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Five Key Stories: 3/4/24 – 3/10/24

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The trade deadline has come and gone and as expected, it wound up being a busy few days across the league.  The full Friday activity is recapped here while several of the biggest swaps are specifically noted in our key stories.

Shakeup In Colorado: Heading into the trade deadline, the Avalanche were thought to be looking for center help and perhaps a backup goalie.  They wound up being quite active.  They picked up Sean Walker from Philadelphia in exchange for Ryan Johansen and Colorado’s 2025 first-round pick.  With an extra defender and a hole down the middle, they then moved blueliner Bowen Byram to Buffalo for Casey Mittelstadt in one of the biggest moves of the week.  Byram, a former top-four pick, is a big loss but Mittelstadt gives them a legitimate offensive threat to anchor the second line.  GM Chris MacFarland then shook up his bottom six group with a trio of moves, acquiring winger Yakov Trenin from Nashville and winger Brandon Duhaime from Minnesota while moving Ben Meyers to Anaheim to cap a busy few days.  All that and they wound up not getting the goalie.

Vegas Goes All In: It has been a rough go as of late for the Golden Knights who have slipped to a Wild Card spot in the West.  That didn’t stop GM Kelly McCrimmon from going for it.  First, he picked up winger Anthony Mantha (with 50% retention) from Washington for a second-round pick and a fourth-rounder.  The Golden Knights then added defenseman Noah Hanifin from Calgary for a 2025 first-round pick, a conditional 2025 third-rounder, and blueliner Daniil Miromanov, then flipped a 2024 fifth-rounder to Philadelphia to get Hanifin’s cost down to 25% of his AAV.  That gave them enough room to make the most surprising move of trade deadline day, acquiring center Tomas Hertl along with a pair of third-round picks from San Jose in exchange for center prospect David Edstrom and a 2025 first-round pick; San Jose retained 17.05% of Hertl’s AAV in the swap.  Hertl is out for a few more weeks at least but if Vegas is able to hold onto a playoff spot, they certainly have strengthened their lineup and could be a force in the West.

Devils Fire Ruff: The week wasn’t all about trade-related activity.  The Devils elected to make a coaching change, firing head coach Lindy Ruff while promoting Travis Green to the interim role.  Ruff, who had signed a multi-year extension back in October, was in his fourth season behind New Jersey’s bench with the team playing to a 128-125-28 record.  Last season, he helped lead the Devils to a 112-point campaign, their best in franchise history but this year, the team had underachieved and is on the outside looking in at a playoff spot which resulted in the change.  Green, meanwhile, was New Jersey’s associate coach this season and has head coaching experience from his time with Vancouver.  He’ll be in the role for the remainder of the season and GM Tom Fitzgerald will re-assess from there.

Extensions: At this time of year, there are often plenty of extension as players often find themselves in ’extend or be traded’ situations.  There were several of those as Nashville took center Thomas Novak off the market after signing him to a three-year, $10.5MM extension, a nice reward for a player who was a regular in the minors a year and a half ago.  The Flyers inked Nick Seeler to a four-year, $12.8MM extension, quite a raise for a player making the minimum on a two-way contract which helped pave the way for the Walker trade.  Seattle had one of the more tradable wingers on deadline day in Jordan Eberle but instead of moving him, they agreed to a two-year, $9.5MM extension, one that is a small pay cut but gives him full no-trade protection in return.

The extensions weren’t all just extend or be traded players, however.  The Capitals opted to not wait for the summer to work out a new deal with defenseman Rasmus Sandin, giving him a five-year, $23MM extension that buys them three extra years of club control.  Meanwhile, the Panthers took care of one of their key pending unrestricted free agents as they handed blueliner Gustav Forsling a max-term eight-year, $46MM extension.  Claimed off waivers in 2021, Forsling has gone from a depth defender to one of the anchors on the back end for Florida.

