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Snapshots: Heiskanen, Kovalenko, Quillan, Hakanpaa

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While it was known that the Stars would be without their top defenseman through the 4 Nations Face-Off, it appears Miro Heiskanen will be out even longer than that.  Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News relays that the blueliner is expected to require surgery with the recovery time being unknown at this time.  However, head coach Peter DeBoer expressed optimism that Heiskanen would be able to return before the end of the regular season.  The 25-year-old, who was placed on IR today to open up a roster spot, has 25 points in 50 games this season while logging over 25 minutes a night.  Now that he’s expected to be out longer term, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Dallas look to add some help on the back end between now and the March 7th trade deadline.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The Sharks aren’t expected to have winger Nikolai Kovalenko back until after the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, notes Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link). The 25-year-old has been productive since being acquired from Colorado, notching eight points in 17 games (after putting up eight in 28 games with the Avs) but suffered an undisclosed injury on Thursday versus Seattle; head coach Ryan Warsofsky indicated that he’s unsure how Kovalenko was injured.
  • The Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that they have assigned forward Jacob Quillan back to AHL Toronto. The 22-year-old made his NHL debut last weekend but was limited to just over five minutes of playing time.  Quillan has 15 points in 35 games with the Marlies so far and is in the first season of a two-year entry-level deal signed as an undrafted free agent after a strong college career with Quinnipiac University.
  • Still with the Maple Leafs, head coach Craig Berube told reporters including TSN’s Mark Masters (Twitter link) that he does not have a timeline for defenseman Jani Hakanpaa’s return. The 32-year-old has been limited to just two games this season as he continues to battle knee issues going back to the 2023-24 campaign.  Hakanpaa is slated to play for Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off but with how much time he has missed, it wouldn’t be surprising if he winds up being replaced for that event even though he is skating.

Rangers Acquire J.T. Miller From Canucks

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Trade discussions between the Rangers and Canucks regarding J.T. Miller have been off and on in recent weeks but a deal is now complete.  Per announcements from both teams, New York has acquired Miller along with defensemen Erik Brannstrom and Jackson Dorrington from Vancouver in exchange for center Filip Chytil, defenseman Victor Mancini, and a protected 2025 first-round pick.  The pick is protected in the top-13 this year and if it doesn’t convey this year, the Canucks will instead receive New York’s unprotected 2026 first-rounder.  Structuring the pick like that will encumber the Rangers from moving that 2026 selection in another trade later on.

Miller waived his no-move protection to facilitate the swap, ending what had been a rocky last several weeks for the 31-year-old.  There has been speculation of an internal rift between Miller and center Elias Pettersson, something that team president Jim Rutherford confirmed earlier this week. As a result, Vancouver has been engaging in trade discussions involving both players for quite some time now.

Miller returns to his first NHL team with the Rangers having drafted him 15th overall back in 2011.  He spent parts of six seasons with them, recording 172 points in 341 games before being moved to Tampa Bay in 2018.  He spent parts of two years with them before Vancouver acquired Miller in the 2019 offseason and since then, his career has taken off.

After only recording more than 60 points just once in his career before joining Vancouver, Miller surpassed the point per game mark in four of his first five seasons with them; the only time he didn’t reach at least 70 points was the shortened 2020-21 campaign.  Along the way, he signed a seven-year, $56MM contract that runs through the 2029-30 campaign, meaning New York will be adding another pricey contract to their books with an $8MM AAV; Daily Faceoff’s Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that Vancouver is not retaining salary on Miller’s contract.

But things haven’t gone quite so well for Miller this season.  His offensive numbers – though still respectable – are down as he has nine goals and 26 assists in 40 games so far.  He has just three tallies in his last 24 outings, however, and two of those came in one game.  That drop in performance certainly didn’t help his trade value which likely contributed to the delay in getting this done.

Even with the drop-off in performance this year, Miller will still represent a sizable upgrade on Chytil in terms of role and production.  He’ll give them a third veteran presence down the middle behind Mika Zibanejad, a duo that will be around for a while as Zibanejad is also inked through the 2029-30 campaign.  Vincent Trocheck is also in the mix, signed through the 2028-29 season so they now have plenty of stability at that position for the foreseeable future.

