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Archives for February 2025

NHL Met With Group Interested In New Orleans Expansion

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The NHL held a recent meeting with a group interested in acquiring an expansion team for the New Orleans market at the league’s offices in New York, deputy commissioner Bill Daly told Kevin Weekes of ESPN on Wednesday.

In terms of expansion interest and likelihood, this is about as preliminary as it can get. League commissioner Gary Bettman has remained as noncommittal as possible about when the league will increase past 32 teams after incorporating Vegas and Seattle in the last decade. The league’s preference for team No. 33 will be a return to the Phoenix area after facilitating the Coyotes’ sale to Utah and, through a complicated process, retaining the club’s intellectual and branding rights. A local group comprised of government and business officials met with Bettman last month, but the area still needs a new arena to house an NHL franchise – which there’s been no tangible progress toward completing since the Coyotes’ departure.

New Orleans joins a long list of cities interested in an NHL club. Houston and Atlanta either already have or are in the process of constructing an NHL-ready arena and have had multiple groups express interest in acquiring a franchise within the last two years. Cincinnati, Hamilton, Kansas City, Omaha, Quebec City, and Saskatoon continue as speculative destinations for a further round of expansion – it’s difficult to imagine some combination of Atlanta, Houston, and Phoenix comprising teams 33 and 34.

The only professional team to carry a New Orleans moniker was the ECHL’s New Orleans Brass, who were briefly affiliated with the Sharks and spent five years in the league from 1997-98 to 2001-02. They were the first tenant of what’s now called the Smoothie King Center, home to the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans, but were forced to fold when the city demanded them to shoulder the costs of converting the arena to a basketball configuration. The building held a capacity of 16,900 when configured for hockey.

The Baton Rouge Zydeco of the FPHL, two levels of play below the ECHL, is the only professional hockey team currently operational in Louisiana. They’re in just their second season of play.

Canadiens Activate, Reassign David Reinbacher

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The Canadiens have assigned top defense prospect David Reinbacher to AHL Laval, per a team announcement. Reinbacher had spent the first four and a half months of the season on the non-roster list after undergoing left knee surgery on Oct. 1 but will now get his campaign underway in the minors.

Reinbacher, 20, was selected fifth overall in the 2023 draft. He signed his entry-level contract a week later but was loaned back to Switzerland’s EHC Kloten for most of the 2023-24 regular season. This year was set to be his first full-time in North America, but a knee injury sustained in a preseason contest against the Maple Leafs trashed most of his campaign.

The 6’2″, 194-lb righty looked good to close out last season in Laval. He suited up 11 times down the stretch in the AHL after his Swiss National League season ended, scoring two goals and three assists with a plus-six rating. On a high note, he also began the 2024-25 campaign with two assists in three games for Austria at the final Olympic qualification tournament, although they didn’t make the cut.

Reinbacher exploded in his draft year, scoring 3-19–22 in 46 games with Kloten and earning a plus-seven rating, but a disastrous campaign for the club in 2023-24 saw his totals step back to 1-10–11 in 35 games and a -15 rating. The Canadiens and most others were willing to write that off as an outlier, especially considering his finish to the season after coming across the Atlantic.

There’s no roster math involved for the Habs with this move, as Reinbacher didn’t count toward their 23-player limit or the salary cap. He’ll now get a look at top-four usage in Laval before a potential late-season call-up to Montreal.

Latest On The Blues’ Deadline Plans

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The Blues’ reported openness to dealing away captain Brayden Schenn has made the team one of the more intriguing clubs to watch leading up to the trade deadline on March 7. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta noted this morning that St. Louis was one of the most active teams in trade conversations during the 4 Nations break and has also begun to receive calls on core forwards Pavel Buchnevich and Jordan Kyrou. Pagnotta adds the former’s reported availability “had a trickle effect” on additional talks, but more teams have expressed firm interest in Schenn than the others as they’ve had more time to marinate.

While Schenn has been seen as a speculative fit for a few teams, namely the Avalanche, there hasn’t been any mention yet of a team demonstrating clear interest. That changes with Pagnotta’s report, as he notes the Golden Knights are one of “several” teams that have contacted St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong about a Schenn trade:

[The Golden Knights] have cap space. Obviously, Shea Theodore is out. We had heard the initial prognosis was six-to-eight weeks, which would take them right towards the end of the season. So, we’ll see kind of where that goes. But (Schenn’s) on their radar and a few other teams, as well.

