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Oilers Showed Interest In Mikko Rantanen, Ryan Donato, Rickard Rakell

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It was a quiet but impactful Trade Deadline for the Edmonton Oilers. They brought in top-four defenseman Jake Walman and bottom-six bruiser Trent Frederic to bolster an offense that already ranked eighth in total goals this season. But as the dust begins to settle, it seems Edmonton came close to a far more exciting deadline season, and even had a chance at Carolina Hurricanes asset Mikko Rantanen. Edmonton was reportedly close to agreeing on extension terms with Rantanen, but ultimately couldn’t build a trade package that enticed Carolina enough to land the deal, shares TSN’s Ryan Rishaug. In the end, Rantanen was moved to the Dallas Stars in exchange for top young forward Logan Stankoven, two first-round draft picks, and two third-round picks.

It’s hard to imagine Edmonton could put together an offer better than that. Edmonton only has one pick – a 2026 second – in the top-two rounds of 2025 and 2026. They also don’t have nearly the young talent that Dallas had to offer. Vasily Podkolzin is almost certainly their closest comparable – one year older and as NHL engrained as Stankoven – and he’d be hard to move after a nice stylistic fit in Edmonton has led him to 21 points in 61 games this year. The Oilers could have offered top prospect Matthew Savoie, who ranks third on the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors in scoring with 40 points in 47 games. But neither asset quite stands up to Stankoven’s pedigree, and it’s likely their lacking draft capital was the ultimate dividing line.

Rishaug adds that Edmonton also tested the waters on acquiring top winger Rickard Rakell from the Pittsburgh Penguins, and red-hot centerman Ryan Donato from the Chicago Blackhawks. Rakell has been a standout, top-line option for the Penguins this season – boasting 29 goals and 53 points in 64 games this season. That scoring – and his standing as one of a few bright spots in Pittsburgh’s season – certainly hiked up his price at the deadline. Especially in the midst of an inflated market, it’s again hard to imagine Edmonton’s empty draft cabinet could have pried Rakell away. Donato would have likely cost much less – though he is having a career year with 23 goals and 48 points in 62 games – but his center role would have buried him down Edmonton’s lineup. In the end, they landed their third-line boost in a deal with the Bruins – and get the boost of adding a hard-nosed enforcer to protect superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the postseason.

For as quiet as it ended up, it seems Oilers general manager Stan Bowman made sure to busy up his deadline. The Oilers have six players headed for unrestricted free agency, and two headed for restricted free agency, which should clear up roughly $14.71MM in cap space this summer per PuckPedia. That could be just enough space to get Bowman back on the phones as the NHL Draft and start of free agency role around. The Oilers added plenty of new faces last summer, signing each of Viktor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner, and Corey Perry to short-term deals.

Islanders’ Semyon Varlamov Likely Out For Season, Offseason Priorities Forming

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New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello sat down with media for an in-depth look at the team’s current state after the Trade Deadline and where he plans to head this summer. Among the biggest news was that top backup goaltender Semyon Varlamov will likely miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season with his lower-body injury, captured by Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News.

Varlamov has been out of the lineup since late November, but the root of his injury wasn’t entirely clear. He played through a full 61 minutes of action in what could be his last game of the season – an 5-4 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals on November 29th. He’s been on the shelf ever since, while the Islanders have turned towards Marcus Hogberg and Jakub Skarek to fill backup minutes behind star starter Ilya Sorokin.

Lamoriello went on to speak in depth about the team’s plans for veterans Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, sharing that their goal was to sign both to extensions beyond this season. That plan went awry with Nelson, who was ultimately flipped to the Colorado Avalanche for top prospect Calum Ritchie and draft capital – but Lamoriello emphasized that the team still hopes to bring Palmieri back into the fold, per Newsday’s Andrew Gross. In the same breath, Lamoriello also pointed out that the Islanders need to get younger. They currently carry the 10th-oldest lineup in the NHL, with an average age of 28.96. Of the nine teams older than them, the Pittsburgh Penguins are the only team in shakier playoff standing than the Wild Card-bound Islanders.