As for the other pieces heading to New York, Brannstrom was once a highly-touted prospect after being a first-round pick for Vegas back in 2017.  However, his offensive game – his calling card growing up – hasn’t quite materialized in the pros and he has bounced around since then; this will be his third team of the season after spending training camp with Colorado before being moved to Vancouver.  Brannstrom has eight points in 28 NHL games this year but cleared waivers earlier this month and had been with AHL Abbotsford before the swap.  The 25-year-old has a $900K cap hit (which wouldn’t count against the cap if he remains in the minors for New York) and will be a restricted free agent with salary arbitration rights this summer.

Dorrington, meanwhile, was a sixth-round pick by Vancouver in 2022, going 176th overall.  He has spent the past three seasons at Northeastern University and has 10 points in 23 games for the Huskies in 2024-25.  Dorrington will have one year of college eligibility remaining after this season so he could be a near-term addition to New York’s farm system.

Chytil is the headliner of the swap for the Canucks in terms of the players they’re getting back.  The 25-year-old was originally expected to be part of New York’s long-term plans down the middle after they made him the 21st pick in 2017.  However, Chytil has dealt with considerable concussion issues throughout his career which has caused him to miss significant time, including 72 games just last season.

However, Chytil isn’t too far removed from his best offensive season when he collected 22 goals and 23 assists in 72 games back in 2022-23, solid second-line production.  He’s not too far off that pace this year either as he has 11 goals and nine helpers through 41 appearances.  He’s averaging less than 15 minutes a game this season but if he lands on the second line behind Pettersson, it’s possible that Chytil could be in line for a bit of a bigger role with his new team.  For his career, he has 164 points in 378 games.

Vancouver will be taking on a multi-year commitment with Chytil as well although he isn’t signed quite as long as Miller.  He has a $4.4375MM cap charge on his contract through the 2026-27 season and will be an unrestricted free agent at its expiration.  Accordingly, a big portion of this trade for the Canucks will be some increased salary cap flexibility moving forward.

As for Mancini, the 22-year-old is in the first season of his entry-level contract after wrapping up his college career last season.  He has played in 15 games with the Rangers this year, picking up a goal and four assists in a little over 15 minutes a night before being sent back to AHL Hartford last month to get more playing time.  In 23 games with the Wolf Pack, he has three goals and seven assists.  If he isn’t recalled directly to Vancouver, Mancini stands to be one of their top recall options whenever injuries arise.

From a salary cap perspective, the Rangers still have ample cap space to work with as PuckPedia puts them with a little over $3.5MM in projected cap room thanks to their early-season trade of Jacob Trouba.  Meanwhile, PuckPedia pegs Vancouver with a little less than $2.7MM in space which gives them some breathing room to try to bank some extra flexibility between now and the trade deadline to try to add to their roster and turn around their recent struggles.

For the production and role that Miller has had for most of his time with Vancouver, this return is on the low side but the internal rift clearly became too much, resulting in the Canucks taking a below-market return.  Nonetheless, if Chytil can do well with his new team and the Canucks properly use their extra draft, prospect, and cap capital, they could still come out of this in decent shape.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman first reported that talks between the two sides about Miller were intensifying and was first with Brannstrom and Dorrington’s inclusions.  TSN’s Farhan Lalji originally reported Chytil being in the swap.  Larry Brooks of the New York Post was first with the details on the pick protection.

Photos courtesy of Imagn Images.

Ducks Assign Rodwin Dionicio To Swiss League

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It has been an interesting day for Ducks prospect Rodwin Dionicio.  Earlier in the day, the AHL revealed that they suspended the defenseman for three games for his actions in San Diego’s game on Wednesday.  Soon after, the Gulls announced that they’ve loaned Dionicio to EHC Biel-Bienne in Switzerland.  While no timeline for the length of the loan was announced, it’s presumably for the remainder of the season.

Anaheim selected the 20-year-old in the fifth round in 2023 but he has outperformed his draft stock since then.  Dionicio was quite productive at the OHL level last season, recording 73 points in 60 games between Windsor and Saginaw while adding 17 points in as many playoff contests.  In between, he played a big role for Switzerland at the World Juniors, tallying four points in five games in that event.

Dionicio originally signed a three-year deal with Biel-Bienne but that deal was overridden by Anaheim signing him to an entry-level contract back in May.  He had played exclusively with the Gulls this season, picking up five goals and four assists along with 42 penalty minutes in 24 games but he won’t be adding to those numbers now as he’ll return home to play out the season.

