Red Wings Sign Axel Sandin Pellikka To Entry-Level Deal
The Red Wings signed 2023 first-round pick Axel Sandin Pellikka to his three-year, entry-level contract on Monday, per a team announcement.
Sandin Pellikka, 19, is still under contract with Skellefteå AIK of the Swedish Hockey League for 2024-25. However, since Sandin Pellikka was a first-round pick, the NHL-SHL transfer agreement still permits Detroit to assign him to AHL Grand Rapids next season if he doesn’t make the NHL roster. Returning him to Skellefteå is still an option but not a requirement.
The 5’11” right-shot defenseman is coming off a banner season in his home country. His season ended ceremoniously last week, winning the SHL championship with Skellefteå. He was absent with injury for the first two games of the final series against Rögle BK but returned as Skellefteå won Games 3 through 5. He finished the postseason with two goals and seven points in 14 games.
That performance came after a strong regular season with Skellefteå. He set career highs across the board with 10 goals and eight assists for 18 points in 39 games, a -9 rating, and was awarded the Salming Trophy as the best Swedish-born defender in the SHL or SDHL as a result. The Gällivare native was also exceptional in international action at the 2024 World Juniors, finishing with two goals and six points in seven games as Sweden won the silver medal. He was named the tournament’s best defenseman by the IIHF directorate.
After falling a bit to Detroit at 17th overall in last year’s draft, Sandin Pellikka has only increased his stock as a prospect. The expert playmaker and puck handler seems well on his way to challenge for top-four minutes and power play time in Detroit, arguably overtaking 2021 sixth-overall pick Simon Edvinsson as the organization’s best young blue liner.
Detroit’s NHL roster for next season is already full on defense, thanks to veterans Ben Chiarot, Justin Holl, Olli Määttä and Jeff Petry still serving out or finishing up multi-year agreements. It’s hard to imagine general manager Steve Yzerman retaining all of them, though, and trading one of them – especially the two righties in Holl and Petry – could open up an opening-night roster spot for Sandin Pellikka.
The Swede won’t turn 20 until after Jan. 1, meaning his entry-level contract will slide to 2025-26 if he plays fewer than 10 NHL games next season. If so, the deal will expire in 2028 instead of 2027. He’ll be a restricted free agent upon expiry either way.
Devils Sign Seamus Casey To Entry-Level Deal
10:52 a.m.: Casey’s ELC carries a cap hit of $950K, NJ.com’s Ryan Novozinsky reports.
9:03 a.m.: The Devils have signed 2022 second-round pick Seamus Casey to his three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Monday. The University of Michigan defender was their top unsigned defense prospect.
New Jersey general manager Tom Fitzgerald said last month that Casey was undecided about returning to the Wolverines for his junior season. Now, after his seven goals and 45 points in 40 games helped lead Michigan to the semifinals of the NCAA national championship, he’ll look to compete for a spot on the Devils’ blue line in 2024-25.
Casey, 20, was picked up by the Devils with the 46th overall pick in his draft year, just before the midpoint of the second round. It was a tad earlier than TSN’s Bob McKenzie’s polling of NHL scouts expected him to go (51st overall), but multiple public scouting services suggested he should’ve been off the board by then as a late first or very early second-round pick. So far, it looks like most teams’ scouting departments undervalued the right-shot defender. The Devils weren’t one of those teams – chief scout Mark Dennehy told NJ.com’s Ryan Novozinsky that they were surprised he was still available with their pick.
Now listed at 5’10” and 180 lbs, the Florida-born Casey has put on an inch and about 20 pounds of muscle in the last few years. It’s helped quell concerns about his size – easily the biggest reason why NHL scouts were cautious about selecting him – to some degree.
Drafted out of the U.S. National Team Development Program, Casey immediately made the jump to Michigan after being picked by the Devils and hasn’t at all looked out of place. He took home Big 10 All-Rookie Team honors last year, potting eight goals and 29 points with a +16 rating in 37 games to finish second behind future New Jersey teammate Luke Hughes in scoring among Michigan defensemen. He became the Wolverines’ top puck-moving option this season after Hughes left for the Devils and proved he was up to the task by finishing fifth on the team in scoring and third among all NCAA defensemen. Casey also suited up for the United States at the 2024 World Juniors, posting six assists in six games to lead the tournament in assists by defensemen en route to a gold medal.
Casey’s departure leaves a crater-sized gap on the Michigan blue line next season, although the addition of the offensively-minded Tim Lovell out of the transfer portal from Arizona State should help somewhat. An expert passer and shifty skater in transition, Casey is incredibly effective at helping his team exit one zone and gain the other but will likely struggle to box out opposing forwards and win puck battles in the early stages of his NHL career.
