Two days after their elimination at the hands of the Panthers, the Hurricanes held their year-end press conferences. Some takeaways from the interviews:

Seth Jarvis said he had re-injured his shoulder early in the season after rehabilitation in the offseason. He plans to rehab his shoulder again without surgery. Jarvis could be playing for Canada at the Olympics in addition to the Canes, but he may need to address the surgery at some point. Despite the nagging shoulder issue, Jarvis set a career high in points per game (0.92 PTS/GP), equaling his career high of 67 points while playing eight fewer games. Jarvis had a long season, playing in the 4 Nations in addition to 15 playoff games. If his shoulder is in better shape, he seems like a good bet to crack the 70-point mark next season.

Brent Burns seemed noncommittal about his future plans. Now 40 years of age, Burns is a pending UFA, so retirement has to be on the table. Burns also underwent surgery at the end of last season. The aging curve has definitely hit Burns, who was at one time a high-event multicategory beast. Burns was limited to 29 points last season, including a meager three power-play points. He also averaged only two shots per game with a Phil Kessel-like 11 hits, both of which were much lower than he provided in his prime. Burns is still the NHL's ironman, appearing in 925 consecutive games and 139 games behind Kessel. Hey, the key to being an NHL ironman is not to hit anything!

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The Islanders will be retaining Kyle Palmieri, signing him to a two-year contract with a cap hit of $4.75 million. The 34-year-old Palmieri was set to become an unrestricted free agent. In his four full seasons with the Islanders, Palmieri has consistently averaged between 39 and 54 points over an 82-game pace. His production fell from 54 points in 2023-24 to 48 points in 2024-25, both in 82 games. However, Palmieri's power-play production fell from 20 PPP to just 9 PPP, due to not only a slight dip in his own power-play time but also the Isles' sharp team power-play decline from 20.3% to just 12.6% (second-worst in the league).

The Islanders also signed Adam Boqvist to a one-year, $850,000 extension. Boqvist registered eight points in 17 games after being claimed off waivers from Florida. Boqvist was a healthy scratch at times in addition to being Band-Aid Boy certified, so his fantasy value is probably limited to a Noah Dobson injury replacement. Tony DeAngelo leaving via free agency might clear something up for Boqvist, though.

These contracts might seem like quick business for new GM Mathieu Darche. But according to Elliotte Friedman, these deals were believed to be agreed upon while Lou Lamoriello was still the GM. They were probably left in the drawer.

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The 19^th annual Fantasy Prospects Report will be available on Sunday! Pick up yours at Dobber Sports so that you can get ahead with your offseason keeper league decisions.

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Today I'm going to go off the board a bit with a topic I don't usually cover: the AHL. As a Canucks fan, there wasn't a lot to get excited about in a disappointing 2024-25 season filled with drama. However, one glimmer of hope for the Canucks is the performance of their AHL team, the Abbotsford Canucks, who are in the conference final of the Calder Cup playoffs. I'm happy to say I've attended two of their games this season, including a recent playoff game.

As hockey fans from Canada know, one Canadian-based team has Stanley Cup hopes. But did you know that two Canadian-based teams can still win the Calder Cup? The Abbotsford Canucks (Vancouver) face the Texas Stars (Dallas) in the Western Conference championship, while the Laval Rocket (Montreal) face the Charlotte Checkers (Florida) in the Eastern Conference championship. Currently the Checkers have a 2-0 series grip on the Rocket, while the Canucks are up 1-0 in their series with the Stars.

With that in mind, here are some players making some noise in the AHL playoffs. These players could be coming to an NHL rink near you soon. Keep in mind that this isn't necessarily a list of the leading scorers, as the AHL's top point-getters are often veterans who may not have many NHL games in their future.

Matej Blumel, RW, DAL

Blumel has been knocking on the door for an NHL job for the past couple seasons, posting back-to-back 30-goal, 60-point seasons. Unfortunately, the Stars have boasted one of the deepest NHL rosters, limiting the 24-year-old Blumel to just 13 career NHL games. This season, he led the AHL with 38 goals and finished third with 69 points, following that up with 10 points in nine playoff games. A fourth-round pick in 2019, Blumel's development curve hasn't resembled that of a top NHL prospect, but he has a good chance of earning a full-time role on the Stars in some capacity next season.

