Five Key Stories: 4/7/25 – 4/13/25
The playoffs are almost upon us and we’re starting to see an uptick in activity around the hockey world, particularly on the signing front. Several contracts are highlighted in our key stories.
Playoff Reinforcements? Several teams could be getting a boost to their late-season playoff push or for the postseason. The Canadiens signed top prospect Ivan Demidov to an entry-level deal beginning this season. The 19-year-old was the fifth pick back in June and had 49 points in 65 games with SKA St. Petersburg, who released him to accommodate the move. SKA also released defenseman Alexander Nikishin, permitting him to join Carolina right away on an entry-level pact. The 23-year-old has been viewed as the top defenseman outside the NHL for a few seasons now; he had his third straight year of at least 46 points this season. Meanwhile, the Wild will add a top college defender to the mix, inking Zeev Buium to an entry-level deal that starts right away. Buium, the 12th pick last June, collected 98 points in 83 games at the University of Denver in the last two years. Lastly, the Avalanche could be getting some playoff help via a different route as captain Gabriel Landeskog has started a conditioning stint with AHL Colorado, getting into two games so far. The Avs can’t activate him before the end of the season for cap reasons but this is a promising next step in Landeskog’s recovery; he hasn’t played since 2022.
Calling It A Career: A pair of players have announced their retirements but are on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their career. Veteran defenseman Alec Martinez revealed that Saturday was his final NHL game as he won’t suit up in Chicago’s final two contests. The 37-year-old will hang up his skates with 862 career regular season appearances between Los Angeles, Vegas, and Chicago. Martinez also won three Stanley Cup titles in 2012, 2014, and 2023. On the opposite end is now-former Jets prospect Chaz Lucius. He announced his retirement at the age of 21 following a diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Lucius was the 18th overall pick back in 2021 and his career ends with just 54 professional games, all at the AHL level.
Testing The Market: Canucks winger Brock Boeser is no stranger to the rumor mill. After rejecting an extension offer believed to be worth five years and $40MM earlier in the season, he was in plenty of trade speculation but ultimately stayed at the trade deadline. However, it doesn’t appear as if the extra time in Vancouver will help get a deal done as the 28-year-old indicated that it’s unlikely that he’ll return to the Canucks next season. Boeser had a breakout effort last season, notching 40 goals and 33 assists, setting the stage for that extension offer from management. But he hasn’t produced at a similar level this year, collecting 25 goals and 24 assists, numbers that are closer to his normal year-to-year output. But even with the down performance this season, Boeser projects to be one of the top unrestricted free agents this summer which will have him well-positioned to benefit from the big jump coming to the salary cap.
Top Prospect Not Signing: For a while now, it was expected that the Lightning would sign prospect winger Isaac Howard knowing that it might have to wait until late in the year when they had the cap space to do so. However, the two sides are not on the same page regarding Howard’s future so the 2022 first-round pick has decided to return to Michigan State next season. The 21-year-old had a dominant year for the Spartans, notching 26 goals and 26 assists in 37 games, earning him the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA’s Player of the Year. Now, Tampa Bay will have to decide if they want to try to sign him next season when he’ll be months away from being able to test unrestricted free agency or if they’d be better off trading his rights in the coming months.
Hockey World Loses Three: It was a tough week in the hockey world as two long-time NHL fixtures passed away. First, Greg Millen died at the age of 67. A 14-year NHL goaltender, Millen played in over 600 games across six different teams before beginning a broadcasting career that spanned more than three decades, spending time with Ottawa, Toronto, and Calgary while being on Hockey Night in Canada for nearly 30 years. Just two days later, long-time NHL executive Ray Shero passed at the age of 62. Shero was the former GM of Pittsburgh and New Jersey and had been working for an NHL team for every year but one since 1993. Shero had been with Minnesota as a senior advisor for the past four seasons. Lastly, former Toronto GM Gerry McNamara passed away at the age of 90. He served as the GM for them for eight seasons after spending six previous campaigns with them in a scouting capacity.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.
