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Snapshots: Marlies, Sabres, Hall, Golden Knights

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The Toronto Marlies have signed Boston University forward Sam Stevens to a one-year AHL contract set to begin next season (Twitter link). He’ll finish off this year on an amateur try-out contract with the Marlies. Stevens is turning pro after completing his fifth year with the Terriers, totaling 142 games across his collegiate career. That’s the most any one player has played for Boston University since 2018 when Brandon Hickey wrapped up his collegiate career with 147 games.

Stevens never found much of a scoring groove in Boston, totaling just 50 points in his appearances. 35 of those points came in the last two seasons when Stevens managed 18 and 17 points respectively. And while certainly modest scoring, Stevens was able to earn his keep with very stout defense for a centerman. He’s simply reliable, winning faceoffs and guarding opponents well. He’ll certainly need to improve his energy on the offensive side of the red-line as he approaches pro hockey, but Stevens’ ability to shut down play in his own zone could adapt well to the next level. He’ll look to slot into one of the Marlies remaining two games this regular season.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Buffalo Sabres will have good reason to tune into the 2024 World Championship, as five different Sabres are expected to represent their country, per Rachel Hopmayer of Spectrum News in Buffalo (Twitter link). This includes Owen Power, Bowen Byram, and Dylan Cozens representing Team Canada; Rasmus Dahlin representing Team Sweden; and John-Jason Peterka representing Team Germany. Zach Benson and Jack Quinn also mentioned that they haven’t yet been contacted by Team Canada, though they’d have to discuss with general manager Kevyn Adams before committing, per X (Twitter link).
  • Taylor Hall won’t be slotting into the Chicago Blackhawks’ season finale, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun Times (Twitter link). This news comes despite Hall appearing at the team’s Thursday morning skate. He’ll close his season having not played since November 19th, when he suffered an ACL injury that required surgery. Hall played in just 10 games this year, the fewest games of a season in his 14-year career. He scored four points in those appearances. Hall is under contract with Chicago through the end of next season, carrying a $6MM cap hit.
  • William Carrier and Mark Stone both took the ice at the Vegas Golden Knights’ optional Thursday practice, donning no-contact jerseys, per SinBinVegas (Twitter link). Both players are working their way back from long-term injuries, with Stone out since February 20th with a spleen injury and Carrier sidelined since March 25th with an upper-body injury. Stone returned to practice on April 12th and will push to be ready for the start of Vegas’ playoff race this weekend, though his continued no-contact assignment could shed doubt on his Game One availability.

Injury Notes: Mantha, Stephenson, Barron, Pezzetta

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In the team’s game tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Vegas Golden Knights’ forwards Anthony Mantha and Chandler Stephenson are both considered day-to-day due to injuries. Keeping that in mind, it is unlikely that either Mantha or Stephenson will draw into the lineup tonight as the Golden Knights prepare to defend their Stanley Cup title.

Mantha, who Vegas acquired from the Washington Capitals during this past trade deadline season, has played in 18 games for the organization up to this point. In those 18 contests, Mantha has been serviceable even though his goal-scoring rate has decreased, putting up three goals and 10 points altogether.

Joining Mantha on the list of Golden Knights expected to reach unrestricted free agency this summer, Stephenson has once again been a massive return on investment in Vegas. Making a salary of only $2.75MM this season, Stephenson has put up 16 goals and 51 points in 65 games overall, sitting fifth on the team in scoring.

Other injury notes:

  • As the Winnipeg Jets look to clinch second place in the Central Division for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, they will have to do so without forward Morgan Barron as the team announced he would miss the rest of the game tonight with a lower-body injury. During the game, Barron was only able to register 2:23 of ice time and registered zero points but did reach a 100% faceoff rate in the game.
  • In a similar fashion to Barron, the Montreal Canadiens will be without forward Michael Pezzetta for the remainder of their game and the season with an upper-body injury (X Link). As a depth forward for the team, Pezzetta was only able to register 25 seconds of ice time over one shift, and left the game after the end of the first period.

Transaction Notes: Coghlan, Comtois, Del Bel Belluz, Silovs, Rondbjerg

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Now that the Carolina Hurricanes have officially clinched the second spot in the Metropolitan Division, the organization has opted to sit a multitude of players for the team’s game tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets. With several spots in the lineup open, the team has called up defenseman Dylan Coghlan and forward Max Comtois from the Springfield Thunderbirds and Chicago Wolves, respectively.

