The 4 Nations Face-Off is in the books with Canada defeating the United States in a 3-2 overtime thriller and the stretch run is underway. We didn’t see any activity on the trade front but there was still plenty of notable news across the league which is highlighted in our key stories.
Battered Boston Blueline: This was not a good week on the injury front for Boston’s back end. Top defenseman Charlie McAvoy sustained an upper-body injury at the 4 Nations Face-Off, one that was revealed when he was examined by Bruins team doctors. He sustained an infection and ultimately underwent surgery to remove it and is now listed as out week-to-week. Meanwhile, rearguard Hampus Lindholm (who is second on the team in ATOI behind McAvoy) likely will not return this season. He has undergone surgery to repair a fractured patella tendon and hasn’t played since mid-November. Boston is already on the outside looking in at a playoff spot and they’ll be hard-pressed to stay in the mix while missing their top two blueliners.
More Expansion Options: It feels like only a matter of time before the NHL expands past its current 32 teams. Over the years, we generally see the same speculated cities in the mix, Kansas City, Houston, or returns to Atlanta and now Phoenix. But another city has emerged as representatives from a prospective ownership group in New Orleans met with the league. At this point, discussions were almost certainly on the preliminary side as at this point, a formal expansion process hasn’t been started yet. New Orleans doesn’t have a long history with hockey with the only team in the city being the ECHL’s Brass from 1997-98 to 2001-02.
Five For Lankinen: Kevin Lankinen was a late signee this offseason, inking a one-year, $875K contract to serve as injury insurance for Thatcher Demko. Instead, the 29-year-old has taken over the number one job and even became the starter for Finland at the 4 Nations. He was rewarded for his efforts with a five-year, $22.5MM extension, one that increases his current cap charge by more than 500% while also securing him more trade protection. With Demko back on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, Lankinen will be counted on to help keep them in the playoff picture and with there being some concerns about Demko’s long-term health given the knee issue he dealt with earlier in the season, Lankinen at a minimum will continue to serve as injury insurance for 2025-26, just as a much more expensive option.
Jones Open To A Trade: Seth Jones initially joined a Chicago team that was hoping to be a playoff contender. Instead, the team quickly pivoted and is now in the midst of a full-scale rebuild. After a few years of that, the defenseman indicated that he’d welcome a move if the team can find one although he has not formally requested a trade. Of course, it’s not quite that simple. While Jones remains a legitimate top-pairing defender, he also carries a $9.5MM AAV through the 2029-30 season and has a full no-move clause. For the Blackhawks to find a suitable swap, they would probably need to retain a fair-sized chunk of that contract which will only increase the asking price from the acquiring team. At first glance, this feels like something that’s more likely to be resolved in the offseason when more teams have cap flexibility but his name will undoubtedly come up in trade speculation before March 7th.
Rantanen On The Move Again? When the Hurricanes picked up Mikko Rantanen, it sent a message that they were going for it and felt they could sign the pending UFA winger to a long-term contract extension. It appears an offer has been made that would give him the highest AAV for a winger in NHL history but Rantanen hasn’t given the club an answer just yet. Meanwhile, he’s off to a quiet start offensively with his new team with just three points in seven games. That has led to some speculation that Carolina could look to flip Rantanen if an agreement on a new deal can’t be reached by the trade deadline. In theory, that would allow them to at least recoup some of the assets they gave up to get him but before it gets to that point, expect them to take another run at trying to get him to put pen to paper on an extension that will surpass the $100MM threshold.
Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.
Jones open to a trade is not news, He told reporters during training camp, He didn’t sign up for this, Meaning rebuild.
Managed to pen that blurb on Lankinen and never mention the team he plays for. Rookie writing
You are very likely in the minority of those who needed it spelled out. Oh, and the photo made it rather obvious.