With the return of top defenseman Dougie Hamilton from a pectoral injury that cost him most of 2023-24, as well as 2022 second-overall pick Simon Nemec establishing himself as a full-time NHLer, it’ll be tough for Casey to land an everyday role on New Jersey’s blue line next season. Without a clear need for Casey in the NHL lineup immediately, it’s a tad confusing to see him opt to forego a third year of school. However, he’s a solid bet to rotate in and get a few games at the beginning of the season before logging big minutes with AHL Utica to adjust to the professional ranks. His ELC isn’t eligible to slide to next season, even if he plays fewer than 10 NHL games, and will make him a restricted free agent in 2027.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Bruins Recall Patrick Brown On Emergency Basis
The Bruins will kick off the second round on Monday against Florida and have made a roster move in advance of that game. The team announced that they’ve recalled forward Patrick Brown from AHL Providence on an emergency basis.
The 31-year-old inked a two-year, $1.6MM deal with Boston over the summer with the expectation that he’d contend for a spot on their fourth line. It didn’t quite work out that way, however, as he cleared waivers at the end of training camp and did so again a month later.
Overall, Brown played in just 11 regular season games for Boston this season, recording just one assist while logging less than nine minutes a night. As a result, he spent most of the year in Providence where he was much more impactful, collecting 32 points in 42 regular season games plus three more in two playoff contests thus far.
Boston had 14 forwards on its roster before Brown’s recall so the emergency designation is notable. Danton Heinen remains injured but since they had an extra healthy skater on the roster already (Jakub Lauko), it appears as if there’s at least one other forward whose availability for Monday night isn’t assured.
Meanwhile, while not announced by the team, the Bruins have also recalled goaltender Michael DiPietro, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 24-year-old has been serving as Boston’s emergency goaltender in recent days and had a 2.51 GAA with a .918 SV% in 30 games with Providence during the regular season.
Predators Assign Three To AHL
While the Predators were eliminated last night by Vancouver, the season isn’t quite over for three players just yet. The team announced that they’ve assigned forward Juuso Parssinen, defenseman Kevin Gravel, and goaltender Gustavs Grigals to AHL Milwaukee.
Parssinen split this season between the Predators and Admirals. With Nashville, the 23-year-old wasn’t able to match the output from a year ago, dropping to just eight goals and four assists in 44 games; in 2022-23, he had six goals and 19 helpers in 45 contests. Parssinen also got into one game against the Canucks in the first round and was held off the scoresheet. The pending restricted free agent had a fairly productive year in the minors, however, notching seven goals and 18 assists in 36 games.
As for Gravel, he was just brought back up as injury depth following the injury to Spencer Stastney earlier in the series. The 32-year-old has 132 career NHL appearances under his belt but played exclusively in the AHL this season, picking up a goal and nine assists in 63 games. Gravel signed a two-year extension back in January, meaning he’ll be patrolling the back end in Milwaukee for the foreseeable future.
Grigals, meanwhile, served as the third-string emergency backup in the playoffs. His minor league deal was converted to an NHL agreement back in March, likely for that very reason, allowing Yaroslav Askarov and Troy Grosenick to remain with Milwaukee for the playoffs. The 25-year-old pending RFA will likely serve the same third-string role for the balance of the AHL postseason.
Panthers RFA Alexander True Signs In SHL
Last month, it was reported that Panthers forward Alexander True was likely heading to the SHL for next season. That is now official as Modo announced that they’ve signed True to a two-year deal.
The 26-year-old started his professional career with San Jose after signing with them as an undrafted free agent in 2018. True went on to play in 19 games with the Sharks on that agreement before being selected in expansion by Seattle in 2021. He spent two seasons with them, playing just eight NHL contests before departing via Group Six free agency for Florida last summer.
However, the change of scenery didn’t result in him receiving any NHL action. Instead, True spent the full season with AHL Charlotte, notching 19 points in 55 regular season games plus an assist in three playoff contests. After the Checkers were eliminated, he wasn’t brought up to be part of Florida’s reserve group but instead, he’ll suit up for Denmark at the Worlds later this month.
Florida can still tender a qualifying offer next month to retain True’s rights. However, he only has one RFA year remaining before reaching UFA eligibility, and with this contract taking him through the 2025-26 campaign, they could very well just opt to officially cut bait this summer.
Kings Reassign Aaron Dell
The Kings are trimming their roster after being eliminated in the first round in five games by the Oilers, returning depth goalie Aaron Dell to AHL Ontario today.
