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Penguins Place Pierre-Olivier Joseph On Injured Reserve

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The Penguins announced they’ve placed defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph on injured reserve. There’s no corresponding transaction for now, so they’re left with an open roster spot.

Joseph, 25, quietly departed Saturday’s loss to the Bruins with an upper-body injury in the first period, not before laying a huge hit on Boston captain Brad Marchand. He was held out of yesterday’s loss to the Maple Leafs as a result, allowing Ryan Graves to re-enter the lineup after he sat as a healthy scratch against the Bs.

It’s Joseph’s first IR placement of what’s been an expressly disappointing season for the 2017 first-round pick. He was non-tendered by Pittsburgh last summer and signed a one-year deal with the Blues on the open market, but found his way back to the Pens when they acquired him in mid-December for future considerations.

Joseph has posted decent possession metrics (51.5 CF%, 47.4 xGF% at even strength) since the move, but they haven’t translated to the scoresheet. He has just one assist in 24 appearances with a -15 rating, averaging 17:20 per game. It’s a far cry from the 21 points he posted in 75 games with Pittsburgh in 2022-23 that earned him some very fringe Calder Trophy consideration.

The ex-Coyotes prospect, initially acquired by Pittsburgh in the 2021 Phil Kessel trade, has fallen out of the regular lineup as a result. He’s been a healthy scratch on a few occasions recently as the Pens look to work in new additions Vincent Desharnais and Vladislav Kolyachonok into depth roles.

Joseph is slated for restricted free agency this summer, but with how things are trending, the Penguins will likely release him for the second season in a row. He’ll be hard-pressed to find a raise on his $950K cap hit for 2024-25.

Utah Signs Olli Määttä To Three-Year Extension

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Utah HC announced they’ve signed pending free agent defenseman Olli Määttä to a three-year extension. The contract is worth $10.5MM with an even $3.5MM base salary and cap hit each season, PuckPedia reports.

The deal is a demonstration of Määttä’s re-emergence as a top-four piece on the Utah blue line. After being underutilized and relegated to a fringe bottom-pairing role with the Red Wings in the past couple of seasons, he was traded to Utah for a third-round pick a few weeks in late October. Utah, at the time, needed veteran insurance on defense with Sean Durzi and John Marino out long-term and relieved Detroit of his $3MM cap hit in the process.

For his low acquisition cost, the Club has been rewarded. His underlying metrics remained strong as his minutes were slashed in Detroit, signaling he should still be a more effective complementary defensive piece in heavier minutes. Määttä has proved that suspicion right in Salt Lake, posting 2-12–14 in 51 games with a plus-seven rating while averaging 20:41 per game, only the second time he’s averaged north of 20 in his 12-year career. His possession numbers – a 51.4% share of shot attempts and 48.6% expected goals share at even strength – are decent considering he’s started over 55% of his shifts in the defensive zone, the second-highest mark of his career.

While a lefty, the 6’2″ Määttä can comfortably play both sides. He’s done so for a good chunk of the season, playing top-pairing minutes to the right of Mikhail Sergachev while Durzi and Marino were out. Since they returned, he’s shifted back to his natural left side to form Utah’s second pairing with the right-shot Durzi. That pairing has controlled 58.3% of expected goals in 70 minutes of deployment together, per MoneyPuck.

He’s fit in well as a shutdown piece in Utah’s possession-reliant system under head coach André Tourigny. Utah ranks top five in the league at controlling shot attempts, scoring chances, and high-danger chances at even strength, but league-average goaltending on the whole from their hot (Karel Vejmelka) and cold (Connor Ingram) tandem means their team defense is only 15th in the league. He logs heavy penalty-killing minutes, too, and doesn’t grade out as the offensive liability he was at points earlier in his career. His play as a veteran stopgap is a significant reason why Utah still has a chance at the postseason, sitting two points back of the Flames for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

A three-year term is of value to the 30-year-old Määttä as well as the team. He lands some stability after suiting up for five teams in the last seven years, while Utah avoids locking themselves into a deal that takes him into his mid-30s, when his play will likely decline.

