The 20-year-old forward was recalled from the AHL's Rochester Americans on Tuesday and could get into the Sabres' lineup for their three remaining regular-season games.
In 48 contests with the Americans this year, Nylander has notched seven goals and 19 assists. He made his NHL debut with the Sabres last season, appearing in four games, in which he picked up one assist.
The Sabres' next game comes Wednesday against the Ottawa Senators.
St. Louis Blues defenseman Carl Gunnarsson was given a six-month recovery timeline Tuesday after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee.
The 31-year-old has been out of the lineup for the past five games after he suffered the injury on March 23 versus the Vancouver Canucks.
Gunnarsson is another key loss for the banged-up Blues, who sit one point back of the West's second wild-card seed.
In 63 appearances this season, Gunnarsson has recorded nine points and a plus-15 rating.
The Swedish blue-liner has one year remaining on his contract, carrying a $2.9-million salary cap hit.
Following the announcement that top defenseman Ryan Suter will be lost for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs, Wild coach Bruce Boudreau revealed the team will soon welcome the return of injured blue-liner Jared Spurgeon.
"I'm sure that he's definitely ready for the playoffs and definitely if we needed him before this week was over then he'd be playing," Boudreau told Sarah McLellan of the Star Tribune.
Spurgeon has been sidelined for the past nine games because of a hamstring injury, but he could return to the lineup during the Wild's upcoming California road trip.
Prior to the injury, Spurgeon sat second among Wild defensemen - behind only Suter - in averaging more than 24 minutes of ice time.
In 61 appearances this season, Spurgeon has tallied nine goals and 28 assists.
The injury-riddled Boston Bruins will get a bit of a boost to their blue line on Tuesday, as rookie defenseman Charlie McAvoy is set to the return.
McAvoy has been out of the lineup for the past 15 games due to a knee injury, with his last appearance coming on March 3.
The Bruins face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning in a game that could prove to have major playoff implications, with the two teams separated by just two points atop the Atlantic Division.
In 59 games this season, McAvoy has notched seven goals and 25 assists, good for third in scoring among rookie defensemen.
Barzal noted to Gross that he is excited for the opportunity to potentially play alongside McDavid.
The 20-year-old is no stranger to representing his country, having donned the maple leaf at two editions of the U-18 tournament and twice at the World Junior Championship.
According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports, the Coyotes have offered the netminder a multi-year extension that could be as long as four years and worth up to $4.5 million per season.
The offer is comparable with some other starters around the NHL:
Goalie (Team)
Contract (Signed)
Cap Hit
Ben Bishop (Stars)
6 Years (2017)
$4.917M
Devan Dubnyk (Wild)
6 Years (2015)
$4.33M
Cam Talbot (Oilers)
3 Years (2016)
$4.167M
Scott Darling (Hurricanes)
4 Years (2017)
$4.15M
Raanta is in the final season of a two-year deal that carries a $1-million cap hit.
The Coyotes acquired Raanta, alongside center Derek Stepan, from the New York Rangers last offseason in a trade that saw them part with their 2017 first-rounder and defensive prospect Anthony DeAngelo.
Raanta, 28, has posted 20 wins across 45 appearances this season, while his .929 save percentage and 2.27 GAA rank third-best in the NHL.
On Monday, Raanta was named the NHL's second star of the week after he won his three games, allowing a combined three goals.
As NHL teams are officially eliminated from Stanley Cup contention, theScore NHL freelance writer Katie Brown looks back at the highs and lows of their seasons, along with the biggest questions ahead of 2018-19. The 10th edition focuses on the New York Islanders.
The Good
The magnificence of Mathew Barzal. Watching him play, it’s almost hard to believe this is Barzal's rookie year. The 20-year-old has put up 79 points in 79 games, and his 59 assists are tied for fifth in the league. Barzal is undoubtedly the top candidate for this year's Calder Trophy.
A new arena (almost). Just about everyone has been unhappy since the Islanders left Nassau Coliseum and made Barclays Center their new arena. New York could call Belmont Park home by the start of the 2021-22 season, when construction is expected to be completed on the new 18,000-seat arena. Until then, they’ll split time at Barclays and the Coliseum for the next three seasons once updates to the latter are completed through the summer.
Goals aplenty. For all of their defensive troubles, the Islanders’ offense has stayed healthy, coming into the week ranked eighth in the league in goals per game. Barzal and John Tavares each average at least one point per game, Anders Lee is on track to reach 40 goals for the first time in his career, and Jordan Eberle has reached the 25-goal plateau in his first year with the Isles.
