Blackhawks Sign, Assign Olivier Rodrigue
2/22: Chicago has officially assigned Rodrigue to the AHL after he cleared NHL waivers.
2/21: The Blackhawks have added some extra goaltending depth for the stretch run. The team announced that they’ve signed goaltender Olivier Rodrigue to a one-year, two-way contract for the remainder of the season. The deal will carry a $775K cap charge at the NHL level while the two-way salary was not disclosed.
The 25-year-old was a second-round pick of Edmonton back in 2018, going 62nd overall. However, he wasn’t able to make much of a push for NHL playing time over his five seasons in their system. Aside from a two-game stint with the Oilers last season, Rodrigue played exclusively in their minor league system between AHL Bakersfield and ECHL Wichita. Last season, Rodrigue posted a 3.12 GAA with a .897 SV% in 42 games with the Condors and became a Group Six unrestricted free agent back in the summer.
It took until mid-August for Rodrigue to find a team as he wound up signing a one-year deal with Barys Astana of the KHL. However, he suffered an injury less than a month later, leading to his release before he had even played a game for them. Since then, Rodrigue hasn’t played but this contract suggests that he’s now cleared to return to game action.
Presumably, Rodrigue’s signing comes in response to prospect goalie Stanislav Berezhnoy, who received a 20-game suspension from the AHL earlier this week for violating the terms of the AHL/PHPA Performance Enhancing Substance Program. Chicago’s intent is likely to have Rodrigue serve as the backup to Drew Commesso for the stretch run while evaluating his possibility as a fit for next season as well. With 131 career AHL regular season appearances under his belt where he has a 2.92 GAA and a .905 SV%, Rodrigue should be well-suited to fill that role.
To do so, Chicago will first have to successfully run Rodrigue through waivers before he can be assigned to the IceHogs. While the NHL is in a trade freeze at the moment, waivers are still allowable during this period and PuckPedia reports that he is indeed on waivers. Assuming he clears, he’ll be sent down on Sunday and will be eligible to play then.
Capitals Announce John Carlson Day-To-Day With Injury
The Washington Capitals could be missing a major piece when they return to NHL action on Wednesday. Top defenseman John Carlson sat out of the team’s Sunday practice, instead doing individual drills in a no-contact jersey, per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. Head coach Spencer Carbery later designated Carlson as out day-to-day with a lower-body injury, adds Silber.
Carlson sustained his injury in Washington’s February 5th win over the Nashville Predators. He left that match late in the first period, after getting tangled up with Predators’ forward Cole Smith. The Capitals had hoped that an extended break would help Carlson heal up from the injury, though it will now follow the club through their return to action.
Carlson has continue to serve as a key offensive-defenseman for the Capitals. He has scored 17 points in his last 17 games, dating back to Washington’s highest-scoring game of the season on January 5th. That streak includes the game that Carlson was injured in, thanks to a secondary assist he earned on Washington’s second goal of the game. It was Carlson’s ninth power-play assist of the season, the most of any Capitals defenseman.
In total, the 36-year-old Carlson has posted 10 goals and 36 points in 55 games this season. He is on pace for 69 points in 82 games, closer to his scoring heights from a few years back after he stuck closer to 50 points in the last two seasons. Part of that is thanks to fellow offensive-defenseman Jakob Chychrun, who has taken the weight of a number-one role off of Carlson’s shoulders. Chychrun will carry the brunt of the load in Carlson’s absence, while Declan Chisholm and Dylan McIlrath vye for the open spot at right-defense.
Sharks Recall Nick Leddy, Reassign Filip Bystedt
2/22: As expected, the Sharks have returned Bystedt to the minors ahead of their return to game action. He will continue to heal up from an upper-body injury as the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda approach two games next weekend.
2/18: The San Jose Sharks announced that they’ve recalled forward Filip Bystedt and defenseman Nick Leddy from the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. Still, there’s no indication that either player will play for the Sharks next week.
Following the announcement, Sheng Peng from San Jose Hockey Now reported that Bystedt will not be playing for the Sharks next week; he has been recalled solely to serve as an additional participant in practice. Additionally, because Bystedt is nursing an upper-body injury, he wasn’t expected to play for the Barracuda either. There is no word on how long Leddy’s promotion will be.
Still, Bystedt likely isn’t far off from becoming a full-time player for the Sharks. He’s in his third season playing professionally in North America after being selected with the 27th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft by the Sharks. He’s continued to get better every season.