Utah now has six defensemen signed to one-way deals for next season, so it stands to reason veteran pending UFA Ian Cole could be on his way out at the deadline for the right price. They now have $25MM in projected cap space for 2024-25 with only six roster spots to fill, and with Vejmelka as the only potential high-cost pending UFA, they’re in good position to make a big splash for a forward on this summer’s free agent market.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Penguins Sign Finn Harding To Entry-Level Deal

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The Penguins announced they’ve signed defense prospect Finn Harding to a three-year, entry-level deal. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Harding, 20, was an overage selection by the Pens in the seventh round of last year’s draft. The 6’2″ righty was initially eligible for selection in 2023. However, he was passed over after recording only 10 points in 63 games in his rookie season with the Ontario Hockey League’s Mississauga (now Brampton) Steelheads.

The Toronto native emerged as a threat in Mississauga last season, leading the club with a +39 rating and adding 10-24–34 in 68 games. That was enough to warrant a late-round flyer from Pittsburgh, who must be pleased with their selection. Harding has now clicked near a point per game after the franchise relocated to Brampton, ranking fourth on the club in scoring with 7-48–55 through 59 games. He again leads the team with a +43 rating to boot, quickly emerging as one of the OHL’s better two-way defenders in what figures to be his final junior season.

Harding’s deal doesn’t go into effect until the 2025-26 campaign and isn’t eligible for a slide given his age, so he’ll be a restricted free agent upon expiry in 2028. He’s a likely candidate to finish out the season with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a tryout if their season extends past Brampton’s.

His semi-delayed development isn’t necessarily the strongest indicator of future NHL success, even with how well he’s played this year with Brampton. His transition to playing in the pros on a full-time basis next year, whether in the AHL or ECHL, will be an important factor to monitor to get a better idea of his upside as a full-time NHLer down the line.

The Penguins now have 12 defensemen under contract for next season after Harding’s signing.

Predators Sign Joey Willis To Entry-Level Contract

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The Predators announced today they’ve signed forward prospect Joey Willis to a three-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms were not disclosed. His signing rights were set to expire on June 1 if an agreement was not reached.

Nashville selected Willis, 19, in the fourth round of the 2023 draft. He will remain on assignment to the Ontario Hockey League’s Kingston Frontenacs, who acquired him from the Saginaw Spirit in January, through the end of their season. If the dates line up, he would be eligible to make his professional debut for AHL Milwaukee down the stretch once his junior obligations end.

The Illinois-born forward has seen a jump in production in what’s likely to be his final junior season. The center/left-winger has 21-23–44 in 38 appearances split between Saginaw and Kingston this season, his first time breaching the point-per-game mark.

Willis recorded 50 points in 66 regular-season games for the Spirit last year. While the club fell short of the OHL championship, they won the Memorial Cup as the host city with Willis contributing four points (2 G, 2 A) in five games. The 5’11” playmaker also added a pair of assists in two games for the United States at this year’s World Junior championship, adding a gold medal to his résumé.

However, Willis was not ranked among the top 15 prospects in Nashville’s system by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic last month. Other public outlets are higher on Willis’ ceiling, with Dobber Prospects giving him a 65% chance of developing into a full-time NHL player – likely in a third-line scoring role.

He turns 20 later this month, so he’ll be eligible for a full-time assignment to Milwaukee in 2025-26. Since his 20th birthday falls after Jan. 1, 2025, his contract is only eligible for an entry-level slide this year, provided he plays in fewer than 10 NHL games as expected. He’ll likely earn a small signing bonus for the 2024-25 campaign, though, lowering the cap hit of his deal when it goes into effect next season. He will be a restricted free agent upon expiry in 2028.

