AHL Assignments: 3/6/25
Today’s trade deadline also has minor-league implications. Players must be on an AHL roster at 2:00 p.m. Central in order to be eligible to play in the Calder Cup Playoffs. As such, teams will be ferrying a large number of waiver-exempt players to the minors this morning and afternoon before recalling them before the end of the league day for cap counting at 4:00 p.m. That allows them to bypass the new rule that players must play at least one game in the minors after being reassigned before they’re eligible for a recall again.
Here’s the rundown of today’s reassignments that will be announced during the blizzard of other moves today:
- The Flames will ferry winger Matvei Gridin to the Calgary Wranglers, Ryan Pike of Flames Nation reports. The 2024 #28 overall pick is in his first professional season and is already beginning to look like a natural fit in the Flames’ top nine, posting seven points through his first 18 NHL games while averaging 14:18 of ice time per night. Gridin’s 4.17 shot attempts per game are fourth on the team after Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar were traded away. He’s also got 10 goals and 29 points in 36 games for the Wranglers, but with the Flames’ roster thinning out as they sell pieces off, he’ll be up in the NHL for the stretch run before returning to the playoff-bound Wranglers after the regular season ends.
- The Jets announced they’ve sent winger Walker Duehr and defender Isaak Phillips to AHL Manitoba. Both may find their way back down to Manitoba on a full-time basis before the end of the season as Winnipeg gets some of its IR-bound players back in the lineup, but for now, they’ll serve as depth pieces for the Jets as they potentially subtract more talents from their roster today.
- The Mammoth sent defenseman Dmitriy Simashev to Tucson, per PuckPedia. The 2023 sixth overall pick got into the Utah lineup for the first time since December last night. The rookie has been exceptional in the minors but has just one assist with a -9 rating through his first 25 career NHL outings.
- The Blackhawks assigned defender Ethan Del Mastro to Rockford, per PuckPedia. He’ll be back up after being recalled earlier in the week to replace Connor Murphy on the roster after he was dealt to the Oilers.
- The Penguins have sent down winger Avery Hayes to make him post-season eligible, per Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The 23-year-old rookie has two goals through his first six NHL contests over the past several weeks, both of which came in his debut.
- The Avalanche have demoted winger Gavin Brindley to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Brindley is in his first full NHL season after being acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets last year, scoring six goals and 12 points in 47 games, averaging 9:51 of ice time per game.
- The Rangers are making sure that AHL Hartford has reinforcements for the playoffs. New York has reassigned forwards Jaroslav Chmelar and Juuso Pärssinen. The former scored the first goal of his NHL career in a lopsided victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- According to a team announcement, the Vancouver Canucks have reassigned netminder Nikita Tolopilo and defenseman Cole Clayton to AHL Abbotsford. Tolopilo has been a mainstay between the pipes for Vancouver over the last little while, managing a 3-5-2 record in nine starts this season with a .901 SV% and 3.27 GAA.
- Unlikely to make the playoffs this season, the Panthers are making sure the cupboards are stocked for the Charlotte Checkers’ playoff run. The Panthers have reassigned Tobias Björnfot and Sandis Vilmanis, allowing them to remain eligible for the postseason.
- The Kraken have reassigned forwards Jacob Melanson and Ryan Winterton to the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. The pair have combined for four goals and 19 points in 82 games for Seattle this season.
- According to Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald, the Buffalo Sabres have assigned Zach Metsa to the AHL’s Rochester Americans in a paper transaction. Metsa, 27, is in his first full NHL season, scoring two goals and four points in 31 games, averaging 9:45 of ice time per game.
- The best team in the AHL may be even better during the playoffs. To maintain their eligibility for the postseason, the Grand Rapids Griffins announced that captain Dominik Shine and defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka have been reassigned in a paper transaction.
- According to Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports, the Flyers have reassigned Denver Barkey and Adam Ginning to AHL Lehigh Valley. Barkey has been an encouraging story of late, scoring two goals and 10 points in his first 26 games of NHL action.
- Murat Ates of The Athletic confirmed that the Winnipeg Jets reassigned defenseman Elias Salomonsson to retain his postseason eligibility. Salomonsson has been relatively disappointing for AHL Manitoba this season, registering one goal and nine points in 29 contests.
- Pushing back on the earlier report today indicating that the Canucks had recalled Ty Mueller, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet shared that he won’t be joining the Canucks. Vancouver will run with a bare-bones roster tonight against the Blackhawks.
- Missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade, the Maple Leafs are making sure AHL Toronto has additional firepower for their postseason run. According to Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun, the Maple Leafs have reassigned Easton Cowan and Jacob Quillan in a paper transaction. Despite being a higher-regarded prospect, Cowan only has two games of AHL experience.
- As expected, the Edmonton Oilers have reassigned forward Josh Samanski to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors to ensure his postseason eligibility. Samanski has been exceptional for AHL Bakersfield this year, registering eight goals and 31 points in 43 games with a +6 rating.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Canucks Trade Lukas Reichel To Bruins
The Canucks have dealt depth forward Lukas Reichel to the Bruins for a sixth-round pick, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports. It’s Boston’s sixth-round pick in this year’s draft, the team announced.
It’s the second time this year that Reichel has been traded. Unfortunately, the Canucks have taken a step back in terms of asset management. Earlier this season, Vancouver acquired Reichel from the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2027 fourth-round pick.
Reichel, 23, has seen his stock drop significantly over the past several years. The Blackhawks drafted him with the 17th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft after scoring 12 goals and 24 points in 42 games for the DEL’s Eisbären Berlin.
After spending one more year in his native Germany, Reichel moved to North America for the 2021-22 campaign. He played exceptionally well for the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs in his first two years, scoring 41 goals and 108 points in 111 games.
Still, he was unable to generate much success in the NHL. Across four and a half years with the Blackhawks, Reichel is credited with 22 goals and 58 points in 174 games with a -60 rating, averaging 13:21 of ice time per game. Furthermore, his 41.3% CorsiFor% at even strength didn’t indicate a breakout was on the horizon, either.
He instantly became a trade candidate at the beginning of the season, and the center-needy Canucks took their shot. It was more of the same in British Columbia, as Reichel will finish his tenure in Vancouver with one assist in 14 games.
Things got so bad with the Canucks that the team placed him on waivers a few months ago, but he ultimately made it through the wire unscathed. He’s been with the Abbotsford Canucks since, scoring six goals and 13 points in 23 games.
From the Bruins’ perspective, this trade was about helping out their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. Providence has dominated the AHL’s Atlantic Division this season and is looking to make some noise in the Calder Cup playoffs.
Washington Capitals To Acquire David Kampf
The Washington Capitals have acquired forward David Kampf from the Vancouver Canucks for a sixth-round pick, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger.
After trading Nic Dowd to the Vegas Golden Knights earlier this week, a move that opened up a hole at fourth-line center for the team, the club has filled that hole with Kampf. While Kampf is certainly a downgrade from Dowd, it’s a downgrade the Capitals are likely happy to stomach given the assets they were able to collect for Dowd.
The Capitals face somewhat steep odds this season in their efforts to return to the playoffs, and that’s especially true given the trade of key defenseman John Carlson to the Anaheim Ducks. But Kampf, who is a pending unrestricted free agent, doesn’t necessarily have to be a one-year rental. At 31 years old, its possible the Capitals have added Kampf with the hope that they can sign him for beyond this season at an affordable rate.
Kampf isn’t much of an offensive producer. In 38 games for Vancouver this season, he’s scored just six points. His career-high in points as an NHLer is 27, coming in 2022-23. But he has been a regular penalty-killer throughout his time in the NHL, and could step right into Dowd’s vacated role on the Capitals’ short-handed unit.
At the cost of just a sixth-rounder, the Capitals were able to add a player who will help them better absorb the loss of Dowd, and also a player who will get the rest of the season to prove he merits a role in Washington beyond 2025-26.
Vancouver Canucks Claim Curtis Douglas
The Vancouver Canucks have claimed forward Curtis Douglas off of waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
The Canucks have already shipped out a veteran forward and more, such as pending UFA Teddy Blueger, could follow. This claim of Douglas adds a player from outside the organization for the Canucks, who could even use him in the fourth-line center role most recently occupied by Blueger.
Douglas, 26, is one of the NHL’s biggest players. The Oakville, Ontario native stands 6’9″, 242 pounds, and that size is an essential component of the value proposition he presents as an NHL player. He’s not much of a scorer, with just two points through 29 career NHL games, and his offense hasn’t fared too much better at the AHL level, either. But his size and strength give him notable upside as a defensive player and a physical threat, two traits teams often covet on their fourth line.
In Vancouver, Douglas will likely receive a clear opportunity to get regular minutes on a team playing out the stretch of a likely last-place season. He averaged under six minutes of ice time per game in Tampa Bay, but is positioned to see that number increase in Vancouver. Set to become a restricted free agent this summer, he’s likely staring at an extremely important set of games for the future of his career as he looks to prove he has what it takes to stick as an NHL player with the Canucks.
