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Archives for February 2025

Canucks Sign Kevin Lankinen To Five-Year Extension

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The Canucks announced they’ve agreed to terms with pending UFA goalie Kevin Lankinen on a five-year, $22.5MM extension. It’ll keep him in Vancouver through the 2029-30 season with a cap hit of $4.5MM. $8.5MM of his total compensation will be paid via signing bonuses, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic reports. The full breakdown of the deal is as follows, per PuckPedia:

2025-26: $2.5MM base salary, $2.5MM signing bonus, no-move clause
2026-27: $4MM base salary, no-move clause
2027-28: $3MM base salary, $2MM signing bonus, 15-team no-trade clause
2028-29: $2.5MM base salary, $2MM signing bonus, 15-team no-trade clause
2029-30: $2MM base salary, $2MM signing bonus, 15-team no-trade clause

Lankinen, 30 in April, was set to be one of the top options on the open market among goaltenders this summer after the Capitals retained Logan Thompson on a six-year deal. He’s seen a massive jump in market value since his spin on the UFA market last summer when he had to wait until after training camp started to land a one-year, $875K deal in Vancouver.

It’s a testament to the success Lankinen has enjoyed this season with the Canucks, who likely aren’t in postseason position without him. The Finland native had been an above-average backup to Juuse Saros with the Predators for the past two seasons. He was an inconsistent 1B option with the Blackhawks before that, hovering right around league average for his career with a .905 SV% in 112 appearances for Chicago and Nashville from 2020-21 to 2023-24.

Lankinen hasn’t been world-beating in his third NHL stop in Vancouver, but he has shown the ability to keep up solid numbers in extended usage. He’s started 32 of the Canucks’ 55 games amid continued injury woes for 2024 Vezina runner-up Thatcher Demko, on pace to shatter his career-high of 37 set in his rookie season with Chicago. He’s logged a .905 SV% and 2.53 GAA, numbers that look more impressive than in years past, thanks to dwindling league averages, but they’ve also come behind decent team defense. Factoring in his playing environment amid netminders with similar workloads, his performance looks more pedestrian. His 2.58 expected goals against average is the sixth-lowest out of the 48 goalies to play at least 20 games this season, per MoneyPuck. Considering that comparatively easy workload, his 1.6 goals saved above expected only rank 28th out of that 48-player group.

That makes a $4.5MM annual commitment for the rest of the decade look like fair compensation at best and a risky bet at worst. Thanks to a quickly rising salary cap, it should age far better than similarly-priced deals over the past few seasons. Still, Lankinen’s age and broadly consistent play over the past few years means he is what he is – a decent, but not great, option between the pipes who can sniff 40 starts. Considering his AAV is only $500K less than what emerging Kraken starter Joey Daccord landed on his recent extension, there’s undoubtedly a bit of sticker shock when combined with the five-year commitment and extensive trade protection.

He is an acceptable insurance option if Demko’s health continues to pose long-term concerns as he enters the final year of his contract in 2025-26. The two-time All-Star missed the first 24 games of the season with the popliteus muscle injury he sustained in Game 1 of Vancouver’s 2024 postseason run, another two in January with a back injury, and is now listed as week-to-week with a lower-body issue coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break. Understandably, his numbers haven’t been great when healthy this season. He’s got a .891 SV% and 2.87 GAA with a 6-6-3 record in 17 appearances, but he’s faced far worse defense than Lankinen and has still managed to save a goal above expected, according to MoneyPuck. On a per-hour basis, Demko has fared slightly better with a 0.064 GSAx/60 compared to Lankinen’s 0.048. However, it’s still a far cry from last year’s elite .918 SV% and 22.0 GSAx.

