Minnesota Wild Acquire Will Butcher
In a minor-league swap, the Minnesota Wild and Pittsburgh Penguins connected on a trade sending forward Maxim Cajkovic east to Pennsylvania, and defenseman Will Butcher to the State of Hockey. Both teams have officially confirmed the trade.
Brought into the Penguins organization over the summer to serve as defensive depth, Butcher suffered an undisclosed injury during training camp and was not cleared to play until late November. Spending the entirety of his Penguins tenure playing for their AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Butcher would only suit up in 14 games, scoring seven points total.
Coming into the league as a college free agent back in the 2017-18 season, Butcher got off to a solid pace with the New Jersey Devils, scoring five goals and 44 points in 81 games. The next season, although watching his offensive production dipped considerably, Butcher put together a solid 30-point performance over 78 games. Scoring 74 points in his first two seasons in New Jersey, the Devils opted to extend Butcher by way of a three-year, $11.2MM contract.
Unfortunately, injuries would take their toll on Butcher, limiting him to only 79 games over the next two seasons in New Jersey, before finally being dished to the Buffalo Sabres in 2021. Wholly unable to get his offensive production back on track, Butcher spent last season a part of the Dallas Stars organization, putting together a respectable 43-point performance over 66 games with their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars.
Cajkovic was originally acquired by the Wild from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the same deal that brought veteran winger Pat Maroon up north. Spending last year as an effective offensive presence for the Lightning’s ECHL affiliate, Cajkovic has continued to increase his production in the same capacity for the Iowa Heartlanders this season. Being plausible that Cajkovic may join on with the Penguins’ ECHL affiliate, the Wheeling Nailers, it would not all be surprising to see him end up in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, due to the offensive troubles the team has experienced this season.
San Jose Sharks Recall Shakir Mukhamadullin
The San Jose Sharks have recalled top defensive prospect Shakir Mukhamadullin to the top league, marking the first call-up of the 22-year-old’s career. Mukhamadullin currently ranks fourth in scoring among U22-defenseman in the AHL, with 26 points in 39 games. It’s Mukhamadullin’s first full season in North American pros, though he played in 12 minor league games and scored 10 points at the end of last season.
Mukhamadullin moved over to the AHL at the end of Ufa’s KHL season last year. He recorded 25 points in 67 games with the club last season, a mark that led the team’s defensemen in scoring. Mukhamadullin grew up through Ufa’s system and totaled 167 games and 43 points with the club across four seasons.
Mukhamadullin was a focal piece of the trade that sent Timo Meier to the New Jersey Devils, with the former first-round selection joined by two first-round picks, as well as forwards Fabian Zetterlund and Andreas Johnsson, as well as fellow Russian defenseman Nikita Okhotyuk, who has already played in 35 games with the Sharks this season.
Mukhamadullin is one of three remaining players from the 2020 NHL Draft’s first round to not yet play his NHL debut, alongside Dallas’ Mavrik Bourque and fellow Sharks teammate Ozzy Wiesblatt. Wiesblatt has appeared in 25 games with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda this year, netting two goals, seven points, and 25 penalty minutes in what is his second full AHL season.
Devils Recall Justin Dowling, Daniil Misyul
The Devils recalled center Justin Dowling and defenseman Daniil Misyul from AHL Utica on Thursday, per a team announcement. They take the roster spots of center Michael McLeod and defenseman Cal Foote, who took indefinite leaves of absence from the team yesterday.
Dowling, 33, is in the 13th season of his professional career, which he’s spent mostly in the minors. An undrafted free agent signing by the Stars in 2014, he remained in the organization for seven years before joining the Canucks as a free agent in 2021. After completing a two-year deal in Vancouver, Dowling inked another two-year, two-way deal with New Jersey to serve as a veteran farmhand in Utica.
The Devils placed him on waivers to begin the season, and he passed through unclaimed. They’ve recalled him once – a one-day emergency summons on Oct. 29 – but he did not play. He has eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points in 30 games with Utica, a slight dip from his near-point-per-game pace with AHL Abbotsford over the past two seasons but solid nonetheless. He’s tied for fifth on the team in scoring and has a -6 rating.
Dowling’s offensive upside in the NHL is limited, boasting six goals and 12 assists through 98 appearances dating back to 2016. He’s adept in the faceoff circle, though, winning 175 of his 350 draws (a 50% success rate) and has been able to shoulder fourth-line minutes without getting caved in possession-wise. He’ll likely be a healthy scratch on most occasions barring two or more injuries to the Devils’ forward core, and will factor in limited minutes when he does play. 22-year-old Dawson Mercer has momentarily shifted to centering a second line between Ondřej Palát and Tyler Toffoli to help New Jersey cope with McLeod’s absence and an injury to star pivot Jack Hughes.