Dionicio won’t be able to bypass the AHL suspension overseas as he’ll have to serve his three-game ban whenever he returns to the Gulls.  Meanwhile, he will continue to count against Anaheim’s 50-contract limit.

Carolina Hurricanes Recall Riley Stillman, Ryan Suzuki

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Jan. 31st: The Hurricanes briefly reversed yesterday’s transaction this afternoon. Carolina announced that they reassigned Suzuki to AHL Chicago and recalled Stillman to the NHL roster. Suzuki went scoreless in 6:12 in his debut last night and picked up one hit.  However, after 4 PM CT, the team announced Suzuki’s recall again; by waiting until then to do so, he won’t count on their books until Saturday.

Jan. 30th: According to a team announcement, the Carolina Hurricanes have recalled 2019 first-round draft pick, Ryan Suzuki, ahead of tonight’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. In a corresponding roster move, Carolina has reassigned defenseman Riley Stillman to their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.

Suzuki, the younger brother of Montreal Canadiens’ captain Nick Suzuki, is the only player selected in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft who has yet to make his NHL debut. The Hurricanes will confirm their lineup closer to puck drop. Still, it is expected that Suzuki will take the place of Sebastian Aho, who is questionable for tonight’s matchup due to illness.

Injuries began afflicting Suzuki almost immediately upon joining the Hurricanes organization. He suffered a high stick in 2019 which left him with a permanent blind spot in one eye, and was slowed in his recovery due to his contracting COVID-19. He scored 12 goals and 12 assists in his first two years with AHL Chicago when he was limited to only 50 games overall.

Thankfully, the last three years have been much healthier for the London, Ontario native. He scored 27 goals and 62 points in 101 games between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 AHL seasons, spending last year with the Springfield Thunderbirds when the Hurricanes were without a direct affiliate.

The long road to his NHL debut has culminated in an All-Star-level performance this year. Suzuki has scored six goals and 30 points in 38 games for the Wolves, leading the playoff-likely team in scoring.

Aside from Suzuki’s feel-good story, Stillman will re-join the Wolves roster for the first time in a week. He skated in 7:40 of action against the New York Rangers on January 28th for his first NHL game since April 14, 2023, when he was a member of the Buffalo Sabres.

Kraken’s Yanni Gourde Out Five To Seven Weeks Following Sports Hernia Surgery

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One of the more popular rental candidates for the trade deadline will be on the shelf for some time. The Seattle Kraken announced Yanni Gourde will miss the next five to seven weeks after undergoing successful sports hernia surgery.

It’s a difficult situation for both the player and the team. He’ll return on the day of the trade deadline, March 7th, should he miss the minimum amount of time.

Gourde has once again faced challenges this year offensively. He has scored six goals and recorded 16 points in 35 games, significantly lower than his performance two years ago when he achieved 14 goals and 48 points. His average ice time has decreased by nearly two minutes, but he has maintained a solid success rate in the faceoff circle.

If he’s traded before the deadline, he’ll likely command far less than he otherwise would. It’s reminiscent of the situation the Columbus Blue Jackets found themselves in when they traded the injured Gustav Nyquist to the Minnesota Wild for a 2023 fifth-round pick.

Given his ability to play effective minutes in the bottom six, being a two-time Stanley Cup champion, and the fact that he’s an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, Gourde should still command some interest toward the deadline. If the Kraken eats half of his salary for the remainder of his season, Gourde should potentially fetch a later-round pick.

New York Islanders Reassign Isaiah George

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The New York Islanders needed to cut one player from the active roster after claiming defenseman Adam Boqvist off waivers earlier today. According to Andrew Gross of Newsday Sports, the Islanders have elected to reassign defenseman Isaiah George to their AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders.

George’s reassignment seems wise for the young defender’s growth. The Islanders picked George with the 98th overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft, and he is still in his first year with the organization.

Due to numerous injuries in the defensive lineup, George has already played 33 games for the Islanders in his first year of professional hockey. He’s scored one goal and recorded five points during these games, averaging 15 minutes and 39 seconds of ice time per night.