While it’s a significant commitment to keep Lankinen in British Columbia, it’s a necessary one without many other options in the pipeline as a potential Demko successor. No. 3 option Arturs Silovs was expected to compete for the backup job this year after a strong playoff showing for the Canucks in 2024 but has been borderline unplayable when given the chance, logging a 4.11 GAA and .847 SV% in seven NHL appearances this season. They don’t have any blue-chip prospects in the system between the pipes either, so getting at least some long-term security at the position was understandably a top priority for general manager Patrik Allvin.

Lankinen will be 35 years old when his contract expires, so this will easily be the biggest payday of his career. He’ll be able to test unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2030.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Hurricanes Could Explore Trading Mikko Rantanen

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Elliotte Friedman speculated on the 32 Thoughts podcast that the Carolina Hurricanes could look to explore a Mikko Rantanen trade if they can’t get the forward signed to a contract extension. The talk is very speculative, and Friedman is not the first to float the idea of another Rantanen trade as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period has mentioned it before and even Friedman discussed it as a possibility back on February 7th.

Carolina is reportedly okay with paying Rantanen an annual salary in the $14MM range (as per Pagnotta) but the talk around the league is that his decision will come down to fit and whether or not he would be comfortable in the setting he signs a long term deal in.

Carolina just traded for Rantanen back on January 25th, and if they were to move him to another deal, they would have the ability to retain his salary, which could push his cap hit down to just $2.3MM. That would open up the door for many contenders to pursue him, which might start a bidding war for the 28-year-old. Most of the top teams in the NHL are pressed up against the salary cap, but for a true star at the price point, the suitors would be many.

Friedman points out that even teams who normally couldn’t pursue Rantanen, or wouldn’t pursue him may be inclined to, simply because the cap hit would be so minimal, and it might stop one of their potential playoff opponents from trading for him.

Either way, the development will be fascinating to watch. If Carolina can’t get Rantanen signed long-term, they might see the opportunity to extract more value than they traded away as a bigger priority than holding onto Rantanen as a rental this season. Any team looking to acquire Rantanen would likely view a trade for him as a pure rental, which will suit some teams just fine if they feel their competitive window is closing and they can get him at a discount.

Trade Deadline Primer: St. Louis Blues

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With the 4 Nations Face-Off now complete, the trade deadline looms large and is just a few weeks away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the St. Louis Blues.

The St. Louis Blues find themselves in a similar position to the last two seasons. They aren’t good enough to make the playoffs, but they are too good to bottom out and collect a top draft pick. It’s a position not unlike the one the Pittsburgh Penguins find themselves in. Both teams are recent Stanley Cup Champions that haven’t moved into a full rebuild yet. St. Louis is currently eight points out of a playoff spot and would need to leapfrog three teams to land the eighth seed in the Western Conference. Given their position in the West, it’s fair to assume that they will be looking toward the future at this year’s NHL Trade Deadline.

Record

25-26-5, 6th in the Central Division

Deadline Status

Sellers

Deadline Cap Space

$6.025MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention spots used, 45/50 contract spots used, per PuckPedia.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2025: STL 1st, STL 5th, STL 6th
2026: STL 1st, STL 3rd, STL 4th, STL 5th, PIT 5th, NYI 5th, STL 6th, STL 7th

Trade Chips

St. Louis doesn’t have many pending unrestricted free agents of note but will try to move the handful they do have.

Veteran defenseman Ryan Suter could be traded to a team looking for a depth defenseman, but wouldn’t fetch much of a return at this point. The 40-year-old is a shell of the player he once was, but for a team looking for a veteran presence on the backend, they could do worse. Suter has remained healthy for almost all of his late 30s, and while he isn’t the minute eater he used to be, he could certainly fill the role of a seventh defenseman.

Forward Radek Faksa is another name the Blues could look to ship out. The 31-year-old would bring a strong defensive presence to any acquiring team but wouldn’t provide much in the way of offense. He does have a modified five-team no-trade clause, but it’s hard to see that being an issue at this point. Faksa is a free agent on July 1st and with a $3.25MM cap hit, he should be moveable if St. Louis is willing to retain. Trading Faksa won’t recoup all the draft pick capital St. Louis has moved away this year, but it should allow them to bring in a mid-round pick. Faksa has just three goals and seven assists in 44 games this season, but he has garnered Selke Trophy consideration in four of the last seven seasons.