How high the Blues set the asking price for Schenn remains to be seen. It’s been a seller’s market thus far, but Schenn has a full no-trade clause and carries a $6.5MM cap hit that’s already a tad steep for what he’s provided offensively over the last two seasons. Considering he’s 33 years old and signed through the 2027-28 campaign, there won’t be an oversized list of teams willing to take on that contract.

St. Louis does have all three of its salary retention slots available. Still, there’s an inherent risk of limiting their retention availability for that many seasons if the Blues endure a longer retool or rebuild than expected. If someone steps up for them, they certainly won’t be keeping any money on Buchnevich or Kyrou, both signed through the 2030-31 season.

It stands to reason that Kyrou would land the most significant return of the trio. He’s the youngest at age 26 and leads the team in scoring with 23-21–44 through 56 games. He’s tied his career-best +10 rating, and while his offensive production is his worst per-game basis in four years, he boasts more substantial possession impacts than in the past and has added a bit more physicality to his game with a career-high 31 hits. An $8.125MM cap hit may stand as a small overpay at present but checks in at market value once the salary cap begins its meteoric rise next season, assuming his current 64-pace is where he bottoms out. He’s averaged 33 goals and 73 points per 82 games since his breakout 2021-22 campaign.

Buchnevich put pen to paper on a six-year, $48MM extension one day after becoming eligible to sign one last summer, but his production has continued to slide after back-to-back seasons above a point per game in 2021-22 and 2022-23. His totals dropped to 63 points in 80 games last year, and he’s only pace for 52 points over an 82-game schedule in 2024-25 with 11-23–34 through 54 appearances. His minus-two rating is his worst since arriving in St. Louis four years ago, as is his 11.1% shooting rate. With so much term attached at an $8MM annual commitment, a Buchnevich trade will likely need to wait until the summer at the earliest for teams to gauge whether the chance at a resurgence is worth the risk of him plateauing at 50-65 points per season.

Utah To Activate Sean Durzi From Injured Reserve

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Utah is set to activate right-shot defender Sean Durzi from injured reserve before Saturday’s game against the Kings, head coach André Tourigny told reporters (including Brogan Houston of Deseret News) yesterday evening. Utah’s active roster currently has a maximum of 23 players, so they must make a corresponding move before activating him.

Durzi, 26, made it four games into the 2024-25 season before requiring right shoulder surgery in October. He was fresh off a career-best 32-assist, 41-point year with the Coyotes that led to a four-year, $24MM extension from Utah one day before he was set to reach restricted free agency last offseason.

He’ll return to the lineup after a four-month absence against his former team. Durzi skated his first two NHL seasons in Los Angeles, who acquired his signing rights from the Maple Leafs in the 2019 Jake Muzzin trade. He immediately solidified himself as a top-four option after making his NHL debut in 2021, averaging 19:42 over 136 games with the Kings and recording a 12-53–65 scoring line with a -21 rating. While he was already their secondary power-play option behind Drew Doughty and still had room to grow, younger names in the pool, like Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence, made him expendable. Halfway through a two-year, $3.4MM bridge deal with the Kings, L.A. traded him to Arizona in the 2023 offseason for a second-round pick.

It was a prudent move for the now-Utah-based franchise. Durzi was the Coyotes’ bona fide No. 1 defenseman in his lone season in the desert, leading skaters in average ice time with 22:43 and notching 41 points in 76 games. His defensive impacts exploded, too. His +3.1 expected rating led the team, and his 52.2 CF% at even strength finished second among qualified skaters behind Barrett Hayton. Established as a genuine top-pairing threat, Utah general manager Bill Armstrong got him some help on the trade market last offseason by picking up top-four stalwarts Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino.

Utah will have all three of those names in the lineup for the first time this season on Saturday. Marino didn’t make his season debut until mid-January after undergoing back surgery at the same time as Durzi. The former will hold down top-pairing duties alongside Sergachev. At the same time, Durzi will be eased back into the lineup in a third-pairing role alongside presumably Olli Määttä, Houston relayed from yesterday’s practice.

Durzi had two assists and a plus-two rating through his first four games in Utah before a hit from Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler put his season on pause. Utah is six points behind the Canucks for a wild-card spot and stands as a conservative seller on deadline day as things stand. Still, a fully healthy defense with another offensive weapon in Durzi could fuel a hot streak to put them back in the postseason conversation. The Western Conference’s mediocre depth means Utah only has Vancouver and the Flames to jump for a wild card spot, so their playoff chances still check in at 15.8%, according to MoneyPuck. Those could jump to north of 20% with a regulation win against Los Angeles.

