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Predators Waive Marc Del Gaizo

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The Predators put defenseman Marc Del Gaizo on waivers Tuesday, according to PuckPedia. The move is a precursor to assigning the pending Group VI unrestricted free agent to AHL Milwaukee for the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Del Gaizo, 25, already cleared waivers last month but ended up playing in 10 games since then, requiring the Preds to expose him to waivers again in order to eventually assign him to the Admirals. He’s been up and down throughout the year but has primarily been with Nashville’s roster since late February when Roman Josi and Adam Wilsby sustained season-ending injuries on the back end. Nashville did demote Del Gaizo to Milwaukee on trade deadline day in a paper transaction, though, so he’s eligible to play for the minor-league club in the postseason.

As the 2019 fourth-rounder waits to see if the Preds have an interest in extending him before he hits the open market on July 1, he closes the book on a 2024-25 campaign that saw him slot into the lineup a career-high 45 times, although that could jump to 46 if he plays in tomorrow’s season finale. He only had nine games of NHL experience entering the year, all coming in 2023-24. The New Jersey native averaged 16:43 per game for the Preds this season and scored 2-7–9 with a minus-four rating. His 51 blocks tied for ninth on the team, while his 70 hits ranked third among defensemen and ninth overall despite only being rostered for a little over half of the campaign.

Del Gaizo likely showed enough to earn another chance in Nashville as an opening-night roster hopeful next season in a No. 6/7 role. He posted solid even-strength possession metrics amid an underwhelming season for the Preds (49.1 CF%, +1.2 expected rating at even strength) in defensively-skewed deployment.

Red Wings Assign Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Axel Sandin-Pellikka To AHL

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As expected, the Red Wings announced 2023 and 2024 first-round picks Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård will finish the season with AHL Grand Rapids. The pair spent the season as teammates on Skellefteå AIK of the Swedish Hockey League.

The duo’s season came to an end when Skellefteå lost their semifinal series against Brynäs IF in five games. They were both important players for the club, but the older Sandin-Pellikka was particularly impactful. Wrapping up his second full SHL season and third overall, he tied for fourth on the team in scoring and ranked second among Skellefteå defenders with 12-17–29 in 46 games. His season culminated with leading U-20 SHLers in goals and points and taking home the Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year award. He was also named the top defenseman at the World Juniors for the second year in a row, posting 10 points in seven games while serving as Sweden’s captain.

Ranked as the No. 11 prospect in the league and the No. 1 prospect in the Red Wings’ system by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, Sandin-Pellikka is nearly a shoo-in for next season’s opening night roster as the second or third right-shot option behind Moritz Seider. Before doing so, the 5’11”, 185-lb rearguard will get a taste of North American pro hockey in Grand Rapids with the Calder Cup Playoffs-bound Griffins.

Not to be overlooked is Brandsegg-Nygård. Detroit made him the highest-drafted Norwegian in NHL history when they selected him 15th overall last year out of Mora IK of the Swedish second-tier league, the HockeyAllsvenskan. The Wings inked Brandsegg-Nygård to his entry-level deal last summer and loaned him back to Sweden to face some higher-level professional competition in a familiar environment.

A physically involved winger with a scoring touch, the 6’1″, 207-lb Brandsegg-Nygård managed 5-6–11 in 42 regular-season SHL games with a team-high 51 PIMs. He ended the season more optimistically, contributing 4-2–6 in 11 postseason games. He checked in as the No. 2 prospect behind Sandin-Pellikka in Wheeler’s midseason rankings and, while his NHL status for next season isn’t as certain, should at least make the jump to North America on a permanent basis and get heavy deployment in Grand Rapids. The end of this season will provide him with an early tune-up/adjustment period ahead of a pivotal 2025-26 campaign for his development.

Sabres Recall Isak Rosen

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The Sabres have recalled winger Isak Rosen from AHL Rochester for their final two regular-season games, per the AHL’s transaction logs. He comes up with Beck Malenstyn likely done for the year with an undisclosed injury, relays NHL.com’s Heather Engel.

Buffalo has recalled Rosen, 22, on multiple occasions this season as an injury fill-in. He last appeared on March 29, his sixth of the season. The 2021 No. 14 overall pick now has 13 NHL appearances to his name and finally recorded his first career point, an assist, in a win over the Penguins on March 27. He’ll look to add to that tally while getting additional NHL reps to close out another season without playoff action for the Sabres.

