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Flames Recall Adam Klapka

March 12, 2025 at 12:18 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

Adam Klapka has been added back to the Flames’ roster, per a team announcement. He’s now been recalled from AHL Calgary for the fifth time this season and marks the first of the Flames’ four allotted post-deadline recalls.

Last week, Calgary reassigned the hulking 24-year-old on deadline day to make him eligible to suit up for the Wranglers in the Calder Cup Playoffs. They waited a few days to bring him back to the NHL, but he’s once again available to dress after spending most of the post-4 Nations schedule so far up with the big club. He’s scored once in 13 NHL games this year, averaging 8:10 per game.

The 6’8″ forward arrived in the Flames organization in 2022, when they signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Czechia’s Bili Tygri Liberec. In addition to his 236-lb frame, he’s proven an effective scorer in the minors as well. He has 48-49–97 in 158 games with the Wranglers over the past three years, including 14-12–26 in 33 games this year with 50 PIMs and a minus-one rating.

The Flames now have 22 players on their active roster, including 13 forwards. Klapka will likely be an extra forward for tonight’s huge game against the Canucks, their chief competitor for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, but is theoretically available to draw in.

Klapka, a pending restricted free agent, will need a new deal this summer and is eligible for salary arbitration. If he re-signs and doesn’t make the team out of camp in the fall, he’ll need to clear waivers on his way down to the AHL.

Lightning Recall Cam Atkinson

March 12, 2025 at 11:38 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 2 Comments

The Lightning have recalled winger Cam Atkinson from AHL Syracuse, according to NHL.com’s Benjamin Pierce. While they don’t need to make a corresponding move, he is the first of their four allotted post-deadline standard recalls.

Atkinson, a 13-year NHL veteran, has only suited up twice for the Bolts since the 4 Nations Face-Off. He was a healthy scratch in four out of six games before landing on standard waivers for the first time in his career and heading to Syracuse before the deadline, freeing up cap space for Tampa to acquire Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde from the Kraken.

The 35-year-old signed a one-year, $900K deal with the Lightning last summer after the Flyers bought out the final season of his seven-year, $41.1MM contract. He was coming off an underwhelming year in Philadelphia, managing 13-15–28 in 70 games after missing all of the 2022-23 season due to neck surgery. Unfortunately, this year hasn’t been any better. The seven-time 20-goal scorer has averaged just 8:50 across 37 games for the Bolts, scoring 3-5–8 with a minus-three rating.

The Bolts had to run 11 forwards and seven defensemen in last night’s loss to the Hurricanes after Mitchell Chaffee was a late scratch. While he’s not expected to miss any more action, recalling Atkinson gives them another option to insert into the fourth line with Zemgus Girgensons and Luke Glendening instead of having to dress a seventh defender and put their forward lines in a blender.

Atkinson did not play for Syracuse in his brief demotion. If he did, it would have marked his first AHL appearance since the 2011-12 campaign. The former Columbus sixth-round pick has 252-236–488 in 807 career games with the Blue Jackets, Flyers and Lightning and will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

List Of Prospects With Signing Rights Expiring June 1

March 12, 2025 at 11:10 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 7 Comments

Every year, most NHL teams will see at least one prospect vanish from their reserve list on June 1. That’s the date stipulated by the league’s transfer agreements with the Canadian Hockey League and European leagues, not including the Kontinental Hockey League or the Swiss National League, that prospects drafted from those leagues will become free agents if not signed. For CHL players, that date is two years after they’re drafted, at which point they can re-enter the draft or declare free agency. For European players, it’s four years after their draft date.

A few teams have been busy removing players from this list over the past two weeks. As of March 1, players are now eligible to sign entry-level contracts that don’t begin until the 2025-26 campaign. As such, most players listed here are likelier than not to lose their affiliation with their draft team.

