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Blackhawks Sign Oliver Moore To ELC

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11:02 AM: The Blackhawks officially confirmed Moore’s signing.

9:43 AM: The Chicago Blackhawks are expected to sign college center Oliver Moore to an entry-level contract (as per Scott Powers and Scott Wheeler of The Athletic). Moore was a Blackhawks first-round pick in 2023 (19th overall) and will be leaving college early to sign a pro contract and join Chicago.  PuckPedia reports that the deal, which will carry a cap hit of $942K and an AAV of $1.34MM, breaks down as follows:

2024-25: $830K salary, $95K signing bonus, $25K games-played bonus
2025-26: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus, $600K ‘A’ bonuses
2026-27: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus, $600K ‘A’ bonuses

Moore’s NCAA season came to an end on Thursday when the University of Minnesota was knocked out of the NCAA Tournament, and the expectation is that the 20-year-old will join the Blackhawks today for practice and possibly dress for his NHL debut tomorrow.

Moore finished fourth on the Golden Gophers in scoring this season, his second in the NCAA. The Mounds View, Minnesota native tallied 12 goals and 21 assists in 38 games, along with a +13 plus/minus. In his rookie season last year, Moore posted very similar numbers with nine goals and 24 assists in 39 games and was named to the Big Ten All-Rookie Team. Moore’s college career ultimately ended in disappointment when Minnesota was knocked out of the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, however, he did finish his career on a high, recording points in eight of his final nine college games and ten points overall to wrap his collegiate career.

Moore has also had a decorated international career, winning gold medals with Team USA at back-to-back World Juniors, including this past year where he registered a goal and four assists in seven games.

Moore went through some offensive inconsistencies this season, but he remains a high-end prospect with elite skating abilities and should be an impact player for the Blackhawks in the near future. His versatility will be an asset, and he should bring energy to a Blackhawks team that continues to stockpile young talent.

Matt Grzelcyk Hoping To Stay With Penguins

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Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk is in the midst of a career year and has made it clear that he is hoping to earn an extension with the Penguins to remain in Pittsburgh beyond this season (as per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports). Grzelcyk is quoted as saying  “I would love to be here,” and adds that he hopes to leave a good impression in the final weeks of the season to get an extension for next year. Grzelcyk had some trouble adjusting to his new team in the early going but settled in later in the year, playing alongside Kris Letang.

The Penguins opted not to trade the 31-year-old at the NHL Trade Deadline, and the question for Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas has now become, do they want to commit a few years to a small, aging defenseman who is coming off a career year? Grzelcyk should be able to fetch a raise on a multi-year deal this summer, and if it’s too rich for Penguins, the Charlestown, Massachusetts native will be relocating for a second straight summer.

Grzelcyk was a homegrown fan favorite in Boston and showed flashes of being an offensive defenseman. However, he never tallied more than 26 points in a season and didn’t have many opportunities to utilize his offensive skillset. This year, Grzelcyk has had an opportunity to do so and has capitalized on it, tallying a goal and 34 assists in 74 games while averaging 20:27 of ice time per game. His underlying numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, but given the Penguins’ lack of depth on the left side of their defense, he’s become a top-pair defender for the rest of the season.

Whether Grzelcyk stays in Pittsburgh remains to be seen, but he has made the most of his opportunity with the Penguins and has resurrected a career that was in limbo when he exited Boston last summer.

Morning Notes: Kulikov, Gaucher, Backlund

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Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice believes that defenseman Dmitry Kulikov could return to the lineup during the last week of the NHL regular season (as per Panthers Senior Digital Content Manager Jameson Olive). Kulikov is sidelined with an upper-body injury that has kept him out of the last three games, but he could return just in time for the playoffs.

The 34-year-old isn’t the producer he once was but has averaged 19:17 of ice time per game this season in 68 games. The 16-year NHL veteran has tallied four goals and nine assists this season along with a +13 plus/minus. However, he has struggled with the puck, committing 72 turnovers which eclipses his career high by nearly 20.

