The first full week of November is in the books as we’ve now passed the one-month mark of the 2024-25 NHL season. While it was relatively quiet on the transaction front, there was still some news of note which is recapped in our key stories.
Back To Seattle: Winger Daniel Sprong has bounced around in recent years despite some pretty good offensive seasons including back-to-back 40-point-plus campaigns. He had to settle for a one-year deal with Vancouver this summer and after a sluggish start, he was on the move again as Seattle acquired him in exchange for future considerations. The 27-year-old had his best year with the Kraken in 2022-23 when he had 21 goals and 25 assists in just 66 games but was still non-tendered that summer. Now with a cap hit of just $975K, he’s an affordable low-cost pickup to try to a group that sits in the middle of the pack offensively.
Expanded NCAA Eligibility: As expected, the NCAA’s Division I Council has voted to allow players with previous involvement with professional teams to play collegiately. Notably, this includes CHL players who were previously ruled ineligible. We’ve already seen some junior players announce which NCAA school they plan to go to and many more will make commitments in the weeks and months ahead. There are still some questions to be answered regarding when CHL players will be allowed to go the NCAA route and if there will be any changes to the rights of CHL-drafted players who go to college. Meanwhile, players already signed to an NHL contract will remain ineligible. The change doesn’t officially come into effect until August so there is bound to be more information clarifying these and other matters between now and then.
Fabbro To Columbus: It was a tough start to the season for defenseman Dante Fabbro who was a healthy scratch several times. The Predators decided that it was time to shake things up, electing to waive a player who was viewed as a possible key fixture on the back end just a few years ago. Despite a $2.5MM cap charge, he didn’t last too long on waivers with Columbus picking him up off the wire. The 26-year-old has more than 300 NHL games under his belt and will get a chance to boost his value heading into his first time through unrestricted free agency next summer. The Blue Jackets are now carrying eight blueliners for the time being but David Jiricek is waiver-exempt and could be sent down to AHL Cleveland down the road.
Key Injury In St. Louis:…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Pro Hockey Rumors…