Ethen Frank Leaves Due To Injury
Ahead of their matinee tilt against Carolina, Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Muse told reporters, including Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports, that Ryan Shea is day-to-day with an apparent facial injury suffered yesterday against Winnipeg.
As a result, Ryan Graves will slot into the lineup today, not having played at the NHL level since January 21. Such is not what you want to see for any 30-year-old making $4.5MM for the next several years, but Shea’s emergence in 2025-26 at just $900k (set to expire this summer) has helped soften the blow considerably. And while Graves’ Penguins tenure has soured, few teams offer such accomplished blueliners as depth.
Drafted back in 2015 by Chicago, Shea was unable to break through for even a single game with the Dallas Stars despite strong AHL production. The 6’1” lefty then caught on with the Penguins in 2023, where he has broken out this year with 28 points in 69 games, his usage jumping to just below 19 minutes a night. As a result, it’s become apparent the 29-year-old late bloomer will be in for a big raise this offseason.
On the other hand, Graves comes back with just one point across 19 games this year. He’s been much more productive in the AHL for Wilkes-Barre with 10 in 15 games, skating in the AHL for the first time since as an Avalanche prospect in 2018-19. The traditional stats don’t look great, but Graves actually offers a solid 52.2% corsi for at five-on-five this season, an improvement over his past Penguins or Devils numbers. If anything, Shea’s performance has played a part in his short leash, playing just 15:29 a contest.
Closing in on an impressive return to the playoffs after a three year hiatus, the Pens will likely welcome back Shea next week, as soon as Tuesday against Colorado.
Elsewhere across the division:
- The Washington Capitals shared mid-game that Ethen Frank suffered a lower body injury and would not return. He was pushed into the post by Colorado’s Devon Toews, skating off while favoring his mid-section. A two-time Calder Cup champion with the Hershey Bears, the undrafted forward has emerged at age 28 as a full time NHLer. Frank has 24 points in 59 games as a productive bottom sixer with blistering speed. His efforts were rewarded with a two-year extension finalized earlier this month. It’s looking like the Caps will miss the playoffs for just the second time in the past decade, and hopefully Frank’s breakout campaign has not met an untimely end today.
- New York Islanders veteran Kyle Palmieri has started skating on his own, per Stefen Rosner of NHL.com, as he works his way back from a torn ACL suffered in November. A return before next fall won’t be happening, but it’s encouraging news for the 35-year-old. Considering that Palmieri forced a turnover and earned an assist in an unforgettable moment moments after the major injury, it’s another example of his resilience. The winger will root on his club to make it into the playoffs, looking ahead to 2026-27, the final year of his contract. Always durable, Palmieri played in just 25 games this year, the fewest since the 2011-12 season, but he was still productive with 18 points.
Latest On David Kampf
- Newly acquired Capitals forward David Kampf’s debut with the team will be further delayed. Head coach Spencer Carbery told reporters, including Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network, that he has returned to Vancouver to be with his wife who is expecting a child shortly. Kampf is also dealing with continued visa issues, missing the Caps’ last several games, and hasn’t appeared since March 4 as a Canuck. Brought in at the deadline for a sixth-round pick, the 31-year-old will be eager to return soon and build his stock going into free agency this summer, where the center market will be sparse. Washington is unlikely to make the playoffs, but the Czech native could make a case to stick around as Nic Dowd’s replacement. Playing on the league’s worst team in the Canucks did a number on Kampf’s point totals and plus/minus, but he still has a respectable 49.8% corsi for at five-on-five, an improvement over his last three seasons with Toronto.
Capitals Sign Cole Hutson To Entry-Level Contract
3:00 p.m.: The Capitals have made the signing official, according to a team announcement. As alluded to by Weekes, the contract will begin this season. It’s a three-year, $2.925MM ($975K AAV) agreement between Hutson and the Capitals.
2:49 p.m.: According to ESPN’s Kevin Weekes, the Washington Capitals are signing defenseman prospect Cole Hutson to his entry-level contract. The Capitals have yet to confirm the signing.
It’s an expected outcome for the former 43rd overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft. In fact, according to several sources at the trade deadline, Washington became more open to dealing veteran defenseman John Carlson to make room for Hutson on the NHL roster.
The hype around Hutson has certainly grown over the last two years. A product of the United States National Team Development Program in Plymouth, MI, Hutson has spent the last two years with the NCAA’s Boston University Terriers.
He’s taken the collegiate level by storm, especially as a relatively small defenseman. Throughout his two-year tenure, Hutson scored 24 goals and 80 points in 74 games with a +18 rating. Additionally, at the international level, Hutson contributed to the United States’ second-half success in their back-to-back gold medal wins at the IIHF World Junior Championships, scoring three goals and adding 11 points in seven games during the 2025 tournament.