In other morning notes:

  • Anaheim Ducks AHL affiliate the San Diego Gulls, tweeted that forward Nathan Gaucher had successful shoulder surgery and will miss the rest of the 2024-25 season as he will need a 4-6 month recovery. Gaucher was the Ducks first-round pick in 2022 (22nd overall)  and had a labral tear in his left shoulder that could cause him to miss the start of next season while he recovers. The 21-year-old hasn’t found his offensive game in the AHL to this point in his young career, producing just eight goals and 11 assists this season in 56 AHL games. While the start to his professional career has been disappointing, Gaucher is just two years removed from representing Team Canada at the World Juniors and certainly possesses the physical gifts to make it as a top-nine NHL forward.
  • The Calgary Flames received some good news on the injury front last night as captain Mikael Backlund returned to the lineup after missing six games with an upper-body injury (as per Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg). The 36-year-old had last played on March 12th against Vancouver and should give an added boost to the Flames as they try and chase down a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Backlund is in his 17th NHL season and still provides solid two-way play for Calgary, even if his offensive numbers aren’t what they used to be. Backlund has just 11 goals and 13 assists this season in 65 games, but his deployment has been skewed towards the defensive side of the game this season, which makes sense given that he has received Selke Trophy consideration in seven of the last eight years.

Penguins Recall Ville Koivunen And Rutger McGroarty, Joona Koppanen Re-Assigned

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The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they’ve recalled forward prospects Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty while also re-assigning forward Joona Koppanen to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL. The timing of the recalls is of note as the Penguins have looked lifeless in their last two games, losing to Tampa Bay and Buffalo by a combined score of 13-4.

McGroarty was acquired by the Penguins last summer from the Winnipeg Jets for forward Brayden Yager and made the team out of training camp but struggled to produce with no points in three NHL games. He was then sent to the AHL where he continued to struggle offensively, posting just a single assist in his first eight games. However, since November 9th, McGroarty has tallied 14 goals and 24 assists in 52 games and has looked dominant at times, displaying the skillset that made him the 14th overall pick in 2022.

Koivunen was acquired by the Penguins last March in the trade that sent forward Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes. The deal is looking like a massive win for Pittsburgh as Koivunen has been exceptional this year in the AHL tallying 21 goals and 34 assists in 62 games. The 21-year-old brings a skill level that the Penguins hadn’t had in a prospect in nearly two decades and will get his first taste of NHL action after earning this recall. Koivunen currently leads the AHL Penguins in scoring and has done so in his first full season of hockey in North America.

Koppanen returns to the AHL where he has spent the bulk of this season and his professional career. The 27-year-old did dress in five NHL games for Pittsburgh and managed to score his first NHL goal on March 18th against the New York Islanders. Koppanen has appeared in 53 AHL games this season where he has six goals and 15 assists as well as a +7 plus/minus.

The Penguins are all but assured of missing the playoffs for a third consecutive year and with these callups, they will have an opportunity to see how close some of their top prospects are for NHL action next season.

West Notes: Foligno, Kiviranta, Stephenson

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Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno returned to the lineup last night, dressing for the first time in almost two weeks (as per Michael Russo of The Athletic). The 33-year-old missed five games due to an upper-body injury but suited up against Washington and was +1 in 18:10 of play. The veteran winger is having a routine season by his standards, tallying 11 goals and 11 assists in 68 games with 66 PIM and 221 hits.

The Wild are clinging to the first Wild Card spot in the Western Conference despite dealing with injuries to some of their top players. The team welcomed defenseman Jonas Brodin back earlier this week, and with Foligno now returning it looks as though Minnesota should get most players back by the beginning of the postseason.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • Colorado Avalanche forward Joel Kiviranta missed last night’s game with a lower-body injury (as per Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports). It’s the first game that Kiviranta has missed this season as he has made 72 appearances while averaging 12:30 of ice time per game. No word yet on how long Kiviranta is expected to be out but there should be an update before the Avalanche take on St. Louis on Saturday afternoon. The 29-year-old has set a career-high this season in goals (16), assists (7) and points (23) and likely won’t have to settle for a one-year deal at league minimum this summer when he re-enters free agency.
  • Seattle Kraken forward Chandler Stephenson practiced yesterday in a full-contact jersey but did not play last night against the Edmonton Oilers (as per Kate Shefte of The Seattle Times). Stephenson suffered an upper-body injury back on March 19th in a game against Minnesota and has missed the past two games. Given that he has returned to full contact, it seems likely that the 30-year-old will return to the lineup at some point in the next week. Stephenson signed a massive seven-year contract ($6.25MM AAV) with the Kraken last July, and while the deal was a massive overpay, Stephenson has provided depth offense this season in more of a defensive role, posting 11 goals and 37 assists in 69 games.

