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Archives for March 2025

Ottawa Senators Assign Angus Crookshank To AHL

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11:45 AM: Crookshank’s recall was short-lived as the team announced that he has already been returned to Belleville.

9:29 AM: The Ottawa Senators may have to wait another game for the complete trio of Brady Tkachuk, Joshua Norris, and Shane Pinto to return. The Senators announced they’ve recalled forward Angus Crookshank from their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators, indicating they’ll use him as a replacement again tonight.

It’s a quick turnaround for Crookshank after being recalled and reassigned a few days ago. He skated in 14:04 of action in Ottawa’s loss to the Winnipeg Jets on February 26, putting three shots on net and adding one hit and one blocked shot.

That is the only NHL contest of the year for the North Vancouver native. Crookshank has spent the entire season in Belleville, scoring 18 goals and 33 points in 45 games. His offensive production is good for fourth on the AHL Senators in scoring, although it’s a slight decline from his 24-goal, 22-assist output from a year ago.

Crookshank’s status for tonight’s contest against the San Jose Sharks may ultimately be decided in warm-ups. There’s a strong expectation that Tkachuk will return tonight, with the latter being game-time decisions. Travis Green and the rest of Ottawa’s coaching staff will likely have all four players skate before the game and announce the completed lineup shortly before puck drop.

Predators Recall Jake Lucchini And Spencer Stastney, Place Roman Josi On IR

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On top of scratching pending UFA winger Gustav Nyquist for today’s game with a potential trade on the way, the Predators have made three other roster moves as well.  Nick Kieser of 102.5 The Game relays (Twitter link) that Nashville has recalled winger Jake Lucchini and defenseman Spencer Stastney from AHL Milwaukee.  To make room on the roster, blueliner Roman Josi was placed on injured reserve.

Lucchini is in his first season with the Preds after signing a two-year, two-way deal with them last summer.  While he got into 40 NHL games with Minnesota last season during various recalls, this is his first promotion of the season after clearing waivers back in training camp.  The 29-year-old has 14 goals and 15 assists in 53 games with the Admirals thus far, a drop in his per-game output after recording 23 points in 30 minor league outings in 2023-24.

Stastney, meanwhile, started the season on the non-roster list while taking a leave of absence and has split time between Nashville and Milwaukee since then.  The 25-year-old has been held off the scoresheet in seven appearances with the Preds this season while logging a little over 16 minutes a night.  He has been productive with the Admirals, however, notching 13 points in 23 outings at the minor league level.

As for Josi, he exited Tuesday’s game with an upper-body injury and his placement on IR means he’ll be out for both games this weekend at the very least although he’ll be out longer than that with the team revealing (Twitter link) he’s out week-to-week.  The captain hasn’t been able to duplicate the offensive performance he had last year when he notched 85 points but he still has 39 points in 55 games, good for a tie for 15th among all NHL blueliners.  Of course, Josi also logs heavy minutes, averaging more than 25 minutes a night so Nashville’s back end will have its work cut out for them to cover his absence.

Maple Leafs Sign Borya Valis To Entry-Level Deal

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March 1st is an important day on the NHL calendar as it’s the first day that players can sign future contracts that begin the following season.  The Maple Leafs have wasted little time getting one of those done as they’ve signed forward Borya Valis to a three-year, entry-level deal as announced by his agent Dan Milstein (Twitter link).  The team subsequently confirmed the move.  PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the deal will carry a $872.5K cap charge and a $975K AAV including signing and games-played bonuses.

The 20-year-old is playing his final season at the major junior level.  He started his WHL career with Regina in 2021, spending parts of three seasons with the team.  The second of those was his draft-eligible year and while he secured a ranking of 152nd among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, he went undrafted in 2023 and 2024.

Last season, Valis was traded midseason, going from Regina to Prince George.  Between the two teams, he picked up 26 goals and 44 assists in 67 regular season games before adding 13 points in 15 postseason contests.  He’s producing at a better clip this year, tallying 29 goals and 44 helpers through 57 contests with the Cougars, one of four Western Conference teams to already clinch a playoff spot.

