Patrick Williamstheahl.com writer
NHL free agents are opening today at noon ET, but action involving familiarity with the AHL name is already in progress.
While the top name that dominated the NHL’s headlines, the work done by the NHL organization this week goes a long way to shaping the fate of the AHL branch that will come to the future season. Whether it's an added strong veteran core, a player just won the core of Calder Cup, or getting new opportunities elsewhere, the coming days are crucial.
Let's break down some early activities and look forward to who can sign.
A familiar name is already moving
There are already several transactions involving top AHL names.
Just three days after participating in the Calder Cup final with Charlotte's chess piece, move forward Justin Sourdif The Florida Panthers were sent to the Washington Capitals to obtain a second-round pick including the 2026 draft pick. Look forward on the same day Brendan GaunceThose who break up in the Minnesota field and Iowa field this season will return to a familiar organization after a deal with Columbus blue jacket. Gaunce Cameron Butler Go to Minnesota.
The next day, Columbus stayed busy in his deal with the Colorado Avalanche. As part of the NHL's progress Charlie Coyle and Mile Woodthe avalanche was obtained Gavin Brindley From Columbus. Brindley, 20, is a second-round draft pick and just finished his first professional season with Cleveland.
Minnesota took another move in the NHL draft last Saturday, gaining a defensive player Chase Priskie From Washington. Priskie is an established AHL performer, scoring 35 points (12 goals, 23 assists) in 61 games against the Hershey Bears and won the Calder Cup in 2024. However, the 29-year-old did not sign with Minnesota but is still eligible to be a free agent.
The last trade before taking action today involves goalkeepers Cayden Primeau. Primeau was from Laval Rocket’s excellent season, and Montreal was sent to the Carolina Hurricanes by Montreal on Monday. The restricted free agents went 21-2-2 with the Rockets averaging 1.96 goals and a 0.927 savings percentage in 26 games. Primeau, 25, also separated from rookie Laval.com Jacob Fowler With the regular season champion Rockets entering the Eastern Conference Finals.
Calder Cup Championship Canucks available
The NHL team wants the winner, and there are several proven players who won the Calder Cup with the Abbotsford Canucks eight days ago.
Defensive players Christian VoranenHe won the Eddie Shore Award for the top defender of the AHL in 2022-23. The 30-year-old scored 40 points (4 goals, 36 assists) in 58 regular season games, then scored 10 points (2 goals, 8 assists) in 17 playoff games while playing a lot of games and helping anchor the Abbotsford Blue series. Another major pillar of the Abbotsford blue line, Akito Hirosealso an unrestricted free agent.
Sammy Blais Shows how much advantage he can get in the Calder Cup playoffs. After 40 points in the regular season, Bryce ranked third in the Calder Cup playoffs, tied with 19 points (6 goals, 13 assists) in 23 games and titled the dominant Abbotsford Forecheck, causing various problems for his opponents. In addition to winning the Calder Cup with Abbotsford, he also won the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019 and competed in 257 NHL games. Phil Di Giuseppe Is another Abbotsford with a lot of NHL experience (302 games). The 31-year-old split the regular season between Abbotsford and the Vancouver Canucks. He scored 11 points (6 goals and 5 assists) in all 24 playoff games. Jujhar Khairaalso becoming a valuable power forward in March, obtained from Syracuse's austerity contract and obtained from Syracuse's austerity.
However, Vancouver retains the striker Arshdeep Bains,,,,, aaturätyand Max Sassen and the blue line support of the tissue Guillaume Brisebois.
Charlotte Outstanding People Offer More Choices
Several Charlotte players have also made strong cases for the Calder Cup finalists.
goalkeeper KaapoKähkönen Turning Florida's late-season trade into a stout sturdy playoff run with the Checkers. Kähkönen, who played 140 NHL games, started this season with the Colorado Hawks, went to the Manitoba Moose and moved to Charlotte. He played all 18 playoff games for Charlotte and scored 12-6 with a savings percentage of 2.18 GAA and .906.
On the blue line Matt Kierstedhe just finished his fourth full season in Florida. The 27-year-old can handle a top-level workload, scoring 29 points (1 goal, 28 assists) in 64 regular season games, and then adding eight assists in 13 playoff games.
Front, John Leonard The Checkers signed an AHL contract and offered a regular season with 36 goals, leading the team with 61 points, and then surpassing the team again with 14 points (8 goals, 6 assists) in 18 playoff games. Checkers captain and pillar Zac Dalpe It is an unrestricted free agent. forward Will Lockwood Can move the lineup up and down and fill any role, and Kyle Criscuolo It has long been a reliable two-way choice. at last, JessePuljujärvi After coming to Charlotte in February, his career has recovered. The fourth pick in the 2016 NHL Draft participated in 387 NHL games, but he had a bilateral hip surgery two years ago. He came to checkers, played any role he had and proved his lastingness through a long playoff game.