Blue Jackets Activate Erik Gudbranson, Sean Monahan

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March 24: Gudbranson and Monahan will be coming off injured reserve and making their returns tonight, head coach Dean Evason confirmed. The team later announced they’ve both been activated.

March 23: Columbus Blue Jackets reporter Jeff Svoboda tweeted that center Sean Monahan and defenseman Erik Gudbranson may return to the lineup tomorrow night when the Blue Jackets take on the New York Islanders.

Monahan hasn’t played since January 7th, when he suffered a wrist injury in a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 30-year-old was in the midst of a career year, having tallied 14 goals and 27 assists in 41 games. The Brampton, Ontario native signed with Columbus as a free agent last summer on July 1st, inking a contract that was largely panned by critics. However, Monahan has played well above expectations for the Blue Jackets and helped lead them into the playoff picture in a year where they weren’t expected to contend for the postseason. His return should give Columbus a boost as they try to snap a six-game losing streak.

Gudbranson hasn’t played since mid-October after he suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery. The 33-year-old has played just three times during the 2024-25 season, last suiting up on October 15th. The Ottawa, Ontario native had a career year last season, tallying six goals and 20 assists in 78 games while continuing to provide his usual physical presence.

The Blue Jackets sit four points back of Montreal for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and will certainly welcome the return of two veterans who should help them in their push for the postseason.

Penguins Should Look To Re-Sign Matt Grzelcyk

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Kelsey Surmacz of The Hockey News made the case that the Pittsburgh Penguins should re-sign pending UFA defenseman Matt Grzelcyk before he hits the market on July 1st. The veteran has been a good fit in Pittsburgh, and bringing him back on a short-term deal makes sense in a vacuum as the Penguins are very thin on the left side going forward. Grzelcyk has set career highs this season in multiple offensive categories, as the 31-year-old has a goal and 31 assists in 71 games while averaging over 20 minutes a night for the first time in his career.

He’s become an important piece of the Penguins’ defense core, and the team opted to hang onto him rather than move him at the NHL Trade Deadline. Grzelcyk’s veteran presence has mentored some of Pittsburgh’s younger players and could be valuable during a re-tool. Surmacz believes that Pittsburgh should look at a one or two-year deal for Grzelcyk, which would make sense as the Penguins don’t look like they’ll be bottoming out, and they likely won’t be making any major additions over the next year. Many Penguins insiders believe that Pittsburgh hopes to contend for the playoffs again in the 2026-27 season, and while Grzelcyk shouldn’t be a top-four defenseman on a contending team, he could serve as valuable depth when the Penguins are ready to make a push.

While a short-term deal would suit Pittsburgh, it likely wouldn’t be Grzelcyk’s preferred outcome. The Charlestown, Massachusetts native has rebounded this season and could be looking at his last opportunity to cash in a lucrative contract. Playing under a one-year,  $2.75MM deal that he signed in free agency last summer, it’s not hard to imagine him receiving three-year offers this upcoming summer with an increased salary cap and very few options available.

Islanders Sign Gleb Veremyev

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12:30 PM: The Islanders have made this signing official. Veremyev will join the Islanders on a two-year contract beginning in the 2025-26 season. His deal carries an $885K cap hit, per PuckPedia, and breaks down as follows:

2025-26: $775K base salary, $97.5K signing bonus, $102.5K games played bonus, $85K minors salary
2026-27: $800K base salary, $97.5K signing bonus, $77.5K games played bonus, $85K minors salary

10:00 AM: The New York Islanders are expected to ink one of the top available college free agents, Gleb Veremyev (as per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff).  The center has good size, is solid defensively and is excellent on the draw, but he doesn’t project as much of an offensive player. This season, in 37 games, the 21-year-old has just nine goals and eight assists with Colorado College of the NCAA, this represented a significant drop from last year when he tallied 15 goals and 13 assists in 37 games.

Seravalli has called Veremyev a David Steckel-type player, which appears to be a fair comparison given the numbers and the style of game that Veremyev plays. Steckel was a former late first-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings, while the Islanders wouldn’t be giving up any assets (other than money) to sign Veremyev. It’s safe to guess that Veremyev will spend significant time in the AHL before beginning his NHL journey. Steckel spent three full seasons in the AHL before becoming a full-time NHLer, and Veremyev will likely need similar seasoning.