Oilers Hoping To Sign Maxim Berezkin
Over the past few days, we’ve seen a couple of KHL prospects sign with their respective NHL clubs with more potentially still to come. It appears that the Oilers are hoping they’ll be able to join in as GM Stan Bowman indicated on an appearance on Oilers Now (audio link) that they’re hoping to sign winger Maxim Berezkin once his club team finishes up in the playoffs.
The 23-year-old was a fifth-round pick by Edmonton back in 2020, going 138th overall. At the time, Berezkin had just finished up a solid junior season in Russia in Lokomotiv Yaroslavl’s system while also making his KHL debut.
Berezkin would bounce back and forth between the KHL and either the junior level or minor-league level for the next three seasons before finally becoming a full-time KHL piece last season. That year, he notched eight goals and 22 assists in 62 games during the regular season before breaking out in the playoffs with 16 points in 20 appearances.
That set the expectations a little higher for Berezkin heading into this season and he delivered, tallying 15 goals and 27 assists in 62 games this season, good for second on the team in scoring. He’s off to a solid start in the playoffs as well, collecting four points in five games so far to tie for the scoring lead. With Lokomotiv the top seed in their conference, Bowman and the Oilers may have to wait a little longer before they can really kickstart negotiations about an entry-level contract for Berezkin.
Minor Transactions: 4/13/25
As is often the case at this time of year, there has been an influx of minor roster moves. Teams are shutting players down for the season or trying to give someone a game off with the playoffs approaching, leading to a busier shuffle between the NHL and AHL than usual. Here’s a rundown of today’s moves:
- The Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defenseman Dakota Mermis from AHL Toronto on an emergency basis. On Saturday, the Maple Leafs played short one defenseman, qualifying them for a cap-free emergency recall. It’s the second promotion for Mermis since he rejoined Toronto following his waiver claim from Utah back in February. Mermis has played in 32 games for the Marlies this season, notching seven assists.
- The Jets announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled center Dominic Toninato from AHL Manitoba. He’s taking the place of Nikolaj Ehlers on the roster after he exited Saturday’s game following a collision with a linesman. Toninato has been held off the scoresheet in four games with Winnipeg while adding 18 goals and 18 assists in 60 appearances with the Moose.
- The Kraken have returned forward Ryan Winterton to AHL Coachella Valley, per a team announcement (Twitter link). The 21-year-old picked up an assist in a dozen games with Seattle and will now return to the Firebirds to get ready for their playoff run. Winterton has 18 goals and 19 assists in 55 AHL contests this season.
- After making his season debut yesterday, Wild defenseman Cameron Crotty is heading back to the minors, per a team announcement (Twitter link). He’ll be ceding his roster spot to Zeev Buium who inked his entry-level deal earlier today. Crotty now has two career NHL appearances under his belt while he has chipped in with 10 assists in 62 outings with Iowa.
- The Islanders have sent goaltender Tristan Lennox back to AHL Bridgeport, relays Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). The 22-year-old had a short-lived NHL debut back on Tuesday, allowing one goal on two shots in a little under five minutes of action. Lennox has been limited to just four minor league appearances this season due to injury, posting a 4.44 GAA and a .832 SV% with Bridgeport. He was no longer needed with the Isles with Ilya Sorokin returning today.
- One player who won’t be on the NHL-AHL shuffle for a little while longer is Calgary prospect Henry Mews. The defenseman announced (Twitter link) that he’ll play for the University of Michigan next season. Mews was a third-round pick by the Flames last June, going 74th overall. He had a strong year offensively in the OHL, tallying 82 points in 68 games between Ottawa and Sudbury but instead of staying in junior, he’ll test himself at the college level next season.
Tomas Tatar On EV Zug’s Radar
In his prime, veteran winger Tomas Tatar was a quality secondary scorer, notching seven seasons of at least 20 goals. However, his production and role have dropped in recent years and it appears that has caught the eye of at least one international team.