Coghlan has been a part of the Hurricanes organization for the last two years, coming over from the Vegas Golden Knights in a trade including Max Pacioretty. Although he played 17 games in Carolina last season, tonight will mark the first time that Coghlan has suited up for the Hurricanes this season. A strong performer in AHL Springfield, Coghlan has scored 16 goals and 41 points in 59 games and is sitting second on the team in scoring overall.

Comtois, on the other hand, is in his first season with the Hurricanes organization after spending the last five years with the Anaheim Ducks. Failing to become a consistent goal-scorer in Orange County, Comtois had to settle for an AHL contract in AHL Chicago this past offseason. Appearing to reacquire some of his offensive talents, Comtois has scored 19 goals and 43 points in 62 games for the Wolves this season, which may be enough to earn him a league-minimum contract on an NHL roster next year.

Other transaction notes:

  • Preparing to make his NHL debut this evening, the Blue Jackets have recalled forward Luca Del Bel Belluz from their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. With forward Dmitri Voronkov out of tonight’s game due to illness, Del Bel Belluz could end up centering the third line with newcomer Gavin Brindley. In his first season playing for the Blue Jackets organization, the former 44th overall selection has scored nine goals and 30 points over 55 games in the AHL this year.
  • Now that goaltender Thatcher Demko is preparing to return to the active roster, the Vancouver Canucks have sent down goalie Arturs Silovs to their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. Throughout his recall, Silovs only suited up in four games for the Canucks, and performed adequately in limited time. Over those four games, Silovs produced a 3-0-1 record, securing a .881 SV% which was largely brought down due to giving up four goals on 18 shots against the Arizona Coyotes.
  • For now the 11th time this season, the Vegas Golden Knights have recalled forward Jonas Rondbjerg from their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. Due to the numerous amount of recalls this year, Rondbjerg has managed 18 games for the Golden Knights this season, scoring one goal and three points overall. At the AHL level, Rondbjerg has suited up in 48 games for the Silver Knights, scoring nine goals and 27 points in the process.

Pacific Notes: McDavid, Desharnais, Pietrangelo, Gibson, Stalock

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Oilers superstar Connor McDavid will miss his second straight contest with a lower-body injury tonight when they take on the Coyotes, per Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton. “I won’t go tonight. We will see about tomorrow. We are going day-by-day,” McDavid said.

Per Gregor, the lower-body ailment had been nagging McDavid for some time but was aggravated in last Saturday’s contest against the Flames, in which he played over 20 minutes and registered two assists. The Edmonton captain isn’t worried about it lingering for much longer, however, and his availability for the playoffs currently isn’t in question. His absence didn’t stop the Oilers from rattling off their seventh straight win on Wednesday in a 5-1 dismantling of the Golden Knights. He needs one more assist this season to reach 100 and would be the first player to do so since Wayne Gretzky in 1991.

Sticking with the Oilers, their front office has tabled contract talks with pending UFA defenseman Vincent Desharnais through the postseason, TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports. They’d been in discussions for the past while, per Rishaug, as Edmonton looks to keep around their breakout depth shutdown force. He’s late to the party for full-time NHL roles at age 27 but has become a regular this season with a goal, 10 assists, and a +5 rating in 73 contests while averaging 15:31 per game. He hasn’t been tasked with too much responsibility but has controlled possession well, logging a 54.7 xGF% at even strength. He’s nearing completion of a two-year, two-way contract and is almost certainly looking at a one-way deal next season, regardless of whether he stays in Edmonton.

Elsewhere in the Pacific:

  • Golden Knights star defenseman Alex Pietrangelo hasn’t resumed skating as he deals with a lengthy illness and will likely be out for at least two more games, head coach Bruce Cassidy said (via The Athletic’s Jesse Granger). He’s yet to be cleared to practice by the team’s medical staff. Pietrangelo missed six games with an illness in late March and returned to the lineup against the Wild on the 30th but exited again after two appearances. He hasn’t been with the team in over a week, last skating in an April 2 contest against the Canucks. Vegas will continue to roll with Nicolas Hague playing his offside on their top pairing, with the newly-extended Noah Hanifin in his absence.
  • The Ducks have reassigned netminder Alex Stalock to AHL San Diego. Starter John Gibson is set to return from an upper-body injury tonight against the Flames. The latter is expected to make his first start since March 30 against the Oilers, head coach Greg Cronin said. Gibson backed up Lukáš Dostál in two contests before sustaining the injury outside of game action, forcing Stalock’s recall last week. The 36-year-old farmhand didn’t play, with Dostál making five straight starts. Stalock’s been recalled on multiple instances this season but hasn’t seen any NHL ice, with either Dostál or Gibson leading the way in the other’s absence. He’s struggled heavily in the minors this season, posting a .889 SV% in 13 games. A pending UFA, Stalock could be heading toward retirement this summer.