Down in Rochester, Rosen has had a breakthrough season for the Americans and has put himself in legitimate consideration for a job on the NHL roster next fall. He leads the team in scoring with 28-27–55 in 60 games, breaking last year’s career-high 50 points set in 67 games. He’s now up to 142 points in 193 career AHL games over the last three years, an unusually long development resume in the minors for such a high pick. Nonetheless, he remains among the league’s top 100 prospects. He still has another year left on his entry-level contract and will be eligible to sign an extension on July 1.

As for Malenstyn, it’s unclear what’s ailing him. He played 11:45 in Sunday’s loss to the Lightning, 1:13 higher than his season average. The 27-year-old ends his first season in Buffalo with a 4-6–10 scoring line in 71 games, down from last year’s 21 points in 81 games with the Capitals. His -16 rating is second-worst on the team, but he does rank second among Sabres forwards with 63 blocks and leads them with 191 hits. He’s still got another year left on his deal at a $1.35MM cap hit.

Avalanche Terminate Gabriel Landeskog’s Conditioning Stint

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Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog will rejoin the team for practice today after a brief conditioning stint with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, the club announced. With the Avs’ regular season schedule over, he’ll remain on long-term injured reserve until the rest of the league wraps up their games by Thursday.

Things went well for Landeskog in the minors as he gears up to return to the NHL after a nearly three-year absence due to multiple right knee surgeries. Colorado sent the 32-year-old down to the minors last week for the first time in his career. He suited up in back-to-back games for the Eagles against the Henderson Silver Knights on Friday and Saturday, notching a goal and an assist in the latter effort.

It’s still uncertain whether he’ll be on hand when the Avs open up their first-round series against the Stars, likely on Saturday. Landeskog still has a few days of practice and off time ahead of him to gauge how he feels, but his knee feeling strong enough to play on back-to-back nights in the AHL is promising. If he’s an option for Colorado to open the postseason, it will be his first NHL appearance in 1,028 days. He last suited up in the series-clinching Game 6 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final against the Lightning.

Outside of its monumental nature, the left-winger’s potential return carries important roster construction implications for the Avs. Top-six fixtures Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin missed Colorado’s final regular-season game on Sunday with lower-body injuries, the team relayed to Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette. They haven’t been handed designations any longer than day-to-day, so while they remain probable for Game 1 against Dallas, they’re not certain yet. Jonathan Drouin also missed the final six games of the season with a lower-body injury and remains uncertain to open the playoffs. That potentially leaves Colorado without three of its four usual top-six wingers to begin the series.

Of course, expecting Landeskog to stop right back into a top-six role out of the gate is unrealistic. He only played around 15 minutes in his AHL debut on Friday and would presumably have his minutes capped at a similar number if he returns to the NHL lineup. Nonetheless, it’s a major boost for the Avs to have their captain back in the lineup at all.

Kraken Recall Ville Ottavainen

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The Seattle Kraken recalled defenseman Ville Ottavainen late Monday night. It is the first call-up of Ottavainen’s career. He will have a chance to make his NHL debut in Seattle’s final game of the season on Tuesday.

Seattle originally drafted Ottavainen in the fourth-round of the 2021 NHL Draft. His draft selection came after he left the OHL to make his professional debut in Finland’s Liiga and recorded three points, 10 penalty minutes, and a minus-15 in 22 rookie games. Ottavainen followed his draft selection with two more seasons in the Liiga, and grew to a career-best 16 points, 30 penalty minutes, and plus-two in 51 games played in the 2022-23 season. He moved to North America at the end of the year, and had a breakout performance as an AHL rookie last season. Ottavainen recorded 34 points, 30 penalty minutes, and a plus-27 in 70 games with the Coachella Valley Firebirds in 2023-24 – good for third on the team’s blue-line in scoring.

Ottavainen’s hot start in the AHL hasn’t stuck this season, though. He’s still performing well – with 15 points, 41 penalty minutes, and a plus-eight in 66 games – but his role has become far more defense-oriented. That may be fitting for the six-foot-five, 225-pound Finnish defender, though. So long as he can stay on top of the goal differential, he should continue to find success in the Kraken pipeline. With one game left on the docket and little to gain, Seattle could use this as a chance to narrow down Ottavainen’s role ahead of a prove-it season next year.