That means this year, CHL players selected in the 2023 draft will hit free agency and can declare for the 2025 draft if not signed by July 1. Meanwhile, unsigned players still in European professional leagues who were initially eligible for the 2021 draft will see their exclusive signing rights expire. Here’s the full list of those affected players, with some help from PuckPedia:

Florida Panthers

D Luke Coughlin (2023, 6-191)
F Jakub Kos (2021, 6-184)

Los Angeles Kings

D Matthew Mania (2023, 5-150)

Minnesota Wild

D Kalem Parker (2023, 6-181)

Montreal Canadiens

G Quentin Miller (2023, 4-128)
G Joe Vrbetic (2021, 7-214)

Nashville Predators

G Juha Jatkola (2023, 4-121)
D Dylan MacKinnon (2023, 3-83)
D Anton Olsson (2021, 3-72)

New Jersey Devils

F Cole Brown (2023, 6-164)

New York Islanders

F Justin Gill (2023, 5-145)
F Aleksi Malinen (2021, 6-189)

New York Rangers

none

Ottawa Senators

F Oliver Johansson (2021, 3-74)

Philadelphia Flyers

D Matteo Mann (2023, 7-199)
D Carter Sotheran (2023, 5-135)
D Brian Zanetti (2021, 4-110)

Pittsburgh Penguins

F Cooper Foster (2023, 6-174)

San Jose Sharks

F Theo Jacobsson (2021, 6-177)

Seattle Kraken

D Kaden Hammell (2023, 5-148)
F Andrei Loshko (2023, 4-116)

St. Louis Blues

D Matthew Mayich (2023, 6-170)

Tampa Bay Lightning

F Ethan Hay (2023, 7-211)

Toronto Maple Leafs

none

Utah Hockey Club

D Justin Kipkie (2023, 5-160)
G Rasmus Korhonen (2021, 4-122)

Vancouver Canucks

F Lucas Forsell (2021, 7-201)
D Hugo Gabrielson (2021, 6-169)

Vegas Golden Knights

D Artur Cholach (2021, 6-190)

Washington Capitals

F Håkon Hänelt (2021, 5-151)
F Brett Hyland (2023, 7-200)
F Patrick Thomas (2023, 4-104)

Winnipeg Jets

F Connor Levis (2023, 7-210)

Rangers, Jonathan Quick Agree To Extension

March 12, 2025 at 9:35 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 10 Comments

Rangers veteran backup Jonathan Quick will return for his 19th NHL season in 2025-26. The team announced they’ve agreed to terms on a one-year extension, which Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports is worth $1.55MM. Per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, that will be paid out via a $1MM base salary and $550K signing bonus. Quick can also earn up to $300K in performance bonuses as part of his 35+ contract and has a modified no-trade clause. His performance bonuses break down as follows:

20 starts with .915+ SV%: $75K
35 GP: $25K
40 GP: $50K
20 Ws: $50K
25 Ws: $100K

The 39-year-old netminder is in his second season in Manhattan as the No. 2 to Igor Shesterkin, posting a .896 SV%, 3.14 GAA and three shutouts in 17 starts and four relief appearances this year. He was extremely hot to start the campaign, going 5-1-0 with a .936 SV% in seven appearances in October and November, but has a .874 SV% and 4-5-2 record in his last 14. He’s started two of 10 games coming out of the 4 Nations break, a light workload he should be expected to replicate down the stretch with the Rangers in a battle for their playoff lives.

Quick’s career résumé needs no introduction. The three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Kings and Golden Knights ranks 14th all-time with 402 wins, a figure that leads American-born netminders. He also has 63 career shutouts, outpacing No. 2 Ryan Miller by 19 for first all-time among Americans. He’s never won a Vezina Trophy, but was the runner-up in 2012 and a finalist in 2016.