Maple Leafs Recall Dakota Mermis, Likely To Activate Calle Järnkrok

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The Maple Leafs announced they’ve recalled defenseman Dakota Mermis from AHL Toronto. Fellow D-man Marshall Rifai is headed back to the minors in a corresponding move, and PuckPedia reports forward Alex Steeves was also returned to the AHL yesterday. The moves leave them with an open roster spot and just enough cap space to activate forward Calle Järnkrok from long-term injured reserve before tonight’s game against the Sharks, as Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reported Sunday.

Järnkrok, 33, has yet to play this season after a lingering lower-body injury resulted in him undergoing groin and sports hernia surgery in mid-November. He was listed as month-to-month, and he only returned to practice as a full participant yesterday.

Signed to a four-year, $8.4MM contract in the 2022 offseason, the versatile Swede has been a decent middle-six piece for the Leafs when healthy. He missed seven games with a previous groin issue in 2022-23 and missed 30 games last year with separate knuckle and hand fractures.

When dressed, he’s produced at a 20-goal, 39-point full-season pace with a +25 rating over 125 appearances. He’s averaged just south of 15 minutes per game and can easily flex between both wings and center, winning 47.3% of his draws since arriving in Toronto. He’s seen consistent penalty-kill usage for the Leafs and fringe power-play usage, occasionally getting looks in the top six. That could be an option down the stretch with a revolving door of second-line left wingers for William Nylander and John Tavares not providing much stability, but for now, he’ll presumably have his minutes limited in a fourth-line role as he gets back up to speed.

Mermis has been added to the Maple Leafs organization twice since the summer, first signing in free agency and then being claimed off waivers in January. Yet his lone NHL appearance this season came with Utah, which selected him off waivers from Toronto in mid-December before losing him back to the Leafs on the wire. Toronto was the only team to submit a claim for Mermis at that time, so he’s been able to suit up for the farm club over the past couple of months without needing to pass through them again.

The 31-year-old was expected to compete for a roster spot as an extra out of camp after appearing in a career-high 47 games with the Wild in 2023-24. A broken jaw sustained during the preseason sidelined him until late November, though. He got some AHL action on a conditioning stint but was claimed by Utah when the Leafs attempted to convert his minor-league assignment into a permanent one.

Mermis is now on his fifth NHL organization after previous stints with the Coyotes, Devils, and Wild. The 6’0″ lefty is a viable puck-mover but has always been more of a defensive option, never topping 26 points in an AHL season. He has six assists and a plus-four rating in 20 showings with the Marlies this year. His defensive metrics in bottom-pairing minutes in Minnesota last year were fine – a 49.5 CF% at even strength with a +0.1 relative impact, plus a 47.9% expected goals share.

He’ll now serve as the Leafs’ extra D for the time being with Chris Tanev on injured reserve as Toronto looks to rotate him and Rifai on the roster to avoid either needing to pass through waivers anytime soon. Rifai cleared at the beginning of the season and has been summoned on a few occasions this season to serve as an extra when injuries strike the Leafs’ defense corps, although he’s yet to appear in a game after making his NHL debut in 2023-24. He’s been on Toronto’s active roster for less than 30 days cumulatively since last clearing waivers, so he doesn’t need them for today’s demotion. The 26-year-old stay-at-home lefty has 3-6–9 with 57 PIMs and a plus-seven rating in 44 games this season.

Steeves has been on the Leafs’ roster since the end of the 4 Nations break, marking his most extended NHL trial to date. The 25-year-old winger appeared in three straight contests for Toronto out of the gate, including a two-point effort against the Hurricanes on Feb. 22, but has now been a healthy scratch in two straight wins. Those two points stand as his only offensive output across seven NHL contests this season and his first since recording an assist against the Blackhawks in December 2021. He remains an extremely valuable minor-league presence, torching the AHL with 29-17–46 through 40 games.

Pittsburgh Penguins Recall Tristan Jarry, Reassign Joel Blomqvist

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are changing their goaltending tandem once again. The Penguins announced they’ve recalled goaltender Tristan Jarry from their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and have reassigned Joel Blomqvist in a corresponding transaction.