Outside of Suter and Faksa, the Blues don’t have any remaining UFAs but do have some veterans with term left on their contracts who could be moved. Brayden Schenn’s name has popped up in trade rumors for weeks now, and given his resume it’s no surprise that there has been interest in the 33-year-old forward. There is no doubt that there has been a regression in Schenn’s game the past two seasons and with three more years at $6.5MM per season his market at the deadline will be limited. There is also the concern that Schenn’s defensive game has fallen off, which could scare off some teams who view him as more of a third-line option. St. Louis might wait until the summer to move Schenn if they don’t find an offer to their liking but given that it is a seller’s market right now, they could be able to convince a desperate team to overpay in the next two weeks.

St. Louis has some other veterans on expensive long-term deals who have underperformed the past few seasons, which could make significant moves difficult. Pavel Buchnevich and Jordan Kyrou have both had their names mentioned as potential trade candidates and the Blues would probably be more than happy to move on from some of their veteran defensemen as well but will likely be handcuffed by varying trade protections. Nick Leddy, Colton Parayko, Justin Faulk and Cam Fowler all make north of $4MM per season and have at least one year left on their current contracts. Couple that with the no-trade clauses and the Blues are in tough to make substantial changes if that is the direction they want to go.

Team Needs

1) Offensive Forwards – St. Louis has top forwards who can score (Kyrou, Buchnevich, and Robert Thomas). However, their depth scoring has been a huge issue this season (25th in the NHL in goals). If the Blues elect to retool this summer, getting offensive depth forwards should be at the top of their shopping list. St. Louis has not received much offense from their bottom six forwards, and it has allowed teams to focus more attention on the top six and prohibit them from scoring at their usual rates. Buchnevich, Kyrou and Thomas are all having down years and insulating them with more depth might force teams to divide their attention more when defending the Blues’ best forwards. At the very least, more offensive options should provide some help to the top six by taking the pressure off of them to chase the game when the Blues find themselves behind on the scoreboard.

2) Young Defensemen– The Blues backend is one of the oldest in the NHL, with just two defensemen under the age of 31. Philip Broberg looks like he should be a top-four defenseman for St. Louis, but outside of him, their top prospects Adam Jiricek, Theo Lindstein and Lukas Fischer are still probably two or more years away from making an NHL impact. The direction the Blues decide to go in will ultimately determine the urgency with which they will try to find young defensemen, but it is very clear at this stage that the team needs to get younger. The Blues aren’t a bad defensive team (20th in the NHL), but having a more mobile unit will help the forwards get the puck in more advantageous positions and open them up to focus more on the offensive side of the game.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Evening Notes: Utah, Samoskevich, Morrissey, Harley

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The 4-Nations Face-Off championship has full grip of the hockey world’s attention, but there’s still plenty of buzz circling the NHL. The updates start with the Utah Hockey Club, who will be somewhere between buyers and sellers at this year’s Trade Deadline per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports.  Armstrong added that the team would be interested in adding, but many of their weaknesses are addressed by recent additions like Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino, Kevin Stenlund, and Nick DeSimone. That certainly paints the picture of a team eyeing defensive depth, but the return of top-four defender Sean Durzi could mitigate any insecurities.

Durzi has been out of the lineup since October 14th with a shoulder injury that required surgery. He played four games in a top-pair role before falling to injury – recording two points, a plus-two, and over 21 minutes in average ice time. The 26-year-old emerged as a legit top defender in the Los Angeles Kings’ 2022-23 season. He scored 38 points in 72 games and averaged roughly 20 minutes that year – his second NHL season. Durzi continued to improve with the Arizona Coyotes last year, improving to 41 points in 76 games and over 22 minutes of ice time. This year seemed to be a chance to continue growing before it was derailed by injury. How he returns from the prolonged absence, and what impact it has on the Utah blue-line, could go a long way towards determining the Hockey Club’s deadline approach.

