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Oilers Sign Ty Emberson To Two-Year Extension

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The Oilers will be keeping Ty Emberson in the fold a little while longer.  The team announced that they’ve signed the defenseman to a two-year contract extension that will carry a cap hit of $1.3MM.  The deal represents a small raise from his current $950K salary.

The 24-year-old was acquired from San Jose last offseason as part of the cap-clearing move that saw Cody Ceci sent to the Sharks.  At the time, it looked like he was trending toward Group Six unrestricted free agency but as a result of reaching the 50-game mark (one he easily surpassed), he became eligible for restricted free agency with arbitration eligibility.  He’ll bypass that with this contract as it buys out his two remaining RFA-eligible campaigns.

Emberson played in 76 games this season, becoming a full-fledged regular for the first time after being in and out of the lineup with San Jose last season in his first NHL campaign.  He predominantly played on Edmonton’s third pairing, picking up 13 points, 97 blocked shots, and 125 hits while logging a little over 15 minutes a night of playing time.  He was third on the Oilers in shorthanded playing time per game behind blueliners Mattias Ekholm and Jake Walman.  With the former out for the first round and potentially longer, they’ll be counting on Emberson to take on an even bigger role on the penalty kill in their opening-round series against Los Angeles.

With this signing, Edmonton now has five of their regular blueliners signed for next season with Evan Bouchard in line for a significant raise as an arbitration-eligible RFA this summer.  However, Emberson is just one of two regular defenders signed for the 2026-27 campaign, joining Darnell Nurse, meaning that the back end could be heading toward a shakeup a couple of years from noww.

Dryden Hunt Clears Waivers

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Saturday: The Flames announced that Hunt has been assigned to AHL Calgary, meaning that he was not claimed off waivers.

Friday: With their 2024-25 campaign concluded, the Calgary Flames are making the moves needed to bolster their AHL ranks per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. That includes placing forward Dryden Hunt on waivers for the purposes of reassignment. Hunt played in the final four games of Calgary’s season and recorded three assists. It was his only scoring of the NHL season, after he also played in a scoreless game in early February.

This move should return Hunt to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, where he’s stood as one of the most impactful players on the roster. Hunt ranks third on the Wranglers in scoring with 48 points in as many games. He is one of just 15 players to appear in more than 25 AHL games and maintain a point-per-game scoring pace this season. That scoring is largely thanks to just how red-hot the Wranglers offense has stayed all season. The Wranglers supported five different forwards to 40-point campaigns, including Rory Kerins (60 points), Martin Frk (58), William Stromgren (48), and Sam Morton (45). Defenseman Jeremie Poirier came one point shy of reaching the 40-point mark as well.

But Hunt’s recent seasons have been building towards a strong showing. He scored 22 points in 23 AHL games last season, and totaled 29 points in 32 games split between the Toronto Marlies and Wranglers during the 2022-23 season. The 29-year-old Cranbrook native has had a journeyman career across the professional leagues, and spent NHL time with each of the Florida Panthers, Arizona Coyotes, New York Rangers, and Colorado Avalanche – in addition to Canadian stints in Toronto and Calgary.

In total, Hunt has recorded 54 points and 121 penalty minutes across 235 games in the NHL. Roster rules would require he be assigned to the minor leagues even if another team were to claim him – and doing so might not be a bad bet after a year of consistently strong play in an electric Wranglers top-six. But it seems likely that he’ll instead stay in Calgary, and look to support the Wranglers to a long playoff run.

Senators Recall Leevi Merilainen

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The Senators have added one Black Ace to their roster for the time being.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled Leevi Merilainen from AHL Belleville.  He’ll likely serve as Ottawa’s third-string goaltender for the playoffs.

The 22-year-old certainly impressed in his limited NHL action this season.  When Linus Ullmark and Anton Forsberg were both injured, Merilainen briefly took over as Ottawa’s starter.  Instead of merely holding his own while waiting for Ullmark to come back, Merilainen put up a stellar 1.99 GAA and a .925 SV% in a dozen appearances with Ottawa.  Instead of the team faltering during that stretch, he picked up eight wins which played a crucial role in their making the playoffs this season.

