Neal Pionk has signed a six-year, $42 million extension to remain in Winnipeg. Pionk was set to become a UFA after the season, so one potential UFA d-man has now come off the board. During his six seasons with the Jets, Pionk has been a remarkably consistent blueliner fantasy-wise, reaching at least 30 points every season. He finishes the season with 39 points in 69 games, having also reached at least 100 hits and 100 blocked shots for the third consecutive season.

The Pionk signing was announced just a day after the Jets also re-signed Alex Iafallo to a three-year, $11 million extension. Who said players don't like to play in Winnipeg? Having a winning team certainly helps with that.

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According to Katie Strang of The Athletic, Artemi Panarin and Madison Square Garden Sports (which owns the Rangers) paid financial settlements to a Rangers staff member after she claimed that Panarin sexually assaulted her. This story may explain to some degree why the Rangers badly underachieved to some degree, although Panarin was named the team's MVP this past season after leading the team with 88 points in 80 games.

Although there has been a settlement, this story very likely won't go away. At the very least, questions will be asked during the Rangers' season-ending press conference. Sexual assault is a very serious matter, as it has cost members of the 2018 World Junior team their NHL careers (at least at this point). Panarin's contract with the Rangers expires after the 2025-26 season.

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Thursday was the last day of the NHL season, with the league taking a one-day pause before playoff matches begin on Saturday. If you are still playing in a fantasy league at this point, you had to be holding your breath that your playoff-bound star player wasn't rested. It's probably been quite a job to manage players coming in and out of your lineup as well.

It wasn't all fill-ins and subs with outstanding performances on Thursday, though. Igor Shesterkin turned aside 27 Lightning shots in earning a 4-0 shutout win. Shesterkin finished the season with 27 wins and slightly above average ratios (2.86 GAA, .904 SV%). That win total was expected to be significantly higher, but the Rangers were perhaps the league's most disappointing team this season when comparing expectations to actual performance. Team play definitely affects goalie results in fantasy, as Shesterkin did not live up to his draft-day cost (ADP 17 in Yahoo).

Mika Zibanejad wrapped up his own disappointing season on a high note with 11 points in his last six games, including two goals and an assist on Thursday. When the Rangers seemed to bottom out in December, Zibanejad went eight games without a point. Now on the other side of 30, Zibanejad's per-game production has fallen for two consecutive seasons. However, on the final game of the season, Zibanejad managed to reach 20 goals for the eighth consecutive season.

After posting 35 points in 40 games with the Canucks, J.T. Miller finished the season with 35 points in just 32 games as a Ranger. That's a positive for next season if you have Miller stock.

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Even though he was held without a point on Thursday, Nikita Kucherov finishes the season as the Art Ross Trophy winner with 121 points.

While we're on the subject of scoring trophy winners, Leon Draisaitl is the Rocket Richard Trophy winner with 52 goals. In a stat resembling the dead puck era, Draisaitl was the only player to score 50 goals this season.

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It may not help that many fantasy teams that Brady Tkachuk returned to the Senators' lineup on Thursday after missing the past eight games with an upper-body injury. However, Tkachuk left Thursday's game against Carolina for what was described as precautionary reasons. Tkachuk said he would have "no issues" being ready for Game 1 of the playoffs, though. Although handling Tkachuk will be a tall order for Toronto, Tkachuk will need to be very close to full health for the Senators to be able to get past the Leafs.

Despite Tkachuk leaving the game early, the Sens won the game 7-5. Drake Batherson, Dylan Cozens, and Tim Stutzle each tallied three points. Batherson and Adam Gaudette each scored a pair of goals. Stutzle ended the regular season on a high note with seven points over his last three games, while Batherson has nine points in his last seven games and Cozens has six points in his last four games.

In his second NHL game, Skyler Brind'Amour scored his first NHL goal. The Canes have been resting several regulars this week, which has created room for the coach's son. The 25-year-old Brind'Amour posted 23 points in 67 games in the AHL this season, so he hardly fits the definition of a prospect.

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Despite the Capitals losing 5-2 to Pittsburgh, Alex Ovechkin scored his 44^th goal of the season. Ovechkin is now only three goals shy of being the first player to reach 900 goals in his career. Only Draisaitl and William Nylander finished with more goals than Ovechkin, who tied Tage Thompson for third in goals. Ovie finishes the regular season with 13 points over his last nine games.

In the Penguins' win, Bryan Rust led the way with a pair of goals. Rust finishes the season with 10 points over his last seven games. Sidney Crosby scored a goal and added an assist, giving him 25 points in his last 17 games. That late-season run has cemented Crosby for at least 90 points for three consecutive seasons. At this point he seems underrated in fantasy leagues.