His defensive metrics have painted the best picture of his performance thus far with a 46.2% CorsiFor% at even strength and a 91.4% on-ice save percentage at even strength. Complimented by an average of one block per game — George should have some staying power on the Islanders’ blue line.

Still, it won’t hurt to have George back in Bridgeport. He’s only one year removed from scoring six goals and 30 points in 68 games for the OHL’s London Knights and only has four AHL games on his résumé. The AHL Islanders aren’t expected to make a push for the Calder Cup playoffs this season but George should help alleviate many of Bridgeport’s goals-against issues this year.

Lightning Reassign Matt Tomkins, Gage Goncalves

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Jan. 31st: The Tampa Bay team has announced that they have reassigned goalie Tomkins and forward Gage Goncalves to AHL Syracuse. Since today is an off-day and there are no indications that Johansson is nearing a return, both players are expected to be back tomorrow night.

Jan. 30th: The Lightning may be without their regular netminders tonight against the Kings. Andrei Vasilevskiy remains a game-time decision due to illness after his absence against the Blackhawks on Tuesday forced them to sign Kyle Konin to an amateur tryout as an emergency backup, head coach Jon Cooper said (via the team’s Benjamin Pierce). Backup Jonas Johansson, who started the Chicago game, is now day-to-day with a lower-body injury and will not play tonight, according to Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Sun. In a corresponding move, the team announced they’d recalled third-stringer Matt Tomkins from AHL Syracuse.

The Bolts don’t have another recall option from the AHL if both Vasilevskiy and Johansson are unavailable. Tomkins, their third-stringer, is their only other netminder under contract. He hasn’t even been Syracuse’s starter this season. He’s been overtaken in the role by 28-year-old Brandon Halverson, who remains without an NHL contract offer from the Bolts despite posting a stellar 2.02 GAA, .925 SV%, and four shutouts in 24 AHL appearances this season.

Nonetheless, Tomkins will dress tonight against Los Angeles. Whether he starts with Konin signing an ATO again to back up or whether Vasilevskiy can take the ice remains to be seen. The 30-year-old saw NHL ice for the first time last season, logging a 3-2-1 record with a 3.33 GAA and a .892 SV% in six appearances for Tampa. He has a 6-8-4 record and a .900 SV% in 17 games for Syracuse this season, his second in the Lightning organization after departing the Blackhawks’ system and spending two years in Sweden.

The 29-year-old Johansson has seen an increased workload lately as the Bolts look to give Vasilevskiy some mid-season rest. Five of his 12 starts this season have come this month. Overall, he’s continued to serve as a below-average backup option, which doesn’t matter much for Tampa, given the volume of starts Vasilevskiy logs. Still, a .892 SV% and 3.24 GAA aren’t particularly promising, considering they’re a few points above his lowly NHL career averages. He’s conceded 3.3 goals above expected in his ice time this year, per MoneyPuck, not the best insurance option in the event Vasilevskiy misses significant time.

Nashville Predators Make Three Roster Moves

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According to Nashville Predators’ reporter Nick Kieser, the team will look different tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. Kieser shared that the Predators have activated forward Luke Evangelista from the injured reserve, reassigned defenseman Kevin Gravel, and recalled goaltender Matt Murray from their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.

The talented middle-six forward Evangelista returns after missing nearly a month with a lower-body injury. He’s been on the team’s injured reserve since January 7th when he left the game against the Winnipeg Jets after only five shifts.

His offensive production is a bit depressed compared to last year and the injury will make it even more difficult to replicate last season’s totals. Evangelista has scored four goals and 14 points in 39 games for Nashville this season after scoring 16 goals and 39 points over 80 games last year.

Still, nothing indicates he’s lost his potential from last season and the Predators are hopeful for a fruitful rebound. The team is 5-3-0 since Evangelista exited the lineup and they’ll need his help building toward a more respectable record.

Gravel will look to continue a solid season with the Admirals. Although he’s never been known for his point production, the longtime AHL defenseman is only eight points away from matching his career-high set with the AHL’s Ontario Reign in the 2015-16 season.

Aside from his three-goal, 12-point performance with the Admirals, the Kingsford, MI native has played in three games for the Predators this year. It’s his first NHL action since the 2022-23 season where he’s already matched his point total in 20 fewer games.