Jarry has spent much of the last two months with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, managing a 6-5-1 record in 12 games with a .908 SV% and 2.67 GAA. After clearing waivers in mid-January, Pittsburgh made the difficult decision to reassign Jarry to the AHL for the first time since the 2018-19 season. The Penguins will now hope Jarry has regained confidence in his game after a relatively strong stretch of play in the AHL.

The Surrey, British Columbia native doesn’t have much runway left with the organization. Jarry parlayed .909 SV% and 2.90 GAA in 47 starts into a five-year $26.88MM extension in Pittsburgh after the 2022-23 season. To put it bluntly, the Penguins haven’t received a quality return on investment.

Since the start of the 2023-24 season, Jarry has managed a 27-33-9 record through 69 starts with a .897 SV% and 3.04 GAA. He lost his starting role to Alex Nedeljkovic toward the end of last season and hasn’t done anything to earn it back. Still, the Penguins’ goaltending struggles don’t begin and end with Jarry, as the entire goaltending trio has produced a .888 SV% in 63 games with a startling -25.2 goals saved above average, according to Hockey Reference.

Meanwhile, given his struggles in the NHL this season and that he’s only 23 years old, the hourglass was nearly empty for Blomqvist’s stay in Pittsburgh for the remainder of the season. He’s earned a 4-9-1 record through his first 15 NHL starts with a .885 SV% and 3.81 GAA.

Given the early struggles of his career and the Penguins’ lethargic play in front of him for much of the season, it’s prudent for Blomqvist’s development to return to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Uusikaarlepyy, Finland native has been remarkably better in the AHL, boasting a 32-19-10 record in two years with a .917 SV% and 2.38 GAA.

San Jose Sharks Place Henry Thrun On IR, Recall Jimmy Schuldt

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The San Jose Sharks needed some defensive depth after losing their new top-pairing defenseman to injury. The Sharks announced they’ve placed Henry Thrun on injured reserve and have recalled Jimmy Schuldt from their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, in a corresponding roster move.

Thrust into a top-pairing role since San Jose traded Cody Ceci to the Dallas Stars on February 1st, Thrun left the Sharks’ February 27th game against the Montreal Canadiens in the third period due to an upper-body injury. He finished that contest with a -2 rating in 12:13 of ice time.

The Southborough, MA native is on par with his production from last season, scoring one goal and nine assists through 51 games compared to a three-goal, eight-assist performance in the same number of contests last year. Practically matching last year’s production, it’s a notable change in contribution, given Thrun’s average ice time has dropped by approximately three minutes.

Despite missing the team’s contest on Saturday, Thrun’s recovery timeline is only considered day-to-day. San Jose likely made the IR placement retroactive to February 27th, meaning Thrun is eligible to return on Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche. Since the Sharks are on an Atlantic Division road trip until that time, Schuldt gives the team a seventh defenseman in case of another injury.

It’s unlikely Schuldt will play during the team’s back-to-back against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres, but it would mark his first NHL contest since the 2018-19 season and the second game of his career. The St. Cloud State University product has spent the last six years in the American Hockey League, split between the Chicago Wolves, Henderson Silver Knights, Rochester Americans, Coachella Valley Firebirds, and Barracuda, scoring 34 goals and 125 points in 343 games with 218 PIMs.

Capitals Sign Charlie Lindgren To Three-Year Extension

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The Washington Capitals have both halves of their goaltending tandem signed beyond this season. According to a team announcement, the Capitals have signed netminder Charlie Lindgren to a three-year, $9MM contract extension.

Although Lindgren’s salary will nearly triple on this deal, it appears to be a solid bit of work from Capitals’ general manager, Chris Patrick. Washington will pay a combined $8.85MM to Lindgren and Logan Thompson next season, equating to 9.26% of the 2025-26 salary cap ceiling.