This is the first NHL recall for Misyul, 23, a third-round pick of the team in 2019. He’s in his first season under contract with the Devils, signing an entry-level deal in May 2023 after spending four post-draft seasons suiting up for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the KHL. A strong skater with a decent long-term NHL outlook as a bottom-pairing utility player, he’s posted three goals and eight assists, along with 33 PIMs, in 30 games with Utica. While the 6-foot-3 Belarusian won’t factor in much on the scoresheet in his first major-league chance, the Devils hope he can occupy a third-pairing role without much fanfare as they continue to deal with injuries to Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler and Brendan Smith on the back end.
Rangers Recall Jake Leschyshyn
The Rangers have elected to make a roster move in advance of their game Friday against Vegas, announcing (Twitter link) that they have called forward Jake Leschyshyn from AHL Hartford.
The 24-year-old has spent the majority of the season with the Wolf Pack, getting into 16 games so far where he has four goals and three assists. Leschyshyn was up with New York briefly earlier this month, making one appearance at the top level. For his career, he has six points in 77 NHL appearances between the Rangers and Vegas. He’s in the second season of a three-year, one-way deal that carries a cap hit below the minimum salary, coming in at just under $767K.
The Rangers already had 13 healthy forwards on their roster before this move so it’s a bit curious that they’ve opted to add Leschyshyn as well. The move will officially be registered on Thursday (since the recall came after 4 PM CT) so it will be interesting to see if there’s any sort of corresponding roster move at that time.
Tampa Bay Lightning Recall Mitchell Chaffee
The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forward Mitchell Chaffee from the Syracuse Crunch. This is Chaffee’s second call-up of the season, with the 25-year-old making his debut with the Tampa Bay Lightning on December 12th. It was only the third game of Chaffee’s NHL career, with his other two appearances coming with the Minnesota Wild during the 2021-22 season. He’s yet to see a change in his stat line, though, going without a point or penalty, and having a -1 this season cancel out his +1 from two years ago.
Chaffee has also appeared in 33 AHL games this season, netting 11 goals and 25 points. It continues what’s been a productive AHL career for Chaffee, as he scored 23 goals and 39 points in 49 games last year and carries a career total of 88 points in 120 games. Chaffee kicked off his professional career in the 2020-21 season, signing as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Wild after the end of University of Massachusetts-Amherst’s season. He spent three seasons in the Wild organization before signing a one-year contract with Tampa this summer.
Chafee played two seasons with the USHL’s Bloomington Thunder before his collegiate career – the predecessor to the ECHL’s newest club, the Bloomington Bison, revealed on Wednesday. The Bison brings Bloomington its highest level of hockey, though the city has previously hosted the CHL’s Bloomington PrairieThunder, the SPHL’s Bloomington Thunder, and the USHL’s Thunder and Central Illinois Flying Aces.
Red Wings Notes: Kane, Chiarot, Rafferty, Compher
Red Wings forward Patrick Kane was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports. It’s his first time joining the team at practice since sustaining a lower-body injury against the Maple Leafs on Jan. 14, nearly a week and a half ago.
Per St. James, the Red Wings hope Kane can return to action in one of their three games before the All-Star break but are still unsure of an exact return timeline. The 35-year-old has been out with a lower-body injury – a concerning designation given his recent hip surgery – but the two don’t appear to be related. Since signing his one-year, $2.75MM deal with Detroit, Kane has assumed a top-six role and posted seven goals and 16 points in 19 games, much closer to the level of production expected from the future Hall-of-Famer at this stage in his career. The Red Wings, who have a slim lead on the Devils for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, are 8-9-2 with a -9 goal differential in Kane’s 19 appearances this season.
Elsewhere from the Red Wings today:
- St. James also relays that defenseman Ben Chiarot is not practicing today as he remains out with an upper-body injury. He’s listed as day-to-day and has missed the last two games, most recently suiting up against the Hurricanes on Jan. 19. Chiarot, who’s rebounding somewhat after a ghastly defensive performance in his first campaign in Detroit, had averaged 19:31 per game and has 12 points in 45 contests. Given he isn’t yet ready to return to practice, he’ll likely miss tomorrow’s game against the Flyers. A day-to-day designation suggests he may return before the All-Star break, though.
