playing time, has spent the entire season on assignment to the Baby Pens. The 5’9″ energy winger has produced 19 goals and 17 assists for 36 points in 64 games, along with a strong +18 rating.
That’s not the peak production Harvey-Pinard has flashed in the past. A seventh-round pick by the Canadiens in 2019, he managed 21 goals and 56 points in 69 AHL outings back in 2021-22. That preceded Harvey-Pinard getting an extended NHL look the following season – mostly in a top-line role, too, in the wake of a Cole Caufield shoulder injury – in which he had 14 goals and 20 points in only 34 games.
Now 27, that seems to be where Harvey-Pinard peaked. He’s dealt with various injuries since then and only managed a 2-8–10 scoring line in 45 games the following year before falling out of the NHL rotation entirely in 2024-25. After finishing out the back half of a two-year, $2.2MM contract in Laval, it was no surprise to see Montreal let him walk with a non-tender to unrestricted free agency.
Harvey-Pinard likely needed more than what he’s produced this season to climb back into NHL consideration at Pittsburgh’s or someone else’s training camp in the fall. He’s done well enough to earn a two-way deal somewhere else, though. If he’s not interested in another one, there should be some interest from European clubs this summer as well.
Flames Recall Rory Kerins
The Flames announced Tuesday that they’ve recalled forward Rory Kerins from AHL Calgary. In doing so, they’ve used up the last of the five standard recalls available after the trade deadline, so they won’t be able to make any non-emergency moves before Thursday’s season finale against the Kings. Kerins will be an option to dress tonight against the Avalanche, though.
Kerins has seven NHL games to his name, all coming over the last two seasons. He got a brief recall back in November, during which he suited up in back-to-back games, so he won’t be making his season debut if he plays. The 2020 sixth-rounder got off to a hot start last year, rattling off four assists and a +3 rating through his first five NHL games before being returned to the minors. He didn’t get on the scoresheet in either appearance earlier this season.
The 24-year-old has worked his way up the organization’s depth chart on the heels of some spectacular minor-league offensive performances. As a first-year pro in 2022-23, he was one point shy of a point per game for ECHL Rapid City. He’s now held a full-time AHL role for the past three years and has a lifetime 72-77–149 scoring line in 182 games. That includes a 33-goal, 61-point showing in 63 games last year and another 22 goals and 54 points in 55 games this season.
The 5’11’, 190-lb center has some defensive flaws, though, that have kept him from progressing further into more NHL roles. That, plus the fact he projects as more of a winger at the NHL level, where the Flames are deeper, creates a numbers game that doesn’t fall in his favor when put up against younger, higher draft pedigree names like Matvei Gridin, Samuel Honzek, and Brennan Othmann.
Kerins did pass through waivers unclaimed at the beginning of this season, so that also likely won’t be much of a concern for Calgary moving forward. A pending restricted free agent, they face a choice of whether to qualify him in June, extend him before then, or let him walk to open up a contract slot. His qualifying offer is only a two-way deal with a cap hit of $813,750, so they certainly won’t balk financially at sending that his way.
Maple Leafs Sign Landon Sim To Entry-Level Deal
The Maple Leafs have signed forward Landon Sim to a two-year, entry-level contract that begins next season, per a team announcement. The Nova Scotia native had been with AHL Toronto this season on a minor-league deal.
Sim, 21, was a sixth-round pick by the Blues in 2022, but they opted not to sign him, and he became a free agent two years later. After not being picked up again in the draft and heading back to junior hockey for an overage season with the OHL’s London Knights, he landed a one-year commitment from the Marlies for 2025-26 along with a training camp invite from the Leafs.
The son of former NHL journeyman Jon Sim displayed some offensive upside in juniors – he had a 30-goal season for the Knights en route to their Memorial Cup win in 2025. It’s his physicality and willingness to drop the gloves, despite his 5’11”, 187-lb frame, that have made him an attractive depth candidate in Toronto, though. He only logged three goals in 13 AHL contests this season and added two goals and six points in 18 games for ECHL Cincinnati. Across the two leagues, he racked up 75 penalty minutes in 31 outings.
Sim is a long shot to ever be a regular NHL contributor, but there’s no harm in acquiring his NHL rights with another six years of team control remaining. He won’t be a real candidate for a roster spot in the fall, but could be a call-up option if the Leafs want to dress an enforcer for a game or two. He’ll be a restricted free agent in 2028 and gives Toronto 33 of the maximum 50 standard contracts on the books for next season.
Blues Reassign Theo Lindstein, Otto Stenberg
The Blues reassigned defenseman Theo Lindstein and forward Otto Stenberg to AHL Springfield on Tuesday, per a team release. Both youngsters had been up for the last several weeks to aid in St. Louis’ playoff push, but after the Ducks and Kings locked up the final Western Conference playoff berths last night, they’ll be returned to Springfield to aid in another push for a berth. With three games remaining in the regular season, Springfield has a two-point lead over Lehigh Valley for the cutoff line in the AHL’s Atlantic Division.