Merilainen spent the rest of the year in the minors with Belleville.  While his numbers weren’t quite as strong there, they were still above average as he posted a 2.36 GAA and a .913 SV% in 35 outings with them.  A restricted free agent this summer, he could be in line for a full-time spot with Ottawa next season as Ullmark’s backup with Forsberg slated to reach unrestricted free agency in July.

Belleville’s season will come to an end tonight after they were eliminated from playoff contention last night.  Accordingly, Ottawa should be bringing up a much bigger group of players as soon as Sunday.

Hurricanes Recall Ruslan Khazheyev

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The Hurricanes have brought up some extra goaltending depth with their postseason set to get underway on Sunday.  The team announced that they’ve recalled Ruslan Khazheyev from AHL Chicago.  He’ll serve as Carolina’s third-string option for the time being.

The 20-year-old is in his first season in North America after signing his entry-level deal last year.  Khazheyev was a fifth-round pick by the Hurricanes back in 2023, going 158th overall after a solid showing with Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk of the MHL.  He spent last season with them as well before crossing the pond this year.

Khazheyev played in 20 games with the Wolves this season, posting a 3.49 GAA and a .876 SV%.  He also made one appearance with ECHL Bloomington, allowing three goals on 15 shots.

Should one of Pyotr Kochetkov or Frederik Andersen go down due to injury, it’s unlikely that Khazheyev would be pressed into action.  Instead, they’d likely promote one of Spencer Martin or Dustin Tokarski to serve as the backup, a role both had filled at times during the regular season.  For now, those two will remain as the tandem in Chicago heading into the AHL playoffs that begin next week.

Capitals Recall Ethan Bear

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The Capitals have recalled defenseman Ethan Bear from AHL Hershey, the team announced today.

Washington already had Alexander Alexeyev and Dylan McIlrath rostered as extra defensemen entering their first-round series against the Canadiens. With AHL Hershey set to begin a playoff run of their own, recalling Bear, the minor-league club’s top defenseman this season, comes across as a surprise. It’s an indication that at least one of John Carlson, Martin Fehérváry, and Matt Roy, all of whom sat out the final game of the regular season to rest, is questionable for Game 1 on Monday (Carlson also sat out the 80th and 81st games of the regular season).

Few teams have better call-up options available than the Capitals have in Bear, though. The 27-year-old righty didn’t get a crack at NHL minutes this year after clearing waivers during training camp, but he brings 275 games of regular-season experience and another eight of playoff experience to the Caps’ complement of depth defensemen.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Washington insert Bear into the playoff lineup ahead of Alexeyev or McIlrath, given that the duo combined for just 25 appearances and spent most of their time in the press box. Bear, who leads Hershey in scoring with 10-36–46 in 62 games and has a +33 rating, has far more two-way upside. Unlike Alexeyev and McIlrath, he also has experience averaging top-four minutes in the NHL. Bear began his career with the Oilers, where he averaged north of 20 minutes per game across 132 appearances from 2017 to 2021.

Regardless, it’s still been quite a while for Bear. Questions about his NHL readiness being dropped into a playoff series are fair. His last big-league appearance for Washington came on March 13, 2024. The 5’11” rearguard had 1-3–4 with a minus-five rating in 24 showings for the Caps in 2023-24 after signing a two-year, $4.13MM contract, not enough to keep him in the fold this season.

A pending unrestricted free agent, a passable playoff showing for Bear – if he gets inserted into the lineup – could go a long way toward ensuring he lands another NHL contract over the summer.

