Avalanche Sign T.J. Hughes
With his college career complete, Michigan center T.J. Hughes was arguably the top player in this year’s free agent class. He has found his next team as the Avalanche announced that they’ve signed him to a one-year, entry-level contract. The deal will begin next season; Hughes has signed a PTO with AHL Colorado for the remainder of 2025-26. PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the agreement will carry a $952.5K cap charge with a $1.025MM AAV. That consists of an NHL salary of $850K, a signing bonus of $102.5K, and a $72.5K games played bonus.
Hughes has been one of the top players in the NCAA in recent years. The 24-year-old came up just shy of a point per game in his freshman year at Michigan back in 2022-23, managing 36 points in 39 games. He surpassed that mark in his sophomore and junior seasons, putting up 48 and 38, respectively. That made him a popular speculative candidate to turn pro after each of those years but he opted to return to the Wolverines each time.
That proved to be a good move for Hughes as he saved his best for last. He played in 40 games this season, picking up 22 goals and 35 assists, good for second in Division I scoring. Those efforts made him a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award for the top player in college hockey although that ultimately went to Detroit prospect Max Plante.
Hughes is a nice pickup for the Avs who have seen their prospect and draft pick pools get depleted in recent years with their continued efforts to load up their NHL roster. Hughes was expected to have a strong enough market to really be selective about where he’d land and he’s chosen an organization that should be able to give him big minutes in the minors with the Eagles. While they’ve recently shored up their center situation with the reacquisition of Nazem Kadri and last year’s pickup (and extension) of Brock Nelson, there still could be room for Hughes to make the jump to the NHL as a winger. Either way, it’s a nice addition to Colorado’s prospect pool.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the signing.
Jamie Langenbrunner Linked To Vacant Devils GM Role
The Devils are one of three teams currently on the lookout for a new general manager, joining Toronto and Nashville, whose search is nearing the two-month mark. New Jersey’s opening was newly created with this week’s departure of Tom Fitzgerald.
At this stage, the team is still putting together its list of candidates but one of them will be a familiar name for many fans. James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now and Anthony DiMarco of Daily Faceoff are among those reporting (Twitter links) that Jamie Langenbrunner is a potential target for the Devils.
Langenbrunner is certainly familiar with the organization, having spent parts of nine seasons there. He played in 564 games for the team, notching 142 goals and 243 assists, while having his best four individual seasons offensively. He also played an integral role in their 2004 Stanley Cup title alongside Martin Brodeur, who works in New Jersey’s front office as their Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations.
Since retiring, Langenbrunner has worked for the Bruins in a variety of off-ice roles. Starting off as a development coach in 2015, he then moved up to Director of Player Development for three years and has served as an Assistant GM for each of the last four seasons. The next logical stepping stone for him would be as a GM.
As things stand, Langenbrunner won’t be the only candidate with ties to the Devils. Former analytics staffer Sunny Mehta received permission from Florida to interview for the role earlier this week while long-time Toronto president Brendan Shanahan has been a speculative candidate for a role in the front office as well.
Kraken Recall Victor Ostman From AHL
Already without Philipp Grubauer who was recently injured and Matt Murray who has been out for most of the season, the Kraken now have starting goalie Joey Daccord sidelined with a lower-body injury as well. As a result, the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled netminder Victor Ostman from AHL Coachella Valley.
The 25-year-old has made just one NHL appearance in his career, that coming last April when he made 12 saves on 12 shots in mop-up duty of a late-season game against Utah. Beyond that, his professional experience has come exclusively in the minors.
Last season, Ostman spent most of the year at the ECHL level, only getting into five AHL outings. This season, he has seen regular action with the Firebirds, getting into 37 games where he has posted a 2.77 GAA with a .907 SV%. This is his first recall to Seattle this season.
While Seattle finds itself in a bottom-five spot in the standings, they technically enter play today against Calgary with a slim chance at a playoff spot. For that to happen, they’ll have to win out and hope a whole lot else goes their way. But they’ll be turning to Niklas Kokko – Ostman’s platoon partner in Coachella Valley – to help get that victory; he’ll be making his first NHL start tonight.
With Daccord’s injury, Ostman’s recall qualifies for emergency circumstances. Accordingly, his promotion won’t count against their post-deadline recall limit.
Lightning Assign Jakob Pelletier To AHL
The AHL’s top scorer is on his way back to the minors. The Lightning announced today that they’ve reassigned winger Jakob Pelletier to AHL Syracuse.
The 25-year-old was brought up earlier this week with Tampa Bay fighting the injury bug up front. He got into two games during this promotion, bringing his season total to four. The 2019 first-rounder is still looking for his first NHL point of the season, however, while he’s averaging a little under nine minutes per night of playing time.
But things have gone much better for him in the minors. In his first season with AHL Syracuse since inking a three-year, one-way deal with the Lightning in free agency, Pelletier is in the middle of his best showing at that level by far, tallying 28 goals and 47 assists in 61 games. That gives him a seven-point lead in the points race despite missing seven games. He’ll now have a chance to add to those numbers as the Crunch continues to chase down the top spot in the Atlantic Division.