Canucks Sign Drew O’Connor To Two-Year Extension

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Feb. 19: O’Connor’s extension actually does carry some trade protection – a modified 12-team no-trade clause in both seasons, per PuckPedia.

Feb. 18: The Canucks have agreed to terms on a two-year, $5MM extension with winger Drew O’Connor, per a team announcement. He’ll carry a cap hit of $2.5MM in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 campaigns. His deal carries a $775K salary with a $2.075MM signing bonus in Year 1, followed by a $2.15MM salary with no bonuses in Year 2, PuckPedia reports.

O’Connor, 27 in June, was set for unrestricted free agency this summer after Vancouver acquired him along with defenseman Marcus Pettersson from the Penguins at the beginning of the month. After extending Pettersson on a six-year, $33MM deal a few days later, they’ve ensured both acquisitions will remain with the club past the stretch run.

While an afterthought in the deal compared to Pettersson, O’Connor has two goals on 10 shots in four games since the trade, including a penalty shot winner in overtime against the Sharks on Feb. 6. He has a plus-one rating, and the Canucks have controlled shot attempts 58-53 when he’s on the ice at even strength. He’s spent most of his time in the top six with Brock Boeser and Filip Chytil, helping the trio control 59.3% of expected goals through 28 minutes, per MoneyPuck. It’s a small sample, but he’s been a good fit in Vancouver early on.

O’Connor is no stranger to playing a complementary top-six role. He’s spent most of the last two years in Pittsburgh getting reps on Sidney Crosby’s wing, including his breakout 2023-24 campaign that saw him net 16-17–33 in 79 games. The New Jersey native’s production had dipped this year before the trade, limited to 6-10–16 in 53 games with the Pens, but he’s tracking to rediscover more reliable top-nine production with the Canucks.

Over his 214-game career, the undrafted free agent signing out of Dartmouth has 32-36–68 with a minus-five rating. That averages out to 12 goals and 26 points per 82 games, and while that looks more like fringe third-line production, he’s tracking upward. Considering he’s demonstrated top-six utility, betting on his value to replicate or eclipse a $2.5MM cap hit amid a rising upper limit is a prudent move from Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin, especially on a short-term deal with no trade protection.

O’Connor will now have to wait until 2027 to test unrestricted free agency for the first time. Meanwhile, the Canucks now have $75.87MM committed to 15 players for the 2025-26 campaign, per PuckPedia. With the salary cap increasing from $88MM to $92.5MM, they have $19.63MM in projected space to fill eight roster spots, a good chunk of which is earmarked for extension negotiations with pending UFAs. Brock Boeser and Kevin Lankinen.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Islanders Working On Extension For Maxim Tsyplakov

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The Islanders have offered an extension worth around $3MM per season to pending restricted free agent right-winger Maxim Tsyplakov, agent Alexander Chernykh told Russian outlet Sport-Express (translated by Stefen Rosner and Matthew Page of The Hockey News). It’s unclear what length of contract the two sides are discussing at this point.

It would hardly be a surprise to see New York hammer out a deal with Tsyplakov before the trade deadline on March 7. The club has rocketed up the standings to a 25-23-7 record, 11 points out of a divisional berth in the Metropolitan but only four points out of a wild card spot. That bump in playoff odds to 32.5% (according to MoneyPuck) means a deadline retool is more likely than a complete selloff, meaning additional cost certainty for the 2025-26 campaign will come at a higher priority for general manager Lou Lamoriello.

Tsyplakov, 26, is one of the club’s more intriguing players and would have commanded a decent return if they decided to sell him off with one season left under team control. Undrafted, he was never on NHL teams’ radars throughout his professional career. That changed last summer on the heels of a massive 31-goal, 47-point breakout in 65 games for Spartak Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League, ranking fourth in the KHL in goals. He generated interest from multiple teams on the international free agent, including the Canadiens and Maple Leafs, before landing a one-year entry-level deal with the Isles in mid-May.

Early in the 2024-25 campaign, Tsyplakov proved he could hang as not only a middle-six presence in the NHL but a top-six one. He scored a goal and logged a whopping 20:46 of ice time in his NHL debut against Utah, an overtime loss, and has remained a second-line option with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri for most of the season. His offensive production is decent – 7-18–25 through 51 games – and he boasts a plus-nine rating with a team-high 33 PIMs. He doesn’t shoot the puck with aplomb, scoring on 10% of his 70 shots on goal, but he averages nearly 16 minutes per game and is tied for second on the club with 108 hits.