Vancouver Canucks To Recall Ty Mueller
The Vancouver Canucks have recalled center Ty Mueller from their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, according to CHEK TV’s Rick Dhaliwal. The 23-year-old pivot joins the NHL roster in Vancouver just shortly after the team lost one of its established forwards; the team traded winger Conor Garland to the Columbus Blue Jackets late last night.
If Mueller gets a chance to play in some games for the Canucks on this recall, they will be the first of the 2025-26 season for him. He’s spent all year thus far at the AHL level with Abbotsford, and has scored 11 goals and 28 points in 49 games. That’s right around the scoring pace he was at last season, when he managed 12 goals and 39 points in 64 games.
Mueller has just over 100 games of pro experience to his name, but has been able to get close to being NHL-ready by quickly adapting his game to the professional level. He was a quality college hockey center at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, but it was an open question as to whether he’d have enough to make it to the NHL. He still hasn’t turned into a full-time NHL player to this point, but his progress in the AHL has been encouraging.
The Canucks will get a look at Mueller at the NHL level and be able to better ascertain how close he is to being ready for more regular duty at the game’s highest level. Entering the season, Mueller ranked as the No. 11 prospect in the Canucks’ system according to Elite Prospects.
They projected fourth-line upside for him, and it’s possible recent trade developments have heightened the Canucks’ interest in Mueller’s development. It seems as though quality defensive bottom-six centers have never been more valuable, with players such as Michael McCarron and Sam Carrick returning their teams quality draft picks in the second or third rounds.
With the Canucks set to potentially trade veteran bottom-six pivot Teddy Blueger at some point today, it appears the club might be hoping Mueller can take up an NHL role and quickly develop into the kind of reliable defensive center teams have coveted. Mueller is also a regular penalty killer in Abbotsford, and could also get a look in that role at the NHL level.
In any case, as the Canucks plunge further into a rebuild, the development of younger players such as Mueller will be a key storyline to track that will help determine the kind of timeline the Canucks will have on their road back to contention.
Blue Jackets Acquire Conor Garland
The Blue Jackets are in agreement to acquire winger Conor Garland from the Canucks, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Vancouver gets a second and third-round pick in return, Frank Seravalli of Victory+ reports. The second-round pick involved is the Blue Jackets’ 2028 selection, according to Thomas Drance of The Athletic. Reports of Columbus and Vancouver discussing a Garland trade were first reported by Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Both teams have since made the deal official.
Columbus traded Egor Chinakhov to the Penguins for the same price in December. There has been a hole in the depth chart ever since, forcing Miles Wood onto his off-side right-wing. The Blue Jackets solve that problem with the addition of Garland, who should beat out Kent Johnson for second on the depth chart to Kirill Marchenko.
Garland has scored seven goals and 26 points in 50 games this season. That’s just under the scoring pace that led him to the second 50-point season of his career last year. He has made up for that dip by recording the second-most blocks (28) on the Canucks offense, behind Elias Pettersson. Garland has also averaged a career-high 18:57 in ice time, narrowly beating out his previous high of 18:39 set last season.
Now in his age-30 season, Garland has finally seemed to find his rut as a hard-working, second-line winger. He averaged 19 goals and 49 points per 82 games played in five seasons with the Canucks – while only missing 18 games. The bulk of those absences – 11 – came this season, sprinkled between two undisclosed, short-term injuries and a bout with illness.
The Blue Jackets will hope Garland can bring the top-six spark they need to pull ahead of the Eastern Conference Wild Card race. They sit one point behind the Boston Bruins for the second spot, with the Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals both three points behind. The Blue Jackets sit in the middle of the pack, 17th in the league, in goals-scored this season.
Columbus’ 3.13 goals-per-game season average has risen to 3.75 goals in 16 games under new head coach Rick Bowness. The Blue Jackets have a 13-2-1 record in those games and now add another winger capable of reaching 20 goals this season.
Garland has achieved the feat twice before, in Vancouver’s 2023-24 season and with the Arizona Coyotes in the 2019-20 season. That performance stamped Garland’s spot in the league after he debuted with 13 goals in 47 games the year prior. The 5-foot-10 winger was a fifth-round draft pick from the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats in 2015.
Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.
