Alexander Nikishin is coming to the NHL, mutually terminating his KHL contract with SKA St. Petersburg and then signing a two-year, entry-level deal with Carolina. Due to a lengthy process that could involve obtaining a Canadian visa as well as a US visa, Nikishin's debut is expected to be in the first round of the playoffs, where the Hurricanes are confirmed to face the New Jersey Devils. The Canes' last two regular-season games are in Montreal on Wednesday and at Ottawa on Thursday, and the Canes would like him to play in at least one game in North America (NHL or AHL) before the playoffs.

At this point, Nikishin should simply be an add in keeper leagues (38% Fantrax), as he may not be able to contribute to the leagues that are still in action until the bitter end this season. Nikishin has led KHL defensemen in scoring over the past three seasons with 157 points in 193 games. Couple that with the fact that he has posted these totals in his early 20s and you can see that he possesses very high upside. So high that he is currently he is the top-ranked defenseman on the Top 50 Fantasy Prospect Defensemen – March 2025.

The Canes currently have Dmitry Orlov, Jaccob Slavin, and Shayne Gostisbehere on the left side, so Nikishin might not have an easy time breaking into the lineup this season. Orlov is set to become a UFA after the season, which could create that full-time role for Nikishin, whose skills extend beyond just offense.

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Gabriel Landeskog suited up for the AHL's Colorado Eagles on Friday, playing his first game since the Stanley Cup-clinching game for the Avalanche in 2022. Landeskog did not register a point in the Eagles' 2-0 win over the Henderson Silver Knights, but he took a two-minute hooking penalty in the first period. After the game, Landeskog said that his knee felt great. He did not appear to be bubble-wrapped in this game, even getting involved in the extracurricular.

Ref didn't like Landy roughing up the 20 year old 🤣 pic.twitter.com/3hTFcyWSWL

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) April 12, 2025

Landeskog was a point-per-game player (59 points in 51 games) in his last NHL season back in 2021-22, but he has not played in a game for nearly three full years. Expect that he will need some time to return to the fast pace of the NHL. In addition, he will need to be injury-free and pain-free before he can be considered for next season's fantasy drafts. This doesn't take away from the fact that this is a story of perseverance, as simply getting back to the NHL after this long of a layoff is a victory in itself. In addition, Landeskog could provide an emotional boost that the Avalanche will need in the playoffs, which will probably start with a tough first-round showdown with Dallas.

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In a playoff pool? Don't forget about Dobber's 2025 Interactive Playoff Draft List. Fully customizable with your picks, or you can go with Dobber's playoff picks!

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Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Bryan Rust each scored a goal and an assist in the Penguins' 4-2 win over New Jersey. Crosby is just one point shy of reaching 90 points for the third consecutive season, showing no signs of slowing down at age 37. Malkin and Rust won't finish anywhere close to that this season, but they have both been heading up recently. Rust has six points in his last five games, while Malkin has six points in his last six games.

Matt Grzelcyk picked up two power-play assists. Currently on the Pens' top power play, Grzelcyk has a career-high 38 points and 15 power-play points this season. He is set to become a UFA at the end of the season, so his career season should result in a raise from his current $2.75 million salary. A departure from Pittsburgh could also free up the top power play for Erik Karlsson or Kris Letang again.

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In the Senators' 5-2 win over Montreal, Shane Pinto scored both the first goal and the last goal of the game. Pinto has now reached the 20-goal mark for the second time in three seasons, with four of those goals coming in his last five games. After scoring a goal in the first game of the season, Pinto went without a goal (and just two assists) in his next 19 games – a span of two months. After that, Pinto scored 19 goals in his last 47 games. Pinto is only 24 years old with just over 200 games of NHL experience, so consistency may come over the next few seasons.

Pinto's linemates also had two points in this game: Ridly Greig with a goal and an assist, and Michael Amadio with two assists. All three players finished with a plus-3.

Dylan Cozens broke a 10-game goal drought with a goal in this game.

With the loss, the Canadiens could not clinch the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They will get another crack at it today (Saturday) against the Leafs.

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The Red Wings kept their faint playoff hopes alive with a 4-3 overtime win over Tampa Bay on Friday. Marco Kasper's overtime winner was his second goal of the game. Kasper is in the top 10 in rookie scoring with 34 points. Kasper has been fortunate enough to be used in the Wings' top six, particularly in the second half.

Kasper's linemate Patrick Kane scored a goal while adding an assist. Kane has pitched in five points over his last five games.

Gage Goncalves scored a pair of goals for the Lightning. Playing mainly on a line with Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli, Goncalves has three goals and an assist over his last four games. He has also seen his icetime increase to the 15–18-minute range over the last two games after averaging 12 minutes per game this season.

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It may have taken longer than expected, but the Oilers have clinched a playoff spot with a 4-2 win over San Jose. That means that after playing over 1000 NHL games, Jeff Skinner will finally appear in an NHL playoff game!

Connor McDavid assisted on all four Oilers' goals, piling up seven points (all assists) in two games since returning from injury. His total points now matches his jersey number (97), and he figures to reach 100 points for the fifth consecutive season and eighth time in his career, since the Oilers have three games remaining.

The list of players with more 70+ assist seasons than Connor McDavid:

• Wayne Gretzky
• Mario Lemieux

That's it.

— Cam Robinson (@Hockey_Robinson) April 12, 2025

The win might have been costly for the Oilers. Both Mattias Ekholm and Zach Hyman left the game with undisclosed injuries. After the game, coach Kris Knoblauch said that one of Ekholm or Hyman could possibly not be ready for the playoffs, although he did not identify which one. The Oilers are already without Leon Draisaitl, so they could be entering the playoffs a little banged up.

For the latest injury news, check out the Frozen Tools Player News feed. You can search by player as well.

Evan Bouchard scored a goal and added an assist with five shots. Bouchard logged 28 minutes because Ekholm played just under two minutes before leaving.

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Meanwhile, the Wild are having a tough time clinching their own playoff spot, dropping a 4-2 decision to Calgary. Filip Gustavsson was pulled for Marc-Andre Fleury in the third period after allowing four goals on 29 shots, which didn't qualify as a really bad start but placed Minnesota in a 4-0 hole.

The Flames keep their playoff hopes alive with the win. They are three points behind both Minnesota and St. Louis with three games remaining. The Wild and Blues each have two games remaining, still controlling their own fates.

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