Across the NHL, Florida Panthers youngster Mackie Samoskevich has shared he’ll be clear to play when the team returns on Saturday, per NHL.com’s Jameson Olive. Samoskevich was injured on February 6th – his first game back from a three-game absence due to illness. He missed an additional two games with the injury, but found his way back to full health during the 4-Nations break. The 22-year-old Samoskevich has 17 points in 48 games this season – marking the first scoring of his NHL career.

In other news, Team Canada was forced to scratch Josh Morrissey in the 4-Nations championship due to illness. He was replaced by injury fill-in Thomas Harley, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Harley was eligible to play despite not being on the initial lineup as Morrissey’s illness, and Shea Theodore’s upper-body injury left the team without six healthy defenders. Harley scored his first point of the tournament in the finals after playing in both matchups against Team USA. Morrissey also didn’t post any scoring during three tournament games – though he does have an impressive 46 points in 56 NHL games this season.

Trade Deadline Primer: Seattle Kraken

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With the 4 Nations Face-Off break approaching, the trade deadline looms large and is about a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Seattle Kraken.

The Seattle Kraken season has been far from ideal. They find themselves near the bottom of the division with little time to fix it. With an average age above 28 years old and menial draft capital, Seattle seems perfectly set up for a fire sale of their aging veterans. They offer value from the top to the bottom of the lineup, with a wide variety of roles and price tags attached. A strategic Trade Deadline could help the Kraken lean into their burgeoning top prospects and build a lineup that can be competitive for years to come.

Record

24-29-4, 7th in the Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Sellers

Deadline Cap Space

$4.65MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention spots used, 46/50 contract spots used, per PuckPedia.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2025: SEA 1st, SEA 2nd, SEA 4th, DAL 4th, SEA 5th, SEA 7th
2026: SEA 1st, SEA 2nd, SEA 3rd, ANA 4th, SEA 4th, SEA 5th, SEA 6th, SEA 7th

Trade Chips

They have an absolute wealth of forward talent rumored to be on their chopping block, headlined by leading scorer Jared McCann. McCann has posted 14 goals and 42 points in 57 games this year, putting him on pace for 20 goals and 60 points through a full 82 games. That’d be a small step down from the 29 goals and 62 points he scored last year, but McCann’s role with the Kraken has only increased. His average ice time is up to 17:28 this season, the highest its been in his four years in Seattle. That includes the mere 16:20 he averaged while posting 40 goals and 70 points, both career-highs, in 79 games of the 2022-23 campaign. McCann has come into his own since Seattle selected him in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. He’s averaged 28 goals and 56 points a season in four years with the Kraken – a 17-goal and 30-point improvement over what he averaged in his first six NHL seasons.

Prying that caliber of player away from a low-scoring Kraken offense will take some convincing, especially given McCann’s incredibly affordable $5MM cap hit and 10-team no-trade clause. He could be a high-upside bet for a team with a role in mind, though McCann’s mere three points in eight games of Seattle’s 2023 playoff run might make a high price too rich for playoff hopefuls.

Should that be the case, the Kraken will have plenty of middling forwards to offer instead. Yanni Gourde has been at the top of trade rumors for much of his time in Seattle. He offers diligent, two-way reliability – backed by 16 points and 36 penalty minutes in just 35 games this season. Gourde also won a pair of Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 21. He contributed 21 points in 48 games from Tampa Bay’s middle-six over the two postseason runs. Gourde was also an expansion draft pick and he stayed consistent through his first two years in Seattle – netting 48 points both seasons. Those numbers have fallen a bit since – with 33 points last year and a 38-point pace this year – but Gourde has nonetheless stayed a popular depth option.