With only two games remaining on the Blues’ regular-season schedule, Lindstein and Stenberg won’t be missing much. The 2023 first-rounders were selected just four spots apart at 29th and 25th overall, respectively, and their paths have largely been congruent. Both Swedes made their initial NHL arrivals this season.
Lindstein didn’t get as long a leash as his more offensively inclined counterpart. While Stenberg saw a few call-ups throughout the year, Lindstein didn’t get his first and only one until shortly after the trade deadline. Since his summons on March 9, though, he’s played in 17 straight for the Blues and hasn’t looked out of place. The left-shot puck-mover recorded a pair of goals and assists for four points along with a +6 rating while averaging 15:46 per game. Riding shotgun with Colton Parayko on the second pairing, there were legitimately strong possession impacts underlying those stats. Lindstein’s 52.5% Corsi share and 54.9% shot share at 5-on-5 are both the best marks of any Blues defenseman this season.
His minor-league stat line isn’t nearly as impressive. The Blues’ development plan for the 6’0″, 197-lb Lindstein likely meant they were going to give him an NHL look at some point this year, no matter what, but he was limited to 16 points and a team-worst -24 rating in 56 games with Springfield before his recall. Given that, they’ll be watching what Lindstein does closely down the stretch. If nothing else, the excellent chemistry he showed with Parayko over the last month should give him the inside track toward a roster spot in training camp, assuming the Blues continue a slower-paced retool and don’t load up on defenders in free agency.
Stenberg will almost certainly be with the Blues next October, though. A cerebral two-way piece not unlike his blue line counterpart, he’s a natural center but has skated mostly on the wing thus far in his NHL minutes. That hasn’t stopped him from producing three goals and seven assists for 10 points through his first 32 games, tacking on a +3 rating and 49 hits while averaging 13:37 of ice time per night.
Stenberg has seen some fringe penalty kill usage, just north of a minute per game, in which he grades out well. The 20-year-old needs to shoot more – he averaged a tick under one shot on goal per game – to boost his point totals. His all-around numbers, though, indicate a player well on track to hit his floor of being a responsible bottom-six piece. The Blues controlled 46.8% of shot attempts with him on the ice at 5-on-5. That’s a respectable figure considering he only started 42% of his shifts in the offensive zone.
Islanders Assign Semyon Varlamov On LTIR Conditioning Stint
The Islanders announced Tuesday that they’ve sent goaltender Semyon Varlamov to AHL Bridgeport on a long-term injury conditioning loan. If he dresses, it will be his first appearance of any kind in well over a year.
Varlamov’s last NHL appearance came on Nov. 29, 2024, in an overtime loss to the Capitals. A few days later, he was listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. That quickly spiraled into full-on knee replacement surgery within a few weeks, preventing him from returning to the crease for game action despite multiple attempts to return to practice that have been stopped and restarted. Even over last offseason, the team was insistent he’d be ready for training camp until he wasn’t. They were largely quiet on Varlamov’s status throughout the season until general manager Mathieu Darche eventually ruled him out for the season after the trade deadline.
With so much missed time and now two knee replacement surgeries in the last two years, most had begun to assume Varlamov’s NHL career was over. That may still be the case for the 2014 Vezina Trophy finalist, but it appears he’ll be getting at least one regular-season start in Bridgeport in order to gauge how he feels heading into the final season of his contract in 2026-27, carrying a $2.75MM cap hit.
There is a universe in which the 37-year-old, if he’s finally cleared the necessary hurdles in his recovery, can return to being Ilya Sorokin‘s backup next season. That duo has defined the Islanders’ crease for the better part of the decade, with Varlamov initially landing on Long Island in free agency back in 2019 and Sorokin arriving from Russia less than two years later. Varlamov had been a legitimately exceptional tandem/backup option for New York up until his 10-game run to begin the 2024-25 campaign, posting a .889 SV% and 2.89 GAA with a 3-4-3 record before going under the knife.
Of Varlamov’s 17 NHL seasons, six have been spent on Long Island. Arguably one of the more successful open-market pickups in franchise history, he never started more than 40 games in a season but has amassed a .916 SV%, 2.57 GAA, 16 shutouts, and a 76-63-21 record in 173 appearances in blue and orange. He was the team’s primary option between the pipes in their back-to-back runs to the Eastern Conference Final in 2021 before Sorokin assumed true #1 duties the following season.
Varlamov was a first-round pick by the Capitals, 23rd overall, way back in 2006. His last minor-league action coincided with his final season in Washington, suiting up a few times for the Hershey Bears in November 2010 on a conditioning stint following a groin injury. That nearly 16-year gap will be up there with the longest in AHL history, but still won’t sniff Claude Lemieux‘s two-plus-decade space between games.
Islanders Recall Victor Eklund, Liam Foudy
April 14: The Islanders announced Tuesday that they’ve recalled both Eklund and forward Liam Foudy from Bridgeport. If Foudy plays, it’ll be his first contest since making his Isles debut back in October 2024. The former Blue Jackets first-rounder is now 26 years old and is amid a career year in Bridgeport, where he’s amassed a 25-21–46 scoring line in 58 games for the playoff-bound Baby Isles.