Latest On Conor Garland
Within 24 hours of the trade deadline, Canucks winger Conor Garland is becoming one of the hottest names available. The Islanders made a significant push for him earlier in the week, and while they remain in the hunt to land him, they weren’t able to get a deal done then. That’s opened the door for more suitors to make themselves known. Pierre LeBrun of TSN relays that the Blue Jackets, Capitals, Devils, Sharks, and Bruins are pitching offers in addition to the Isles’ previously reported interest.
Garland isn’t the only Vancouver winger with term available. They’ve made it known that Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk can both be had, and all three players are signed through at least 2030-31. Garland has become the most likely name to move due to a lack of trade protection, though. There’s likely an urgency on Vancouver’s end to shuffle him out before that changes on July 1, too; he’ll have a no-movement clause commencing along with the six-year, $36MM extension he signed last summer that any acquiring team will be taking on in full.
Like every Canuck, this has been a season to forget for Garland. The soon-to-be 30-year-old is normally money in the bank for 15 goals and 45 points, but has only managed a 7-19–26 scoring line in 50 appearances. His 6.8% shooting rate is by far a career low and nearly four full points below his career average, though. Some positive regression is due.
Nonetheless, teams have never been keen on Garland as a finisher. His value comes from his playmaking ability and his high-end speed – plus a good degree of pot-stirring and physicality despite only checking in at 5’10” and 165 lbs.
Columbus has an apt top-nine, even if their team offense is right around league average. There isn’t so much a short-term need for Garland as there is a long-term one. A player with that much contractual security is attractive for a Blue Jackets team that has three of its top six players in terms of points-per-game this season slated for unrestricted free agency this summer. They’re looking to get deals done for all of Charlie Coyle, Boone Jenner, and Mason Marchment, but in the likely event they don’t go three-for-three, they’ll need some sort of insurance policy. That’s where Garland comes in.
Garland would be a similar long-term insurance policy for the Caps to make sure they don’t lose too much firepower if Alex Ovechkin opts to call it a career in the coming months. Of course, the 40-year-old is still Washington’s leading scorer with 24 goals and 50 points in 63 games, but has remained noncommittal about whether he’ll re-sign in Washington (he’s a pending UFA), return home to Russia to close out his career, or retire outright.
New Jersey has been clear about its desire to add an impact top-nine piece. They’re willing to dangle a defenseman to make it happen, but if they’re going to make 2022 #2 overall pick Simon Nemec available to Vancouver, they’ll likely ask for more than just Garland. Earlier today, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said any Devils blue-liner outside of Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce is available.
The Sharks have an excess of prospects and draft capital to leverage. For a Canucks team clearly headed toward something more resembling a full teardown than a retool, they could be well-positioned to provide the most attractive package – plus an already-established relationship after San Jose acquired Kiefer Sherwood from Vancouver just a couple of months ago.
That Boston would be interested in Garland, too, is no surprise considering they’ve also had some documented interest in a reunion with DeBrusk. The latter has been more productive and carries a slightly lesser cap hit, but, because of those two factors, might require a slightly richer price than Garland that they aren’t willing to pay.
Penguins Interested In Teddy Blueger
The Penguins’ roster isn’t expected to look very different after Friday’s deadline. They’re a safe bet to make the playoffs and won’t be selling off any rental UFAs, but after seemingly jumping years ahead of schedule in their retool in a matter of moves, they’re not in the market for any of the significant names still available, either.
They’re still in the market for some cheap pickups, whether rentals or young change-of-scenery names. It appears a reunion with center Teddy Blueger could help satisfy the latter want, as Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports they’re looking at acquiring the pending UFA from the Canucks as a stopgap depth fix with Sidney Crosby‘s suspected MCL sprain causing a strain on their forward group.
Vancouver has presumably received interest from a few other playoff-bound clubs as well in the 31-year-old, who ended his first stint in Pittsburgh under similar circumstances as a rental pickup by the Golden Knights on their way to a Stanley Cup in 2023. He spent more than half the season on injured reserve with a lower-body issue but has been hot since returning, picking up five goals and eight points in 14 games for the ‘Nucks while averaging north of 16 minutes per game, a career-high.
Blueger was a press-box luxury for the Knights on their long playoff run three years ago and could fill a similar role for Pittsburgh when Crosby returns. The success of Thomas Novak and Benjamin Kindel this season makes it hard to envision Blueger taking up a spot in the top-nine, and they’d be similarly hesitant to break up a fourth line of Connor Dewar, Blake Lizotte, and Noel Acciari that’s been exceptional at controlling play at even strength with a 54.2% expected goals share.