- The carousel continues for depth defenseman Brogan Rafferty, who the Red Wings returned to AHL Grand Rapids today, per a team release. The 28-year-old hasn’t played for Detroit this season despite being recalled three times in the past two weeks, only serving as insurance given their minor injuries on the blue line. This is Rafferty’s fourth transaction in the last four days, and with Chiarot likely out for tomorrow’s contest, the Red Wings will likely recall him again.
- Also absent from practice today was center J.T. Compher, who head coach Derek Lalonde says is questionable for tomorrow against Philadelphia as he battles the flu. Compher has three points in his last three games after going pointless in six, bringing his total to 27 in 42 appearances during his first season in Detroit. His per-game pace is roughly the same as last year’s breakout performance with the Avalanche when he used his 52 points and 20:32 average time on ice to cash in with a five-year, $25.5MM commitment from the Red Wings in free agency.
Flames Place Nick DeSimone, Adam Ružička On Waivers
The Flames placed defenseman Nick DeSimone and center Adam Ružička on waivers Wednesday for the purpose of assignment to AHL Calgary, per TSN’s Chris Johnston.
Ružička seemed like a candidate to challenge for a top-nine job with the Flames to start the season after logging 20 points in only 44 games last season. However, the 24-year-old cooled down significantly after recording four points through his first four games of the year, and his offensive pace is now down by half from 2022-23. He’s without a point in his last ten outings and was a healthy scratch in yesterday’s 4-3 loss to the Blues. He has three goals and nine points in 39 games on the year and is averaging a career-low 10:10 per game.
Still, the 2017 fourth-round pick could garner some interest on the waiver wire. Being in the second year of a two-year, league-minimum deal means his cap hit is $762.5K, $12.5K less than this year’s minimum salary. While he’s slated for RFA status with arbitration rights at the end of the season, opting not to issue him a qualifying offer would relieve a team of going to arbitration with him if they’re not impressed with his play.
DeSimone lands on waivers after his most recent call-up lasted nearly six weeks. The 29-year-old played in 15 of 19 games since his Dec. 12 call-up but has been a healthy scratch in each of the last two games, falling behind depth defenders Dennis Gilbert and Jordan Oesterle on the depth chart. His lack of role becomes more apparent with Oliver Kylington set to return from a year-and-a-half-long absence for mental health reasons against the Blue Jackets tomorrow.
Like Ružička, DeSimone is on an expiring deal carrying a $762.5K cap hit, although he’s slated for unrestricted free agency this summer. The right-shot blueliner has a career-high 23 games with Calgary this year, recording a goal and four assists while averaging 12:02 per game.
Canadiens Loan Joshua Roy To AHL
The Canadiens returned forward Joshua Roy to AHL Laval on Wednesday, according to a team announcement.
Roy, 20, didn’t look entirely out of place in his first NHL call-up. A fifth-round pick of the team in 2021, Roy scored his first NHL goal in a 3-2 win over the Devils last Wednesday and added another assist in the span of six games. He averaged nearly 12 minutes per game and posted a 45.2% Corsi share at even strength. While that number doesn’t jump off the page, the Canadiens played a poor stretch of possession hockey during Roy’s call-up, resulting in the rookie posting a strong relative Corsi share of 4.1%.
It’s been a quick ascension for Roy, who now looks like one of the organization’s top prospects after slipping to the back half of the draft less than three years ago. He won back-to-back gold medals with Canada at the 2022 and 2023 World Junior Championship and was named to the QMJHL’s First All-Star Team in back-to-back years with the Sherbrooke Phoenix. In his first extended taste of pro hockey, Roy has excelled in Laval, tying for the team lead with 12 goals in 34 games while adding 18 assists for 30 points, earning Rookie of the Month honors in October.
After a promising first NHL stint, Roy will likely spend the rest of the season in the minors as he continues his development. He’ll be an outside candidate to crack Montreal’s opening night roster next season and should, barring an unforeseen bump in his development, be a full-time NHL player by the time his entry-level contract expires in 2026.
Blackhawks Sign Petr Mrázek To Extension
11:34 a.m.: Chicago has made the extension official, confirming the two-year length and $4.25MM AAV.
8:31 a.m.: The Blackhawks are signing starting goalie Petr Mrázek to a two-year extension, The Athletic’s Scott Powers confirmed Wednesday. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes was the first to report the news and added the deal is expected to come in just north of $8MM ($4MM AAV). The final contract will come in with an $8.5MM total value and $4.25MM AAV, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.