However, it’s reasonable to assume Lindgren missed a bigger payday. His first season with the Capitals was fairly generic, sporting a 13-11-3 record in 26 starts with a .899 SV% and 3.05 GAA. According to MoneyPuck, his -3.9 goals saved above average was good for 80th in the league, while his goaltending partner at the time, Darcy Kuemper, ranked 16th in the NHL with an 8.8.

Due to injuries and poor play from Kuemper last season, Lindgren became the de facto starting netminder in Washington. In one of the most unprecedented seasons from a goaltender in recent memory, Lindgren managed a 25-16-7 record through 48 starts with a .911 SV%, a 2.67 GAA, and a league-leading six shutouts. His 10.5 GSAA ranked 16th in the NHL, helping Lindgren to an eighth-place finish in Vezina Trophy voting and a 12th-place finish as the league’s MVP.

Still, the Capitals desired to lighten Lindgren’s load this season by acquiring Thompson from the Vegas Golden Knights last summer. His 48 starts from the 2023-24 campaign nearly matched his total starts from the previous seven years combined, split between the Capitals, Montreal Canadiens, and St. Louis Blues.

Returning to a share of the crease this year, Lindgren’s production more closely resembles his output from two years ago rather than last year. The Lakeville, MN native has a 13-10-3 record through 27 starts with a .896 SV%, 2.70 GAA, and a -2.2 GSAA. Washington’s patience in signing Lindgren to an extension likely saved the organization a few million dollars compared to pursuing an extension in the summer months after his incredible 2023-24 campaign.

Photo courtesy of USA Sports Images.

Golden Knights Sign Kai Uchacz To Entry-Level Contract

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In the other half of last night’s announcement, the Vegas Golden Knights signed forward Kai Uchacz to a two-year entry-level contract. Similarly to Braeden Bowman, Uchacz had been playing the 2024-25 campaign on an AHL contract with the Henderson Silver Knights.

Uchacz recently finished a five-year career in the Western Hockey League, split between the Seattle Thunderbirds and Red Deer Rebels. Unfortunately, his departure from the Thunderbirds wasn’t under good circumstances. The Calgary, Alberta native was removed from the Thunderbirds roster for the 2020-21 season due to making racially-charged comments toward one of his teammates.

After additional training and education, the WHL reinstated Uchacz for the 2021-22 season. The WHL’s announcement came shortly after the Thunderbirds traded Uchacz to the Rebels for a second-round pick in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.

He finished his career on a three-year hot streak, scoring 106 goals and 199 points in 188 games for the Rebels. Much like Bowman, Uchacz went undrafted at the NHL level and had to settle for an AHL contract this season with the Silver Knights.

At the time of writing, Uchacz sits seventh on the team in scoring with 12 goals and 23 points in 51 contests. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been enough to help Henderson climb out of the Pacific Division basement.

Golden Knights Sign Braeden Bowman To Entry-Level Contract

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The Vegas Golden Knights announced two two-year entry-level contracts shortly after last night’s game against the New Jersey Devils.  The first player signed was forward Braeden Bowman, who had been playing on an AHL contract with the Henderson Silver Knights.

Bowman joined the Silver Knights out of training camp after four years with the OHL’s Guelph Storm. He had always shown a knack for putting the puck in the net, scoring 27 goals and 10 assists through his first two years with the Storm.

Like many quality goal-scorers at the OHL level, Bowman reached beyond a point-per-game average during his junior and senior seasons. The Kitchener, Ontario native scored 70 goals and 73 assists in 122 games, finishing second on the team in scoring in back-to-back campaigns. Unfortunately, Bowman’s production in Guelph never earned him a draft selection at the NHL level.

Still, his professional career has gotten off to a positive start. He’s scored 12 goals and 30 points in 52 games with AHL Henderson- good for third on the team in scoring.

Unless the Silver Knights go on an unprecedented win streak to end the 2024-25 season, Bowman will have to wait another year to compete for the Calder Cup. Henderson occupies last place in the AHL’s Pacific Division with a 22-30-3-0 record and 17 games remaining.

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