But for all of his hard-nosed drive, Gourde’s five-foot-nine frame may not be as physical as a playoff team would like. Luckily, Seattle parallels their feisty, undersized center with bulky and gritty winger Brandon Tanev. Tanev is one of just three Kraken forwards with over 100 hits this season – with 114 hits in 55 games. He’s added 17 points, a poised eight penalty minutes, and a minus-11 to his stat-line – holding true to his role of third-line bruiser. Tanev is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, carrying a modest $3.5MM cap hit until then. That could make him a cheap rental option for playoff teams looking for more heft, with little detriment to the Seattle lineup.

Seattle’s ability to match the buyer’s need drags on. Fast-paced left-winger Jaden Schwartz and scoring right-winger Oliver Bjorkstrand are both past their prime, and likely wouldn’t carry a tremendous acquisition cost. Among the defense, Josh Mahura seems the most expendable. He’s the cheapest of the bunch with a league-minimum, $775K cap hit – and has just six assists in 45 games this season. But Mahura has added a plus-six and 58 hits – creating a moldable style for teams in need of more depth. For those looking for a more true lineup piece, the Kraken could also expend 32-year-old Jamie Oleksiak, who plays hard minutes on Seattle’s second pair but has 13 points and a minus-seven on the year. Moving either defender would give Seattle more room to lean on promising youngster Ryker Evans on the left-side, or recall hefty, right-shot prospect Ty Nelson from the minor leagues.

Team Needs

1) Young Defensemen – The Kraken have build a prospect pool worth admiring on offense. They’re led by Shane Wright, Jagger Firkus, Jani Nyman, and Logan Morrison – who all look capable of contributing to the top flight for years to come. But their defensive depth isn’t nearly as fleshed out. Nelson leads the bunch, and has managed an encouraging 21 points in 50 AHL games. But the trio of Caden Price, Lukas Dragicevic, and Ville Ottovainen haven’t inspired much behind Nelson – leaving questions as to how Seattle can build around Evans. Bringing in another top, young, left-handed defender would be a great start. The Kraken certainly have the assets to shoot for the moon by acquiring top Buffalo Sabres defender Bowen Byram, who’s managed 29 points and a plus-nine in 54 games next to Sabres star Rasmus Dahlin. Byram has had his lulls, but he’s also 23-years-old with five years of partial NHL experience and one Stanley Cup to his name – rare esteem to find on the open market.

Should a proven NHLer be too rich of a price to pay, Seattle could try to convince a fringe playoff team to part with a top defense prospect in exchange for their solidifying lineup piece. The Columbus Blue Jackets are well within grasp of the second Eastern Conference wild card, and could part with the well-rounded Stanislav Svozil without jeporadizing the future of their blue-line. Svozil has 24 points in 43 AHL games this season – his second pro season.

2) Young, Middle-Six Forwards – The Kraken are in a great Deadline position because of their overabundance of forward talent – but many of their options are in or past their prime. With a dismal record on the year, it’s clear Seattle’s positives lie in the future. Top prospects will soon be coming up, and finding the right role players to support them could go far in returning the Kraken to the postseason sooner rather than later. They may be able to sway the New York Rangers to part with an effective youngster like William Cuylle in the name of a playoff upgrade. Or perhaps expendable Toronto Maple Leafs winger Nicholas Robertson could find his scoring groove in the same slow, shoot-first style that’s supported Bjorkstrand. Both options likely wouldn’t come at a major price, especially for a Kraken team with the roster spots and draft picks to make an addition.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Igor Shesterkin Expected To Return, Rangers Assign Two To AHL

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The New York Rangers will be returning from the 4-Nations Face-Off break with good news. Starter Igor Shesterkin has shared he expects to be healthy before Saturday’s game against Buffalo per Peter Baugh of The Athletic. The Rangers made the move to back his claim by reassigning temporary backup goaltender Dylan Garand. New York has also assigned defenseman Zachary Jones to the minors on a conditioning loan. Matthew Robertson has been recalled in his place.