He got off to a hot start, scoring four goals and seven points in eight games for the Barracuda in 2023-24, and followed that up with a 12-goal, 31-point performance in 50 games last season. This year, he’s leading the team in scoring, registering 13 goals and 36 points in 40 games.
Meanwhile, Leddy has yet to play for AHL San Jose after clearing waivers and being reassigned in mid-January. The 34-year-old veteran has struggled this season, registering four assists in 19 games, averaging 17:30 of ice time per game. In the last year of a four-year, $16MM contract signed with the St. Louis Blues, there’s a strong indication that this will be Leddy’s last season in the NHL.
Flyers Recall Adam Ginning, Reassign Aleksei Kolosov
2/22: After a day of practice, the Flyers have opted to return Kolosov to the minor leagues. He will continue to suit up for Lehigh Valley while Philadelphia rides Daniel Vladar and Samuel Ersson as their top two goalies.
2/21: The Flyers continue to shuffle their roster around to ensure that they have ample bodies for practice before games resume next week. The team announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled goaltender Aleksei Kolosov and defenseman Adam Ginning from AHL Lehigh Valley.
Kolosov has had multiple stints with Philadelphia this season, one of those coming before the Olympic break with Samuel Ersson dealing with a lower-body injury. The 24-year-old has made four NHL appearances this season, allowing eight goals on just 47 shots. Kolosov fared a little better at the top level last season, however, putting up a 3.59 GAA and a .867 SV% in 17 outings with the Flyers.
Kolosov has made 24 appearances in the minors with the Phantoms and has performed much better at that level. He has a 2.65 GAA and a .909 SV% in those outings along with a pair of shutouts. While Ersson was initially expected to be back after the Olympic break, Kolosov could find himself up with the big club for more than a few days if Ersson ultimately needs a bit more time to recover.
As for Ginning, he made Philadelphia’s roster out of training camp but was primarily in a reserve role. Accordingly, he has only played in five games with the Flyers this season and is still looking for his first point. Ginning ultimately cleared waivers in mid-November and aside from a brief stint with Philadelphia in January (where he didn’t play), he has been with Lehigh Valley since then. He’s played in 29 games for the Phantoms and has a goal and three assists.
With Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen still in Italy for the Olympics, it’s fair to say that Ginning’s promotion will be a short-term one for practice purposes only and that it will take an injury or two for him to have a realistic shot of getting back into Philadelphia’s lineup. To make room for the recalls, both Olympic blueliners have been moved to non-roster status.
Nashville Predators Recall Zachary L’Heureux, Matthew Wood
The Nashville Predators announced today that forwards Zachary L’Heureux and Matthew Wood have been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.
With the Olympic tournament now over, teams are gearing up for a return to the NHL regular season. The Predators’ first game is Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks, and today’s recalls give head coach Andrew Brunette two additional forward options to work with when constructing his lineup for that game and the games beyond.
Both Wood and L’Heureux are first-round picks who are among the higher-ranked prospects in the team’s system. L’Heureux was a late first-rounder at the 2021 draft, and has spent all of 2025-26 to date in the AHL, scoring 14 goals and 28 points in 28 games. That’s a departure from last season, when he played just four games in the AHL and 62 in the NHL. This recall will give L’Heureux the chance to potentially make his season debut in Nashville. He plays the kind of gritty, aggressive style that teams often covet in bottom-six forwards, so it will be interesting to see whether L’Heureux will be able to hang onto the NHL opportunity he’s set to receive.
Wood, 21, was a first-rounder at the 2023 draft and is in the midst of his first full season as a pro player. The skilled 6’4″ winger scored three points in his three AHL games played during the break, only failing to land on the scoresheet against a juggernaut Grand Rapids Griffins team.
Wood started the year off very well in the NHL, scoring 10 points in his first 11 games of the season, including his first NHL hat trick. His production has slowed down quite a bit, and he’s sitting on 17 points in 46 games this season. He only managed three points in the month of January as his ice time fell noticeably.
With some good games under his belt during the Olympic break, the hope will be that Wood can rediscover some of the form he flashed earlier in the season, and get his production back on track. Nashville is currently in contention for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, and will need contributions from everyone if it hopes to make a surprising run back to the postseason.
United States Wins Gold Medal At 2026 Winter Olympics
The United States have won the gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, capturing their first gold medal since the legendary “Miracle on Ice” team of 1980.