The effort to get younger will mean plenty of change this summer, Lamoriello added. He told Gross that the term “retool” is a relatively new juxtaposition to the long-term idea of a “rebuild”. The Islanders will attempt to stick in the former camp this summer, refreshing the lineup with top prospects and new faces while trimming down on their veteran presence. That could be a challenge if keeping players like Palmieri – a 34-year-old with 20 goals and 41 points in 62 games this season – is at the top of the docket. New York likely won’t want to part with franchise cornerstone Anders Lee, or productive veterans like Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal – which could make top defenders like Noah Dobson, Ryan Pulock, and Adam Pelech the focus of any large-scale moves.

The Boston Bruins received top prospect Fraser Minten and a first-round draft pick, among other assets, for top-pair defensive defenseman Brandon Carlo at the Deadline. That price was likely hiked up in a seller’s market, but finding a comparable deal could be the start of New York’s efforts to retool. The Islanders will also have to make sure they’re elevating newly-acquired top prospects to important roles as soon as they can with the youth-movement in mind – an effort they’re already headed towards by clearing Nelson’s role for Ritchie in their recent swap.

New York finds themselves three points behind the Eastern Conference’s second Wild Card spot with 20 games left in their season. It’s a hotly contested race, with at least six teams within striking distance of a playoff spot. Moving out Nelson, who was previously tied for the team lead in scoring with 43 points, will make achieving that postseason berth a tough feat. So will losing Varlamov, who had a career-low .889 save percentage this season but posted a far more impressive .917 in his last four seasons with the Islanders. Those absences will require improved performances from the likes of Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Hogberg to keep New York competitive.

The Islanders will have six unrestricted free agents and seven restricted free agents to re-sign when their season ends. Among the pending free agents is top-performing rookie Maxim Tsyplakov, top defenders Dobson and Alexander Romanov, and recent acquisitions Tony DeAngelo, Scott Perunovich, and Adam Boqvist. With only three contracts north of $7MM on their books, the Islanders should have plenty of money to work with this summer – a technical $28.9MM per PuckPedia. With his recent comments, it seems veteran GM Lamoriello is set to use that money to its fullest this summer – in an attempt to rejuvenate an Islanders lineup that’s fallen behind the playoff wave this season.

Blackhawks’ Artyom Levshunov Recalled, Expected To Make NHL Debut

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The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled top prospect Artyom Levshunov to the NHL roster. This marks the second call-up of the 2024 second-overall pick’s young career. He is expected to immediately step into the Hawks lineup, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Levshunov’s last call-up came on February 3rd, in the days leading up to Chicago’s two-week break for the 4-Nations Face-Off. He stuck around the NHL roster for two days worth of practices, but was returned to the minor leagues before he had a chance to break into the Blackhawks lineup. Levshunov has nine points in 12 AHL games since being reassigned – a major uptick on his 13 points in 38 games prior. With 22 points in 50 games across the full season, Levshunov ranks ninth among AHL rookie defensemen in scoring.

The Blackhawks controversially opted for Levshunov’s stout defense over the dynamic scoring of winger Ivan Demidov and the physical presence of center Cayden Lindstrom with their top pick in last year’s draft. The decision came after Levshunov fought his way into the role of number-one defenseman for the Big Ten’s Michigan State University, after transferring from the USHL to college hockey late into the 2023 summer. The quick move was just one year after Levshunov moved from Belarus’ juniors league to the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers. He adjusted quickly to both junior hockey and collegiate hockey – and now seems to be bringing along his scoring at a pro level too.

Chicago will get a chance to bank on Levshunov’s hot streak with this recall. The Blackhawks have a glaring hole on right-defense after trading star defender Seth Jones ahead of the Trade Deadline. Jones’ minutes have been filled by Louis Crevier and Connor Murphy in the immediate wake of the deal, but have allowed an average of 37 shots-against in their four games since the Jones trade. That’s a ton of pressure for new acquisition Spencer Knight in net, and while he’s handled it well – finding a way to stop up the barrage of shots will be a top priority for Chicago’s remaining season. The stout two-way play of Levshunov could be exactly what Chicago needs, and gives the Blackhawks an even better chance to lean into their future amidst a punted season.