Stay behind
Boston Brown Bear Sticks Michael Dipietrothe Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award winner is the most outstanding goalkeeper in the AHL. Dipietro signed a new two-year contract with Boston on Monday after his outstanding season with Providence Bruins. Avalanche management has also been preserved Trent Miner After a great season with the Colorado Hawks, there is a two-year contract in the organization.
Dallas stars make sure to keep a combination of one or two Cameron Hughes and Cole Lind In the organization. Hughes and Lind were back-to-back Calder Cup finals with the Coachella Valley Firebirds before signing free agents last season. The two have been dominant in the playoffs, as always, and the two helped lead the Texas star to the Western Conference Finals. For their efforts, Hughes won a new two-year contract with Dallas, while Lind re-promoted another season.
Monday brought further action. Defensive players Onyebuchi, Montana After a steady season, he won a two-year contract with the Tucson Roadrunners for Utah Mammoth. Captain Calgary Wrangler Bishop Clark The extension was extended for a year to remain in Calgary Flame. LeeviMeriläinenPlayed 37 games online with the Belleville Senator and won a one-way contract with the Ottawa Senator.
The goalkeeper's help is here
Dipietro goalkeeper in Providence, Brandon Bussiavailable. yes Hunter Shepardhe brought Hershey Bear to the back-to-back Calder Cup title.
Other available networks include Oscar Dansk (San Diego), Collin Delia (Bakersfield), Aaron Dell (San Jose), Isaac Poulter (utica), Olivier Rodrigue (Bakersfield), Adam Scheel (Colorado), Malcolm Subban (Belleville) and Dustin Tokarski (Chicago). Ken Appleby Charlotte didn't see any playoff moves, but he did a great regular season. There are also several goalkeepers with a lot of NHL experience, including Jack Campbell (Grand Rapids), Matt Murray (Toronto) and Carl Peterson (Lehigh Valley). Iowa Troy Grosenick A knee injury missed the season, but he proved the performer at this level.
Looking for blue line boost?
The AHL season always tests a team’s defensive depth, so the offseason is a critical time to build a strong blue line that can meet these needs.
There is a pair of top veterans. Derrick Pouliot He is the first All-Star team member of Syracuse Crunch. Hershey's Ethan Bear Gain a place in the second All-Star team. Among the top 20 available defenders in the league in the regular season, there are Jack Akan (Colorado), Nikolas Brouillard (Coachella Valley), Kale Crag (Rochester), Jeremy Davies (Belleville), Max LaJoie (Coachella Valley) and Zach Metsa (Rochester).
More experiences can be found Calen Addison (Springfield), Louis Belpedio (Lehigh Valley), Tobie Bisson (Syracuse), Joseph Cecconi (Ontario), Dylan Coghlan (Manitoba), Cameron Crotty (Iowa), Marc del Gaizo (Milwaukee), Ben Gleason (Lehigh Valley), Lucas Johansen (Henderson), dysin mayo (Henderson), Jaycob Megna (Charlotte), Melmith of the Dakotas (Toronto), Ian Mitchell (Providence), Calle Rosén (Colorado), Brogan Rafferty (Grand Rapids), Chad Ruwidell (Hartford), Riley Stillman (Chicago), Jarred Tinordi (Calgary), Reilly Walsh (Ontario) and Tyler Wotherspoon (Laval).
There are many forwards
Leading from Texas is MatějBlümelhis league lead of 39 goals put him in second place with a score of 72 points in the AHL.
Toronto Alex Steves 36 goals were scored in just 59 games. Ontario Samuel Fagemohe scored 43 goals in 50 games a season ago, and Martin Frk (Calgary) is another sniper. Several long-term top organizers are also willing to catch them. have TJ Tynan Colorado is the most valuable player in the AHL twice Alex Barré-Boulet (Laval). Trey Fix-WolanskyIt has been a fixture for Cleveland Monsters since 2019. So are his teammates Rocco Grimaldihe played professional trials on the first day of the regular season and offered another excellent season.
Available AHL All-Star Classics include Grigori Denisenko (Milwaukee), Cole Gutman (Rockford), Cameron Hebig (Tucson), Alex Limoges (Hershi), Olle Lycksell (Lehigh Valley), Brett Murray (Rochester) and Brian Pinho (Bridgeport). They join the established high-end forward Vinni Lettieri (Providence), Alex Nylander (Toronto), Matthew Phillips (Colorado), Egor Sokolov (Tucson), Riley Tufte (Providence), Mike Viccion (Hershi), Chris Wagner (Colorado) and Keller Yamamoto (Tucson).
Milwaukee's Cal O'ReillyHe has no autograph after playing 1,000 games in his AHL career last February. The same is true for the captain Curtis Mackenzie (Texas) and Garrett Wilson (Lehigh Valley). Syracuse's Middle Stream Daniel Walcott A new deal is also needed.
During the fifty years in the American Hockey League, Theahl.com writer Patrick Williams currently covers NHL.com and Flosports leagues and is a regular contributor to Siriusxm NHL New Network Radio. He won the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his outstanding league coverage in 2016.