Speaking with the Zuger Zeitung last weekend, EV Zug’s manager Reto Klay acknowledged that Tatar is on a shortlist of players the team intends to target this offseason, one that also includes former NHL winger Dominik Kubalik. Zug has seven import players to sign for next season so they’ll be casting a wide net to do so; Klay acknowledged that his shortlist currently consists of somewhere between 20 and 30 players.
After his contract with Montreal ended in 2021, Tatar inked a two-year, $9MM contract with New Jersey. However, his market wasn’t the strongest in 2023 despite a 20-goal, 48-point campaign, resulting in him settling for a one-year, $1.8MM pact. Then this past summer, he opted to sign quickly, taking $1.5MM to return to the Devils.
Last season, Tatar had just nine goals and 15 assists in 70 games between Colorado and Seattle. This year, he has just seven tallies and ten helpers in 71 contests while his playing time is down to just 11 minutes a night, a career low. Given the sharp drop in production, there’s a strong possibility that Tatar could have a weak market this summer, potentially landing in PTO territory. With that in mind, it’s understandable that Zug (and perhaps other international teams) have him on their radar for next season.
It remains to be seen if Tatar would be open to playing overseas at this point of his career. Now 34 and with over 900 NHL regular season games under his belt, would he prefer a low-cost NHL contract or even a tryout opportunity to try to extend his career at the top level? Or, would he be open to heading overseas where he’d take a pay cut but get to play in the top-six role that he’s best suited for? He still has a few more months to make that determination.
Oilers Sign Atro Leppanen
The Oilers will soon be announcing the addition of Quinn Hutson and they’ve made another addition to their prospect pool today. The team announced that they’ve signed defenseman Atro Leppanen to a one-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms of the deal, which begins next season, were not disclosed by the team but PuckPedia reports that it will carry a $975K cap hit.
The 26-year-old is the definition of a late bloomer. Just two seasons ago, Leppanen was playing in Finland’s second-tier Mestis but that year, he had a dominant showing with Kiekko-Espoo that saw him put up 23 goals and 35 assists in 51 games, finishing fourth in the league in scoring, tops among defensemen. That earned him a tryout agreement with Sport at the Liiga level, one that he was able to convert to a full-season contract.
Last season, Leppanen did well in his first season with Sport, tallying 12 goals and 16 assists in 55 games, good numbers for a first-year defenseman. But this year, he found an entire new gear. Leppanen set a new league record for points by a blueliner (breaking a record shared by former NHLers Brian Rafalski and Pekka Rautakallio) while leading the entire league in scoring, collecting 21 goals and 42 assists in 60 games while averaging more than 23 minutes a night of playing time.
That performance had Leppanen on the radar heading into free agency. It’s believed he had an SHL contract on the table but he was able to beat that with this deal. It will be interesting to see if the Oilers envision Leppanen pushing for a spot at the end of the NHL roster to provide some secondary offense from the back end or if their intention is to start him with AHL Bakersfield. As things stand, Edmonton has five of their regular blueliners under contract for 2025-26 with Evan Bouchard and Ty Emberson needing new deals as restricted free agents.
Atlantic Notes: Panthers, Tkachuk, Power
While the defending champion Florida Panthers are still missing some key players from their lineup, they did provide a few positive updates on this front. Per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now, forward Sam Bennett will return to the lineup tomorrow against the Rangers, while forward Matthew Tkachuk is expected to join full practice starting this week.
Just last week, head coach Paul Maurice noted Tkachuk was still “weeks away” from a return from injured reserve after sustaining an injury in the 4 Nations Face-Off back in February. Tkachuk has been spotted on the ice a few times since, either skating on his own or joining the team for morning skate as he did in Montreal last week. In 52 games on the season, Tkachuk has registered 22 goals and 57 points to go along with 84 hits. Now in his third season with the Panthers, he has produced 265 points in 211 career regular season games with Florida, and his return will certainly be a key to their back-to-back cup aspirations.