Tsyplakov doesn’t see any penalty kill usage but has taken reps on the second power-play unit, pairing the special-teams deployment with good possession impacts at even strength. His 51.9 CF% ranks seventh among Islanders skaters with 10 or more games played, and his +3.3 expected rating ranks fifth.

If not for a three-game suspension in January for a hit to the head of Flyers center Ryan Poehling and a lone healthy scratch following the discipline, Tsyplakov would be on pace to play in all 82 games with an 11-29–40 scoring line. Paired with his physicality and solid defensive play, that’s good enough production to lock him in as a complementary second-line piece. A long-term commitment to a player on the wrong side of 25 with a limited track record as a true impact player professionally seems unlikely, but a bridge deal in the $2.5MM-$3.5MM range per season as outlined by Chernykh stands as a potentially high-value deal for the Isles over the next few years.

Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy Out Week-To-Week

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Feb. 19: McAvoy is out week-to-week for Boston after undergoing a procedure to remove an infection stemming from his upper-body injury, sources told Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff on Tuesday evening. He’s likely bound for injured reserve to make room for the multiple recalls the Bruins made yesterday. Boston head team physician Dr. Peter Asnis confirmed Seravalli’s report, issuing the following statement on McAvoy’s health:

Charlie McAvoy sustained an injury to his right shoulder acromioclavicular joint in Team USA’s 4 Nations Face-Off game against Finland on February 13. He underwent treatment, which was administered by Team USA’s medical staff. Upon returning to Boston, he developed increasing pain, for which he was evaluated by the Boston Bruins’ medical staff. After undergoing X-rays, MRIs, and bloodwork, he was diagnosed as having an infection in his right shoulder, as well as a significant injury to his AC joint. He underwent an irrigation and debridement procedure at Massachusetts General Hospital on February 18. He remains in the hospital, where he is being treated with IV antibiotics, and his condition is improving.

Feb. 18: According to a statement from the Bruins, McAvoy has been ruled out of the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game on Thursday. Boston shared he’s undergoing testing at Massachusetts General Hospital for an upper-body injury and the team will pass along additional information as it becomes available.

Feb. 17: It’s already been confirmed through multiple reports this morning that Team USA would be resting defenseman Charlie McAvoy for tonight’s matchup against Team Sweden. Unfortunately, there appears to be another layer of context for McAvoy’s absence as Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub reports McAvoy is out with an upper-body injury and is questionable to play in Thursday’s championship game.

McAvoy would be a major missing piece for the Americans should he not be available for Thursday’s re-match against Team Canada. Although he went scoreless in the first North American rivalry contest, the Boston Bruins’ blue-liner landed five hits in 19:27 of ice time, including a momentum-altering body check against Connor McDavid.

Team USA has a more than capable in-house replacement in Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson but they’ll have a slight abundance of left-handed shots on the blue line. Sanderson, nor any other member of the United States defensive core, is as physical as McAvoy, but he can hold his own on the offensive side of the puck.

Aside from his immediate availability for the United States to close out the 4 Nations Face-Off, there’s no telling if McAvoy’s injury will affect his availability with the Bruins. Anderson didn’t offer a timeline for McAvoy’s recovery but it could be somewhat serious if he’ll miss an entire week of hockey.

Boston will emerge from the 4 Nations Face-Off break exactly one point back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, with two additional games played compared to the Detroit Red Wings. Time is abundant for the Bruins to recapture a playoff spot but their probability will shrink without their top defenseman. Again, there’s no confirmation McAvoy will miss any time with the Bruins although it’ll be a situation to monitor.

Trade Deadline Primer: Philadelphia Flyers

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With the 4 Nations Face-Off break here, the trade deadline looms large and is less than 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 Philadelphia Flyers.

The standings won’t be a focus in the Flyers’ deadline plans. They entered the two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off on the heels of a 3-6-1 record in their last 10 games while being outscored 31-16. The Flyers’ positives have been elsewhere, namely with rookie Matvei Michkov. He’s earned Calder Trophy attention with 16 goals and 36 points in 55 games and seems to be heeding the wisdom of tenured head coach John Tortorella. He leads a suite of prospects performing well, joined by Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, and Emil Andrae in the NHL and Samu Tuomaala, Jacob Gaucher, and Alexis Gendron in the minors. Their success, and a heaping seven picks in the first two rounds of this year’s draft, will train Philadelphia’s sights firmly on the future for the rest of the year.