Obviously, at only 19 years old, there are concerns about how Hutson will translate to the NHL level. Given that the Capitals are still in contention for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, that environment tends to filter out prospects who aren’t quite ready for the highest level of the game.
Still, Hutson isn’t without his comparables. His brother, Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens, is also on the smaller side and has been one of the league’s top defenders since debuting toward the end of the 2023-24 campaign. If Cole can stay away from injury trouble down the stretch, his puck-moving abilities are eerily similar to Carlson’s, which would offer the Capitals some continuity in their offense despite moving on from one of the franchise’s top defenseman.
Unfortunately, as Washington will undoubtedly look to get Hutson into the lineup if they’re signing him to his ELC, that means someone will have to come out. That defenseman will likely be Trevor van Riemsdyk, who hasn’t had a particularly good season and is headed for unrestricted free agency this summer.
Afternoon Notes: Hutson, Ovechkin, Carlson
The Washington Capitals will be watching closely as top prospect Cole Hutson heads to the Hockey East postseason this weekend. The defenseman could head to Washington as soon as Boston University’s season ends per Chris Cerullo of RMNB. Both team and player have expressed interest in coming together soon, with Capitals general manager Chris Patrick recently mentioning that trade acquisition Timothy Liljegren could be a smart veteran partner for Hutson if he leaves college, “like [the team] hopes”.
Hutson has emerged as a star prospect since joining the Terriers last season. He scored 14 goals and 48 points in 39 games as a freshman, becoming the X-factor addition that drove Boston University to their first National Championship appearance since Jack Eichel‘s great 2014-15 season. Hutson has dwindled to 30 points in 33 games this season, on the back of a struggling Terriers offense as a whole. Those struggles will be their challenge as the playoffs roll around. If and when Hutson moves to the pros, he will rival Rasmus Sandin and Martin Fehervary for minutes on the left-side, and could be the reason one of the veterans moves to the right-side as the team tries to replace John Carlson.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- Sticking in Washington, franchise great Alex Ovechkin said that his retirement decision will hinge on how his body feels in an interview with Ian Oland of RMNB. Ovechkin has scored 24 goals and 50 points in 64 games this season, keeping up a tendency for strong scoring into his age-40 season, though he’s dipped from the pace that led him to 44 goals and 73 points in 65 games of his historic 2024-25 season. Ovechkin holds the NHL’s all-time goals record, racking up 921 in 1,555 career games so far. How many he’ll add to those totals seems to be up in the air as he continues to weigh a closely-followed retirement decision.
- Speaking of Carlson, the former Capitals star is hoping to make his debut with the Anaheim Ducks at the end of their current, four-game road trip as he works back from a day-to-day, lower-body injury per Derek Lee of The Hockey News. The Ducks’ road-trip ends with a back-to-back against Ottawa and Montreal on Saturday and Sunday. Anaheim pulled off the surprise of the Trade Deadline in their acquisition of Carlson for conditional-first-round and third-round draft pick. Carlson scored 10 goals and 46 points in 55 games with the Capitals before the trade. He has surpassed the 50-point mark in each of the last two seasons and reached 71 points in 78 games of the 2021-22 season. He should bring a boost of offense to a veteran Ducks blue-line.
Capitals Expected To Extend Connor McMichael
Earlier today, speaking on First Up, TSN’s Darren Dreger indicated that the Washington Capitals were working on an extension with forward Connor McMichael. McMichael is projected to become a restricted free agent this summer and an unrestricted free agent after the 2027-28 season.
It’s easy to see why the Capitals would want to start early on a McMichael extension. The former 25th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft has become a promising secondary scorer for Washington, registering 52 goals and 121 points in 221 games since the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign.
It’ll be interesting to see the length of the reported deal. The Capitals could very well conclude the Alex Ovechkin era this season, but they do have multiple pieces locked in through the 2029-30 season. If they perceive McMichael as a long-term fixture, and there’s no reason to think they don’t, then McMichael could line up with Washington on a seven-year deal, which would match with defenseman Jakob Chychrun‘s contract.
Capitals Trade Graeme Clarke To Senators
The Senators and Capitals apparently connected on a last-minute minor deal before the deadline. Washington dealt forward Graeme Clarke to Ottawa in exchange for center Wyatt Bongiovanni, per PuckPedia. Both players will report to their new clubs’ AHL affiliates.
The deal essentially only has minor-league considerations, and both players could only last a few weeks in their new homes. Both are on two-way deals and will be Group VI unrestricted free agents this summer.