More Big Moves: There were several other big moves across the league.  The league-leading Panthers made a notable acquisition up front, acquiring winger Vladimir Tarasenko for a 2025 third-round pick and a conditional 2024 fourth-rounder.  Tarasenko had full trade protection and made it known that he wanted to go to Florida which didn’t help Ottawa in terms of maximizing his value.  The Hurricanes, not a team that typically goes after prominent rentals, broke that trend as they added winger Jake Guentzel (who is nearing a return from his upper-body injury) along with blueliner Ty Smith from Pittsburgh for winger Michael Bunting, forward prospects Ville Koivunen, Vasiliy Ponomarev, and Cruz Lucius, a conditional 2024 first-round pick, and a conditional 2024 fifth-round pick.  The first-rounder becomes a second if Carolina doesn’t make the Stanley Cup Final while the fifth only moves if Carolina wins the Stanley Cup.

Some Western teams made key splashes as well.  Edmonton elected to add to their center depth by bringing in Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick from Anaheim in exchange for a 2024 first-round selection as well as a conditional 2025 fifth-round selection that becomes a fourth if the Oilers win the Stanley Cup.  In order to get a total of 75% retention on Henrique, the Oilers also flipped Tampa Bay a conditional 2025 fourth-rounder.  Winnipeg made one trade of note last month with the addition of Sean Monahan but made another one when they sent a 2025 second-round pick and a 2024 third-rounder to New Jersey for Tyler Toffoli.  All players acquired in this section by contenders are pending unrestricted free agents.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Senators Notes: Bernard-Docker, Kubalik, Belleville

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The Ottawa Senators had a quiet deadline – only moving winger Vladimir Tarasenko – but it wasn’t from lack of trying, with Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reporting that teams called about defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker but weren’t willing to pay Ottawa’s high asking price. What that asking price was isn’t clear, though there’s no doubt that Ottawa highly values their former first-round pick, despite his struggles at the top level. Garrioch added that Ottawa likely wasn’t eager to move the 23-year-old, happy to continue letting him grow now in a full-time NHL role. Bernard-Docker, the 26th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, is still searching for a groove in the league, with just four goals and 12 points in 53 games this season. It’s his first full season in the NHL, entering the season with just 32 career games across the last three years.

Other Senators trade notes:

  • Garrioch also reports that Ottawa continued to try and find a trade for winger Dominik Kubalik, who the team has been shopping around since December. Garrioch adds that Kubalik will likely be out the door when he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. The 28-year-old winger has 10 goals and 14 points in 58 games this season, netting double digit goals for the fifth-straight season, despite a down-year in overall production. Kubalik has managed 92 goals and 175 points across 341 career NHL games.
  • Tarasenko’s move opened up space on the Senators lineup that the team hopes to fill creatively. While they did claim bottom-six staple Boris Katchouk off of waivers, Senators general manager Steve Staios shared that the team could give top Belleville Senators prospects – including Tyler Kleven, Zack Ostapchuk, and Oskar Pettersson – a chance at the majors as well. He told Garrioch, “All of those players have progressed nicely. They’re worthy of an opportunity to play.” Ottawa currently sits second-to-last in the Eastern Conference, with just 25 wins on the season. With a quiet deadline not providing much change, they could be well-poised to try out their top young names.

Devils Recall Nolan Foote From Conditioning Stint

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Left winger Nolan Foote led the New Jersey Devils onto the practice sheet today as he was officially recalled from his AHL conditioning stint. Foote has been working his way back from a preseason upper-body injury that held him out until February 26th, when he was assigned to the Utica Comets. Foote has appeared in four games with Utica, scoring three goals and four points. He’ll now have a chance to establish himself in the NHL, back with the Devils for the first time since late March of last season.

Foote is still new to his professional career, making his AHL debut in the 2020-21 season. He’s since spent the majority of his time in the minors, including 55 games in each of the last two seasons, though he’s received six or seven NHL games every year. In total, he’s managed 86 points across 134 career AHL games, on top of five goals and seven points in 19 NHL games.

Foote’s return comes at an apt time, coming right after the team traded top-scoring winger Tyler Toffoli to the Winnipeg Jets. That’s left a hole in the lineup that’s currently being filled by utility player Kurtis MacDermid, who has just two goals in 33 games this season. Foote should be able to compete for that role, though he’ll need to take advantage of his opportunity, with the Devils on the tail ends of the playoff race.

Rangers Sign Louis Domingue To One-Year Extension

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The New York Rangers have signed veteran goaltender Louis Domingue to a one-year, one-way extension. The deal will carry a league-minimum $775K salary, per Renauld Lavoie of TVA Sports. This will continue Domingue’s tenure with the Rangers, after the netminder signed a two-year, $1.5MM deal with the club in the summer of 2022.