As such, the Pens likely won’t be willing to part ways with more than a mid-round pick to land him. Seeing as they have at least five picks in the first three rounds of the next three drafts, they have no shortage of capital. But they might have to reach into that stable of second or third-rounders compared to a fourth or fifth to get it done, considering what fourth-line pieces like Michael McCarron, Nic Dowd, and Cole Smith have fetched this week.
Blueger started his career as a second-round pick of the Pens back in 2012. After finally breaking into the league six years later, he ended up posting 33 goals and 92 points in 250 games for them over five seasons.
Canucks Acquire Jack Thompson From Sharks
The Canucks announced the acquisition of right-shot defenseman Jack Thompson from the Sharks in exchange for minor-league defender Jett Woo. Thompson was also in the minors at the time of the deal, so the trade doesn’t affect either club’s active roster.
Thompson is on the move for the second time in three years, as San Jose picked up the defender at the 2024 trade deadline from the Lightning as part of the return for rental winger Anthony Duclair. He was a third-round pick by Tampa in 2020 and was a legitimately intriguing prospect at the time, posting 32 points in 46 games for AHL Syracuse up to that point.
That momentum continued into last season, which Thompson split evenly between the Sharks and the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. When in the NHL, he was impressive in a bottom-pairing role. He suited up 31 times for San Jose, recording a 4-6–10 scoring line and a -9 rating while averaging 15:47 per game. The 6’1″ righty isn’t overly physical and isn’t much of a defensive threat in his own zone, but he was offensively potent enough to create good possession impacts for the Sharks, ranking third on their blue line last season with a 5-on-5 expected goals percentage of 47.1.
With the Sharks’ signings of veterans Dmitry Orlov and John Klingberg in free agency last summer, plus top prospect Sam Dickinson locking down a roster spot, Thompson was lost in the shuffle this season from the start. The 23-year-old somewhat surprisingly cleared waivers at the beginning of the season and hasn’t seen a recall since, spending the entire year with the Barracuda. He only has three goals and 12 points in 42 games, a far cry from his usual AHL production.
As such, he likely welcomed a change of scenery, and the Canucks presumably view this year as more of a blip than a permanent regression. After shipping out Tyler Myers to the Stars yesterday, Vancouver has an immediate need for right-shot depth.
They recalled 26-year-old Cole Clayton with no NHL experience today to serve as their #7 with Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Derek Forbort on injured reserve. It stands to reason that Thompson usurps him on the depth chart for now and will make a legitimate challenge for consistent NHL minutes with fellow youngsters Tom Willander and Victor Mancini behind top-pair righty Filip Hronek down the stretch.
If Thompson doesn’t work out, it’s not as if they’re giving up a particularly high-value asset to land him. Woo was a second-rounder in 2018, and the organization long hoped he could be a solid depth piece and power-play option, but he’s now 25 and has yet to make his NHL debut. A pending Group VI unrestricted free agent, he’s effectively just a contract San Jose is taking back to avoid Vancouver pushing closer to the 50-man limit.
The right-shot Woo has had some intriguing AHL seasons in the past, but this isn’t one of them. He’s been limited to a goal and eight points in 26 AHL games with a career-worst -11 rating. If the Sharks keep him around past this year, it won’t be anything more than a supplemental piece for their higher-value D prospects in the minors.
Vancouver Canucks Recall Cole Clayton
One of the Vancouver Canucks’ recently acquired prospects will be joining the team. According to a team announcement, the Canucks have recalled defenseman Cole Clayton from the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks.
Clayton, 26, was acquired a few months ago in the trade that sent Kiefer Sherwood to the San Jose Sharks. He was in his first year with the Sharks organization after signing a one-year, $775K contract with them last offseason.
Before his brief time in San Jose, Clayton had spent four years in the Columbus Blue Jackets organization. Signed as an undrafted free agent from the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, Clayton scored 12 goals and 61 points in 224 games exclusively for the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters.
This season, he has seen his scoring output dissipate mildly. Split between the Barracuda and the AHL Canucks, Clayton has registered only two goals and seven points in 49 games. In his 16 games with Abbotsford, he has also produced 15 PIMs and a -5 rating.
Given that he’s not expected to be a long-term fixture in Vancouver, Clayton is likely only a placeholder for now. After dealing Quinn Hughes earlier this year, there are no defensemen on the Canucks’ roster who have generated much trade interest, if they’re even available. Still, Vancouver recently lost Pierre-Olivier Joseph to an upper-body injury for the next few weeks, so Clayton will likely serve as the team’s seventh defenseman until he returns.