Clarke, 24, will bring some goal-scoring acumen to the Sens’ depth ranks. The B-Sens have lost one of their top producers with Stephen Halliday working his way onto the NHL roster, so they’ve needed a little bit of help. The former third-round pick of the Devils isn’t having the best year, but he’s still managed 15 goals in 50 games for AHL Hershey after signing with the Caps as a non-tendered RFA last summer.
Ottawa will be the fourth NHL organization for Clarke. He does have an NHL resume, but it only consists of three games with New Jersey in 2023-24. He was then traded to the Wild for Adam Beckman the following summer and then spent all of 2024-25 in the minors before Minnesota opted not to issue him a qualifying offer.
Bongiovanni, 26, has put up comparable production, but unlike Clarke has utility down the middle. The 6’0″ pivot has been in Ottawa’s system since being acquired from the Jets for future considerations at the 2024 trade deadline. He’s posted 12 goals and 25 points in 54 games for the B-Sens this season with a -13 rating.
Capitals Recall Ivan Miroshnichenko
The Washington Capitals will have a bit more opportunity available on offense after trading Nic Dowd to the Vegas Golden Knights on the eve of the Trade Deadline. Washington acquired David Kampf from the Vancouver Canucks and will now bring in some competition by recalling winger Ivan Miroshnichenko from the AHL.
Miroshnichenko has spent the majority of his season in the minor leagues. He has racked up 12 goals and 31 points in 38 games with the Hershey Bears, good for fourth on the team in scoring. Miroshnichenko is on pace to narrowly beat out his career-high 42 points scored in 52 games last season. His AHL season has been inetercut with routine NHL call-ups and four games. He has no NHL scoring this season but did manage 10 points in 39 NHL games over the last two seasons.
Miroshnichenko has been a standout shooter since his days in Russia’s Omsk Avangard pipeline. He scored 15 goals and 29 points in 22 U20 games, across two seasons, and set a U18 record when he scored 10 goals in 31 VHL games – Russia’s second-tier pro league – in 2021-22. He broke the previous record of eight goals, set by Colorado Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin in 2012-13.
That performance earned Miroshnichenko the 20th-overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft. He made his KHL debut in the following season marked by four points in 23 games, then moved to the NHL/AHL circuit in 2023-24. After battling that rotation for three seasons, Dowd’s exit could open just enough space for Miroshnichenko to take his next step.
Capitals Acquire Timothy Liljegren
2:52 p.m.: Washington has announced the deal and sent the Golden Knights’ 2026 fourth-round pick the other way to complete it.
1:06 p.m.: The Capitals are acquiring defenseman Timothy Liljegren from the Sharks, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports. We’re still waiting on the return.
While San Jose is in a playoff race of their own, they have a bevy of pending unrestricted free agent blue-liners. Liljegren is one of them, and they were widely expected to ship multiple names from that group out today to continue recouping at least mid-level assets as they slowly emerge from the ashes of their rebuild.
Acquired from the Maple Leafs early last season, the Sharks have given Liljegren the longest leash of his career. A first-round pick by Toronto in 2017, he was never able to break into a top-four role there but is now averaging over 20 minutes per game in San Jose. Given how much he’s produced at lower levels, the Sharks were likely hoping for a bit more production than the seven goals and 28 points he provided in 110 games since October 2024.
Liljegren didn’t get much power-play time, though, especially this season, with Dmitry Orlov and John Klingberg taking up those quarterback slots. With Klingberg being a potential extension candidate given his play and youngsters Shakir Mukhamadullin and Sam Dickinson pushing for more ice time moving forward, the 26-year-old Liljegren didn’t look like a long-term fit.
The move is a sign the Caps aren’t entirely punting on this season, even after trading away franchise defender John Carlson and center Nic Dowd for futures in the last couple of days. Washington’s playoff odds have slipped to a small but still tangible 21.3%, per MoneyPuck. They only find themselves four points out of a spot.
Liljegren could stick around past this season if there’s mutual interest in an extension. Matt Roy is now the only everyday NHL right-shot they have signed for next year, so assuming they shift one of their lefties over to their offside to make room for top prospect Cole Hutson to join the team from college in the coming days, as expected, there’s a hole that Liljegren fills in the Caps’ bottom four.
Image courtesy of Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images.
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.
Capitals Showed Interest In Garland
- While the Capitals have been sellers thus far, having moved veterans Nic Dowd and John Carlson, it appears they’re trying to be buyers as well. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that they showed interest in acquiring Conor Garland from Vancouver and that they are looking to add a piece before today’s 2 PM CT deadline. Cap space isn’t an issue for Washington as PuckPedia pegs them with an ability to add more than $26MM in contracts. The Caps find themselves four points out of the last Wild Card spot in the East so a mixed approach makes some sense if GM Chris Patrick feels his group could still get back into the mix.