Utah’s Connor Ingram Enters NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program

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Utah goaltender Connor Ingram entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program today and will be out indefinitely, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports. In a corresponding move, the club recalled netminder Jaxson Stauber from AHL Tucson earlier Sunday.

Ingram, now 27, missed most of the 2020-21 season after entering the program while a member of the Predators organization. He later told NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin that he sought help after dealing with undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder throughout his career. After moving to the Coyotes in the 2022 offseason, he emerged as their starter for the 2023-24 campaign and won the Masterton Trophy for the “player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey” after a 23-win, six-shutout campaign.

Now the No. 2 option to Karel Vejmelka in Utah, Ingram missed over a month with the team initially termed an upper-body injury earlier in the season. Upon his return, he informed reporters his mother had passed away and, understandably, took extended time off (via Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune).

In 22 starts for the Club this season, Ingram has a 9-8-4 record, .882 SV%, and a 3.27 GAA. The 25-year-old Stauber has done quite well when called upon to elevate from his minor-league starting role, posting a .925 SV% and 2.23 GAA in four appearances earlier this season.

All of us at Pro Hockey Rumors wish Ingram the best as he takes time away from the lineup. He’ll be eligible to return to play upon the determination of program administrators.

Sabres Remain Intent On Extending JJ Peterka

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One of the more intriguing players to hit the rumor mill in the days leading up to Friday’s deadline was Sabres winger JJ Peterka. Amid yet another disappointing season in Buffalo, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff initially reported last week the pending RFA was drawing interest on the market and then seconded a report from Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News that the Rangers were interested in making a deal for the 23-year-old.

Of course, the 2020 second-round pick stayed put in Buffalo. It was still an eventful deadline for Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams, who extended wingers Jordan Greenway and Jason Zucker while swapping Dylan Cozens for Joshua Norris down the middle in a trade with the Sens. However, he reiterated Friday to Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald that he was never interested in nor close to moving Peterka.

“Zero, zero truth to that, anything around JJ in terms of looking to move him or any of that stuff,” Adams said. “I think JJ’s a guy that’s a young player still. We’re going to sit down after the season, we’ll get to his agent immediately, say, ‘OK, where do we go from here?’ I just think he’s one of our core young guys. We need him to continue to get better, and we need to make sure that we’re also explaining to him how we’re going to make the team better.”

That extension could be a rich one if Buffalo hammers down on a longer-term deal with Peterka, a prudent decision to ensure they avoid a contentious negotiation in a few years amid what’s hopefully a rise back to playoff relevance. AFP Analytics projects a six-year deal worth north of $6.5MM per season, but with Peterka now producing at a 26-goal, 70-point pace over 82 games this year, it’s easy to imagine him landing more.

The Munich native is arguably the only member of Buffalo’s young core forwards that have met or exceeded expectations this season. He’s already set a new career-high in points (51) in 60 games, eclipsing last year’s 50-point breakout. He’s done so while playing over 18 minutes per game, earning his way up to a consistent top-line role for much of the campaign. A good chunk of his production has come at even strength, and he’d likely be hovering around a point per game if the Sabres had a league-average power play instead of their 27th-ranked 16.8% success rate.

His 14.1 shooting rate this year is also a career-high but doesn’t jump out as being particularly unsustainable. He’s also been one of Buffalo’s best possession players, controlling 52.4% of shot attempts when on the ice at even strength. That’s fourth on the team behind Zach Benson (56.3%), Rasmus Dahlin (55.5%), and Tage Thompson (52.7%).

All of that points to Peterka as an undeniable top-six piece long-term for the Sabres, one they’d struggle mightily to replace if they dealt him. While little has gone right for Buffalo in their continued attempts to exit rebuild mode over the last decade, he’s proven himself a must-have contributor as they look toward next season.