The Bad
Awful goaltending. One of the most obvious things wrong with the 2017-18 Islanders is their goaltending. The penchant for keeping three goalies up at the same time (as they’ve done more than once) prevents any one of them from getting into a rhythm. The .899 combined save percentage between Jaroslav Halak, Thomas Greiss, and Christopher Gibson is well below league average.
Defensive deficiencies. The Islanders are on track to finish dead last in the NHL in goals against and have the worst penalty kill in the league. Defense is arguably their biggest problem - and combined with goaltending troubles, has been a recipe for disaster. Losing Calvin de Haan in December has only made matters worse. Nick Leddy's minus-42 punctuates just how bad things have gone for the Islanders’ blue line.
Ho-Sang vs. the Islanders.Josh Ho-Sang recently sounded off on the organization regarding his treatment, and how he felt he was being blamed for some of the team’s defensive issues this season. He was sent down to the AHL for that reason after 22 games. While he may need to work on that side of his game, it’s not really fair to pin the team's defensive woes on a player who really hasn’t had a chance to prove himself at the NHL level.
The Questions
Does Tavares re-sign? Tavares has spent his entire NHL career with the Islanders - but there is a possibility he decides to test free agency when his six-year, $33-million contract expires this summer. He could easily double his $5.5-million cap hit in his next contract.
There are many factors for Tavares to consider. How does he feel about the overall direction of the team? The Islanders have two picks in the first round of the draft; it’s a long shot, but they could win the No. 1 pick and draft Rasmus Dahlin, who would immediately improve the defense. And then there’s the chance Tavares might not even consider leaving at all. This is a similar situation to when Steven Stamkos stayed in Tampa, but the Lightning were also in a much better place than the Islanders are right now.
Will Garth Snow stay? Since Snow was hired as Islanders GM in 2006, they’ve made the playoffs four times. Now they’ve missed the postseason again for the second year in a row and it could possibly cost them Tavares. Snow’s trade deadline inaction was baffling. Did he not believe the team was a couple pieces away from being truly competitive?
Through the remainder of the regular season, we'll take a look at how the night's action impacts the playoff races, highlighting which teams' postseason odds went up or down significantly.
The Panthers, who defeated the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday, continue to claw away at a wild-card position. Still, it's a tough road ahead, as Florida sits five points back of the New Jersey Devils with just four games remaining.
Western Conference
Team
Result
Playoff Chances
Change
Kings
3-1 W vs. COL
99.9%
+8.6%
Ducks
Off
97.7%
+4%
Avalanche
3-1 L vs. LAK
49.4%
-3.9%
Blues
4-2 L vs. WSH
53.1%
-10.5%
It's likely safe to start printing playoff tickets in Los Angeles.
A critical win over the Colorado Avalanche - also fighting for one of three unclaimed postseason positions in the West - boosted the Kings' playoff hopes to a near certainty, as the team looks poised to make the dance for just the second time in the past four years.
With Henrik and Daniel Sedin announcing they'll retire at the end of the season, a new era of Vancouver Canucks hockey is upon us. General manager Jim Benning is tasked with steering the team in a new direction, and with $14 million coming off the books, he has no shortage of flexibility.
Here's how the Canucks can use their newfound cap space to boost their ongoing rebuild and become contenders once again:
Use Sedin money on 2018 free-agent class
Cap Friendly projects the Canucks will have just over $21 million in cap space this offseason. With few players needing new contracts (Sven Baertschi and Jake Virtanen are the most notable), they're in a prime position to be big spenders.
Vancouver is well-equipped to make a pitch to pending unrestricted free agent John Tavares, but signing in a media-heavy Canadian market on a rebuilding team doesn't seem like something he would want. Instead, Benning should turn his attention to the following players:
John Carlson: The Canucks' biggest need is easily on the blue line. They need an anchor; someone who can log big minutes and push some of their other D-men down the depth chart. Carlson has played that role effectively in Washington this year, averaging nearly 25 minutes a night with 66 points. He's still only 28, so he could perform admirably at the tail end of a six- or seven-year deal.
Evander Kane: While addressing their back end should be the top priority, the Canucks also need someone who can put the puck in the net. The Vancouver native is one of the younger UFAs available, and could be a core player in his hometown for the next six or seven seasons. His post-deadline play with the Sharks has surely boosted his value, but the Canucks can afford it.
James van Riemsdyk: While he's not nearly as complete of a player as Kane is, Van Riemsdyk can score with the best of them - even if it's in a one-dimensional way. The Canucks could use a big-bodied net-front presence, and JVR is one of the best in the business at scoring around the crease.