Although Maurice recently noted Bennett would not return during the regular season, that decision has appeared to reverse course, with the coach stating Saturday that Bennett is, “At a point where he feels great.” It’s welcomed news for the team, as his return allows him to shake off some rust during the final two games of the regular season. In 74 games on the season, Bennett has scored a career-high 50 points.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- Senators star Brady Tkachuk remains out with an upper-body injury, per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. Garrioch adds that Tkachuk skated on Saturday, but that there’s a likelihood the power forward doesn’t play until the playoffs. Tkachuk has missed the last eight games since sustaining an upper-body injury in Ottawa’s overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 30. He was hit late in the second period from defender Ryan Graves that drew a penalty, and Tkachuk did not return to the game. In 71 games, he has put up 29 goals and 55 points.
- Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power sustained a lower-body injury during last night’s loss to the Panthers, and he is not expected to play in tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, reports Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News. He ended last night’s game with just 15 shifts and 13:27 of total ice time. On the season, Power has put up a career-high 40 points. At just 22, Power has put 111 points in 242 career NHL games. He still has six years remaining on his eight-year, 8.35MM contract he signed in October 2023.
Capitals Loan Terik Parascak to Hershey Bears
The Washington Capitals have loaned forward Terik Parascak to the AHL’s Hershey Bears, the team announced today. One of the team’s top prospects, Parascak was selected 17th overall pick in the 2024 draft, and has been on a tear in the WHL this season.
Parascak, 18, has 82 points in 59 games for the Prince George Cougars, which is second on the team behind Minnesota Wild prospect Riley Heidt (90). Despite his lofty numbers, he actually put up more points with the Cougars last season, when he posted 43 goals and 105 points in 68 games. He has added 24 points in 19 playoff games in the WHL, including 10 points in seven games this season. The Cougars’ season ended after a first-round exit, opening the door for Parascak to join the Caps’ AHL-affiliate. At 6’0, 180, the right-handed winger is known for his ability to set up and finish plays.
Last season, he was named to the 2024 CHL All-Rookie Team and the WHL B.C. Division Second All-Star Team, led CHL rookies in goals and points and finished eighth overall in WHL scoring. Parascak’s 105 points were the most by a CHL rookie since Patrick Kane (145 points) and Sam Gagner (118 points) in 2006-07 and the fourth most since 2000-01, trailing only Kane, Gagner and Sidney Crosby (2003-04: 135 points), per the release.
Parascak, a native of Alberta, joins the Atlantic Division-leading Bears as they gear up for a deep run toward the Calder Cup. The team currently sits at 43-16-6-1, and adding a playmaker like Parascak should only support their efforts. He joins fellow Caps’ forward prospects in Hersey like Pierrick Dube and Ivan Miroshnichenko.
Rangers Recall Matthew Robertson
The New York Rangers have recalled defenseman Matthew Robertson, per a team release. The 24-year-old is expected to make his NHL debut as Braden Schneider will sit out the final two games of the season with an upper-body injury, adds Mollie Walker of the New York Post.
The team’s second round selection in the 2019 draft, Robertson has spent the last four seasons in the AHL. In 60 games for the Hartford Wolfpack this season, Robertson has put up one goal, 25 points and 55 penalty minutes. Throughout his time in the AHL, the 6’4, 200-pound defender has put up 80 points and 176 penalty minutes in 250 games. Prior to that, Robertson spent five seasons in the WHL with the Edmonton Oil Kings, where he put up solid numbers for a defender. In 208 WHL games, Robertson posted 127 points, which included averaging a point-per-game in his final season.
While he was a highly regarded prospect, the left-handed Robertson hasn’t been able to crack the NHL lineup since being drafted. Although he’ll be making his first appearance with the Rangers, he is set for restricted free agency following the season. With this said, Robertson still ranks toward the top of the franchise’s defensive prospects list, so it stands to reason the Rangers will look to bring Robertson back into the fold.
Robertson may also have a clearer path to playing in New York next season, as K’Andre Miller is also set to be a restricted free agent and is a due a raise on his current $3,872,000MM AAV. Zachary Jones is also set for restricted free agency. Calvin de Haan, who the team acquired earlier this year in a trade with the Avalanche, is set to become a free agent after the season and recently had choice words for how he feels he’s been treated by the team. So, it’s safe to say de Haan will be looking a role elsewhere starting this summer.