Dell, 34, didn’t suit up for the Kings this season after they signed him to a one-year, two-way contract on March 4. The veteran of seven NHL seasons and 130 games last played in the NHL with the Sharks in February 2023.
The Alberta native reached unrestricted free agency last summer after not being re-signed by San Jose but didn’t sign any NHL offers. He participated in training camp on a PTO with the Blue Jackets but failed to make the team and was released from his tryout without signing an NHL or AHL agreement. Dell later landed on a PTO with the Hurricanes later in the season as they were dealing with the beginning of the long-term absence of starter Frederik Andersen, but didn’t get a contract out of that stint, either.
Dell’s first non-exhibition action of the 2023-24 season came on the international stage, suiting up for Team Canada at the Spengler Cup in late December. There, he posted a .906 SV% and a 2-2-0 record in four games. Upon returning, he landed an AHL contract with Ontario, which later turned into an NHL agreement with the Kings so they could add him to the roster as needed for injury insurance. In 12 games with Ontario this season, the veteran showed he still had what it takes to play at the professional level with a strong .914 SV% and 2.57 GAA in 12 appearances, compiling one shutout and a 7-4-1 record.
Dell will again become a UFA this summer and look to land another NHL contract. He is likely to serve as a club’s third or fourth-string netminder. He hasn’t been a full-time NHL option since starting 30 games and making three relief appearances for the Sharks in 2019-20.
Hurricanes Place Alexander Pashin On Unconditional Waivers
Right wing prospect Alexander Pashin was placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of contract termination by the Hurricanes today, the team’s Walt Ruff reports.
Carolina selected Pashin, now 21, in the seventh round of the 2020 draft and signed him to a three-year entry-level contract in May 2022. The Russian forward came to North America immediately, spending 2022-23 with AHL Chicago where he recorded four goals, 10 points and a -12 rating in 47 games. It was a difficult adjustment for the agile but undersized winger, who had put up strong numbers in the junior and second-tier professional ranks in Russia but couldn’t break through a deep forward prospect pool in Carolina.
Without an affiliation agreement in place with Chicago this season, the Hurricanes loaned Pashin to Spartak Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League for the 2023-24 season. He provided solid depth scoring in a depth role there, posting 10 goals and nine assists in 60 games with a +3 rating. He was one of nine double-digit goal-scorers on Spartak’s roster and finished tied for 11th on the club in points. Spartak was eliminated in the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the KHL postseason, falling to eventual champion Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
Prior to coming to North America in 2022, Pashin logged his first full professional season with Toros Neftekamsk of the second-tier VHL. In 34 appearances for them in 2021-22, he was among their top scorers with 17 goals and 30 points.
If Pashin clears waivers tomorrow, he will become an unrestricted free agent and is free to sign with any NHL, AHL or overseas club. With his 5’8″, 154-lb frame already proving difficult in his adjustment to the AHL a season ago, he’s unlikely to receive any NHL offers and will likely remain in Russia. The move opens up an additional contract slot for the Canes this summer, who now only have 25 of the maximum 50 standard player contracts signed for 2024-25.
Canadiens, Adam Engström Agree To Entry-Level Deal
10:51 a.m.: Engström’s ELC does not contain a European assignment clause, Radio-Canada’s Marc Antoine Godin reports. He also does not have a valid contract with an SHL club for next season. If he doesn’t make the Canadiens’ roster out of camp, he’ll spend the season with AHL Laval.
8:28 a.m.: The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a three-year entry-level contract with 2022 third-round pick Adam Engström, per a team announcement. The Swedish defenseman could now see his first North American action next season.
Engström, 20, spent the 2023-24 season with Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League, where he posted four assists in 15 playoff games in their run to the league championship series as the ninth seed. In the regular season, he took a step forward from last year’s solid rookie showing, posting four goals, 18 assists, 22 points and a -10 rating in 51 games.
The 6’2″ left-shot defender is part of a surplus of young defenders in Montreal. He becomes the tenth U-23 defender under contract with the Canadiens. Of that group, only he, 2023 fifth-overall pick David Reinbacher and 2021 late-round choice William Trudeau didn’t see NHL games this season.
He projects as a more offensively-minded blue liner, lighting up the Swedish junior circuit in his limited action in 2022-23 with 13 points in seven games. Most of that campaign was spent getting his first lengthy stint in the pros, recording 16 points and a -7 rating in 43 games for a strong rookie showing. Engström was also named to Sweden’s roster for the 2024 World Juniors, where he posted a goal and two assists with a +6 rating in seven games.