Domingue didn’t play in the NHL at all last season – marking the first time since the 2013-14 season that he was absent from the league. His debut with the Rangers didn’t come until November 9th of this season, when he saved 25 of 26 shots en route to a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild. Domingue has otherwise spent all season in the minor leagues, where he’s managed 13 wins and a .910 save percentage in 24 games. He’s continued to perform well after posting 22 wins and a .911 in 45 games last year – serving as the Hartford Wolf Pack’s starter over prospect Dylan Garand. Those roles have since shifted this season, with the 21-year-old Garand barely beating out Domingue for the starter’s net, with the pair have working together to lead Hartford to a 29 wins in 54 games. They rank fourth in the AHL’s Atlantic Division and ninth in the league.

The Rangers mark the seventh team of Domingue’s career, making him one of the NHL’s biggest journeymen. Much of his career has been spent as a backup option or depth recall, though, with Domingue’s only seasons of 30 or more games coming in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. He recorded 39 and 31 games respectively in those years, adding a .912 and .908 save percentage. While big years, they weren’t enough to land Domingue a consistent role, with a trade to the Tampa Bay Lightning kicking off his third-string placement. He has totaled 143 career games across nine different seasons, managing 60 wins and a commendable .905 save percentage. He will likely remain a depth option for the Rangers, though his veteran presence could prove invaluable as the Rangers approach a long playoff run.

Trade Notes: Sharks, Toffoli, Johansen

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The San Jose Sharks plan to scratch forwards Anthony Duclair and Alexander Barabanov for trade-related reasons, per team reporter Sheng Peng and The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta.

Both players have seen their names heavily mentioned throughout Trade Deadline season, though interest around them has seemed to flux. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported on Wednesday that extension talks broke down between the Sharks and Barabanov, leading to the team exploring the open market. Duclair shared in late February that he hadn’t yet discussed an extension with the Sharks, setting him up as a trade candidate.

Barabanov has taken a noticeable step back this season, managing just 10 points and a -23 in 38 games – a far cry from the 10 goals and 39 points he scored in 2021-22, or the 15 goals and 47 points he managed last year. The 29-year-old winger made his NHL debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2020-21 season, after a seven-year career with the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg. He played in 13 games with the Leafs before being flipped to the Sharks for Antti Suomela. He’s since totaled 104 points across 198 career games.

Duclair is in his first season with the Sharks, joining the team via trade on July 1st, with San Jose sending Steven Lorentz and a 2025 fifth-round pick back to the Florida Panthers. Duclair previously spent three fruitful seasons in Florida, totaling 99 points in 137 games with the club – including a 31-goal, 58-point season in 2021-22. That year marked Duclair’s career-highs in all three scoring stats, though he’s broken the 40-point mark two other times in his career. Duclair has become an established journeyman, playing with seven different clubs across his 10-year career. He’s totaled 288 points in 546 combined games, since making his debut in the 2014-15 season.

Duclair carries a $3.0MM cap hit, while Barabanov has a slightly cheaper $2.5MM cap hit. Both players are set to become unrestricted free agents this summer, making them rental options at this Trade Deadline. While they’ve each shown flashes of prowess over their careers, it’s likely that neither will fetch a particularly compelling return on the open market – instead serving as strong contingency plans for teams who fall out of the race for other top scorers.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The New Jersey Devils are also planning for a move, scratching top winger Tyler Toffoli for trade-related reasons. Toffoli currently leads the Devils with 26 goals in 61 games, adding 18 assists as well. It’s a continuation of the red-hot season he had with the Calgary Flames last year, scoring 34 goals and 73 points in 82 games. With one more point this season, Toffoli will cross the 45-point mark for just the fifth time in his 11-year career. He’s in his first season with New Jersey – the fifth club he’s been a part of. Much of Toffoli’s career was spent with the Los Angeles Kings, who drafted him 47th-overall in the 2010 NHL Draft and won a Stanley Cup in his rookie season of 2013-14. Toffoli scored 14 points, split evenly, through 26 games on that Cup run. New Jersey hasn’t yet ruled out signing Toffoli to an extension, though his healthy scratching suggests the two sides weren’t able to come to a deal.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers will continue to shop around centerman Ryan Johansen, per general manager Daniel Briere. Briere added that Johansen was, “probably not” a part of the team’s future plans. Johansen joined the Flyers alongside a 2025 first-round pick in the trade that sent Sean Walker and a fifth-round pick to the Colorado Avalanche. Philadelphia proceeded to place Johansen on waivers, which he cleared, likely thanks to his hefty $4MM cap hit. Philadelphia will likely look to leverage their cap space once again, with the team capable of retaining salary on one more contract. The Flyers previously served as a broker on the deal that sent Noah Hanifin to the Vegas Golden Knights, receiving a 2024 fifth-round pick to retain 25 percent ($1.2375MM) of his salary.