But on the whole, Quick hasn’t been nearly as valuable to the Rangers as last year. A UFA pickup in the 2023 offseason, Quick was one of the league’s better backups in 2023-24 with a .911 SV%, 2.62 GAA, and an 18-6-2 record in 27 showings. That showing was good for 9.8 goals saved above expected behind an average Rangers defense, per MoneyPuck, a figure that’s dipped to -2.6 this year. They could do far worse for a limited-use backup, though, and those year-to-year swings have become commonplace for Quick in the twilight of his career. He hasn’t posted a save percentage north of .900 in back-to-back years since doing so in 10 consecutive seasons to begin his career.

Quick was set to be a UFA this summer after signing a similarly-structured extension last March. This deal carries a higher salary guarantee and total earning potential than his current deal, which afforded him $1.275MM in salary and signing bonus with just one $25K performance bonus, which he won’t earn as it required him to make 20 starts with a SV% of at least .915.

If he declines further next year, pending RFA Dylan Garand would be his replacement on the roster pending any external additions. The 22-year-old has been called up on a few occasions from AHL Hartford over the past few years to back up either Shesterkin or Quick when the other is unavailable but has yet to make his NHL debut. In 30 minor-league games this year, he has a .912 SV%, 2.79 GAA, three shutouts, and a 16-7-7 record.

Out of the 23 players currently on the Rangers’ active roster, 17 are now signed through next season at a combined cap hit of $84.89MM, per PuckPedia. That leaves the Rangers with $10.61MM in cap space to fill six roster spots, nearly all of which could be swallowed up by new deals for pending RFAs William Cuylle and K’Andre Miller.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Metropolitan Notes: Boqvist, Tortorella, Jarry

March 12, 2025 at 8:36 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 3 Comments

As the Islanders lost a key game to the Kings last night, falling behind in the playoff race, they also lost depth defenseman Adam Boqvist to an upper-body injury. The 24-year-old left the game in the second period after a clean neutral-zone collision with Los Angeles winger Kevin Fiala and didn’t return (video via Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News). Head coach Patrick Roy didn’t have an update on his status postgame, per Andrew Gross of Newsday. Based on the hit, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him enter concussion protocol and miss at least Friday’s game against the Oilers. Boqvist has been more than serviceable in a third-pairing role for the Isles since they claimed him off waivers from the Panthers in late January, posting 2-3–5 in 12 games while averaging 14:31 per game. He’s remained in the lineup (albeit on his off side) and on the power play even after fellow righties Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock returned from their long-term injuries. While it initially seemed like he was heading toward non-tender territory this summer, Rosner notes he’s likely worked his way into the conversation for a spot in New York’s 2025-26 lineup.

More from the Metropolitan Division this morning:

Flyers head coach John Tortorella reaffirmed he doesn’t anticipate ending his coaching career anytime soon, via Kevin Kurz of The Athletic. While he’s entering the final year of his contract in 2025-26, he called speculation that he’d shift to a front-office role for the Flyers “noise” and that it “never influences how I go about my business and never will.” The 66-year-old two-time Jack Adams winner has a 96-102-32 record behind the Philly bench and is set to miss the postseason for the third year in a row.
After a two-month stint in the minors, it’s worth noting high-paid Penguins netminder Tristan Jarry has returned to form and then some since being recalled from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last week. He’s started both of Pittsburgh’s last two games with raucous results, guiding them to a pair of wins while allowing only three goals on 67 shots for a .955 SV%. The 29-year-old still has just a .891 mark on the year with a 10-8-4 record in 23 appearances and has three years remaining on his deal at a $5.375MM cap hit.

East Notes: Jones, Peterka, Novak

March 11, 2025 at 8:01 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 1 Comment

Due to the recent 20-game suspension to Florida Panthers’ defenseman Aaron Ekblad for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program, the team needed a new first-line powerplay quarterback and top-pairing defenseman. As expected, that distinction will go to newly acquired defenseman Seth Jones.

It’ll be a familiar role for Jones, who operated as such over four years with the Chicago Blackhawks and several years with the Columbus Blue Jackets. 146 out of Jones’s 432 career points have come with the man advantage, and that number should continue to grow on the league’s 12th-ranked powerplay.