Golden Knights Reassign Brendan Brisson

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April 12: Brisson was returned to AHL Henderson on Friday with Stephenson rejoining the team for tonight’s match against the Wild. He logged 11:52 in Wednesday’s loss to the Oilers and put up zeros across the board.

April 9: The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled forward Brendan Brisson from the minor leagues. Brisson will serve as a fill-in option for Chandler Stephenson, who left the team’s trip to Edmonton for the expected birth of his child, per Sin Bin Vegas (Twitter link). Stephenson’s absence would qualify this recall for an emergency loan, preserving Vegas’ few remaining recalls this season.

This move marks Brisson’s eighth call-up of the season after he was sent down on Monday, giving Vegas the cap space needed to activate Tomas Hertl off of injured reserve. Brisson made his NHL debut on January 15th and has since totaled 14 games in the Vegas lineup, scoring two goals and eight points. He’s managed the production while serving in a third-line role, averaging just under 12-and-a-half minutes of ice time each game. And while he’s bounced between the major and minor leagues, the former first-round pick has most recently played in the NHL, recording an assist in Vegas’ Friday night loss to the Arizona Coyotes. The game was Brisson’s reward for recording eight points across his last eight AHL games, including three nights of two or more points. The scoring brought him up to 17 goals and 36 points in 50 AHL games – an impressive mark for the first-year pro.

Stephenson’s absence would likely open the door for Hertl to take on a full role in the offense, with Brisson slotting into the team’s bottom six. Hertl recorded an assist in his Vegas debut and will need to stay productive as the Golden Knights look to claw their way back into the top three of the Pacific Division.

Mark Stone Cleared To Return To Practice

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Golden Knights captain Mark Stone has been cleared to return to practice ahead of today’s morning skate, the team announced. He’s been out since sustaining a lacerated spleen on Feb. 20, missing nearly two months and the following 22 games.

Vegas moved Stone to standard injured reserve shortly after exiting the lineup and later to LTIR on March 4, a few days before the trade deadline. The increase in cap relief from Stone’s $9.5MM cap hit allowed GM Kelly McCrimmon to go all out, picking up two of the best players on the market in defenseman Noah Hanifin and center Tomáš Hertl, albeit both with significant salary retention from their former clubs.

This year marks the third straight campaign Stone has missed significant time – in fact, his 56 games before sustaining the spleen laceration this year were his most in a season since 2019-20. Back problems were the culprit for his absences over the past two years, including a surgery that sidelined him for the final 39 games of the 2022-23 regular season. He returned in time for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, looking refreshed as he tallied 11 goals in 24 points in 22 games en route to the franchise’s first championship.

Those back problems haven’t cost him any time this season, a promising sign as he still has three years remaining on his contract with a full no-move clause. The two-time Selke Trophy finalist has maintained his reputation as one of the best two-way wingers in the league, posting 16 goals and 53 points in 56 games this year while averaging 19:24 per game. His possession metrics took an uncharacteristic dip, though, failing to dominate shot attempts with a career-low 48.4 CF% at even strength. His 51.7 xGF% and +2.4 expected rating were also his worst since being traded to Vegas in 2019.

The Golden Knights haven’t confirmed Stone’s status for a potential Game 1 of a first-round series next weekend – they need to clinch a spot first, something they can do tonight if they exit their game against the Wild with more points than the Blues do against the Hurricanes. Still, a return to practice a week out paints positive signs for his ability to return at some point before the end of the month.

If he plays, he’ll do so in a new-look VGK top nine, bolstered by the additions of Hertl and Anthony Mantha further down the lineup. He’ll occupy his normal top-six right-wing role, either with Hertl or Jack Eichel at center.

