The final full week in March is in the books and it was an eventful one around the NHL with a pair of big events drawing plenty of attention. Those are among the headlines in our key stories.
Done For The Year: This hasn’t been a great year for Wild blueliner David Jiricek. Mired in a limited role in Columbus, he was acquired by Minnesota at the end of November and the thought was that he’d be up with the big club after that. Instead, he wound up being a frequent scratch with the Wild sending him down recently to get some more playing time. However, those plans are out the window as the 21-year-old suffered a lacerated spleen upon his return, ending his season prematurely. He finished up the year with just a dozen NHL appearances split between Columbus and Minnesota while he struggled in Iowa, notching just seven assists in 27 games with them. All in all, a tough finish to a tough season for the prospect.
Back In The Lineup: The Golden Knights welcomed back a key part of their back end when they activated defenseman Shea Theodore off LTIR. Theodore was expected to be a key player for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off but his tournament action was short-lived as he suffered an arm injury in the opener, causing him to miss more than a month of games. Despite missing 15 games this season, Theodore still sits in the top ten for points by a defenseman, tallying seven goals and 44 assists through 58 appearances while logging nearly 22 minutes a night. Returning now gives him plenty of time to get back into top form heading into the playoffs.
Big Change In Philadelphia: The Flyers were in the midst of their worst stretch of the season, losing 11 of 12 games since early March with some frustration happening behind the scenes as well. That resulted in GM Daniel Briere electing to make a coaching change, dismissing John Tortorella while elevating associate coach Brad Shaw to the interim head coaching role for the rest of the season. Tortorella was in his 23rd season running an NHL bench and his third with Philadelphia; he had one year left on his contract. Teams looking for an experienced head coach this spring may look his way or Tortorella might opt to call it a career. Meanwhile, this is Shaw’s second time stewarding an NHL team as he previously served as an interim head coach for 40 games with the Islanders back in 2005-06 when he took over for Steve Stirling.
First Contracts For First Rounders: With college seasons coming to an end, several prominent first-round prospects have turned pro, inking deals that start this year, allowing them to play for their respective clubs down the stretch. The Blues got a deal done with 2022 first-rounder (20th overall) Jimmy Snuggerud, signing him away from the University of Minnesota. That same school lost three other first-rounders, as Matthew Wood (15th overall in 2023) signed with Nashville and Sam Rinzel (25th overall in 2022) inked a deal with Chicago. Rinzel wasn’t the only Blackhawks prospect to sign, as they also signed Oliver Moore (19th overall in 2023). Suffice it to say, the Golden Gophers won’t be anywhere near as strong on paper next season. All four players have either already made their NHL debuts or will do so in the near future.
Staying In Washington: One of the more prominent pending unrestricted free agents is off the market early after the Capitals signed defenseman Jakob Chychrun to an eight-year, $72MM contract extension. The $9MM AAV nearly doubles the $4.6MM cap charge he has been playing on since the 2019-20 campaign, one that has become quite a bargain. The 26-year-old has fit in quite well after being acquired from Ottawa last summer as Chychrun already has new career-highs in goals (18) and points (44) while logging just shy of 21 minutes a night of playing time. With John Carlson already 35 and likely nearing the finish line on his career, Chychrun appears to be well-positioned to move into the top role when the veteran hangs up his skates.
Photo courtesy of James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images.