The golden goal, coming from New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes, came early in the game’s three-on-three overtime period. It ended what was an iconic game between two hockey heavyweights. An early goal from Minnesota Wild forward Matt Boldy gave the Americans a 1-0 lead, but the ice began to tilt in the second period. A goal from Colorado Avalanche defender Cale Makar tied the game in the second period.
Canadian pressure was relentless for the rest of regulation time. The Canadians piled up quality scoring chances, but reigning Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck made save after save to keep the game tied. Hellebuyck’s paddle save on Canadian defenseman Devon Toews, breaking up a prime scoring opportunity, will likely now go down as one of the most iconic saves in the history of USA Hockey.
Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin, who constructed this American roster, came under significant criticism during the lead-up to the tournament for some of his roster decisions. His choice to include a pair of New York Rangers veterans, J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck, rather than lethal goal scorers Jason Robertson and Cole Caufield, was one that drew considerable fire. But Guerin maintained all along that he was looking to build not the “best” team, one that would have as many all-stars as possible, but instead the “right” team, one capable of handling all of the adversity a short best-on-best tournament typically provides.
The Americans went through the tournament without a significant amount of adversity, though, at least compared to the Canadians. Sweden gave them a scare during the quarterfinals when Mika Zibanejad tied the game late, but superstar Quinn Hughes pushed the Americans forward with a fast overtime marker. The Americans flew past the Slovaks in the semifinals, and the United States’ games in the knockout round felt very different from Canada’s games, which were marked by late deficits and dramatic comebacks.
In the end, the margin between the United States and Canada was razor thin. While Canada dominated much of the final two periods of the game, the nature of three-on-three overtime is that it provides a clean slate for every team – it is a distinctly different form of hockey than five-on-five. Hellebuyck kept the Americans in the game, and gave them a chance to win it by delivering them to the overtime period. While Canada had a few chances in overtime, Hughes was the first to convert his, and in doing so, he etched his name into international hockey history.
Winnipeg Jets Reassign Domenic DiVincentiis
02/22/2026: The Jets announced this morning that DiVincentiis has been reassigned to AHL Manitoba. Since the league is still on break for the Winter Olympics, DiVincentiis’ recall did not come with any NHL games played. With Hellebuyck returning an Olympic hero (although not for most Jets fans), he’s going to resume his place as Winnipeg’s undisputed No. 1 goalie.
The path for DiVincentiis to return to the NHL roster and perhaps even make his NHL debut in 2025-26 is likely to come as the result of either injury. That’s especially true since the Jets are highly unlikely to reach the playoffs and therefore would not have a pressing need to rest Hellebuyck for one of the final games of the season.
02/17/2026: NHL teams are permitted to practice today starting at 1:00 p.m. Central. Everybody will be down at least one player while the Winter Olympics are still ongoing in Milan-Cortina, so clubs will have the option to add practice players from their AHL affiliate in the meantime. The Jets were the first team to announce such a move Tuesday morning, recalling forward Walker Duehr, defensemen Ville Heinola and Elias Salomonsson, and goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis from AHL Manitoba.
Salomonsson was rostered right up until the break began, with blue-liners Haydn Fleury, Colin Miller, and Neal Pionk on injured reserve. Depending on their status next week, he could remain on the roster. There’s also a question mark surrounding star Josh Morrissey, who hasn’t played since Canada’s first group-stage game at the Olympics due to an undisclosed injury, though he returned to practice today ahead of tomorrow’s quarterfinal matchup against either Czechia or Denmark.
The 21-year-old Swede has surpassed Heinola as Winnipeg’s top-ranked defense prospect. A right-shot coming in at 6’2″ and 185 lbs, the smooth skater has a goal and 10 points in 29 AHL games with Manitoba this season. It’s his second year stateside after earning an AHL All-Star nod as a rookie. Now nearly four years removed from his second-round selection in 2022, he’s suited up in the first 13 games of his NHL career over the last several weeks with no points and a -5 rating. He’s averaging 16:58 of ice time per game and controlling 47.8% of shot attempts at even strength, a strong figure considering he owns a relatively low offensive zone start percentage of 43.8.
Heinola, the 20th overall pick back in 2019, will turn 25 next month and looks to be in the final months of his time in Winnipeg. Because he’s played fewer than 80 career NHL games, he’ll become a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer. He’s yet to log any NHL time this season after making a career-high 18 appearances in 2024-25. The Finnish lefty remains Manitoba’s best offensive weapon on the blue line, though, ranking fifth on the team in scoring with 21 points (three goals, 18 assists) in 44 games.
