Lightning Sign Dylan Duke To Entry-Level Deal
The Lightning have signed forward Dylan Duke to a three-year, entry-level deal beginning next season, per a team announcement. Financial terms were not disclosed. The center, who the Lightning drafted in the fourth round in 2021, will immediately report to AHL Syracuse on an ATO.
Duke, 21, had been with the University of Michigan since his draft year and had his season end late last week in a national tournament semifinal loss to Boston College. He opts to turn pro after his junior year.
In 41 games this season, he scored 26 goals, 23 assists and 49 points with a +8 rating, setting career highs offensively and ranking third on the Wolverines in scoring. He’s the second high-profile Michigan player to turn pro in recent days, joining Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar.
Duke doesn’t let his small frame (5’10”, 181 pounds) stop him from being a problem for opposing netminders. He’s consistently a solid net-front presence once his team gets set up, earning most of his tallies from within 10 feet of the crease. He’s a bright spot in a relatively weak Tampa Bay pool, checking in as their fourth-best prospect in Scott Wheeler’s 2024 rankings for The Athletic.
Don’t expect to see Duke’s name on the NHL roster come opening night this fall. He’s not the fastest player in the world, and considering his frame already puts him at a disadvantage, the Lightning would probably like to see how he stacks up against professional opponents in the AHL. He also profiles more as a winger than a center at the NHL level – he shifted to wing for most of his collegiate career – likely in a middle-six role.
That’s not ideal for the Lightning, who are incredibly thin at center among their up-and-comers. However, they won’t complain about an influx of young talent at any position as their contention window slowly closes. Duke, along with top-40 picks Ethan Gauthier and Isaac Howard, are a promising group of potential secondary scorers.
Duke will be under contract with the Bolts through 2026-27. The following summer, he will be an RFA without an extension.
Red Wings Recall Ville Husso From Conditioning Stint
The Red Wings have recalled goaltender Ville Husso from his conditioning loan to AHL Grand Rapids, per CapFriendly. Unfortunately, the move doesn’t indicate the netminder is ready to return to action. He was scheduled to start for Grand Rapids on Friday against Rockford but was pulled from warmups after sustaining what Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde called a “little setback” (via Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press).
Husso, 29, landed in Detroit last year after two seasons with the Blues but struggled in his first season as a true starter. In 56 starts, he posted a .896 save percentage, a 3.11 goals-against average, four shutouts, and a 26-22-7 record.
Multiple lower-body injuries this season, the most recent of which has kept him out of action since February, have derailed his attempts to return to his elite form in a tandem role in St. Louis. He made 19 appearances earlier this season with a .892 SV%, including just eight minutes of action against the Oilers on Feb. 13 after missing nearly two months with a separate lower-body injury.
With this setback, it’s safe to assume Husso is done for the regular season. He would have been the third goalie on Detroit’s depth chart anyway, as both Alex Lyon and James Reimer have put up far better numbers as they chase the franchise’s first playoff berth in nearly a decade. Those two have posted save percentages of .906 and .905, respectively, although Lyon’s done so over a much larger sample size with 42 starts and one relief appearance.
The Wings are tied with the Capitals for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 87 points through 80 games but lose the tiebreaker due to having three fewer regulation wins. Detroit has a much easier schedule over their final two games, a back-to-back home-and-home with the Canadiens starting tonight, while the Caps have to face the Atlantic Division champion Bruins and the Flyers.
Devils Prospect Samu Salminen Transfers To University Of Denver
On Saturday, the University of Denver won the Frozen Four, beating Boston College 2-0. Now, their reloading begins. Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald notes that Devils prospect Samu Salminen has officially transferred to Denver, a move first reported earlier this month by PHR’s Gabriel Foley (Twitter link).
The 21-year-old was a third-round pick by New Jersey back in 2021, going 68th overall. He had a strong showing in Jokerit’s junior program, averaging over a point per game in 2021-22 before making the jump to UConn for the 2022-23 campaign.
In his freshman year, Salminen recorded nine goals and eight assists in 27 games, solid production for a first-year player. However, he was only able to match that this season, notching seven goals and ten helpers in 35 contests, resulting in the decision to try his hand elsewhere.