As the contract begins next season, Valis won’t count against Toronto’s 50-contract limit until the summer.  In the meantime, should the Cougars be eliminated while the AHL Marlies are still playing in their postseason, he will be eligible to join and play for them on an ATO agreement, giving him some time with the team he’s likely to play for when the contract begins in 2025-26.

Gustav Nyquist Scratched For Trade-Related Reasons

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10:20 AM: The Wild are among the most aggressive teams showing interest in Nyquist, Friedman reports.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic adds that while the two sides are discussing a deal, the trade isn’t done yet.

9:57 AM: The trade-related scratches for deadline sellers have officially begun. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported the Nashville Predators will scratch pending unrestricted free agent Gustav Nyquist for this afternoon’s game against the New York Islanders for “health protection”.

Nyquist is one of the more obvious trade pieces for this year’s deadline. He’s on the final season of a two-year, $6.37MM contract signed with Nashville in 2023. Since the Predators have seemingly committed to punting on this season, he’s likely their easiest tradeable asset.

He should also receive an abundance of interest. The Halmstad, Sweden native is only a year removed from a career-year, scoring 23 goals and 75 points in 81 games during his first year with the club. Despite the impressive scoring numbers, Nyquist also produced the highest CorsiFor% and on-ice save percentage at even strength since his time with the Detroit Red Wings in the mid-to-late 2010s.

Like many of his peers in Nashville, Nyquist’s scoring output has dissipated this year. He’s scored nine goals and 21 points in 51 games, heading toward the lowest production of his career since his injury-riddled 2022-23 campaign split between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild. Still, his shooting percentage is fairly close to his career average, and he remains a possession wizard with a 56.4% CorsiFor% at even strength.

The flexibility he provides by being a top or middle-six winger who can play on both sides of the ice should benefit the Predators’ eventual return. Nyquist’s former teams, such as the Blue Jackets, Red Wings, and Wild, all make sense, with the Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, and Tampa Bay Lightning likely also having some interest.

Morning Notes: Greenway, Gavrikov, Bear

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Although the Buffalo Sabres occupy last place in the Eastern Conference standings and are on pace to miss the postseason for a 14th consecutive season, there is at least one pending unrestricted free-agent forward they’ll look to keep rather than dangle at the deadline. In his recently written edition of 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the Sabres have indicated they’re trying to extend Jordan Greenway.

Due to several injuries throughout his two-year tenure in Buffalo, Greenway likely won’t match or exceed his current $3MM salary on a new contract. It’s likely a driving factor behind the Sabres’ motivation to extend rather than trade him at the deadline. He’s an extremely physical winger, but Greenway’s three-goal, eight-point performance in 23 games this year likely wouldn’t command much return, especially as a rental.

Buffalo and Greenway’s best path forward may be for an internal ’prove it’ deal to see if he can recapture the scoring touch he provided recently as last season. The Canton, NY native scored 10 goals and 28 points in 67 games for the Sabres in the 2023-24 season, which would command a higher return should Buffalo become a seller in a year.

Other notes:

  • Friedman also shared that Los Angeles Kings’ defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov has left the Gold Star Sports Management Group to join CAA Sports LLC. It’s typically not terrific news for a player’s current team if he switches agencies, but Friedman doesn’t believe it’s time to ring any alarm bells in Los Angeles. Mutual interest remains between Gavrikov and the Kings on an extension, although it likely won’t get done before the trade deadline. CAA Sports LCC has recently negotiated several extensions, including David Pastrňák’s, Mathew Barzal’s, Dougie Hamilton’s, Filip Forsberg’s, and Lucas Raymond’s.
  • Despite being the top team in the Eastern Conference, the Washington Capitals are expected to sell one player from their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. In a short clip from TSN’s Insider Trading, insider Chris Johnston reported the Capitals are looking to accommodate Ethan Bear’s desire to play in the NHL and move him to a team with openings on the blue line. Washington may have a better idea of what that looks like closer to deadline day, but Bear should garner some interest, scoring eight goals and 33 points in 46 AHL contests. He’s in the final season of a two-year, $4.13MM contract and hasn’t suited up in an NHL game since March 13, 2024.

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