Murray will replace Juuse Saros tonight, who seems to be dealing with an illness or ailment. This season, Murray has performed well with the Admirals, posting a record of 13 wins, 7 losses, and 6 overtime losses in 23 games, along with a .927 save percentage and a 2.31 goals-against average. Netminder Justus Annunen is expected to start tonight, although Murray could step in if there is an injury or the score becomes lopsided.

Philadelphia Flyers Recall Aleksei Kolosov, Reassign Adam Ginning

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Goaltender Aleksei Kolosov’s time with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms was short-lived. The Philadelphia Flyers announced they recalled Kolosov from the Phantoms and sent defenseman Adam Ginning the other way. Additionally, the team shared that they placed defenseman Yegor Zamula on the injured reserve with an upper-body injury retroactive to January 23rd.

The recall is head-scratching at face value. After producing a mediocre 4-8-1 record and a .870 save percentage in 15 games with the Flyers, the organization decided to try Kolosov at the AHL level a little over a week ago.

Kolosov’s results in Lehigh Valley weren’t much better. He posted a 2-4-1 record in seven games, with a .874 SV% and a 3.59 goals-against average. Still, while it’s not entirely the fault of the goaltenders, and it is merely wishful thinking that Kolosov would have produced a different outcome, the Flyers are 2-4-0 since sending him down and have given up 20 goals in that stretch.

The Minsk, Belarus native may receive one or two more starting opportunities with Philadelphia in the coming week. However, this is not the most promising route for him to secure more starts. The Flyers have faced significant goaltending issues this season, and Kolosov’s subpar performance has contributed to this problem.

Ginning is heading to a familiar environment fresh off making his season debut in Philadelphia. He skated in 12:48 of last night’s loss to the New York Islanders adding one hit and one blocked shot to the team’s total. He could be back with the Flyers soon given the team only has six healthy defensemen on the roster without him.

Philadelphia had to make a roster move after yesterday’s acquisition of Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier from the Calgary Flames. Moving to the last part of the transaction, Zamula finally lands on the injured reserve after missing the past four games. Once he’s healthy enough to return, Kolosov or forward Rodrigo Abols will likely be reassigned to AHL Lehigh Valley.

Blues Extend Corey Schueneman, Recall Matthew Kessel

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The Blues signed defenseman Corey Schueneman to a two-way contract extension Friday that will pay him $775K in the NHL and $425K in the AHL next season, according to a team announcement. St. Louis also recalled defenseman Matthew Kessel from AHL Springfield, bringing their active roster count to 22.

Schueneman, 29, landed with the Blues on a two-way deal last summer after not being re-upped by the Avalanche. His extension marks a $25K minor-league pay raise for the 2025-26 campaign.

St. Louis waived Schueneman at the end of training camp and he cleared without incident. He’s been recalled from Springfield once, spending the latter half of November on the NHL roster while Philip Broberg and Pierre-Olivier Joseph were on the shelf with injuries. He skated in four out of seven games during his call-up, recording four shots on goal, seven blocks, and one hit while averaging 14:03 of ice time per game. The 6’0″ lefty controlled play well in his limited minutes, posting a 56.2 CF% at even strength.

The Michigan native plays a shutdown game first and foremost but has always produced a decent chunk of offense at the minor-league level, including 12 points in 35 games with Springfield this year. He has 102 points in 279 career AHL games – good for 0.37 per game – since his professional debut on a minor-league deal in the Flames system in 2019.

Schueneman now has 35 games of NHL experience, the other 31 of which came with the Canadiens in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. He had two goals and five assists with a minus-four rating there.

By staying in the Blues organization for another year, Schueneman lands some stability after switching clubs in the 2023 and 2024 offseasons with his intermediary stop in Colorado that didn’t result in any NHL time. He’s a low-risk candidate for a waiver claim and should remain in the system as a decent injury replacement option. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent in 2026.

The 24-year-old Kessel gets the call from the minors for the first time since mid-December. He’ll likely serve as an extra defender during the Blues’ upcoming two-game road swing through Colorado and Utah. The Phoenix native began the season on the Blues’ roster but struggled with three assists and a minus-one rating in 26 games before being assigned to Springfield. The 6’3″ righty has been on fire since his demotion, posting 11 points, 19 PIMs, and a plus-three rating in 17 AHL appearances.

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