Trade Notes: Edmundson, Byram, Rangers, Panthers

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Washington Capitals defenseman Joel Edmundson is once again preparing for a trade, with TSN’s Darren Dreger reporting that multiple teams are interested in the 30-year-old. Dreger shares that the Boston Bruins likely lead the pack right now, though the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning are also interested.

Edmundson has been traded three times since 2019, though he’s never been moved in-season before. The Capitals brought in Edmundson on July 1st, sending the Montreal Canadiens a third and seventh round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Washington marked the fourth team of Edmundson’s career. He’s served in a modest role for the club, scoring six points in 44 games and averaging just 16-and-a-half minutes of ice time – though he’s played as much as 22 minutes a night when Washington needs him.

The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun pointed out that Edmundson could carry a cap hit as little as $875K, if Washington retains half of his salary. That’s a cheap price to pay for a defenseman with over 500 NHL games and one Stanley Cup under his belt. Edmundson is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, likely making him a depth rental for a playoff contender.

Other trade notes from around the league:

  • Bowen Byram will join the Buffalo Sabres in Nashville for their Thursday night game against the Predators, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. Head coach Don Granato also shared that Byram will be paired with star defender Rasmus Dahlin when he’s ready to play. Byram missed the Colorado Avalanche’s last game with an illness, something that could limit him on Thursday as well, though Lysowski reports that Byram is feeling better. The Sabres brought in the 22-year-old defenseman in a one-for-one trade with Colorado, sending Casey Mittelstadt the other way. Byram has 20 points in 55 games this season, playing in nearly 20 minutes a night for the Avalanche.
  • Alexander Wennberg was just the start of the New York Rangers’ deadline moves, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. The Rangers still have their first-round picks in both the 2024 and 2025 drafts, as well as $2.91MM in cap space, per CapFriendly. That’s likely more than enough to land them some of the market’s top names. While the Rangers haven’t been tied to any specific names, they draw a clear connection with interdivision-rival Jake Guentzel and former Ranger Pavel Buchnevich. Both players are garnering plenty of interest ahead of the deadline, each offering dominant, point-per-game scoring on the wing. With the assets and cap space to make most moves work, it will be interesting to see if the Rangers once again shoot for the stars.
  • Seravalli also reported that the Florida Panthers were still searching for a scoring winger, mentioning Max Pacioretty as a potential option. The Panthers were also tied to Guentzel by Pierre LeBrun. Florida just acquired Vladimir Tarasenko from the Ottawa Senators, giving them five forwards in their top-six with at least 40 points this season. They also have Evan Rodrigues and Sam Bennett sporting 36 and 30 points respectively. Adding yet another scoring winger to the mix would give Florida high-production through their third-line, something they may deem necessary to get over teams like Vegas or Carolina. Pacioretty, who has 15 points in 25 games since returning from an Achille’s Tendon injury, would likely be one of the cheapest options on the market and carries a modest $2MM cap hit that would fit into Florida’s books.

Five Key Stories: 2/26/24 – 3/3/24

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The trade deadline is just days away.  We’ve seen a couple of moves so far which are included in our key stories along with some other notable news across the NHL.

Kuznetsov Returns, Gets Waived: Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov was cleared to resume practicing with the team as he reached the follow-up phase of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.  However, the team he’ll actually practice with is AHL Hershey after Washington waived him, sending him down after he cleared on Sunday.  The 31-year-old has struggled this season with just six goals and 11 assists in 43 games, hardly a good return on a $7.8MM contract that runs through 2024-25.  Now the highest-paid player on a regular AHL assignment in league history, the Capitals will continue to look to find ways to give him a chance at a fresh start with another organization.