Shesterkin will return from an upper-body injury sustained in New York’s February 7th loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played through the entirety of that matchup but received a designation of out one-to-two weeks before the Rangers visited Columbus the next day – in what was their last game before the break. Shesterkin was in the midst of a cold spell leading up to his injury, posting a 1-4 record and .835 save percentage in his last five games. The performance spurred what was otherwise a great January for the 2022 Vezina Trophy winner. He recorded a 6-0-1 record and .948 save percentage in his first seven games of the month, helping the Rangers find solid footing in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race. The Rangers are still three points outside of playoff standing, putting the pressure on Shesterkin to bounce back to form after an extended break.

Garand filled in as the backup in Shesterkin’s lone absence. The 22-year-old has been one of the AHL’s best young netminders this year – ranked second in save percentage (.914) and third in wins (13) among U23 goalies with at least 20 games. It’s been a big step up for Garand – who claimed the AHL starting role two seasons ago but hasn’t yet posted a year-long save percentage above .900.

Jones will join Garand in the move to the AHL looking to get back to match shape. He spent 18 games out of the lineup through December and January, with a pair of scoreless spot starts in February marking his first games since the holiday break. Jones has served as New York’s seventh defenseman for the entire season – a role that’s led him to eight points, 10 penalty minutes, and a plus-two in 28 games. New York will turn towards Robertson to fill that during Jones’ temporary assignment. Robertson has 18 points and 47 penalty minutes in 47 AHL games this season and would make his NHL debut should he find a way into the Rangers lineup.

Blue Jackets Recall Joseph LaBate

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The Blue Jackets announced they’d recalled forward Joseph LaBate from AHL Cleveland. Considering they have no forwards at the 4 Nations Face-Off, his recall will likely last through their return to action against the Blackhawks on Saturday as compared to bringing him up for practice purposes.

LaBate, 31, inked a two-way deal with Columbus in late November after starting the campaign on a minor-league deal with Cleveland. He subsequently cleared waivers and returned to the AHL, where the hard-nosed center/left-winger has 6-7–13 with 49 PIMs and a minus-two rating through 33 games.

Standing at 6’5″ and 209 lbs, LaBate has 13 games of NHL experience to his name. Those all came in the 2016-17 campaign with the Canucks, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2011 draft. He didn’t record a point in that trial and has bounced around leagues since, suiting up for AHL clubs in Belleville, Milwaukee, and Chicago before landing in Kazakhstan with Barys Astana of the Kontinental Hockey League last season. It was his first and, for now, only campaign spent overseas, and his 8-10–18 scoring line with 53 PIMs in 49 games is close to his average per-season performance in the minors over his 11-year professional career.

It’s notable that the veteran LaBate gets the call over prospects like Luca Del Bel Belluz and Mikael Pyyhtia, both of whom were playing regular minutes for the CBJ leading into the 4 Nations break but were sent down to Cleveland when their scheduled pause to continue receiving playing time. Their playing time was going to be diminished amid looming returns to the lineup for captain Boone Jenner and emerging star winger Kirill Marchenko, though, so they’ll opt to keep them stashed in the AHL for now while presumably giving LaBate a shot in a fourth-line role if one of Jenner and Marchenko can’t go against Chicago.

List Of NHL-Affiliated Prospects In The Western Hockey League

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The Canadian Hockey League trade deadlines are in the rearview mirror. That makes it a good time to take stock of where NHL teams have their prospect pool skating ahead of the big league deadline. We’re taking a look at how many prospects each team has in the world’s top junior association, moving onto the Western Hockey League. You can find the list of Ontario Hockey League players and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League players here.