Mrázek, 31, is enjoying his best season in quite some time. He first joined the Blackhawks in a 2022 draft-day deal with the Maple Leafs. Toronto moved down 13 picks from the late first to the early second round to shed Mrázek’s three-year, $11.4MM ($3.8MM AAV) contract after his first season with the Maple Leafs was hampered by injuries and poor play.
At the time, it was rightfully viewed as a cap-dump move. He made only 20 appearances (18 starts) with Toronto in 2021-22, posting a subpar .888 SV% and -9.6 goals saved above average after a three-year run of decent play with the Hurricanes. Mrázek had shown the ability to be an inconsistent but high-ceiling starter earlier in his career with the Red Wings, though, and if he could remain healthy, he had the potential to return to form.
Last season’s initial showing in Chicago was a marginal improvement but still disappointing. No one expected Mrázek to save a team with Max Domi as their leading point-getter, but his .894 SV% and -6.3 goals saved above expected (MoneyPuck) were still lower than a league-average goalie would have posted in his situation. That’s improved starkly this season, though, as his SV% has jumped to .907, and he’s saving more goals than average for the first time since his injury-shortened 2020-21 campaign, his final season with Carolina. His 3.7 goals saved above expected in 32 games doesn’t put him in the Vezina Trophy conversation, but it is an impressive turnaround for a veteran goalie on a bottom-five defensive team.
The biggest difference is health. Mrázek hasn’t sustained an injury in nearly 10 months. His last absence lasted for nine days due to undisclosed reasons shortly after last season’s trade deadline. That’s the longest he’s gone without once since returning from a concussion in March 2020 and then sustaining a hand injury in late Jan. 2021, which limited him to 12 appearances that year.
For most other teams, questions would abound regarding the merits of giving Mrázek a multi-year deal. His laundry list of injury concerns is nothing to scoff at, and he hasn’t put up back-to-back seasons of above-average play since his first two full seasons in the league with Detroit in the mid-2010s.
However, Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson’s team-building goal over the next couple of seasons is team-building around star rookie Connor Bedard, not signing value contracts for success. Despite Bedard’s strong early showings, Chicago is still a few seasons away from exiting their rebuild. The team believes it important to have a veteran core around Bedard and its other prospects to help insulate them and prevent them from burning out too soon, hence a pair of similar extensions for forwards Jason Dickinson and Nick Foligno that also came in well above market value.
In the unlikely event that Mrázek reproduces these solid numbers in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 campaigns, this is a decent bit of business for Davidson to shore up his crease while under-25 names like Drew Commesso, Adam Gajan, Arvid Söderblom, and Jaxson Stauber continue to develop. The Blackhawks aren’t in a position where they’ll need to offload Mrázek’s deal to create additional cap space if it doesn’t work out, either, and his deal is set to expire along with Dickinson’s and Foligno’s in 2026. That’s when Bedard will be due for a massive extension after his entry-level contract.
After extending Mrázek, the Blackhawks’ projected cap hit for next season is just north of $48.25MM, per CapFriendly. They still need to allocate over $16MM in cap hits to next season’s roster to be compliant with the 2024-25 Lower Limit, which is expected to rise to $64.7MM from this season’s $61.7MM.
The deal also takes Mrázek off the market ahead of this season’s trade deadline, where he likely could have garnered significant interest with salary retention on Chicago’s end from contending teams looking for a quality backup. It also takes some free agency work off Davidson’s plate, who presumably won’t pursue a netminder on the UFA market for the second straight season.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Devils Grant Michael McLeod, Cal Foote Indefinite Leaves Of Absence
The Devils granted forward Michael McLeod and defenseman Cal Foote indefinite leaves of absence from the team on Wednesday at the players’ request, per a team announcement.
McLeod and Foote are the third and fourth NHL players to be granted indefinite leaves in the past three days, joining Flames forward Dillon Dubé and Flyers goaltender Carter Hart. The Flames specified Dubé’s leave of absence was for mental health reasons, while the Flyers did not specify the reason for Hart’s leave. Senators forward prospect Alex Formenton, who is under contract in Switzerland with National League club HC Ambrì-Piotta, was also granted a leave of absence today and has returned to Canada, per the club.
All five players were members of the 2018 Canadian national junior team that is actively under investigation by police in London, Ontario, as well as the NHL, for an alleged sexual assault involving members of the team in June of that year. The Globe and Mail’s Robyn Doolittle reported Wednesday that London police have told five unnamed players to surrender to face sexual assault charges in connection to the incident. London police have not yet filed formal charges against the players.