Minor Transactions: 4/18/25

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There will be several small roster moves today as playoff teams recall their required third goalie for practice and emergency backup purposes, and non-playoff teams conduct some end-of-season roster trimming. We’ll cover all those moves here:

  • The Blues announced they’ve recalled goaltender Will Cranley from ECHL Florida to serve as their emergency backup. St. Louis selected the 23-year-old in the sixth round of the 2020 draft. He was previously added to the Blues’ practice roster for a day during the 4 Nations break while Jordan Binnington was traveling back from the tournament. He finished his second professional season with a 2.71 GAA, .896 SV%, two shutouts, and an 11-9-3 record in 23 ECHL games. He also logged a .867 SV% in a pair of appearances for AHL Springfield, the first of his career.
  • The Stars added defensemen Lian Bichsel and Alexander Petrovic back to the active roster after reassigning them to AHL Texas yesterday for cap purposes. They needed the space to activate Tyler Seguin from long-term injured reserve for the final game of the regular season. They’re expected to serve as the third pairing in Game 1 of the first round against the Avalanche tomorrow, per Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports. It’ll be the postseason debut for Bichsel, Dallas’ first-round draft choice in 2022. They also recalled goaltender Ben Kraws from ECHL Idaho as their EBUG. An undrafted free agent signing out of St. Lawrence last year, the 24-year-old impressed with a 2.88 GAA, .910 SV%, five shutouts, and a 23-12-5 record in 40 games for Idaho. He also posted a 3.01 GAA and .889 SV% in three appearances for AHL Texas, logging a 2-1-0 record.
  • Serving as the Avalanche’s EBUG will be Kevin Mandolese, the team announced. The 24-year-old has spent the year as Trent Miner’s backup with AHL Colorado after being acquired from the Senators over the offseason. He has a 2.87 GAA, .903 SV%, 11-6-0 record, and one shutout in 19 games.
  • Since the Wild’s AHL affiliate is one of the few to miss the cut for the Calder Cup Playoffs, they’re going with a higher-profile option for their EBUG. Top prospect Jesper Wallstedt will fill the role for them, according to a club announcement. The 2021 first-rounder is expected to succeed the retiring Marc-André Fleury as Filip Gustavsson’s backup next season, but is coming off a disastrous injury-plagued campaign with Iowa. He finished the year with a 3.59 GAA, .879 SV%, one shutout, and a 9-14-4 record in 27 showings.
  • The Panthers summoned Evan Cormier from ECHL Savannah to be their EBUG, per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now. The 27-year-old struggled with a 3.38 GAA, .887 SV%, one shutout, and a 17-13-4 record in 36 showings in 2024-25. He filled the same duties for the Cats in the first half of last year’s playoff run, signing a two-way deal at the trade deadline for the second season in a row.
  • The Penguins returned forwards Ville Koivunen, Joona Koppanen, Vasiliy Ponomarev, Samuel Poulin, Valtteri Puustinen, and defenseman Filip Král to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after their late-season call-ups. They’ll aid the Baby Pens as they aim to capture a Calder Cup. Not joining them is top prospect Rutger McGroarty, who sustained a lower-body injury last week and isn’t yet ready to return.
  • The Flames assigned forward Sam Morton and defenseman Hunter Brzustewicz to AHL Calgary after they made their NHL debuts in last night’s regular-season finale. Morton scored his first NHL goal in the outing, while Brzustewicz impressed with a plus-two rating. They’ll join the Wranglers for the postseason.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled enforcer Ryan Reaves from the minor leagues. Reaves recently played in his first AHL games since the 2010-11 season. He recorded one goal and, surprisingly, no penalty minutes in three games of play. The 38-year-old also recorded two assists and 28 penalty minutes in 35 NHL games this season. He’ll provide a boost of muscle to the Leafs lineup as they head towards a First Round matchup against the Ottawa Senators.
  • Defenseman Emil Andrae has been reassigned to the minor leagues after holding down a routine role on the Philadelphia Flyers lineup since early March. Andrae split his time between the major and minor rosters this season, with seven points in 42 NHL games and 16 points in 25 AHL games. He was primarily a minor-leaguer last season and managed a stout 32 points, 66 penalty minutes, and minus-10 in 61 games. With the Flyers season over, Andrae will look to again support the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in a late-season push.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have recalled depth forward Derek Ryan from the minor leagues. Ryan split time between the NHL and AHL this year, with one goal and six points in 36 games in the Oilers lineup. He also managed eight points in 13 AHL games. Ryan has played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on five different occasions, racking up 10 points in 60 games. That includes appearing in 19 games of Edmonton’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals last season. Ryan contributed one assist to the effort. He’ll now be returned to the NHL roster to support another long run.
  • The Rochester Americans are getting a wave of strong recruits, as the Buffalo Sabres have reassigned each of Jiri Kulich, Tyson Kozak, Noah Ostlund, and Isak Rosen back to the minor leagues. Rosen leads Rochester in scoring this season with 28 goals and 55 points in 60 games. Ostlund has 36 points in 44 games, while Kozak has 14 points in 31 games. Kulich has been the only of the bunch to spend the bulk of the season in the NHL. He carved out a top-six role through points of the season. Kulich finished what was his rookie NHL season with 15 goals and 24 points in 62 games.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Predators Re-Sign Andreas Englund