Kings Sign Jared Wright To Two-Year Contract

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The Los Angeles Kings have signed 2022 sixth-round draft pick Jared Wright to a two-year, entry-level contract per NHL.com’s Zach Dooley. The deal will begin in the 2025-26 season, while Wright will finish this season on the AHL’s Ontario Reign, per the AHL transaction log. Wright will turn pro after wrapping up his third year at the University of Denver.

Wright was a standout two-way forward over his years with the Pioneers. He filled a quaint role on the National Championship-winning 2023 squad, recording eight goals and 12 points in 34 games of his freshman season. But persisting through a depth role paid off in his sophomore season last year, when Wright jumped up to 15 goals and 25 points in 44 games while rotating through the team’s middle-six. Wright ranked fifth on the team in goals that year, while making a strong impact on play outside of the offensive end. His scoring fell back to earth just a bit this year, to the tune of nine goals and 17 points in 44 games this season – though his strong two-way impact remained clear.

Wright will conclude his collegiate career with 64 points in 122 games – though those low marks are a bit deceiving. Nearly every single point he scored at even-strength was a primary point – 49 of 52 points over the last three seasons to be exact. That’s an almost-shockingly impressive mark for the 22-year-old, Burnsville, Minnesota native – who was relatively young for his class. Wright excelled at shutting down opponents on one end of the ice, and controlling the puck over the blue-line and creating chances on the other end. He’ll look to hang onto those talents through the move to pro hockey, while hopefully discovering a bit more scoring along the way.

Ducks Sign Tim Washe To Entry-Level Contract

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Fresh off a national championship, Western Michigan captain Tim Washe is headed to the Ducks on a one-year entry-level contract beginning immediately, the team announced. The undrafted free-agent center will immediately become a restricted free agent this summer. He’s expected to make his NHL debut in tomorrow’s penultimate regular-season game against the Wild, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Washe, 23, was only eligible for a one-year contract because he turns 24 before Sep. 15. He’ll earn an extremely prorated salary figure for the final few days of the season before negotiating a standard one-way or two-way deal with Anaheim over the offseason.

The 6’3″, 216-lb pivot arrives in Anaheim after captaining the Broncos to their first Frozen Four appearance and national title in program history, defeating Boston University 6-2 in last weekend’s championship game. The fifth-year forward finished the season in second place on the team in scoring, erupting for a 16-22–38 line in 42 games. That’s more output than he had in his four previous seasons at WMU combined. The Detroit native only posted 12-24–36 in 129 NCAA games from 2020-21 through 2023-24.

That big of a breakout that late in a player’s development generally doesn’t bode well for their NHL ceiling, but he was dominant enough this season in a winning effort for multiple NHL teams to step up with offers. One of them was Minnesota, Russo relays, but the Wild were informed this morning that Washe opted not to sign with them.

Washe joins an Anaheim center pipeline that doesn’t have a ton of help coming after Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish solidified themselves as top-nine forwards over the last couple of seasons. While Washe quantifies as more of a young free agent pickup than a legitimate prospect add, there’s an opening for him to prove he can handle an NHL depth role heading into training camp next fall as a hardworking fourth-line piece, whether down the middle or on the wing.

Canucks Recall Kirill Kudryavtsev For NHL Debut

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The Canucks announced today that they’ve recalled defenseman Kirill Kudryavtsev from AHL Abbotsford under emergency conditions. The 21-year-old will make his NHL debut in Vancouver’s penultimate game of the season tonight against the Sharks.

Kudryavtsev will presumably slot into a third-pairing role with Derek Forbort unavailable after sustaining an orbital bone fracture in a fight with Wild forward Yakov Trenin on Saturday. His absence left the Canucks with only five healthy defenders since Tyler Myers remains out with an undisclosed injury, per Ben Kuzma of Postmedia.