Veremyev stands 6’4” tall and while he doesn’t meet the definition of a power forward, he is a relentless forechecker and does have some skill around the net and could continue to develop some of the offensive elements to his game. Defensively he is described as having an active stick and being disruptive when it comes to physical battles.

Islanders’ general manager Lou Lamoriello has expressed a desire to get younger and bringing in Veremyev will certainly inch the organization in that direction.

Red Wings Recall Austin Watson And Brogan Rafferty

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The Detroit Red Wings have announced that they’ve recalled forward Austin Watson and defenseman Brogan Rafferty from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins under emergency conditions.

The 33-year-old Watson has seen limited NHL action this season, dressing in just two games after signing a one-year, two-way deal with the Red Wings back in early October. Watson started out the season on a professional tryout with Detroit but showed enough in training camp and four preseason games to get an NHL deal. The Ann Arbor, Michigan native has spent the bulk of this season in the AHL with the Griffins, tallying 16 goals and 21 assists in 56 games, which is good for second on the team in scoring. Watson has also provided his usual physical presence, notching 94 PIM on the year.

Watson’s play this season has already landed him another one-year, two-way deal for next season, as the Red Wings felt good enough about his efforts to extend him another year.

Rafferty has an opportunity to see his first NHL action since he dressed for the Vancouver Canucks in January 2021. He has played three NHL games in his career, posting a single assist and three blocked shots. The 29-year-old has dressed in 50 games this season for Grand Rapids and has registered six goals and 13 assists along with 17 PIM. In five AHL seasons, the West Dundee, Illinois native has played in 306 games, totalling 30 goals and 138 assists.

Detroit current sits four points behind Montreal for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference and will be back in action tomorrow night against the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Free Agent Goaltending Market This Summer Will Be Thin

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Jesse Granger of The Athletic wrote an article the other day about the lack of impact options available in the goaltending market this summer. Granger highlights recent extensions to Adin Hill, Karel Vejmelka, Logan Thompson and Kevin Lankinen to back up his hypothesis. This season, 12 NHL goaltenders have signed contract extensions totalling just shy of $438MM.

The teams on the hunt for goaltending this summer will be hard-pressed to find a suitable target as supply will most certainly fall short of demand. There will be goalies available, but the free-agent market will be a mix of veteran backups and reclamation projects. Topping the list will be New Jersey’s Jake Allen and Carolina’s Frederik Andersen, and while both men are certainly capable NHL goaltenders, they aren’t likely to move the needle for a team that is in search of a netminder. Although Allen is making a case at the moment as he is on a heater with the Devils and has been exceptional this season with a goals saved above expected of 20.3 (as per Money Puck).

While this isn’t great news for teams looking to be buyers, it does create an opportunity for teams that will be looking to sell low on expensive veterans. The most obvious candidate for a move is Tristan Jarry of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 29-year-old has returned to the NHL after a stretch in the minors and has played well in five games for the Penguins. While a small sample size is unlikely to make teams forget about Jarry’s long-term play over the past two years, a solid stretch to end the year could entice a team to roll the dice on a former two-time NHL All-Star. Jarry has three years remaining on his contract with an AAV of $5.375MM, and with the cap going up, there may be a team so desperate to improve in the net that they pull the trigger and hope Jarry re-captures his game.

Another such name is Philipp Grubauer of the Seattle Kraken. Like Jarry, Grubauer is on an expensive long-term deal and spent part of this season in the AHL. Grubauer has two years remaining on his contract at $5.9MM per season, but at 33 years old he would certainly be a bigger risk than Jarry. Over the past four seasons, Grubauer has posted -55.8 goals saved above expected with the Kraken (as per Money Puck), while Jarry has posted +8.1 goals saved above expected (as per Money Puck).

Then, of course, there is John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks, who has had his name in trade rumors for what feels like forever. The 31-year-old has been good this season for the Ducks, and it’s hard to imagine he makes it another summer in Anaheim. The Ducks have an opportunity to move on while Gibson’s value is at the highest it’s been in a few seasons, and with so few alternatives, they should be able to net an asset or two.

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