Islanders Activate Marcus Högberg From Injured Reserve

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The Islanders will be a bit deeper between the pipes as they continue to make an improbable push for a playoff spot. The team has activated netminder Marcus Högberg from injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Ducks, per Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. The team reassigned goalie Jakub Skarek to AHL Bridgeport in a corresponding move.

Högberg, 30, will likely get his first start since Jan. 25 after Ilya Sorokin made 38 saves on 40 shots in last night’s win over the Sharks. He missed 14 games with an upper-body injury, pressing pause on a strong run of play since the veteran was recalled from Bridgeport in December to replace the still-injured Semyon Varlamov as Sorokin’s backup. The Swede only made five starts and two relief appearances over two months while Sorokin got the vast majority of the workload, but was excellent when called upon with a .947 SV% and 1.45 GAA.

New York signed Högberg to a two-year, $1.55MM deal last May to serve as veteran insurance behind Sorokin and Varlamov. The deal marked the former Senators depth netminder’s return to the NHL ranks after spending three years starting for Linköping HC in the Swedish Hockey League, including SHL Goalie of the Year and MVP honors in 2023-24. His time in Bridgeport out of the gate didn’t go well, posting a 3.26 GAA and .898 SV% in 11 games with a 2-5-3 record, but he’s redeemed his stock with his strong showing in limited NHL action.

He’s an undeniable upgrade down the stretch over the 25-year-old Skarek, who finally made his NHL debut in Högberg’s absence in his sixth season in the Isles organization. The 2018 third-round pick allowed five goals on 39 shots in a start and relief appearance, equating to a .872 SV% and 3.94 GAA. The Czechia native has failed to post a SV% north of .900 in any league since the 2018-19 campaign, when he logged a .906 in 22 games for Liiga’s Pelicans. A No. 4 option at best at this stage of his career, he’ll return to a minor-league role down the stretch as he hurtles toward Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer.

Health permitting, Högberg will likely serve as Sorokin’s backup for the remainder of the season. Varlamov is doubtful to return in 2024-25 due to the lower-body injury that’s kept him out since early December, general manager Lou Lamoriello told NHL.com yesterday.

Post-Deadline Transaction Restrictions

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While the trade deadline has come and gone, there will still be quite a few transactions made between now and the end of the season.  However, many of those have new restrictions placed on them which are as follows.

Waivers

Teams can still waive players after the trade deadline.  However, if they’re claimed, the player is automatically ineligible to play for the remainder of the season.  We will likely still see some waiver activity closer to the end of the year if a player who is on recall and is AHL playoff-eligible needs to clear to return to the minors.

Trades

While the term ‘trade deadline’ would imply a hard cap on trades now, that’s not the case.  However, similar to players claimed on waivers post-deadline, those players are ineligible to play down the stretch.  Over the next week, we will likely see a player or two traded for future considerations to add someone for their AHL team; their trade deadline is exactly one week after the NHL deadline on March 14.  Rights to unsigned players will also likely be moved in the coming weeks.

Signings

A player not on an NHL reserve list that signs can play down the stretch during the regular season but is ineligible to play in the playoffs.  We see this typically with college free agent signings who get into a game or two for the stretch run, but technically a player on an AHL contract can sign an NHL deal and play with that team until the playoffs.

AHL Eligibility

For a player to be assigned to the minors, that player must have been on an AHL roster at the trade deadline.  Otherwise, even if the player is waiver-exempt, he is ineligible to play in the minors.  An exception can be made for a player needing a conditioning loan from a long-term injury.  This rule is why there were so many ‘paper transactions’, moves to put a player in the minors before the deadline to keep them eligible to play there down the stretch.

Recalls

This is the one that comes into play the most after the deadline.  Teams are limited to four non-emergency recalls between now and the end of the season.  Players recalled from paper transactions count against the four, so several teams will have less than four to work with immediately.