Vancouver selected Kudryavtsev with a seventh-round selection in the 2022 draft. He’ll be the first player from that round to make his NHL debut and just the second 2022-drafted player selected after the fifth round to see NHL ice, joining Utah’s Maksymilian Szuber. The 5’11”, 201-lb lefty has warranted a late-season look with a strong rookie showing in Abbotsford. He signed his entry-level deal back in 2023 amid a strong showing with the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League, but the deal slid to 2024-25 since he didn’t see NHL action. The deal goes into effect this year regardless of how many NHL games he plays because he’s too old to be slide-eligible.

Kudryavtsev would be hard-pressed to imagine a better transition to pro hockey. He leads Abbotsford with a +17 rating and ranks second in scoring among defensemen with 5-21–26 in 63 games. Whether the Russian rearguard manages to snag an opening night roster spot next fall remains to be seen, but it’s clear early on he’s outpacing the development track of a typical late-round pick. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic labeled Kudryavtsev the No. 11 prospect in Vancouver’s system earlier this year.

Flames Sign Arsenii Sergeev To Entry-Level Deal

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The Flames announced they’ve signed goalie prospect Arsenii Sergeev to a two-year, entry-level contract. The deal begins with the 2025-26 season, although he could report to AHL Calgary for the remainder of this year on a tryout. He’ll command a cap hit of $866,250.

Sergeev, 22, lands his first pro contract nearly four years after Calgary selected him in the seventh round of the 2021 draft. The 6’3″ Russian was playing in Shreveport, Louisiana, in the North American Hockey League in his draft year but has since risen up the ranks to become one of the better goalies in college hockey. He started his career at UConn in 2022, posting a 2.65 GAA and .913 SV% in 35 games across two seasons with one shutout and a 19-14-1 record.

After his sophomore season drew to a close last spring, Sergeev entered the transfer portal and landed with Penn State. He had a breakout with the Nittany Lions, posting a .919 SV% and 2.54 GAA in 33 games as he helped the program to its first Frozen Four appearance – defeating UConn in the process. While they were eliminated by Boston University in the national semifinals, Sergeev’s season may not be over.

Scott Wheeler of The Athletic ranked Sergeev as the top goalie prospect in Calgary’s system and No. 10 in the Flames’ pool overall, with Calder Trophy hopeful Dustin Wolf graduating to a full-time role. He joins what looks to be a crowded minor-league crease in Calgary next season. The club has Devin Cooley under contract (although he could be Wolf’s backup next season after a strong AHL campaign) and recent undrafted free agent pickup Owen Say out of Notre Dame. That’s not including pending RFAs Waltteri Ignatjew and Connor Murphy, who could be back next year in minor-league roles.

Sergeev’s deal will run through the 2026-27 campaign, after which he’ll be a restricted free agent. Calgary maintains team control over Sergeev’s signing rights until 2030.

Snapshots: Avalanche, Squires, Ziemmer

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The Avalanche announced some heavy roster trimming after playing their final regular season game last night. Forwards Jere Innala, T.J. Tynan, Chris Wagner, and defensemen Wyatt Aamodt and Jack Ahcan were reassigned back to AHL Colorado after being called up recently to allow some lineup staples to rest. All the players listed saw limited action down the stretch, and all five appeared in last night’s win over the Ducks to give Colorado its fourth straight season with over 100 points. The Avs finished with a 49-29-4 record and will face the Stars in the first round as the lower seed. The group of five will now suit up for the Eagles in the Calder Cup Playoffs, with more experienced names like Wagner likely to be among the first added to the Avalanche’s postseason roster if injuries necessitate a recall.

Other minor moves from around the league this morning:

  • The Devils announced today that they’ve reassigned right-wing prospect Cam Squires to AHL Utica after he finished his major junior season with the Cape Breton Eagles of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. Squires, fresh off his 20th birthday, led Cape Breton in scoring with 24-51–75 in 58 games this season and 15th overall in the QMJHL. A 2023 fourth-round pick, he signed his entry-level deal last summer and will kick off his first full professional campaign next season, presumably in Utica.
  • The Kings are also giving one of their prospects a taste of pro hockey to end the season, reassigning right-winger Koehn Ziemmer to AHL Ontario. The 2023 third-rounder is coming off a 37-goal, 71-point campaign in 61 games with the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League, but he’s still failed to break the career-high 89 points he scored in his draft year with the Cougars. With his 20th birthday behind him, as well as four seasons of WHL play, he’s eligible for a full-time assignment to Ontario beginning next season.

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