Tanev To Dallas: Another big domino from Calgary came off the trade board as the Flames moved defenseman Chris Tanev to Dallas as part of a three-team trade that also saw New Jersey pick up a fourth-round pick for retaining 25% of Tanev’s salary.  Calgary, who retained 50% of Tanev’s $4.5MM price tag, picked up defense prospect Artyom Grushnikov, who was a 2021 second-round pick, along with Dallas’ 2024 second-round selection.  If Dallas wins the Stanley Cup, the Flames would also get their 2026 third-round choice.  Tanev, who is still dealing with visa issues, gives the Stars a quality shutdown defender who will undoubtedly log big minutes on the penalty kill and help bolster their top four in general while having a minimal effect on their cap at only a quarter of his actual price tag.

Eight For Pettersson: While Elias Pettersson’s original plan was to wait until the offseason to sign his next contract, it didn’t play out that way.  As speculation started to mount about his potential future with Vancouver, which even included trade discussions with Carolina, Pettersson opted to give the green light to his camp to work out a new deal now.  Those talks ended with an eight-year, $92.8MM extension, the richest contract in franchise history.  The deal contains no-move protection starting in 2025-26, the first year he’s eligible for it.  Pettersson has certainly earned the deal, becoming one of the top two-way centers in the league over the past couple of seasons while he has a shot at back-to-back 100-point seasons.  As things stand, he’s set to be the fifth-highest-paid player in the league next season with an AAV of $11.6MM.

Another Year For Quick: When the Rangers brought in Jonathan Quick as their backup last summer, there were some question marks as he was coming off a rough 2022-23 campaign.  However, things have gone quite well for him this season and he was rewarded for his efforts with a one-year, $1.275MM extension, one that carries a 20-team no-trade clause.  The 38-year-old has fared quite well this season, posting a 2.45 GAA along with a .916 SV% in 21 games so far.  If that holds, those would be his best numbers since the 2017-18 campaign with Los Angeles.  All told, it has been a nice bounce-back year and he’ll be staying in New York for a little while longer.

Back To Toronto: Two years ago, Ilya Lyubushkin had a good run down the stretch with Toronto before departing for Buffalo in free agency.  The Maple Leafs are hoping that history will repeat itself as they acquired the blueliner from Anaheim in a trade that also saw Carolina hold back 25% of his contract in exchange for a sixth-round pick.  The Ducks, meanwhile, retained the maximum of 50% of his $2.75MM price and received a 2025 third-round selection.  Lyubushkin has four assists along with 138 blocks and 116 in 56 games this season and gives Toronto a much-needed right-shot option.  However, he suffered an upper-body injury in his first contest with the Leafs on the weekend.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Philadelphia Flyers Sign Denver Barkey To Entry-Level Contract

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The Philadelphia Flyers have signed London Knights forward Denver Barkey to an entry-level contract. Barkey was selected with the 95th-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft and has since dominated the OHL, ranking fifth in the league with 87 points in 56 games. He also ranks in the top 15 of goal-scorers, with 31.

Barkey is the leading scorer behind a dangerous London offense this season, with the Knights leading the league’s standings and scoring. He’s combined well with fellow Flyers prospect Oliver Bonk, who Philadelphia selected with the 22nd-overall pick last season. Bonk signed his entry-level deal in mid-August, though his placement in the OHL will delay the contract’s start. The London Knights are gearing up for a long run in the CHL’s Memorial Cup, but with Philadelphia in a playoff position, both players could reasonably be recalled if needed, though that would begin their NHL contracts. They’ll have needed to come a long way to be NHL-ready, with the duo being some of Philadelphia’s first cuts at training camp this September.

Barkey brings a style Philadelphia isn’t unfamiliar with – boasting great head-on speed, good awareness, and the ability to make quick plays in the offensive end. His 5’9″ stature was a point of contention ahead of the draft, but it’s a style Philadelphia has embraced, with 5’8″ Cam Atkinson and Bobby Brink both earning routine NHL roles this season. The team has also iced 5’9″ defensemen Victor Mete and Emil Andrae at different points this year, showing their prioritization of skill even, on the back-end. They’ll need to continue embracing that mindset, with the feisty Barkey paving his way up the Flyers’ depth chart.