That Salminen wound up with Denver shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. On top of the fact they’re now the reigning champions, he actually originally committed there in 2022 before reportedly running into difficulty with their admissions, resulting in the decision to join UConn instead. Two years later, Salminen now lands as his originally intended destination.
Ducks Sign Cutter Gauthier
The Ducks have reached an agreement with one of their top youngsters, announcing that they’ve signed forward Cutter Gauthier to a three-year, entry-level contract. The team confirmed that the first year of the contract will be this season, meaning he will be eligible to play in their final game of the season on Thursday against Vegas. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed but PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that it breaks down as follows:
2023-24: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus
2024-25: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus, $950K ‘A’ performance bonuses
2025-26: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus, $950K ‘A’ performance bonuses, $950K ‘B’ performance bonuses
That puts the cap hit for Gauthier at $950K and the AAV at $1.9MM.
The 19-year-old was the fifth overall pick back in 2022, going to Philadelphia. At the time, it looked as if the Flyers had landed a key cog for their forward group for the future. However, last year, Gauthier informed them that he was not willing to sign with Philadelphia. The Flyers’ brass made efforts to try to convince him to change his mind but were unsuccessful.
Instead of waiting longer in the hopes he’d eventually have a change of heart, Philadelphia GM Daniel Briere opted to trade Gauthier while his value was at its peak not long after the World Juniors where he tied for the tournament lead in scoring with a dozen points in seven games. While many teams showed interest, it was Anaheim’s offer that the Flyers accepted, acquiring blueliner Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick in return.
After being a go-to scorer with the U.S. National Team Development Program, Gauthier became an impact scorer with the Eagles right away, recording 16 goals and 21 assists in 32 contests. This season, he took that even further, notching 38 goals along with 27 helpers in 41 appearances. While that wasn’t enough to lead the Eagles in scoring – San Jose’s Will Smith was six points ahead of him, he finished second in NCAA Division I scoring. Gauthier was named a Hobey Baker Hat Trick Finalist, NCAA All-American, and a Hockey East First Team All-Star for his efforts.
Gauthier, who spent the majority of the season at center, joins an Anaheim group of middlemen that is quickly becoming one of the deepest in the NHL. The Ducks already have 2021 third overall selection Mason McTavish, 2023 second overall pick Leo Carlsson, and Trevor Zegras (who went ninth in 2019) among their group of centers. That allows them to let Gauthier get his feet wet on the wing next season if they want although lots can change roster-wise between now and the time the puck drops on the 2024-25 campaign in October. Regardless, the Ducks now have another core forward under contract as their rebuild continues.
Kraken Reassign Cale Fleury
April 14: Fleury was returned to Coachella Valley before today’s loss to the Blues, CapFriendly indicates.
April 12: Earlier today, Seattle returned a trio of young forwards to AHL Coachella Valley so that they can get ready for a potentially long playoff run down there. There weren’t any corresponding recalls announced at the time but the Kraken have indeed brought a player up from the Firebirds. However, that move came on the back end as the team announced (Twitter link) that Cale Fleury has been recalled on an emergency basis.
The 25-year-old is no stranger to being brought up under these circumstances as it’s the fifth time he has been brought up on emergency recall since last month’s trade deadline, meaning they haven’t counted against Seattle’s four regular recall limit. However, Fleury hasn’t seen much NHL action on those promotions, suiting up just once this season, coming last Friday.
Fleury has spent the bulk of the year with the Firebirds and has done quite well, notching seven goals and 27 assists while his plus-30 rating is tied for second-best in the AHL. Most of the time, he has been returned quickly to Coachella Valley following these recalls; we’ll see this weekend if that recent history repeats itself.
Washington Capitals Recall Dylan McIlrath
After last night’s scary event involving defenseman Nick Jensen of the Washington Capitals, the team was put in a position to recall a defenseman to replace his spot in the active lineup. With this in mind, the team announced they have recalled defenseman Dylan McIlrath from their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, on an emergency loan.
There has still been no official update coming from the organization in regards to the health status of Jensen, who had to be stretchered off the ice after a violent collision with Michael Eyssimont of the Tampa Bay Lightning. With the Capitals only having two games remaining in the regular season, it is more than likely they will keep Jensen out for both of those matchups at the very least.
