Nashville added to its offensive depth on Tuesday by adding nine-year veteran Vinnie Hinostroza to the Predators on a two-year, two-way contract. The 30-year-old appeared in 14 games with Pittsburgh in 2023-24 and had a goal and three points. Nashville will be his sixth NHL team as he looks to add to his 54 goals and 151 points in 374 career NHL games played.
Colorado added to its depth on Monday by signing Parker Kelly to two-year deal worth $1.65 million ($825K AAV). The 25-year-old had a career year in 2023-24, with eight goals, 10 assists, 30 PIMs and 86 SOG in 80 games played.
Nashville has locked up its backup goaltender for the 2024-25 season after signing Scott Wedgewood to a two-year deal worth $3.0 million ($1.5M AAV). The 31-year-old will join his fourth team in seven seasons after putting up an impressive 16-7-5 record in 2023-24 with a .285 GAA and .899 SV% backing up Jake Oettinger.
New Jersey made another offseason move on Friday as they traded forward Adam Beckman for defenseman Graeme Clarke with the Minnesota Wild. The 23-year-old has appeared in 23 games sparsely across three seasons with Minnesota and had no goals, three assists, 14 PIMs and 26 shots on goal.
Lehkonen will undergo shoulder surgery in the near future, and his availability for 2024-25 training camp is "going to be close," according to GM Chris MacFarland.
Miner was Colorado's 2019 seventh-round pick (202nd overall) and signed a one-year, two-way contract extension on Tuesday. The 23-year-old spent the 2023-24 season with 29 games played split between the Colorado Eagles (AHL) and Utah Grizzlies (ECHL) and has had an +.910 SV in his first three years with Utah.
Juulsen appears to be a healthy scratch for Game 5 as Carson Soucy returns from a one-game suspension. The 27-year-old has appeared in two playoff games prior to his scratch on Thursday, with zero points, four PIMs and one SOG while averaging only 12:54 TOI/GP.
Toews missed Game 4 due to an illness but travelled with the Avalanche to Dallas and will play in Game 5 on Wednesday after practicing in full. The 30-year-old's absence in Game 4 was a massive loss as he has been a lock in Colorado's top pair and has a goal, six points and a +4 plus/minus in eight games while averaging 23:45 TOI/GP.
Toews missed Game 4 due to an illness but travelled with the Avalanche to Dallas and is a game-time decision for Game 5 on Wednesday. The 30-year-old's absence in Game 4 was a massive loss as he has been a lock in Colorado's top pair and has a goal, six points and a +4 plus/minus in eight games while averaging 23:45 TOI/GP.
Toews missed Game 4 due to an illness and did not participate in Tuesday's practice. However, he's still expected to travel to Dallas for Game 5. Expect him to be a game-time decision on Wednesday.
Juulsen will play in his second game of the postseason, replacing Carson Soucy, who is serving his one-game suspension. Expect Juulsen to come out of the lineup for Game 5 with Soucy eligible to play.
Toews was hit high by Dallas' captain Jamie Benn in the second period of Game 2 and was forced to leave before returning in the third period and is not feeling any effects on Friday according to head coach Jared Bednar. The 30-year-old has been a staple on Colorado's back-end all playoffs, with a goal, five points, 10 SOG and +5 plus/minus while averaging 23:49 TOI/GP.
Juulsen will take the place of Tyler Myers, who is out with an undisclosed injury. Juulsen finished the 2023-24 regular season with one goal and six assists in 54 games.
Francouz did not participate in the 2023-24 season due to a groin injury and has announced his retirement from the NHL. Francouz battled injuries last season as well, recording a 2.61 GAA and .915 SV% while playing in only 16 games (8-7-1). The 33-year-old Francouz ends his career with a 2.49 GAA, .919 SV%, and four shutouts in 73 games (44-21-6).
Ian Cole (rest) will have the night off on Thursday, allowing Juulsen to re-enter the lineup. Juulsen has tallied seven points (1G / 6A) in 53 games with Vancouver this season.
The roster move closes the book on Beckman's 2023-24 NHL season. The 22-year-old left winger played 11 games with the Wild this season, registering no goals and two assists.
Brindley was the 34th overall pick of the Blue Jackets in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. The 19-year-old had an impressive 2023-24 campaign with the University of Michigan, scoring 53 points (25G / 28A) in 40 games.
Blackwood concludes his first season with the Sharks, showcasing a 3.45 GAA and .899 SV% through 44 games (10-25-4). Georgi Romanov has been recalled from the San Jose Barracuda and will likely serve as the backup to Devin Cooley.