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The Predators announced today they’ve re-signed defenseman Andreas Englund to a league-minimum contract for the 2025-26 season. It is unclear whether it is a one-way or two-way deal.

Englund, 29, was set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He split the 2024-25 campaign between Los Angeles and Nashville after the Preds claimed him off waivers from the Kings in February.

Nashville claimed Englund, who was in the final season of the two-year, $2MM deal he signed with L.A. in free agency in 2023, to serve as depth support after hard-hitting defender Jeremy Lauzon sustained a season-ending lower-body injury. He played all 82 games for the Kings last year but tumbled down the depth chart in 2024-25 after L.A. signed Joel Edmundson in free agency and promoted Brandt Clarke to a full-time role.

Englund was a healthy scratch for weeks at a time in Hollywood as a result, only playing 11 games for the Kings until they waived him well past the halfway point of the season. He finished the year in far more regular usage for Nashville, recording two assists and a minus-eight rating in 24 games while averaging 14:36 per contest. To little surprise, the 6’4″, 200-lb lefty led the Preds in blocks per 60 minutes this year with 5.65 and also racked up 36 PIMs over the last two months of the campaign.

Now, he’ll return to Tennessee to serve as a No. 7/8 defender for the Preds in 2025-26. Nashville already has six defensemen signed to one-way deals for next year, not including Adam Wilsby, who emerged as a legitimate NHL option before sustaining a season-ending upper-body injury in February. They’re also likely to weaponize a good chunk of their $18MM in cap space to add a right-shot defenseman this summer to complement Roman Josi or Brady Skjei in the top four, addressing easily the biggest hole in their lineup as they attempt to retool on the fly with a veteran-heavy roster following 2024’s free agent spending spree.

Hurricanes Reassign Scott Morrow

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The Hurricanes have assigned rookie defenseman Scott Morrow to AHL Chicago with the regular season behind them, per a team announcement. The club also sent forwards Skyler Brind’Amour, Bradly Nadeau, and defenseman Domenick Fensore down to the minors after recalling them for the final few games of the season to allow for some stars to rest.

Morrow’s demotion is notable because he wasn’t part of the foursome that Carolina recalled on Tuesday. The 22-year-old has been up with Carolina since the trade deadline and frequently slotted into the lineup down the stretch, including the final five games of the regular season. Morrow, a 2021 second-round pick, finished the year with 1-5–6 in 14 games with all of his points coming at even strength.

He and impact prospect Alexander Nikishin were slated to begin the playoffs as Carolina’s extra defensemen, but the team will instead opt to keep the more veteran Riley Stillman around in the press box after recalling him along with Brind’Amour, Fensore and Nadeau this week. The stay-at-home rearguard is less of a redundancy compared to the dynamic Nikishin, who’s likely to see his NHL debut in the playoffs after signing his entry-level contract last week.