For McIlrath, the brutish defenseman is in his third season with the Capitals organization, primarily spending his time in the AHL. In 192 games with the Bears, McIlrath has scored seven goals and 32 points overall, while also playing 20 postseason games for the Bears last year, helping the organization secure their 12th Calder Cup Championship.
Since the end of the 2019-20 NHL season, McIlrath hasn’t had much opportunity at the NHL level, only managing three goals and six points over 73 career games. Once a top prospect for the New York Rangers organization after the team selected him with the 10th overall pick of the 2010 NHL Draft, McIlrath has been unable to replicate the defensive prowess that he showed with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL all those years ago.
Central Notes: Coyotes Relocation, Neighbours, Krug, Mrázek, Mišiak
Short of an official announcement from the league, the Coyotes are relocating to Salt Lake City next season and being sold to Smith Entertainment Group, the ownership of the NBA’s Utah Jazz, with the league as an intermediary. GM Bill Armstrong traveled to Edmonton yesterday to inform the team of the relocation while on their road trip, and players and staff are expected to travel to Utah sometime next week.
Over the next few days, when a sale announcement comes, it will become clear how complex this transaction will be. One rumored piece of the sale appears to be set in stone, per John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports. Current Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo will indeed retain the intellectual rights to the franchise as part of the sale. If he can get an arena built within five years and various other benchmarks are met, he’ll have first right of refusal for a Phoenix-area team and can trigger an expansion draft. In doing so, he’d need to return the $1B he’ll receive from the league for the franchise this offseason as an expansion fee.
Other tidbits out of the Central Division:
- Blues breakout winger Jake Neighbours has likely played his last game of the season, interim head coach Drew Bannister said Saturday (via NHL.com’s Lou Korac). The 22-year-old is dealing with an upper-body injury he sustained on April 6 against the Sharks. He’s missed the last three games and is on track to miss St. Louis’ final two after they were eliminated from playoff contention last night. It puts a bow on a good campaign for the 2020 first-round pick, who set career highs with 27 goals, 11 assists and 38 points in 77 games while creeping into top-six minutes (15:42 per game). While his nearly 19% shooting rate is likely unsustainable, he’s been steadily increasing his shot volume – averaging 1.88 per game this season compared to 1.23 last year. He’ll be eligible to sign an extension beginning July 1, with his entry-level contract set to expire in 2025. Bannister also said that defenseman Torey Krug won’t suit up in tomorrow’s game against the Kraken but could return for their final game of the season in Dallas on Wednesday. The left-shot offensive defenseman is day-to-day with an upper-body injury sustained on April 10 against the Blackhawks, already keeping him out of one game.
- A pair of European Blackhawks players found themselves in the news today, including starting goaltender Petr Mrázek. He told reporters today, including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, that he’ll join the Czech national team at the conclusion of the season in advance of this year’s World Championship in Prague and Ostrava. The 32-year-old has only suited up at the Worlds twice, once as a teenager in a backup role in 2012 and again as the starter in 2017, posting a .881 SV% and 2.47 GAA in four outings. It was quite a strong season for Mrázek in the Chicago crease, managing to stay healthy and start a career-high 51 games. He did so quite competently, recording a .906 SV% behind a leaky Blackhawks blue line that resulted in him accumulating 4.7 goals saved above average, his highest mark in eight years. He or Ducks up-and-comer Lukáš Dostál will likely occupy the starter’s crease for Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. Additionally, 2023 second-round pick Martin Mišiak signed an ATO with AHL Rockford today and will make his North American professional debut. The Slovak winger spent the 2023-24 campaign with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League, racking up 23 goals and 47 points in 60 games with a -14 rating.
Blackhawks Sign Frank Nazar To Entry-Level Deal
Blackhawks first-round pick Frank Nazar will sign his entry-level deal and join the team immediately, The Athletic’s Scott Powers reports Saturday. Nazar, the 2022 13th overall selection, had his sophomore season at the University of Michigan end Thursday after Boston College eliminated them in the semifinals of the national tournament.
The 20-year-old was the second of three first-round selections Chicago made that year, five picks after defenseman Kevin Korchinski. A collegiate rival of Nazar’s, University of Minnesota defenseman Sam Rinzel, was selected in the mid-20s.
The Detroit-born forward is an exceptionally intelligent passer and was one of six Wolverines to hit the point-per-game mark this season, notching 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists) in 41 games. He struggled away from the puck, posting a -7 rating, second-worst on the team and 11 points worse than any other elite offensive threat on the stacked Big 10 member squad.