Anaheim Ducks

D Vojtech Port (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
D Tarin Smith (Everett Silvertips)

Buffalo Sabres

G Scott Ratzlaff (Seattle Thunderbirds)

Calgary Flames

F Andrew Basha (Medicine Hat Tigers)
D Axel Hurtig (Calgary Hitmen)
D Eric Jamieson (Everett Silvertips)
F Hunter Laing (Saskatoon Blades)
F Jaden Lipinski (Vancouver Giants)

Colorado Avalanche

F Maxmilian Curran (Tri-City Americans)
D Saige Weinstein (Spokane Chiefs)

Columbus Blue Jackets

D Charlie Elick (Tri-City Americans)
G Evan Gardner (Saskatoon Blades)
F Cayden Lindstrom (Medicine Hat Tigers)

Dallas Stars

D Niilopekka Muhonen (Medicine Hat Tigers)

Detroit Red Wings

F Emmett Finnie (Kamloops Blazers)

Florida Panthers

F Gracyn Sawchyn (Edmonton Oil Kings)
F Hunter St. Martin (Medicine Hat Tigers)

Los Angeles Kings

F Koehn Ziemmer (Prince George Cougars)

Minnesota Wild

F Riley Heidt (Prince George Cougars)
D Kalem Parker (Calgary Hitmen)
F Ryder Ritchie (Medicine Hat Tigers)
G Chase Wutzke (Red Deer Rebels)

Montreal Canadiens

F Tyler Thorpe (Vancouver Giants)

Nashville Predators

F Hiroki Gojsic (Kelowna Rockets)
F Kalan Lind (Red Deer Rebels)
F Miguel Marques (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
D Tanner Molendyk (Medicine Hat Tigers)

New Jersey Devils

F Max Graham (Kelowna Rockets)

Ottawa Senators

D Carter Yakemchuk (Calgary Hitmen)

Philadelphia Flyers

G Carson Bjarnason (Brandon Wheat Kings)
D Carter Sotheran (Portland Winterhawks)

Pittsburgh Penguins

D Harrison Brunicke (Kamloops Blazers)
F Tanner Howe (Calgary Hitmen)

San Jose Sharks

D Nate Misskey (Victoria Royals)
D Colton Roberts (Vancouver Giants)
F Carson Wetsch (Calgary Hitmen)

Seattle Kraken

F Clarke Caswell (Swift Current Broncos)
F Berkly Catton (Spokane Chiefs)
D Lukas Dragicevic (Prince Albert Raiders)
D Kaden Hammell (Everett Silvertips)
F Ollie Josephson (Red Deer Rebels)
D Tyson Jugnauth (Portland Winterhawks)
F Julius Miettinen (Everett Silvertips)
D Caden Price (Lethbridge Hurricanes)

St. Louis Blues

F Adam Jecho (Edmonton Oil Kings)
D William McIsaac (Spokane Chiefs)
F Tomas Mrsic (Prince Albert Raiders)
F Jakub Stancl (Kelowna Rockets)

Tampa Bay Lightning

G Harrison Meneghin (Medicine Hat Tigers)

Toronto Maple Leafs

D Noah Chadwick (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
F Miroslav Holinka (Edmonton Oil Kings)
D Nathan Mayes (Spokane Chiefs)

Utah Hockey Club

D Terrell Goldsmith (Tri-City Americans)
F Tij Iginla (Kelowna Rockets)
D Justin Kipkie (Victoria Royals)
D Veeti Väisänen (Medicine Hat Tigers)

Vancouver Canucks

D Parker Alcos (Edmonton Oil Kings)
D Sawyer Mynio (Calgary Hitmen)

Vegas Golden Knights

F Jordan Gustafson (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
D Viliam Kmec (Prince George Cougars)

Washington Capitals

F Andrew Cristall (Spokane Chiefs)
F Terik Parascak (Prince George Cougars)

Winnipeg Jets

F Connor Levis (Vancouver Giants)
F Markus Loponen (Victoria Royals)
F Brayden Yager (Lethbridge Hurricanes)

Islanders Likely To Activate Ryan Pulock This Weekend

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Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock skated in a regular jersey at Thursday’s practice, Denis Gorman of Newsday reports, indicating he may be ready to return when the Islanders return to action Sunday against the Stars.