Engström’s ELC will cover him through the 2026-27 season, after which he’ll be a restricted free agent. With two professional seasons under his belt overseas, he could challenge for an opening-night roster spot next year, but an assignment to AHL Laval is more likely, with many other young defenders on the cusp challenging for roles. A loan back to the SHL is unlikely but not ruled out.
Panthers Recall Spencer Knight
The Panthers recalled goalie Spencer Knight from AHL Charlotte on Thursday, according to the AHL’s transactions log.
Knight’s minor-league season ended last weekend after Charlotte dropped their best-of-three Atlantic Division first-round series to Hartford in this year’s Calder Cup Playoffs. This is his first recall of the season, although it won’t result in any playing time unless both Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz go down with injuries over the remainder of Florida’s playoff run.
The 23-year-old has not played an NHL game since Feb. 18, 2023. He entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program shortly thereafter, where he remained throughout the Panthers’ run to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. Knight later told The Hockey News’ Ken Campbell that he participated in the program to seek treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder, which he said had gone untreated since he first noticed symptoms during his collegiate career with Boston College in 2019.
With Knight being out of action for so long, the Panthers sent the still-waiver-exempt netminder to Charlotte to begin the season near the end of training camp. As the 2019 first-round pick was beginning the first season of a three-year, $13.5MM extension, few believed the assignment would be permanent.
But the veteran Stolarz, signed to a one-year, $1.1MM deal last summer to replace journeyman Alex Lyon on the depth chart, made it impossible to consider removing him from the backup role. While in limited action behind Bobrovsky (only 24 starts and three relief appearances), the 30-year-old was one of the best netminders in the league, ranking first in the NHL with a .925 SV% and 2.03 GAA. His outright 20.1 goals saved above expected ranked third in the league, per MoneyPuck, even totaling higher than Bobrovsky’s 15.6 GSAx in 58 games.
That left Knight in the starting role for Charlotte all season long, where he rebounded well down the stretch from a tough start. He finished the season with a .905 SV% and 2.41 GAA with a 25-14-5 record in 45 appearances but ranked near the top of the league with five shutouts. In his final 10 games of the season, he had a .921 SV%.
Speaking to the Checkers’ Nicholas Niedzielski, Knight said, “I think I have years of my best hockey ahead of me.” He was recently named this year’s recipient of the Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award, voted on by AHL coaches, players and media members and given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of sportsmanship, determination and dedication to hockey.
With Stolarz headed for unrestricted free agency this summer, it’s feasible that Knight starts next season back on Florida’s roster as Bobrovsky’s backup, especially after his strong finish. He still has two seasons left on his contract at a $4.5MM cap hit, making him a restricted free agent upon expiry in 2026.
Stars Reassign Mavrik Bourque
The Stars returned top center prospect Mavrik Bourque to AHL Texas on Thursday, the team announced.
Bourque was recalled last Friday for injury insurance after center Radek Faksa and left winger Mason Marchment sustained undisclosed injuries in Dallas’ Game 2 loss to the Golden Knights. However, he’s been a scratch in the Stars’ three straight wins to take the series lead, with the more experienced Ty Dellandrea and veteran Craig Smith slotting into the lineup instead.
This year’s AHL MVP will still get playoff action, though. Texas’ Central Division Semifinal series against Milwaukee begins tonight, and today’s transaction permits Bourque to suit up for Game 1 of that series. The 22-year-old had two goals and two assists in Texas’ two-game sweep of Manitoba in the First Round last week.
Dallas selected Bourque with the 30th overall pick in 2020, and he’s since emerged as a top-two prospect in their system along with small but versatile forward Logan Stankoven. Stankoven is slightly ahead of Bourque in his development, graduating to full-time NHLer status late in the season, but the latter’s impeccable sophomore professional season shouldn’t be ignored.
His 77 points (26 goals, 51 assists) in 71 games with Texas led the league in scoring, just ahead of established veterans Adam Gaudette and Rocco Grimaldi. He earned his NHL debut on April 6 against the Blackhawks, recording a hit and two shots on goal in 10:56 of ice time.
While today’s move could solely be to ensure Bourque won’t miss any playoff action with Texas, it also suggests at least one of Faksa and Marchment will be able to return for tomorrow’s Game 6. They’ve been game-time decisions in all of Games 3, 4 and 5 but haven’t played.
Bourque will make a strong push to crack Dallas’ opening night roster next season with one year left on his entry-level contract. For now, he carries a cap hit of $894,167 and will be eligible to sign an extension beginning July 1 to avoid reaching restricted free agency next summer.