Avalanche Recall T.J. Tynan
The Colorado Avalanche have recalled forward T.J. Tynan from the AHL, per a team release. Tyran will likely suit up in Colorado’s final regular season game tonight against the Anaheim Ducks.
In the eight games on the season in Colorado, Tynan has registered one assist, while adding four hits, four blocked shots, and four penalty minutes. This season represents the first NHL playing time for Tynan since the 2021-22 season, when he suited up in two games for the Kings. A 2011 third-round selection of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Tyran, 33, has skated in 29 career NHL contests and has added two assists and zero goals. While Tynan doesn’t seem destined to support the club past today’s contest, it will be fun to see if he can light the lamp post for the first time in his career.
While he hasn’t been able to produce in the NHL, his statistics at the AHL-level have been a stark contract to what’s he’s been able to do at the top level, including this season where he has produced eight goals, 41 assists and 49 points in 50 games for the Colorado Eagles. He has scored 642 points in 691 AHL games, while adding another 35 points in 59 Calder Cup playoff games. Known for his passing abilities, 532 of his 642 AHL points have been assists, including 84 assists during the 2021-22 season with the Ontario Reign, the Kings’ AHL-affiliate.
His recall provides some depth as Colorado is already without several lineup fixtures, including star Nathan MacKinnon. He’s dealing with a minor injury that wouldn’t hold him out of playoff action, but he’s expected to sit for both contests this weekend. However, forwards Ross Colton (undisclosed) and Jonathan Drouin (lower body) both carry more serious injuries, although both could be ready for game one of the playoffs. These injuries also necessitated of forward Jere Innala from AHL Colorado. Innala suited up in last night’s 5-4 loss to the Kings, where he registered two shots on net and recorded a hit in 10:10 of total ice time.
Nick Cousins Returns to Senators Lineup
Ottawa Senators forward Nick Cousins has been activated from LTIR and is in the lineup for today’s afternoon tilt against the Flyers, per TSN’s Bruce Garrioch. It represents his first game action since suffering a knee injury in late January. He is skating on a Sens’ third line alongside center Shane Pinto and Michael Amadio.
Originally expected to miss three months with the injury, GM Steve Staios recently stated the 31-year-old Cousins has been “attacking his rehab,” and he now returns ahead of his recovery timeline and in time to help make an impact in the playoffs. Cousins will provide the Sens with a reliable bottom-six option for their playoff lineup, as well as a trustworthy penalty killer. In his career, Cousins has appeared in 63 playoff contests and helped the Panthers capture the Stanley Cup just last season. In 47 games this season, Cousins has produced five goals, 13 points, 80 hits, and 24 blocked shots while averaging just under 12 minutes of ice time per game.
Coach Travis Green told reporters Saturday that he’s happy to see Cousins return to the lineup but added he will be rusty and that the team will have to get him up to speed.
Garrioch adds that forwards David Perron and Ridly Greig and defenders Nikolas Matinpalo and Nick Jensen are out of the lineup today, while Cousins, Angus Crookshank, Dennis Gilbert and Travis Hamonic are all playing. As Garrioch notes, Jensen has been playing with an unspecified lower-body injury for some time, and with the Sens already locked into a playoff spot, now serves as good time to give the veteran some recovery time. With Jensen and Matinpalo out, the door was opened for Hamonic and Gilbert to return to the lineup. Hamonic, who has played in 56 games this season and recorded six points and -17 rating, is skating on the team’s second pairing with Thomas Chabot, while Gilbert is skating with Tyler Kleven on the team’s third pairing. Gilbert has skated in 26 games this season and has recorded five points.
While the other absences from today’s game don’t appear to be serious in nature, Green noted the team is also not mailing in these final games of the season, per Garrioch. Green added that experienced teams understand that the intensity picks up in the playoffs, so he’ll look for his team to continue to showcase that energy in the final games of the season. It’s also one of the reasons the team recently recalled winger Hayden Hodgson to add some physicality to the lineup.