Pelletier’s demotion signaled some good news on the injury front, at least, as Brandon Hagel returned to the lineup today against Boston. He had missed the last week and a half due to a lower-body injury. Hagel entered play today sitting third on the Lightning in scoring with 35 goals and 38 assists in 69 games.
Mammoth Assign Kevin Rooney To AHL
April 11: The Mammoth announced that Rooney was returned to the Roadrunners. Despite being up for a little more than a week, he didn’t get into any games, keeping his total this season at one.
April 3: The Mammoth recalled center Kevin Rooney from AHL Tucson on Friday, per a team announcement.
His addition to the roster comes after fellow middleman Jack McBain left Thursday night’s 6-2 win over the Kraken in the second period with a lower-body injury. It wasn’t clear what caused the departure, and the team hasn’t issued an update on his status yet. They likely won’t until they hold their morning skate before tomorrow’s clash with the Canucks.
In any event, Utah is guaranteed at least 13 healthy forwards this weekend if McBain has to miss time. Adding Rooney to the mix allows them to insert a natural center into the lineup in his place, rather than shifting anyone from the wing. Enforcer Liam O’Brien was their lone healthy scratch up front last night, and Alexander Kerfoot is their only regular winger with tangible experience down the middle who could shift over.
Utah has recalled Rooney several times this season; this is now his sixth distinct recall. He’s cleared waivers twice during that time but has rarely been needed in the lineup, only dressing once back on Nov. 28 against the Stars, scoring a goal in his Mammoth debut. That may change now with their specific need for centermen – Barrett Hayton has also been sidelined for the last three games with an upper-body injury and is week-to-week.
Rooney, a veteran of 331 NHL games over parts of 10 seasons, landed a two-way deal with Utah at the beginning of the regular season after being released from his professional tryout with the Devils. The 32-year-old has been a shrewd pickup for Tucson, posting 12 goals and 23 points through 43 games. A grinder, he was never that much of an offensive centerpiece in his previous minor-league stints.
Valtteri Puustinen Linked To SHL
Only two seasons ago, winger Valtteri Puustinen looked as if he might have locked down a regular NHL role. However, since then, his playing time at the top level has been quite limited. Accordingly, as he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, it appears he has turned his focus overseas. Expressen’s Mattias Persson and Johan Svensson report that Puustinen is expected to sign with SHL Lulea for next season.
The 26-year-old played in 52 games for Pittsburgh in 2023-24, recording 20 points despite averaging less than 12 minutes per night of playing time. But while that earned him a two-year, one-way deal, that didn’t give him a leg up on a spot for last season as he ultimately spent the majority of it in the minors. He had 16 goals and 19 assists in 48 outings with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton while seeing just 13 games with the Penguins, notching just one goal and two assists.
Meanwhile, Puustinen has yet to see action at the top level this season. Waived by the Pens in training camp, he passed through unclaimed and hasn’t been recalled since then. Back in January, the Avalanche acquired him in a swap for defenseman Ilya Solovyov but while they’ve used several different recalls on the fourth line at times, they’ve not yet given him a chance to do so. Between their two AHL affiliates, Puustinen has 12 goals and 28 assists in 58 games.
Given how things have gone this season, it’s unlikely that Puustinen would be able to land an NHL spot heading into 2026-27 while another one-way deal probably isn’t in the cards either. Accordingly, rather than continue on as a minor leaguer, it appears he’s going to try his hand at playing in Europe for the first time since the 2020-21 season when he played for HPK in Finland.
Florida Panthers Recall Wilmer Skoog
Awaiting an official announcement, the AHL transactions log indicates that the Florida Panthers have recalled some additional forward depth. According to the log, the Panthers have recalled Wilmer Skoog from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.
Skoog, 26, has the opportunity to make his NHL debut on this call-up. Florida signed Skoog from Boston University after he scored 16 goals and 31 points in 37 games for the Terriers in the 2022-23 NCAA season. Since then, it’s been mostly AHL duties.
Although his offense hasn’t taken off, the Stockholm, Sweden native has remained a solid secondary contributor to the Checkers. Through his first three years of professional hockey, Skoog has registered 49 goals and 92 points in 180 AHL contests, averaging just over a point every two games.
Given his developmental trajectory, he’s unlikely to become anything more than a bottom-six forward at the NHL level. Still, given the number of injuries that the Panthers have dealt with this year, they’ll spend the summer acquiring as much depth as they can afford.
Ultimately, that wouldn’t be a bad role for Skoog. Standing at 6’2″, 196lbs, he has the frame many teams would want in a bottom-six forward, and if he can chip in a goal or two along the way, the Panthers will have some value.
If he draws into the lineup tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs, it’ll likely be in a fourth-line role in place of Nolan Foote or Vinnie Hinostroza. Florida recognizes what it has in those two already, so it wouldn’t hurt to give Skoog an opportunity at the highest level of the game.
Poll: Who Will Capture The Final Wild-Card Spot In The West?
Now that every team is below five games remaining in the regular season, it’s scoreboard-watching time in the NHL. There are still a few things to sort out in the Eastern Conference, though the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference remains a wide-open race.