Justin Hryckowian, C, DAL

Hryckowian's path to the AHL playoff scoring lead is an interesting one. After recording over a point per game in his last two NCAA seasons, he signed an amateur tryout with the Texas Stars, which led to an entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars. Now 24 years of age, Hryckowian followed up a strong first full AHL season (60 points in 66 games) by leading Texas in both goals (7) and points (15) during the playoffs. The Stars have numerous veteran forward UFAs this offseason, including Jamie Benn, Matt Duchene, Mikael Granlund, and Evgenii Dadonov. If they subtract more than they add, that could create potential roster spots for Hryckowian or Blumel. 

Arturs Silovs, G, VAN

Silovs' 2024-25 NHL regular season (10 GP, 3.65 GAA, .862 SV%) demonstrated that he wasn't ready for full-time NHL duty even after filling in admirably during last season's playoffs. However, Silovs has been outstanding during the Calder Cup playoffs with a 1.74 GAA, .937 SV%, and a league-leading four shutouts. The Canucks appear set on a Thatcher Demko – Kevin Lankinen duo for at least one more season, with Demko a UFA in 2026. Demko's recent injury history and even some trade rumors result in a possibility that Silovs plays some NHL games next season. He may still not be ready, but at least he has a reputation of delivering in the biggest moments, including the AHL playoffs, NHL playoffs, and World Hockey Championship.

Linus Karlsson, RW, VAN

Karlsson is likely Abbotsford's best player, currently leading the baby Canucks with seven goals in 13 playoff games. Karlsson also finished with the best point-per-game average among Abbotsford players during the regular season (1.16 PTS/GP) who played a minimum of 10 games. Based on merit, Karlsson could carve out a full-time role on the NHL Canucks next season. However, the 25-year-old Karlsson may top out as a bottom-6 NHL player even though he has a decent shot. His odds of NHL success improve next season if the Canucks are unable to acquire multiple top-6 forwards this offseason as they presently need.

Jonathan Lekkerimaki, RW, VAN

The Canucks' first-round pick in 2022, Lekkerimaki is probably being watched more closely than any other player on the Abbotsford roster because of his offensive upside. He has been good but not great during the playoffs, scoring five points (but just one goal) in 10 games. Depending on what happens to the Canucks this offseason, Lekkerimaki could find his way onto the NHL roster in the fall, as he already has NHL power-play experience with his quick release.

Justin Sourdif, RW, FLA

The Checkers are a veteran-laden team, as the parent Florida Panthers are not exactly stockpiled with top prospects due to recent success. One player that the Panthers hope makes the jump is Sourdif, who I personally saw play in junior with the Vancouver Giants. Selected in the third round in 2020, Sourdif finished the past AHL season with 34 points in 43 games and has five points in 10 playoff games. Sourdif played one NHL game this season, scoring a goal. Look for the speedy playmaker to appear in more NHL games in 2025-26.

Michael Benning, D, FLA

Benning is an offensive-minded defenseman whose upside would be to run a team's top power play. That might be his only path to the NHL, given his size (5-9, 177 lbs.) In his second AHL season, he improved his scoring by six points in 18 fewer games (32 PTS in 54 GP), as well as six points in 10 playoff games. Benning currently sits behind AHL all-star Trevor Carrick on the Charlotte depth chart, but Carrick is a 30-year-old veteran who has just seven career NHL games and has not played an NHL game since 2019-20.

Owen Beck, C, MTL

Beck's first season in the AHL was a success, as he reached 44 points in 64 games. Drafted in the early second round of the 2022 draft, Beck could find his way onto the Habs full-time next season after playing 12 games for the big club this season. He currently has just four points in 11 AHL playoff games, well behind team co-scoring leader Alex Barre-Boulet (remember him?), who has 10 points in 11 games.

Logan Mailloux, D, MTL

A controversial pick in the 2021 draft due to charges while playing in Sweden, Mailloux has had to work on both his game and his public image over the past few years. Mailloux has posted two solid offensive seasons in Laval with 47 points in 72 games in 2023-24 and 33 points in 63 games in 2024-25. He is tied with David Reinbacher for the team lead among Laval blueliners with six points in 11 games. Mailloux possesses a bit more offensive upside than 2023 fifth overall pick Reinbacher, although Reinbacher is more likely to succeed in the NHL with a more well-rounded game.

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