Stone being cleared for game action prior to the final game of the regular season on April 18 would create unimaginable headaches for Vegas. There’s no realistic way for them to be cap-compliant with Stone activated from LTIR, as they’d need to remove more than $8.7MM worth of cap hits from their active roster to reinstate him. Keeping him on LTIR if he’s truly able to return before Game 1 would likely spur a league investigation and could result in penalties for cap circumvention, which could include cap penalties for next season, forfeiture of draft picks at the league’s discretion, and even the forfeiture of any games affected by their circumvention, per the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Golden Knights Sign Noah Hanifin To Eight-Year Extension

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The Vegas Golden Knights have signed Trade Deadline acquisition Noah Hanifin to an eight-year contract extension (Twitter link). The deal reportedly carries a $7.35MM cap hit, a six-year full-no-trade clause, and full signing bonuses, per Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link).

Hanifin is earning front-page news once again after his trade market dominated much of this year’s Trade Deadline prep. Vegas was a surprise landing spot for the top defender, acquiring him in a three-team trade that saw them send Daniil Miromanov and a 2025 first-round and third-round pick to the Calgary Flames and a 2024 fifth-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers. Hanifin has since played 16 games with the Golden Knights, recording two goals and nine points. He’s recorded the second-most points among Vegas defensemen since joining, behind Shea Theodore’s 11 points. The scoring brings Hanifin up to 13 goals and 44 points in 77 games, flirting with his career-high 48 points posted in the 2021-22 season.

Philadelphia’s brokerage of the deal reduced Hanifin’s cap hit to just $1.2375MM – just enough for Vegas to acquire Tomáš Hertl’s $6.75MM cap hit. The Golden Knights now have just $1.464MM in off-season cap space, per CapFriendly, assuming an $87.5MM salary cap. They’ll have to negotiate with seven free agents, including Jonathan Marchessault and Alec Martinez, now the only expiring defenseman.

While they’re almost destined to face cap troubles down the line, the Vegas Golden Knights now have Hanifin, Theodore, Alex Pietrangelo, Mark Stone, Jack Eichel, and Hertl signed through the 2025-26 season. That’s not to mention the impactful supporting cast, like William Karlsson, Ivan Barbashev, and Zach Whitecloud, who are all signed through the next two seasons. Vegas wasn’t able to top 100 points this season, though they should be one of the final teams to secure a playoff spot. But they’ll have plenty of time for a more prolific season, with their core pieces – including three top defensemen – now locked up for the foreseeable future.

The deal is a shade cheaper than the rumored eight-year, $60MM deal Hanifin had discussed with the Flames earlier in the season. The AAV/cap hit on that would have come in at $7.5MM per year, meaning he’s taken $150K less annually and $1.2MM less in total over the life of the contract to extend in Vegas.

This was Hanifin’s chance to cash in on a long-term deal and his first offseason being eligible for unrestricted free agency if he chose. Fresh off his 27th birthday in January, he already has quite the career under his belt, accumulating 62 goals, 221 assists and 283 points with an even rating over 675 games with the Flames, Golden Knights and Hurricanes since his debut in 2015.

Hanifin is a definite top-pair threat but not an elite point producer or power-play contributor. That makes his cap hit, which is 8.8% of the ceiling at the time of signing, a tad steep when examining comparables. Players with similar roles and results, like the Bruins’ Hampus Lindholm and the Blue Jackets’ Damon Severson, signed eight-year extensions over the last two years with cap hits of $6.5MM and $6.25MM, respectively, which were between 7.5% and 8% of the cap ceiling at the time of signing. A slightly richer and older comparable is Maple Leafs blue-liner Morgan Rielly, who inked an eight-year, $7.5MM AAV extension in October 2021 that was 9.2% of the ceiling at the time of signing.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

West Notes: McDavid, Stephenson, Ludwinski

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The Edmonton Oilers are without the services of superstar center Connor McDavid this evening as they take on the Vegas Golden Knights. McDavid was called a game-time decision by head coach Kris Knoblauch earlier today but ultimately missed tonight’s game after suffering a lower-body injury Saturday against the Calgary Flames.