20 seasons later, Sidney Crosby is still NASTY 🤢😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/3vyZOSyt6I

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 18, 2025

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Due to the number of fantasy leagues that have already shut down for the season, many of you reading this may not already know that Jet Greaves has been the hottest goalie around for the past few games. On Thursday, Greaves stopped 36 of 37 shots in the Blue Jackets' 6-1 win over the Islanders. All five of Greaves' last five games have resulted in wins and quality starts, and he has a sparkling 0.80 GAA and .975 SV% over those five games.

I'm not sure about a clear path to the NHL full-time for Greaves next season, however. For starters, the recent success is only a small sample size. As well, Elvis Merzlikins is under contract for two more seasons, while Daniil Tarasov is an arbitration-eligible RFA. In addition, Greaves is only 6-0, which is considered short for a goalie nowadays and may hinder his long-term ability to secure a permanent role (something I caught from the 32 Thoughts podcast). However, the Jackets deciding to either buy out the inconsistent Merzlikins or walk away from Tarasov in the offseason is not outside the realm of possibilities.

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In the Sabres' 5-4 win over Philadelphia, Ryan McLeod led the charge with a goal and two assists. In his first season with Buffalo, McLeod has reached 20 goals and 53 points – both career highs. This level of offense certainly wasn't expected of McLeod, who was brought in more to help the Sabres with their bottom 6. It's easy to bash Buffalo, but they finished the season with five players that scored at least 20 goals: Thompson, Alex Tuch, JJ Peterka, Jason Zucker, and McLeod.

Tuch, by the way, finished Thursday's game with a goal, an assist, and three blocked shots. He led all forwards this season with 113 blocked shots, which is also a single-season record. Combine that with Tuch ending the season tying his career high in goals with 36, and he had a pretty solid multicategory fantasy season.

In a losing cause, Matvei Michkov scored two goals while adding an assist with seven shots. In a tight three-way rookie scoring race, Michkov was tied for second in points (63) with Macklin Celebrini. Defenseman Lane Hutson finished as the rookie scoring leader with 66 points.

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With two assists on Thursday, Mitch Marner finished the season with 102 points – the first 100-point season of his career. What's next for Marner will be very interesting. First, Marner and the Leafs will attempt to overcome their prior playoff woes with a deep playoff run. After that, Marner will become a UFA. One could easily be tied to the other. If the Leafs fall short again, then letting Marner walk would be the easiest way to shake things up. On the other hand, the best playoff run of Marner's career could perhaps price him out of the Leafs' budget.

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Zayne Parekh, Aydar Suniev, Sam Morton, and Hunter Brzustewicz all made their NHL debuts for the Flames on Thursday night against the Kings, who had Taylor Ward making his NHL debut. Parekh, Morton, and Ward all scored goals in their debuts in the Flames' 5-1 win. Parekh led all debuting players with 20:31 in icetime, which was also second on the Flames. Several Flames regulars sat out this game, including Jonathan Huberdeau and Rasmus Andersson.

Parekh, the ninth overall pick in the 2024 draft, is the debuting player of the most interest to fantasy teams. He followed up a 96-point season in the OHL with a 107-point season in five fewer games – as a defenseman. His offensive upside is second to none, although his defensive issues could mean that the fast track to NHL stardom won't be that simple. Those issues likely cost him a spot on Canada's World Junior roster. Still, Parekh is an important piece on keeper league rosters.

Parekh may not have an easy time making the jump to the NHL full-time next season. He just turned 19 years of age, which is still quite young for a blueliner. In addition, the Flames could not seem to find room this season for Tyson Barrie, who has a similar profile to Parekh. Joel Hanley is the only current d-man set to become a UFA, so there may not be much turnover on the Flames' blueline next season. However, Andersson was rumored to be on the trade block earlier this season, so a spot could be created if the Flames decide to trade him with a year left on his contract.  

For more on these prospects, see the Dobber Prospects page for the Flames.

Nazem Kadri scored two of the goals for the Flames, giving him six points in his last four games. Kadri finished the season with a career-high 35 goals, which is saying a lot considering how long he has been around. Kadri is a key piece for a Flames team that surpassed expectations and competed hard all season.

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The regular season has now concluded. A total of 16 teams will continue to compete for the Stanley Cup, while the other 16 teams will hit the links after their year-end press conferences. Look for the Dobber writers to provide their playoff picks just before the puck drops on the playoffs on Saturday.

Don't forget that you can also purchase Dobber's Interactive Playoff Draft List if you are in a playoff pool.

As well, join DobberHockey's Bracket Challenge over at NHL.com. Yes, I will get my bracket filled out soon, Dobber.

DobberHockey's bracket challenge!https://t.co/5CyfSrOCoB
cc. @Ian_Gooding @SlimCliffy @pharling

— Dobber (@DobberHockey) April 17, 2025

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