Duehr had played at least 20 NHL games in three consecutive seasons but hasn’t seen any this year after passing through waivers during training camp. The 28-year-old was a free agent signing by the Flames out of Minnesota State in 2022 and remained in the organization up until he got claimed off waivers by the Sharks in January 2025. He hit unrestricted free agency last summer and landed a two-way deal with Winnipeg, recording 12 goals and 26 points with a +12 rating in 39 games for Manitoba.
DiVincentiis was recalled to back up Eric Comrie for a handful of games in December while Connor Hellebuyck was recovering from knee surgery, but didn’t see any ice. The 21-year-old was a seventh-round pick in 2022 but has impressed in his pro career so far. He’s split Manitoba’s crease with fellow youngster Thomas Milic and has posted a .908 SV%, 2.68 GAA, and a 10-11-3 record with two shutouts in 24 games as a second-year pro.
Trade Deadline Primer: Florida Panthers
With the Olympic break upon us, the trade deadline is under a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? After looking at bubble teams in recent days, we now shift the focus to teams currently in a playoff spot. Next up are the Panthers.
Winning the Stanley Cup is a war of attrition, and while the Florida Panthers have been remarkably successful over the last few years, the scars of their relentless chase of championships have come to a head this season. The club has played deep into the spring and early summer for three straight years, but do not currently look positioned to do the same this year. The Panthers sit third-to-last place in the Eastern Conference, eight points adrift of the Boston Bruins, who occupy the second wild card spot. Captain Aleksander Barkov, the team’s most valuable player, suffered an injury that will cost him the entire season, and star Matthew Tkachuk has been limited to just 10 games as a result of an injury of his own. Seth Jones, one of their top defensemen, is also on long-term injured reserve. While the Panthers can never be counted out to provide a late-season surge, it’s questionable whether the best path forward for the franchise would be investing more deeply into a 2025-26 season that continues to slip away.
Record
29-25-3, 8th in the Atlantic (15.7% playoff probability)
Deadline Status
Short-term sellers/long-term buyers
Deadline Cap Space
$2.56MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2026: FLA 2nd, WSH 2nd, CHI 4th, FLA 5th, FLA 6th
2027: FLA 2nd, FLA 3rd, FLA 4th, FLA 5th, FLA 6th, WSH 6th, FLA 7th, SJS 7th
Trade Chips
While the Panthers have taken a notable step back this season, don’t expect their competitive downturn to be a permanent one. The Panthers still have a core of players locked into long-term contracts that remains the envy of the league, and will enter next season healthier and better-rested than they have been in years. As a result, the Panthers are unlikely to enter into this season’s deadline with much interest in subtracting players who might be able to fit into the team’s roster puzzle starting next season.
The Panthers don’t figure to have an abundance of trade chips at their disposal. While some veterans such as Evan Rodrigues and Eetu Luostarinen would make valuable trade assets, the fact that each has an extra year on their contract at an affordable cap hit ($3MM each) makes keeping them more valuable to the Panthers than trading them. The Panthers have every intent of returning to true Stanley Cup contention as soon as next season, so it doesn’t make sense to subtract too dramatically from a formula that has worked so well. (This season’s results notwithstanding.)
With that said, Florida isn’t totally without players they could trade over the next month – they just aren’t likely to fetch the team a huge amount of value in return. A.J. Greer is having the most productive season of his career, and brings three valuable traits contenders look for at the deadline: size, depth production, and Stanley Cup experience.
He’s scored 11 goals and 21 points in 57 games this season, which is already a career-high. Given how much money Florida already has committed to its roster for next season, Greer’s performances may be pricing himself out of remaining in Florida beyond the deadline.
Veteran center Luke Kunin, also a pending UFA, was a trade asset last season when the San Jose Sharks received a fourth-round pick from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for his services. Kunin is unlikely to cost as much this year, seeing as he’s averaging the fewest minutes of any regular forward in head coach Paul Maurice’s lineup. But Kunin has won 51.5% of his draws this season, and is averaging a little over a minute on the penalty kill, so teams looking for a cheap veteran depth center could be interested.
On defense, the only option that works as a rental is veteran Jeff Petry, as the 38-year-old is the only NHL regular on the blueline who is a pending UFA. Petry has over 1,000 games of NHL experience and has been a regular for the Panthers, playing in 55 of the team’s 57 games and averaging 14:51 time on ice per game. While he likely wouldn’t return the Panthers significant value, he could be a player of interest to teams looking to shore up their blueline depth in a way that won’t break the bank.