Signing Carlson and one of Kane and van Riemsdyk would roughly cost the Canucks the $14 million they were paying the Sedins. Here's how their projected 2019 lineup would shape up with these two new additions, and the arrivals of top prospects Elias Pettersson and Olli Juolevi:
LW
C
RW
Sven Baertschi
Bo Horvat
Brock Boeser
Kane/JVR
Elias Pettersson
Nikolay Goldobin
Loui Eriksson
Brandon Sutter
Jake Virtanen
Brendan Leipsic
Sam Gagner
Adam Gaudette
Markus Granlund
LD
RD
Alex Edler
John Carlson
Michael Del Zotto
Chris Tanev
Olli Juolevi
Erik Gudbranson
Ben Hutton
Troy Stecher
G
Jacob Markstrom
Thatcher Demko
While this hypothetical version of the 2018-19 Canucks would require a lot of their younger players to grow up in a hurry in order to push for a playoff spot, there's no denying these signings would move them in the right direction.
Continue rebuild, wait for 2019 FA class
Not spending at least a good chunk of the Sedins' $14 million this offseason would be a tough sell to the fan base, but waiting until the 2019 free-agent class could be best in the long run.
Waiting until 2019 to splurge would allow Benning to focus on signing Brock Boeser - set to become an RFA after the 2018-19 season - to a long-term extension. Plus, another year without any major additions would likely mean another high draft pick, which could result in another cornerstone player.
Yes, the 2018 free-agent class has some players who would fit nicely with the Canucks, but the 2019 class could be even better. Here's a list of notable players scheduled to become UFAs after next season:
Centers
Wingers
Defenseman
Goalies
Tyler Seguin
Blake Wheeler
Drew Doughty
Sergei Bobrosvky
Logan Couture
Artemi Panarin
Erik Karlsson
Pekka Rinne
Joe Pavelski
Jeff Skinner
Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Marc-Andre Fleury
Matt Duchene
Max Pacioretty
Tyler Myers
Cam Talbot
Eric Staal
Wayne Simmonds
Ryan McDonagh
Semyon Varlamov
Derick Brassard
Jordan Eberle
Anton Stralman
Jimmy Howard
Adam Henrique
Anders Lee
Jake Gardiner
Jakob Silfverberg
Ryan Ellis
Mats Zuccarello
Nate Schmidt
Gustav Nyquist
Nik Hjalmarsson
Marcus Johansson
While many of them will likely re-sign before hitting free agency, Vancouver will be in a good position to make a push for those who test the open market.
With Alex Edler, Michael Del Zotto, Ben Hutton, and Anders Nilsson coming off the books after next season, Cap Friendly projects the Canucks will have more than $41 million in cap space. That doesn't include Boeser's impending pay raise, but nonetheless, Benning would have more flexibility if he waits another year.
He would be smart to use this cap space to acquire at least two top-four defensemen to support the emerging Thatcher Demko, who's arguably the best goalie prospect in hockey. Afterward, Benning would still have enough to go after a top-six forward, leading to a hypothetical 2019-20 lineup as follows:
LW
C
RW
Baertschi
Horvat
Boeser
Skinner
Pettersson
Goldobin
Eriksson
Sutter
Virtanen
Leipsic
Gagner
Gaudette
Dahlen
Granlund
LD
RD
Juolevi
Myers
Gardiner
Tanev
Gudbranson
Stetcher
G
Demko
Markstrom
While landing one of the big fish such as Erik Karlsson, Drew Doughty, or Oliver Ekman-Larsson would be ideal, signing both Tyler Myers and Jake Gardiner is more realistic, and would help their back end a whole lot. A sixth D would still need to be added, but that can be done in a variety of ways.
Meanwhile, Jeff Skinner is an underrated two-way player (second in the NHL with 92 takeaways) and a diminished role in Carolina could indicate he's in need of a fresh start. He seems like a good to fit to play alongside two young, talented players in Pettersson and Goldobin.
If Myers, Gardiner, and Skinner each get between $6 million and $7 million, and Boeser's cap hit comes in around $8 million, the Canucks would still have somewhere between $5 million and $10 million to shore up the rest of their team, when you account for modest raises for Baertschi, Goldobin, and Virtanen.
What neither of these lineup projections includes is the player Vancouver will choose with its first-round pick this year (which could very well be Rasmus Dahlin), or the player it will choose in the 2019 draft.
Regardless, if Benning spends the Canucks' newfound cap room wisely - which he hasn't always done (see Loui Eriksson) - and hits on high draft picks, and their young cornerstone players develop on schedule, the team could very well contend within the next few years, given the league's parity.