Part of that was due to a slow start. Nazar missed all but 13 games last season due to hip surgery and was sluggish early on, logging four points in his first seven games. That changed in a 10-1 drubbing of Lindenwood in late October, in which he rattled off three assists and kickstarted an eight-game point streak with four multi-point outings.
That momentum carried into the New Year when he joined Team USA for the World Juniors and notched eight assists and a +9 rating in seven games to help fuel the Americans’ gold medal run. Upon returning to campus, he posted 14 points in six games with Michigan but was more inconsistent in closing out the season, ending the year with three goals and two assists in seven games of Big 10 and national tournament play.
Viewed as a steal at the time of his draft, Nazar was billed as a top-10 threat by multiple public scouting outfits. He hasn’t displayed the overall development and consistency you’d like to see from a top-10 pick yet, but he does look to still provide solid value for his 13th-overall billing. Nazar remains a bit of a raw talent, but Chicago will get him to at least one of their final three games this season to see where he’s at compared to NHL competition. A strong showing now could boost his chances of cracking next season’s opening night roster, although his overall game would likely benefit from a little bit of seasoning with AHL Rockford.
If all goes well, Nazar will be a top-nine lock by the end of his entry-level deal in 2026 and join the multitude of other recent Blackhawks first-rounders in helping the franchise become consistent championship contenders once again. The 5’9″ forward can play both center and wing but is likely more suited for the latter at the professional level. He was the second-ranked prospect in the organization behind 2023 first-round pick and University of Minnesota center Oliver Moore in The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler’s February ranking.
The financial terms of Nazar’s ELC have yet to be disclosed. It will be a three-year deal, though, and upon expiry, it will make him an RFA, putting him in line to need new deals at the same time as Korchinski and franchise center Connor Bedard.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Kings Assign Carl Grundstrom To AHL On LTI Conditioning Loan
It has been two months since Kings winger Carl Grundstrom was able to see game action. That’s about to change as the team announced today (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned Grundstrom to AHL Ontario on an LTI Conditioning Loan.
Grundstrom has been working his way back from a lower-body injury sustained back on February 13th against Buffalo, one that landed him on LTIR two days later. He’s the second Kings forward to be sent down on one of these loans this week as Alex Turcotte was sent to the Reign back on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old has played in 50 games with Los Angeles this season, notching eight goals and four assists. Grundstrom has also chipped in with 115 hits while logging a little under 11 minutes a night. That’s not a great return on a $1.3MM price tag and Grundstrom will be RFA-eligible for the final time this summer while having arbitration rights. With the cap situation the Kings have, Grundstrom could be a candidate to be moved out if they want to open up a little more cap room.
LTI conditioning assignments can last for a maximum of three games and six days although Los Angeles can ask for a one-time two-game extension if it’s determined that Grundstrom needs a bit more game action. Either way, it appears that the Kings will have the gritty winger available to them when the playoffs get underway next week barring a setback while on assignment.
Bruins To Activate Pat Maroon Off LTIR
The Bruins were relatively quiet at the trade deadline, only making a pair of smaller moves. While Andrew Peeke has settled into a depth role, their other addition hasn’t even played yet. That will change tonight as Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that winger Pat Maroon will play against Pittsburgh, meaning he has been activated off LTIR.
Boston acquired the 35-year-old from Minnesota but at the time, Maroon had already been out for a little over a month after undergoing back surgery. When he had the procedure, the anticipated recovery time was four to six weeks but in the end, it winds up being closer to nine. However, he’ll at least get a chance to play in their final three games of the regular season which should be enough to get him playoff-ready.
Maroon played in 49 games with the Wild before the swap, picking up four goals and a dozen assists along with 71 hits and 60 penalty minutes, numbers that are reasonable for a fourth liner. Boston undoubtedly had interest in his postseason experience as well as Maroon is tied for eighth among active NHL skaters with 150 playoff appearances including a trio of Stanley Cup titles between 2018-19 and 2020-21.
In order for Boston to formally activate Maroon, they need to be cap-compliant to do so. They were able to accomplish that on Friday when they re-assigned defenseman Mason Lohrei to AHL Providence so no further roster movement will be needed.