Florida may face some significant challenges at even strength. Fortunately, Jones will have one of the league’s fastest and most defensively effective players alongside him in Gustav Forsling. Based on his past performance, it’s clear that Jones will require a defensive partner who can help alleviate some of the responsibilities in the defensive zone. According to MoneyPuck, Jones’s on-ice goals percentage has steadily dropped from 55.1% in 2018-19 to 44.0% this season with Chicago.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

The Buffalo Sabres could be without one of their top offensive players tomorrow evening. Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reported earlier that John-Jason Peterka is dealing with a lower-body injury and could miss tomorrow’s game against the waning Detroit Red Wings. Peterka is again challenging for the team lead in points, scoring 19 goals and 51 points in 61 games, only five points behind Tage Thompson.
Thomas Novak, a recent acquisition for the Pittsburgh Penguins, is day-to-day due to a lower-body injury, according to Wes Crosby of NHL.com. Given the game’s proximity, it’s assumed that Novak suffered the injury in Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Wild. Novak has gone scoreless through his first two games as a Penguin, managing a -2 rating while averaging 13:01 of ice time per game.

Update On Brad Marchand’s Injury, Extension Negotiatons

March 11, 2025 at 6:32 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 2 Comments

Much of the buzz around TD Garden this morning came from Brad Marchand’s return to the ice in another team’s jersey. The Boston Bruins recently traded their former captain to the Florida Panthers just before the trade deadline for a conditional 2027 second-round pick.

Seeing Marchand practice in Panthers’ garb firmly cemented the reality of the trade in the minds of Bruins’ fans. However, as much as Marchand’s first game with Florida may have a similar emotional impact, it’s still far off.

The Panthers’ head coach, Paul Maurice, spoke to reporters after practice today, illustrating the team’s hope that Marchand will return to the ice before the end of the regular season (Tweet Link). Marchand’s recovery timeline from his upper-body injury is still considered week-to-week.

The upper-body injury prohibited Marchand from participating in Boston’s final three games before the deadline, effectively ending his 16-year career with the team on March 1st. Primarily because the injury limited Marchand to only three shifts in his final game with the Bruins, his last point with the team came on February 25th against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe asked if that would be his final game as a Bruin by questioning if that chapter of his career had fully closed during Marchand’s media availability. Ryan dictated Marchand, saying, “I don’t know, I guess is how I would respond to that. I don’t know what the future brings. I know it didn’t come together now. Can things change down the road? Potentially. But I don’t know where that goes.”

Extension negotiations between Boston and Marchand had been a talking point for much of the regular season. A report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in late October suggested that Marchand was close to signing a three-year extension with the Bruins, only to have the report refuted by Marchand himself. Similarly, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan shared one day after the trade that the Bruins had offered Marchand a three-year extension after offering him a two-year deal for much of the year, only to have Marchand disagree about the salary.

While the negotiations were taking place, Marchand and Bruins’ general manager, Don Sweeney, were fairly open with the media about their desires to agree on a contract extension. Although that may have been true for much of the season, the failed negotiations, the trade, and Marchand’s comments today don’t suggest he’ll return to the team a few months after they traded him.

Anaheim Ducks Recall Ville Husso

March 11, 2025 at 5:00 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain Leave a Comment

For the third time since March 7th, the Anaheim Ducks have recalled goaltender Ville Husso from their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. Despite being involved in a roster move consecutive times since the trade deadline, Husso has yet to make his first appearance with the Ducks.

The first two call-ups were expected, with netminder John Gibson being out with a lower-body injury. However, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reported that Gibson had been medically cleared to return this morning, making this transaction somewhat peculiar. Although Anaheim may want another night of rest for Gibson, one could reasonably assume he could have done that in a backup role behind Lukáš Dostál.