McDavid needs just one assist to reach 100 on the season and would become just the fourth player to ever tally 100 assists in a season alongside Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr and Mario Lemieux. The 27-year-old has 31 goals to go along with his 99 helpers in 74 games this season as he and the Oilers sit second in the Pacific Division behind the Vancouver Canucks.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • Vegas Golden Knights forward Chandler Stephenson didn’t dress tonight against the Oilers for personal reasons. The 29-year-old is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and has seen his numbers dip this season from a career high 65 points last year. In 73 games, Stephenson has 16 goals and 31 assists and a -11 plus/minus. Recent callup Brendan Brisson replaced Stephenson in the Golden Knights lineup.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks have loaned forward Paul Ludwinski to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. The 19-year-old was assigned to Rockford last year as well but didn’t appear in any games. A native of Toronto, Ontario, Ludwinski was selected in the second round of the 2022 NHL entry draft by Chicago and appeared in 60 games this season for the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League. He set career highs in most offensive categories as he tallied 23 goals and 46 assists and added six points in five playoff games.

Vegas Activates Hertl Off IR, Assign Two Others

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The Vegas Golden Knights officially activated Tomas Hertl off the injured reserve last night which sparked a series of roster moves so that the team could insert the forward into their lineup while remaining cap compliant. The 30-year-old Hertl was acquired by Vegas from the San Jose Sharks back on March 8th in a move that surprised the hockey world. Hertl played 20:20 last night in a loss to the Vancouver Canucks and did notch an assist. The game was the 49th of Hertl’s season and the first of his career in a jersey other than a Sharks jersey. On the season, Hertl has now posted 15 goals and 20 assists and is -27.

The Golden Knights made two other moves last night, first moving forward William Carrier back to the LTIR as he hasn’t played since March 25th due to an upper-body injury. Carrier was placed on LTIR exactly one month ago but returned in March to play six games before being injured again. Carrier has struggled this season with just six goals and two assists in 39 games.

Vegas also assigned rookie forward Brendan Brisson to their AHL affiliate in Henderson. The move was a clear financial move to be cap compliant as Brisson has been solid in limited NHL action this season with two goals and six assists in 14 games. Brisson only dressed in one game during his most recent recall and has points in four straight NHL games.

Vegas currently sits in the final wild card spot in the Western Conference and is a point back of the Los Angeles Kings for third spot in the Pacific Division.

West Notes: Kane, Hill, Hertl, Bogosian

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Oilers winger Evander Kane has been fined $5K, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for slashing Flames forward Dryden Hunt in last night’s 4-2 win, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced. The play occurred early into the second period. After Oilers netminder Calvin Pickard stopped a shot from Hunt on a 2-on-1 rush and froze play, Kane checked Hunt away from the crease and then laid a slash across his wrists as the two were circling behind the net after the whistle (video via RDS). It was a night to forget for Kane, who was benched for stretches and played just 9:54 – a season-low, discounting games where he’s sustained injuries. Near the end of the second period, he was on the receiving end of a fiery tirade from teammate Corey Perry as well. The 32-year-old still has solid totals with 23 goals and 41 points in 74 games this season, but he’s been among the Oilers’ worst players defensively and is averaging 16:43 per game, the lowest since his rookie season with the Atlanta Thrashers 14 years ago.

Other notes out of the West:

  • Golden Knights starter Adin Hill is nearing a return as he practiced with the team today and will travel on their two-game road trip through Western Canada, head coach Bruce Cassidy said (via Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal). Cassidy also told reporters that forward Tomáš Hertl will “probably” make his Vegas debut tomorrow in Vancouver. Hill has been out since March 24 with a lower-body injury, his second of the season. He also missed two weeks in early December with a lower-body ailment, although it’s unclear if the two are related. It’s been a battle for last year’s Stanley Cup hero to stay healthy this season, but he’s been Vegas’ best and most consistent option when available. He’s started a career-high 32 games, posting an 18-10-2 record with a .914 SV%, 2.62 GAA, two shutouts, and 9.5 goals saved above average. Hertl, meanwhile, has been ramping up in practice over the past few days and is set to play for the first time since undergoing knee surgery as a member of the Sharks shortly after the All-Star break.
  • The Wild have depth defenseman Zach Bogosian back in the fold against the Blackhawks today, notes The Athletic’s Joe Smith. The 33-year-old has recently logged top-four minutes alongside Jonas Brodin but missed Minnesota’s last two games, both losses, with an undisclosed injury. The Wild are teetering on the edge of playoff contention and realistically need to win out to sniff a chance at making the postseason. Bogosian has actually been quite good for Minnesota since being picked up from the Lightning in an early-season trade, scoring three goals and adding 10 assists for 13 points in 55 games while averaging 18:06 per game, his highest usage and offensive production since 2018-19 with the Sabres. He’s done so with positive possession metrics, too, logging a 50.7 CF% and +3.3 expected rating.

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