Record

24-26-7, 8th in the Metropolitan Division

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$8.43MM on deadline day, 1/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2025: PHI 1st, COL 1st, EDM 1st, PHI 2nd, ANA 2nd, CGY 2nd, CBJ 2nd, PHI 3rd, PHI 4th, PHI 5th, CAR 5th, PHI 6th, PHI 7th
2026: PHI 1st, PHI 2nd, PHI 3rd, PHI 4th, PHI 6th, PHI 7th

Trade Chips

Philadelphia telegraphed their deadline approach in late January when they sent Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee to the Calgary Flames for Andrei Kuzmenko, prospect Jakob Pelletier, and two draft picks. In the wake of the deal, general manager Daniel Brière emphasized the team’s long-term thinking, even painting Kuzmenko’s acquisition as a test run for free agency. They’ll continue trimming veterans for future assets into March, playing with a hand of frequent trade candidates.

Center Scott Laughton is once again standing tallest on Philadelphia’s trade block. He continues to serve a diligent center role in Philadelphia’s middle-six, stepping up as the hard-nosed drive behind the Flyers’ top scorers. Teams have long commended Laughton’s ability to lead a locker room, but his trade price has been rumored to be as high as a first-round pick in years past. Laughton has scored a commendable 11 goals and 26 points this year and carries a modest $3MM cap hit through this season and next.

However, his third-line role would make a high price hard to nab. Laughton’s veteran presence would almost certainly garner plenty of attention from playoff hopefuls on the open market. Still, the Flyers may need to come down on their price to make something happen. His move could open the necessary lineup space to reward Gaucher’s hot AHL season or create room for OHL prospect Jett Luchanko next season after he made the Flyers out of training camp this year.

Defender Rasmus Ristolainen has also been featured on the Flyers’ block for a long time. The 30-year-old Finn has rounded his game out in Philadelphia, becoming more of a physical defensive presence than in his early years. Ristolainen has just 15 points in 54 games this season, but he’s also recorded the first positive rating of his career with a plus-three. He’s diligently served the Flyers’ slot and could be a cheap acquisition for playoff teams needing any support on right defense, like the Stars. Ristolainen carries a lofty $5.1MM cap hit through the end of next season, which may force Philadelphia to concede quite a bit of ground if they want to make a move happen – something they’re unwilling to do given he’s not yet a pending UFA. Helge Grans would likely stand as the biggest benefactor of Ristolainen’s move. The 22-year-old made his NHL debut earlier this year, netting one point in six games, and has 18 points in 44 AHL games.

Outside of the veteran pair, the Flyers don’t seem to have many alluring assets. Depth forward Noah Cates offers a physical, two-way presence and may be entering his prime too early for the Flyers’ timeline. He could be a cheap acquisition for teams looking to shore up their bottom six. The same can be said for bruising veteran Garnet Hathaway, who ranks second among NHL forwards with 205 hits in 57 games. Both forwards check in with cap hits under $2.65MM but likely wouldn’t command lofty returns.

Philadelphia also has an excess in goal. Russian tandem Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov have struggled to find their footing in the NHL. They both boast save percentages in the .870s while splitting time as the backup behind Samuel Ersson. Shipping off either goalie could land Philadelphia a simple return. Fedotov, who is five years Kolosov’s senior, seems the more likely to move of the two.

Team Needs

1) Defense Prospects – The Flyers have built hardy prospect groups on offense, but the lackluster acquisition of Jamie Drysdale has left them a bit vacant on defense. Cameron York has caught enough momentum to lead Philadelphia’s blue line into the future, but he needs strong support. One of their aforementioned packages could be enough to net Christian Kyrou away from Dallas or Elias Salomonsson away from the Winnipeg Jets. Both players are right-shot, former second-rounders currently performing up to par in the AHL with 13 points in 28 games and 15 points in 26 games, respectively. Any incoming right-defender will join Grans as the future bets on a shallow right side and could stand as modest ways to round out a prospect pool.

2) Depth Goaltending – Goaltending has been the sore spot throughout the Flyers organization this year. Ersson has done enough to claim the starting role, posting a 16-10-3 record and a .896 save percentage, but nearly every role behind him is unclear. The AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms have utilized five different goaltenders this year, and only one – Parker Gahagen (.907) – has posted a save percentage above .900 in substantial minutes. Finding a netminder that can stand above the rest would be a welcome silver lining as Philadelphia builds out next year. The Toronto Maple Leafs could be swayed to part with 22-year-old Dennis Hildeby for the right price, with 26-year-old Joseph Woll boasting a .909 in 30 NHL games.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Oilers Expected To Recall Matthew Savoie, Derek Ryan

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The Edmonton Oilers are expected to recall forwards Matthew Savoie and Derek Ryan after the pair joined Edmonton for their Tuesday practice, per Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic. Nugent-Bowman added that Savoie is also expected to join Edmonton on their upcoming five-game road trip to the East coast.