Dostál has already been confirmed as tonight’s starter against the Washington Capitals, so we know that Husso isn’t expected to play. However, as the league’s top-ranked offense, there’s a chance Dostál could be chased at some point during the contest, forcing their hand at playing Husso. This could also be why the Ducks chose Husso as the backup rather than Gibson.

If he plays in tonight’s contest, it will be Husso’s first NHL appearance in about two months. He’s managed a 1-5-2 record in nine games this season, all with the Detroit Red Wings, with a .866 SV% and 3.69 GAA. He’s performed better in the AHL with the Gulls and Grand Rapids Griffins, combining for an 11-5-0 record in 17 games with a .908 SV% and 2.84 GAA.

Stars Sign Angus MacDonell To Entry-Level Deal

March 11, 2025 at 3:40 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 1 Comment

The Stars announced they’ve signed forward prospect Angus MacDonell to a three-year, entry-level contract. It will begin next season, taking him through the 2027-28 campaign.

Dallas selected MacDonell, 19, in the sixth round of the 2023 draft. They were set to lose his signing rights on June 1 if they didn’t get him inked to a contract, after which he could have re-entered the draft for 2025.

The 5’10” center was drafted out of the Ontario Hockey League’s Mississauga Steelheads and followed the franchise with their minor relocation to Brampton last summer. While not overly bulky at 185 lbs, he plays much larger than he is and plays a physical game – the drawback there being frequent penalties. He’s logged 162 PIMs in 100 games over the past two years.

Of course, he complements that engagement with good offensive play. A good shooter, he’s tallied 24-23–47 in 39 games with the Steelheads this year after posting 32-30–62 in 61 games in 2023-24.

While he doesn’t have the ceiling of a top-six forward, he could top out as a solid complementary piece on a scoring-oriented third line like the Stars tend to ice. He’ll be eligible to report to AHL Texas on a tryout down the stretch after his junior season ends, but he won’t be able to make his NHL debut until next season. He’ll likely see a full year or two of development in the minors before being considered for a recall near the end of his rookie deal if he develops well.

Senators Recall Leevi Merilainen

March 11, 2025 at 2:37 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

The Senators announced Tuesday they’ve recalled goaltender Leevi Merilainen from AHL Belleville. They’re now carrying three goalies along with Anton Forsberg and Linus Ullmark.

Merilainen’s recall isn’t to replace Forsberg or Ullmark for injury-related reasons, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports. Instead, the young Finn will back up Forsberg tonight against the Flyers while Ullmark gets the night off entirely for load management purposes following seven straight starts coming out of the 4 Nations break.

Moves like this are easier for the Sens after the 23-player roster limit was lifted post-deadline. However, Ottawa does burn one of their four permitted post-deadline standard recalls by summoning Merilainen since the lack of injury to their other netminders means he doesn’t qualify for an emergency recall.

When tasked with NHL minutes this season while Forsberg and Ullmark spent time on the shelf, the 22-year-old Merilainen has been spectacular. The 2020 third-round pick has made 11 starts and one relief appearance for the Sens while pushing Mads Søgaard aside for the No. 3 spot on their depth chart, posting a stellar .925 SV% and 1.99 GAA. Among goalies with 15 or fewer games played, Merilainen’s 6.8 goals saved above expected ranks fourth, per MoneyPuck.

With Merilainen posting far more favorable numbers to the veteran Forsberg (.895 SV%, 2.82 GAA), there’s an argument to be made he should be starting to give Ullmark the night off amid a tight playoff race in the Eastern Conference. While Merilainen hasn’t played an NHL game since Feb. 1, he has a .915 SV% in his last eight starts in Belleville and has a .910 on the year with the B-Sens.

Nonetheless, the pending RFA will likely sit before returning to Belleville in the coming days. With Forsberg slated for unrestricted free agency this summer coming off back-to-back underwhelming years, there’s a case to be made for Merilainen starting next season on the NHL roster as Ullmark’s backup.

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