He’s a pending restricted free agent, so today’s bump could indicate they intend to issue him a qualifying offer. They didn’t let him get to restricted free agency last summer, signing him to a two-way extension on June 29. He was initially signed in the 2024 offseason after a non-tender by the Predators, who had claimed him off waivers from Columbus the prior season.
April 13: The New York Islanders are expected to recall top prospect and 2025 draft pick Victor Eklund from the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders, per NHL.com’s Stefen Rosner. Eklund, the younger brother of San Jose Sharks forward William Eklund, made his AHL debut on March 27 following the end of Djugården’s season in Sweden’s SHL. He has been red-hot ever since, scoring seven assists and nine points in his first seven AHL games.
On the heels of that strong start, Eklund could make his NHL debut in the Islanders’ season finale on Tuesday. New head coach Peter DeBoer spoke about his hopes of incorporating future impact into the lineup for the Islanders’ final game, after the team was eliminated from playoff contention. Eklund will certainly be a part of that group after being drafted by the Islanders with the 16th overall pick last year.
Eklund has a long history of success at the pro level. He scored 19 goals and 31 points in 42 games in the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier pro league, as a rookie in 2024-25. He formed a formidable tandem with Chicago Blackhawks prospect Anton Frondell, enough to earn Djurgården a promotion to the SHL in 2025.
The duo stayed hot – Eklund by scoring 24 points in 43 SHL games – to help Djurgården avoid relegation this season. Now, the aggressive forechecker and strong shooter could test his talents in the Islanders’ lineup. His debut may come at the expense of one of the Islanders’ short-term forwards, like Ondrej Palat or Marc Gatcomb. Eklund enters the NHL already boasting a World Juniors gold medal and HockeyAllsvenskan championship.
Mammoth Reassign Matt Villalta
4/13/26: The Mammoth reassigned Villalta back to Tucson today. He backed up Vanecek yesterday during the Mammoth’s 4-1 loss to the Calgary Flames.
4/12/26: The Utah Mammoth recalled forward Kevin Rooney and goaltender Matt Villalta from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners before last night’s game against the Calgary Flames. Villalta stepped into Utah’s backup role behind Vitek Vanecek with the usual starter, Karel Vejmelka, out with an undisclosed injury. Vejmelka’s injury isn’t expected to be serious, and his absence could be for a night of rest, per Brogan Houston of Desert News Sports. He saved 26 of 30 shots faced in Saturday night’s loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Both Rooney and Villalta were held off the ice in Sunday night’s game. The duo has each carved out productive roles in the minor leagues. Rooney has scored 24 points, split evenly, in 44 games with Tucson to go with one goal in one game with Utah this season. That is the most scoring he has managed in a single campaign since the 2017-18 season, when he scored 34 points in 71 AHL games. Villalta has split starts with Jaxson Stauber for much of the year. He has 16 wins and a .895 save percentage in 33 games, narrowly more wins and a higher save percentage than Stauber (14 wins, .886 Sv%) despite playing two fewer games.
Rooney and Villalta could be options to stick on the NHL roster with two games left in the Mammoth season. Their presence could allow Utah to rest some routine lineup players before the club takes on the franchise’s first appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Vejmelka will have the starting role locked in when the postseason rolls around, after he notched 37 wins and a .898 Sv% in 62 games this season. Vejmelka has appeared in the most games of any Mammoth – or Arizona Coyotes – goaltender since 2015, when Mike Smith also played 62 games.
Predators Sign Aiden Fink To Entry-Level Deal
The Nashville Predators have signed 2023 seventh-round pick Aiden Fink to a three-year, entry-level contract. Fink began his pro career earlier in the month, signing an AHL tryout contract after the end of his junior season at Pennsylvania State University. He has since scored three goals and 10 points in his first six AHL games. Fink’s entry-level deal will begin this season, offering him a chance to make his NHL debut in the coming days.
On the heels of a red-hot start, Fink could now get the call to the NHL. The Predators have two games left in their season, just enough opportunity to give the young winger his first shot at NHL ice time. While Fink’s pro start has been exciting, it is far from a surprise to see him scoring at a top rate. The 21 year old scored 10 goals and 38 points in 30 NCAA games this season, good for third on the Penn State Nittany Lions in scoring. He racked up 23 goals and 53 points in 40 games of the 2024-25 season, finishing the year with the fourth-most points in college hockey. Through three seasons at Penn State, Fink’s confidence while driving the puck and ability to make fast-moving plays spoke volumes. In a small sample, it seems that hot scoring has continued into the pro level.
A breakout collegiate career has raised the attention around the Predators’ right winger. He flew under radars during two years in the AJHL, even after posting an impressive 97 points in 54 games during his draft season. Entering the draft class with proven scoring, two AJHL championships, and one AJHL MVP title wasn’t enough for the undersized winger, who had to wait until one of the final picks of the 2023 NHL Draft to hear his name. Now, an entry-level contract will give him a chance to prove that Nashville found a diamond in the rough. Fink becomes Nashville’s sixth 2023 draftee to sign his first NHL contract.