As it currently stands, the Los Angeles Kings own the spot with 85 points and four games left in their regular season. The Nashville Predators (84 points), Winnipeg Jets (82 points), and San Jose Sharks (81 points) are all within striking distance.
The Kings should be considered the favorites. Three out of their final four games are against teams well outside the postseason chase, although teams in their position love playing spoilers, especially against inter-divisional opponents. Still, Los Angeles will continue to ride the hot hand of Anton Forsberg, who has put up a .950 SV% over his last three appearances, winning them all.
However, the Predators aren’t going down without a fight. Playing much more competitively than last season, Nashville has three games left against the Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks, and Anaheim Ducks. If they win all three and finish with 90 points, they would have a strong likelihood of getting in since the Kings don’t have a pathway to usurp them in the first tiebreaker (regulation wins).
Meanwhile, the Jets and Sharks, despite having four games remaining, have the hardest path. According to Moneypuck, Winnipeg has a 12.4% of reaching the playoffs, whereas San Jose has a 2.4% chance. The Jets have an ace in the hole in Connor Hellebuyck, who can win four games in a row mostly by himself. Still, even if they do win their last four, they would need some serious good luck.
Now, it’s your time to vote. Which team will win the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference and secure a date with the Colorado Avalanche in the opening round of the playoffs?
Who Will Capture The Final Wild-Card Spot In The West?
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Los Angeles Kings 52% (377)
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Nashville Predators 19% (134)
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Winnipeg Jets 17% (120)
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San Jose Sharks 12% (88)
Total votes: 719
West Notes: Avalanche, Dickinson, Daccord
The Avalanche clinched themselves a trophy on Thursday night, securing the Presidents’ Trophy as the team with the best regular season record. They did so without a pair of key veterans in defenseman Cale Makar and center Nazem Kadri. Speaking with reporters postgame including Kyle Newman of The Denver Post, head coach Jared Bednar indicated that he’s hoping to see Makar get back into a game before the playoffs. Sidelined since the end of March due to an upper-body injury, he sits third on the Avs in scoring with 75 points in 73 games. As for Kadri, he’s listed as day-to-day with a finger issue. Acquired just before the buzzer at the trade deadline last month, he has fit in well in his second stint with the team, collecting nine points in 16 games, three of those being power play goals.
More from out West:
- The Oilers will be without center Jason Dickinson for their game on Saturday against Los Angeles. Team broadcaster Bob Stauffer notes (Twitter link) that the veteran is unavailable after suffering a leg injury on Wednesday against San Jose. Acquired from Chicago at the trade deadline, the 30-year-old has a goal and three assists in 17 games with his new team while averaging a little over 15 minutes per game of ice time. He has been their most-used penalty killer since being acquired as well. There’s no word yet on a timeline for Dickinson’s return.
- Already missing Philipp Grubauer, the Kraken could be without their other netminder as they look to keep their very faint playoff hopes alive. Team radio host Mike Benton relays (Twitter link) that Joey Daccord was feeling sore after Thursday’s game and was undergoing evaluation today. If he’s unable to suit up Saturday against Calgary, the team will have to recall someone (likely Victor Ostman) from AHL Coachella Valley with Niklas Kokko probably in line to make his first NHL start in a must-win game if they want to avoid elimination from the playoffs. Daccord has a 3.03 GAA with a .896 SV% in 47 games this season.
Stars Provide Several Injury Updates
The Stars have been one of the top teams in the NHL all season and have done so despite missing several key players for extended stretches. They also happen to be without quite a few regulars in the stretch run of the season. In an appearance on 96.7 The Ticket earlier today (audio link), head coach Glen Gulutzan provided updates on several of his players.
Earlier today, the team revealed that defenseman Miro Heiskanen was undergoing imaging for a lower-body injury. He’s set to miss the remaining three games of the regular season while Gulutzan added that he is “certainly hoping” to have his top blueliner back when the playoffs start. If he isn’t able to return, it would be the second straight postseason in which Heiskanen would miss time as he was sidelined for 10 of their 18 contests in 2025.
The other high-end player that remains sidelined for Dallas is center Roope Hintz. He sustained a lower-body last month (in his first game back following an illness that kept him sidelined after the Olympic break) and while the original hope was that he wouldn’t miss much time, he hasn’t played since. Recently, the plan was for him to get back into action before the end of the regular season but that is no longer the case. Now, the hope is that Hintz, who is still listed as week-to-week, will be ready for the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Heiskanen isn’t the only Dallas defender who’s now banged up. Gulutzan indicated that Tyler Myers reaggravated an old injury on Thursday and could miss Saturday’s game against the Rangers as a result. Acquired just before the trade deadline from Vancouver, the veteran is averaging over 16 minutes per night in 13 games with his new team as he has helped stabilize the back of their back end.
It isn’t all bad news on the injury front though. Gulutzan added that center Radek Faksa and winger Michael Bunting are expected to play in multiple games before the season ends with Bunting potentially being ready on Saturday. Center Sam Steel is day-to-day with the team being hopeful that he’ll be able to return for the regular season finale on Wednesday versus Buffalo.