Team Needs
Healthy Core Players: Ultimately, no external addition the Panthers could realistically make would be as impactful as getting their players back to full health. This is a team whose competitive fortunes look totally different with Barkov in the lineup. With Jones also on injured reserve, the Panthers are down their most important overall player, as well as one of their top defensemen. Since Barkov is extremely unlikely to return in 2025-26, the Panthers are likely best-served prioritizing building up their odds of contending next season, rather than in what remains of this year.
Cost-Controlled Depth: The closest modern-day comparable to what the Panthers have achieved in the past two years is the Tampa Bay Lightning of the first few years of the decade, as they won back-to-back titles and lost in another Stanley Cup Final. Beyond their elite core group of players, the Lightning were able to build a dominant contender because of the significant surplus value they mined in the depth roles of their lineup.
Photos courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Buffalo Sabres Recall Zach Metsa
The Buffalo Sabres announced this morning that they have recalled defenseman Zach Metsa from their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans.
Metsa was originally reassigned at the start of the Olympic break. He’s spent a larger portion of this season on the Sabres’ NHL roster. Since Buffalo next plays on Wednesday, the same day the Americans have their next game, Metsa would not get the chance to play in any additional games by remaining on the AHL roster, hence today’s recall.
Today’s recall comes during what has been the most successful campaign of Metsa’s pro career. The 27-year-old is an undrafted player who signed with the Sabres coming out of college, where he captained Quinnipiac University to a national championship in 2022-23. Metsa has developed at a steady pace at the AHL level, going from 24 points in 54 games in his rookie season to 46 points in 69 games as a second-year pro.
This season, Metsa has 15 points in 16 games as his performances earned him a depth role at the NHL level. While he hasn’t yet earned the trust of head coach Lindy Ruff to the point where he’s trusted to play a strong diet of minutes (he averages just 9:42 time on ice per game) he has gotten into 26 NHL games.
If Metsa can continue to earn the trust of Ruff, the Sabres could end up getting real surplus value on Metsa’s contract. The two-year deal he signed in July of last year has an additional season remaining at a $775K NHL salary and $325K total guarantee.
While Metsa isn’t playing very much in the NHL right now, if he can build himself to the point where he’s relied on as a capable third-pairing or even No. 7 defenseman, his league-minimum NHL cap hit should give the Sabres solid cap savings next to what a comparable player might cost on the open market.
When Metsa was sent down on Feb. 6, he was reassigned alongside two young Sabres forwards: Konsta Helenius and Isak Rosén. Neither player has been recalled to this point, but given how well each has played at the AHL level this season, it would be a surprise to see them spend too much time in Rochester in the remaining portion of the season.
Evening Notes: Tanev, Avalanche, Fibigr
Due to a significant groin injury, veteran defenseman Chris Tanev has been limited to 11 games this season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Again trying to rehabilitate the injury, THN’s Nick Barden reported that Tanev took to the ice on his own today, and the Maple Leafs will decide by the end of the weekend if he’s good to return to practice.
Still, there’s no guarantee Tanev will even return this season. After missing a month of action from November 1st to December 23rd, Tanev appeared in only three games before suffering a similar injury. He opted for rehab instead of surgery at the time, and it appears he’s trying to do the same thing this time around.
However, the door remains open on surgery, and it may be the most beneficial option. It would give Tanev ample time to recover and ramp up physical activity throughout the offseason to ensure he’ll be healthy for the 2026-27 campaign. Toronto could still return to the postseason conversation when they return from the Olympics, but they’ll have their work cut out for them in a hotly contested Atlantic Division.
Additional notes from this evening:
- The Colorado Avalanche have announced a new ECHL expansion franchise for the 2026-27 season. The New Mexico Goatheads will replace the Utah Grizzlies as Colorado’s ECHL affiliate next season, and the latter team will be moving to Trenton, NJ. It’ll be the newest ECHL affiliation with the Avalanche since the Colorado Eagles moved to the AHL in 2018.
- According to his Instagram account, defenseman prospect Jakub Fibigr has committed to Ohio State University for next season. The 19-year-old Czech was drafted by the Seattle Kraken in the seventh round of the 2024 NHL Draft. He’s scored nine goals and 33 points in 44 games split between the OHL’s Brampton Steelheads and Windsor Spitfires this season.