Western Conference Notes: Eichel, Myers, Vilardi, Stankoven

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Vegas Golden Knights star Jack Eichel won’t make his return from injury on Saturday, says head coach Bruce Cassidy. His next chance to return will come when Vegas visits the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. Eichel has been out since January 11th, missing the team’s last 18 games with a knee injury that required surgery. He made his return to the team’s practices on Wednesday, quickly upgrading to a full-contact jersey and nearing a return.

Eichel’s return will offer major relief to a Vegas lineup that’s gone 2-5-1 in their last eight games – with opponents outscoring the Golden Knights 31-to-27. Eichel is the only Golden Knight scoring above a point-per-game pace this season, with 44 points in 42 games. Vegas has set a much more commanding 24-13-5 record in games Eichel has been healthy for.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers has been designated as week-to-week with an undisclosed injury. Mark Friedman will slot into his spot in the lineup. That will bring Friedman up to 21 NHL games this season, spending much of the year as an injury fill-in. He’s managed just one assist alongside 21 penalty minutes and a +5. Myers has so far appeared in all 62 Canucks games this season – a feat that, impressively, eight different Canucks have managed, including three defensemen.
  • Winnipeg Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi has returned to Winnipeg to seek further evaluation for an upper-body injury suffered in the team’s Thursday night loss to the Dallas Stars. Vilardi left the game after just 10 minutes of ice time. He missed Winnipeg’s Saturday morning win over the Carolina Hurricanes and will now miss one more game as the Jets round out their road trip on Sunday. Vilardi has scored 16 goals and 30 points in 38 games this season, though he’s been heavily limited by a string of injuries. The Jets have gone 26-10-2 in games Vilardi has appeared in this season.
  • The Dallas Stars have recalled impressive rookie Logan Stankoven, who was briefly sent down to the minors after the team’s Thursday night game. But with this recall, Dallas shows that move was purely transactional, and that Stankoven will indeed continue in an NHL role after recording three goals and four points in his first four career games. Stankoven has also recorded 57 points in 47 games this season, battling for the league’s top scorer title all season long.

Atlantic Notes: Tkachuk, Gadjovich, Johnson, Liljegren

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The Ottawa Senators have announced that team captain Brady Tkachuk will miss the team’s Saturday night game with an upper-body injury. This announcement came just over 20 minutes before game time. The nature of the injury isn’t clear, though Tkachuk did leave the team’s Friday night game early after colliding with Arizona Coyotes forward Liam O’Brien early in the third period. He managed roughly 19 minutes of ice time, six hits, and a +2 before exiting.

Tkachuk has been a major contributor this season, leading the team in goals with 26 and ranked third in points with 50. He’s also recorded 104 penalty minutes on the year – one of just three NHL players to cross the century mark in penalty minutes, with O’Brien leading the league in that category. Ottawa is not currently carrying an extra forward, likely meaning they’ll play Saturday down a player – which would make them eligible for an emergency call-up after the game. Rourke Chartier has served as the team’s de facto recall this season, playing in 34 NHL games and scoring three points, though he’s one of five different Belleville Senators forwards to play with Ottawa this season.

Other notes around the Division:

  • Florida Panthers forward Jonah Gadjovich is expected to return when the team visits the New York Rangers on Monday, per the team’s Senior Digital Content Manager Jameson Olive. Olive describes Gadjovich’s injury as “minor”. Gadjovich also sat out of Florida’s Thursday night win over the Montreal Canadiens. He’s recorded four points, split evenly, and 90 penalty minutes in 31 games this season.
  • Buffalo Sabres defenseman Erik Johnson will continue to sit out of the lineup with illness, per Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News. Johnson also missed Buffalo’s Thursday night game, after being a surprise absentee from the team’s practice. He’s appeared in 50 games this season, with three goals marking his only scoring. Johnson is in the 16th season of his career, totaling 970 games and 340 points in the league.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren will be a game-time decision on Saturday, per TSN’s Mark Masters. The 24-year-old defenseman took part in the team’s practice on Saturday, making progress from an undisclosed injury that’s held him out of the team’s last two games. He has 16 points in 40 games this season.

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