Pulock, 30, has not played since sustaining an upper-body injury on his first shift in New York’s game against the Hurricanes on Jan. 25. He missed seven games leading into the 4 Nations break, which was conveniently timed to cover most of his recovery period.

The Isles are still nowhere close to fully healthy on their blue line. No. 1 defender Noah Dobson, who hasn’t skated since being designated week-to-week with a lower-body injury last month, remains on long-term injured reserve alongside Mike Reilly, whose availability down the stretch remains doubtful after undergoing heart surgery in November. Nonetheless, Pulock remains a heavy minute-muncher for the Isles, averaging 21:55 over 48 appearances this season. His return to a top-four role will allow for easier assignments for overseas signing Tony DeAngelo, trade acquisition Scott Perunovich, and waiver claim Adam Boqvist – all of whom were brought in over the weeks leading up to the break to give them much-needed depth in the wake of Dobson’s and Pulock’s absences.

Pulock isn’t the routine 30-point defender he was early in his career, but he remains a serviceable top-four option. He has 3-13–16 with a plus-seven rating and ranks second on the team with 105 blocks. The latter stat indicates Pulock’s continued struggles to control possession over the past few seasons. He’s logged a Corsi share of 47.2% and an expected rating of -5.8 at even strength this year, both of which rank in the bottom half of Islanders skaters. His usual pairing with Adam Pelech has remained stout defensively but struggles to generate scoring chances, leading to a subpar xGF% of 48.2, per MoneyPuck. They’ve been the lowest-event duo of the four Islanders pairings to log at least 150 minutes together in 2024-25.

His return comes as the Islanders look to continue the momentum generated by an 8-3-0 run leading into the 4 Nations break, which put them back within shouting distance of a playoff spot. They’re four points back of the Red Wings for the final wild-card position but don’t have any games in hand and need to leapfrog the Rangers, Bruins, and Blue Jackets as well. It won’t be easy, but getting him (and Scott Mayfield, who missed their last four games with a lower-body issue) back in the lineup gives them veteran stability as they look to gain ground down the stretch.

Minor Transactions: 2/20/25

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Minor moves will continue across the league Thursday as teams dial in their rosters coming out of the 4 Nations break. We’ll keep track of those moves here as always:

  • The Blues announced Thursday they’ve called up forward Zachary Bolduc from AHL Springfield. The move was widely expected after they assigned him to the minors for the first time this season at the beginning of the 4 Nations break to get playing time while St. Louis was off. The 2021 first-round pick rejoins the club after posting 6-12–18 with a +10 rating through 46 games to begin the year. Bolduc, 21, posted a pair of assists and a minus-three rating in four games with Springfield over the last two weeks.
  • The Devils announced they’d recalled goaltender Nico Daws from AHL Utica and reassigned forward Chase Stillman to Utica and goalie Tyler Brennan to ECHL Adirondack in corresponding transactions. Brennan and Stillman were recalled Tuesday to practice with the Devils while some of their players were returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off and were expected to return to their respective minor-league clubs in the coming days. Daws comes back up to serve as Jake Allen’s backup coming out of the break until starter Jacob Markström is ready to return from his MCL sprain, which is set to keep him out for another two weeks. The 24-year-old won his only start of the season against the Penguins on Feb. 4, stopping 25 of 27 shots for a .926 SV%. He also saved all seven shots he faced in relief of Allen against the Sabres on Feb. 2.
  • The Lightning announced they’ve reassigned left-winger Gabriel Fortier to AHL Syracuse. Tampa recalled him Tuesday to serve as an extra practice player as their contingent of 4 Nations players works their way back to Florida, but it won’t result in any NHL playing time. The 2018 second-rounder hasn’t suited up for the Bolts since 2022-23 and has 10-7–17 in 37 AHL games this season with a plus-five rating.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

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