Morrow instead gets to bolster Chicago’s blue line and play meaningful postseason minutes as the Wolves have clinched a playoff berth. The first-year pro leads Wolves defensemen in scoring with 13-26–39 in 51 games, earning an AHL All-Star game appearance ahead of trying to land an opening night roster spot in Carolina in the fall.

As for the trio heading back to Chicago, the late-season call-up was most notable for Brind’Amour. The 25-year-old son of Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour scored his first NHL goal in last night’s loss to the Senators. Nadeau, Carolina’s first-rounder in 2023, also recorded his first NHL point, an assist, on Wednesday against the Canadiens. Fensore will have to wait until his next NHL call-up to get on the scoresheet.

Sharks Notes: Celebrini, Mukhamadullin, Gushchin, Schuldt, Carlsson

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Sharks center Macklin Celebrini will suit up for Canada at the upcoming World Championship, reports Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest.  The rookie was actually originally named to the squad last year but ultimately didn’t play.  The number one pick last year, Celebrini had an impressive rookie campaign, tallying 25 goals and 38 assists in 70 games to lead San Jose in scoring, five points ahead of William Eklund, who will play for the host Swedes.  Meanwhile, Miller adds that it’s unclear if their other top rookie, Will Smith, will play for Team USA at the event.  Smith was fourth on the Sharks in scoring with 45 points in 74 games.

More from San Jose:

  • Defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin underwent successful shoulder surgery and is expected to be ready for the start of training camp, relays Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). The 23-year-old suited up for 30 games with the Sharks this season, collecting nine points and 51 blocked shots while averaging a little over 18 minutes a night of playing time.  Mukhamadullin also had nine assists in 21 games with the AHL’s Barracuda.  He’s expected to push for a full-time lineup spot next season.
  • The team announced (Twitter links) that they’ve assigned forward Daniil Gushchin and defensemen Jimmy Schuldt and Lucas Carlsson to AHL San Jose. Gushchin got into a dozen games with the Sharks this season, notching just one assist.  Meanwhile, Carlsson had a goal and three assists in 13 games while Schuldt was held off the scoresheet in his eight outings, his first NHL action since late in the 2018-19 campaign.  The Barracuda recently clinched a playoff spot and will certainly be happy to have one of their top scorers and two of their better blueliners back for the postseason.

Minor Transactions: 4/17/25

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With several teams seeing their 2024-25 seasons come to an end in recent days (with more to come tonight), there has been an influx of players being returned to the minors.  We’ll keep track of the moves that have not been already covered here.

  • The Ducks have returned wingers Nikita Nesterenko and Sam Colangelo to AHL San Diego, per a team release. Nesterenko played in a career-best 20 games with Anaheim this season, potting four goals and two assists.  With the Gulls, he has 13 goals and 21 assists in 48 contests.  As for Colangelo, he had ten goals and two helpers in 32 NHL outings while he’s just shy of a point per game in the minors with 35 points in 38 contests.
  • The Canucks announced (Twitter link) that they’ve returned defensemen Kirill Kudryavtsev and Victor Mancini, forwards Aatu Raty, Linus Karlsson, Max Sasson, and Ty Mueller, along with goaltender Nikita Tolopilo to AHL Abbotsford. Raty, Sasson, and Karlsson saw the most action with Vancouver this season with Raty being the most productive with 11 points in 33 appearances.  Mancini got into 16 games after being acquired in the J.T. Miller swap, while the other three all made their respective NHL debuts in recent days.  They will be big additions to an Abbotsford team who has been the hottest team in the league over the last several weeks.
  • The Devils announced that they’ve returned forwards Mike Hardman and Marc McLaughlin to AHL Utica. Both players were recalled on Wednesday and suited up in their regular season finale.  Hardman had an assist in two NHL games while contributing 35 points with the Comets.  As for McLaughlin, his NHL season wrapped up with two goals and three assists in 14 games between New Jersey and Boston while adding 19 points in 48 outings between their respective AHL franchises.

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