Savoie has yet to make his Oilers debut, but he’s been red hot in the AHL as of late. The Oilers top prospect has 10 points in his last 10 games and 37 points in 43 games on the year. His scoring ranks second on the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors and leads all U21 players in the AHL. The Oilers have to be excited about Savoie’s early showings, after acquiring him for Ryan McLeod last summer. It was a shocking trade, moving Savoie on from the Buffalo Sabres just over two years after they drafted him ninth overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. Savoie played in seven pro games with the Sabres organization. He didn’t score in his sole NHL appearance, but did manage five points in six AHL games.

Savoie returned to the WHL after his short stint with the Buffalo organization, but his hot AHL scoring has carried into his formal rookie season this year. He’ll be a high upside bet for an Oilers offense with all of the firepower to lift him up – though there have been concerns about how his five-foot-nine, 180-pound frame will translate to the top flight.

Edmonton could get a chance to test those concerns this weekend. If Savoie struggles, they’ll turn quickly towards veteran depth forward Derek Ryan. Ryan played in 33 games with the Oilers earlier this year, recording one goal, five points, and 12 penalty minutes. He’s also scored two points in three AHL games – the first minor-league appearances Ryan has made since the 2016-17 campaign. He’s been a perennial fourth-line forward ever since, spanning tenures with the Carolina Hurricanes, Calgary Flames, and now Edmonton. Now 38, Ryan won’t rival the upside and energy that Savoie could bring to the lineup – but he will bring hardy veteran depth behind a shifting Oilers’ bottom-six.

Devils Place Jacob Markstrom, Jonas Siegenthaler On IR

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The New Jersey Devils have made a flurry of move with the hockey world’s attention turning back towards NHL rosters. Most notably, the team has placed starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom (knee) and top-four defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler (lower-body) on injured reserve. Markstrom has missed New Jersey’s last seven games after suffering an MCL sprain in New Jersey’s win over Boston on January 22nd. He was announced as out four-to-six weeks at the time of his injury. Markstrom has posted a dazzling 21-9-5 record and .912 save percentage in 36 appearances this year. His starting role has been filled by veteran Jake Allen, who also has a .912 save percentage but just a 9-11-1 record in 21 games.

Siegenthaler’s injury is less clear. He left New Jersey’s February 7th game against the Pittsburgh Penguins after taking an awkward hit from Anthony Beauvillier. Siegenthaler missed New Jersey’s last two games. He is expected to miss an additional two-to-three weeks after undergoing a procedure to address his injury during the 4-Nations break, per head coach Sheldon Keefe. Siegenthaler has been one of New Jersey’s top defenders this season. He has just nine points in 55 games, but formed a strong pairing with Johnathan Kovacevic.

In corresponding moves, New Jersey also recalled defensemen Simon Nemec and Seamus Casey, and goaltender Tyler Brennan, to join the team’s Tuesday practice. The pair of defenders stand as perhaps New Jersey’s top two prospects. Nemec and Casey lead the Utica Comets’ blue-line in scoring, with 23 points in 34 games and 15 points in 22 games respectively. Meanwhile, Brennan has spent his last two seasons with the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder. He’s begun vying for the starting role this year, leading all Thunder netminders with 22 games played and posting a 6-14-2 record and .870 save percentage. Brennan likely won’t stick with the roster when games start back up, but one of Casey or Nemec could hold onto a spot depending on how long Siegenthaler misses.

New Jersey has utilized 22 of 23 roster slots with both defense prospects up. That final roster spot could soon be taken up by captain Nico Hischier’s return. Keefe told NHL.com that Hischier didn’t seem to be dealing with any sort of discomfort in New Jersey’s first day back, though he’ll need to be approved by doctors before he can return. Hischier added that he felt like his break, and Tuesday’s practice, both went well. The top Swiss has missed New Jersey’s last six games with an oblique injury after taking a cross-check to the ribs in the Devils’ January 25th win over the Boston Bruins. He’s been one of New Jersey’s top forwards when healthy, with 24 goals and 43 points in 51 games. Hischier will immediately return to a top-line role, should he be healthy enough to play this weekend.

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