An emergency situation is created when a team has fewer than 12 healthy forwards, six healthy defensemen, or two healthy goaltenders available.  In those cases, a player can be recalled under emergency conditions if the team has cap space to do so.  However, when that team gets the injured player(s) back, the recalled player must return to the minors.  Otherwise, his recall is converted from an emergency one to a regular one and would count against the limit of four.

Pretty much every team will still be involved in transactions of some sort over the next few weeks, but they’ll have to be mindful of these restrictions when they make them.

John Tavares Remains Open To Negotiations During The Season

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TSN is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares remains open to negotiating a contract extension during the season and would like to stay in Toronto. Tavares told the media that Maple Leafs management knows how he feels, and he is aware that management wants to take their time in dealing with his contract situation.

Tavares is in the final year of a seven-year $77MM contract that he signed as an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2018. The deal was signed at a time when the salary cap was expected to rise significantly, but that didn’t happen as the pandemic shortened seasons, flatlined league revenues, leading to a stagnant salary cap that handcuffed the Maple Leafs’ management from making other roster additions.

Tavares is unlikely to match the $11MM AAV on his next deal but should still get a lucrative multi-year deal. At 34 years of age, Tavares has slowed down but remains a near point-per-game player this season, tallying 24 goals and 29 assists in 55 games despite getting less ice time and less opportunity on the powerplay. Tavares has benefited this year from a 108.3 PDO (shooting percentage + save percentage) but that number is only slightly higher than his career average of 104.7.

The Maple Leafs have significant work to do this summer with Tavares and Mitch Marner both set to become UFAs. The priority will likely be Marner given his age and current play, however, Tavares would become one of the top available free agents if he does reach the market and would garner a lot of interest.

Canucks Wanted First Round Pick For Brock Boeser

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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported last night that the Vancouver Canucks were not willing to accept anything less than a first-round pick at the NHL Trade Deadline for forward Brock Boeser. No other team met the request, and ultimately Vancouver held onto the pending unrestricted free agent and will hold the exclusive rights to negotiate an extension into the summer. Canucks general manager Patrick Allvin came out in his press conference Friday and said that offers for Boeser weren’t good, which likely wasn’t meant as a shot at Boeser’s play but may not have been well received by the 28-year-old.

Vancouver’s asking price for Boeser was fair, given that it was a seller’s market at the deadline and many of the players traded were moved for astronomical prices. A year ago, Boeser would have been a hot commodity on the trade market after he tallied 40 goals and added 33 assists in 81 games.

Like many Canucks players, Boeser is having a down season after posting several career highs a year ago. Boeser has tallied 18 goals and 20 assists this season in 55 games and has a -20 plus/minus. His shooting percentage is almost 3% higher than his career average, which indicates that his drop in production isn’t simply a case of a player cooling off. Boeser’s shot volume has taken a considerable drop this year, as have his possession numbers, which is surprising given that Vancouver have been giving him more favorable deployment this season, starting him in almost 60% of his shifts in the offensive zone.

There is no word yet on whether Vancouver will sign Boeser long term, which will make for an interesting development over the next few months.

Evening Notes: Gavrikov, Marchand, Hedman, Jokiharju

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Los Angeles Kings general manager Rob Blake spoke in-depth about his efforts to extend defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov in a post-Trade Deadline media availability. Blake shared that keeping Gavrikov around is a top priority for the team, but finding a new deal could take some time after Gavrikov changed agents in February. But even with the flip, Blake reiterated that both the team and the player are confident a deal can get done.

Gavrikov has been a top defender for the Kings. He has averaged nearly 24 minutes of ice time on a nightly basis, good for second on the team behind Drew Doughty’s average of 25:32. Gavrikov has brought a shutdown presence to those premier moments. He leads the team with 117 blocked shots, to go with 21 points, 14 penalty minutes, a plus-eight, and 34 hits in 60 games. He’s averaged north of 20 minutes of ice time in every season since his 2021-22 campaign with the Columbus Blue Jackets. That season stands as Gavrikov’s career-year, headlined by a career-high 33 points and 68 penalty minutes in 80 games. The 29-year-old defenseman has slowed his scoring since those days, but looks capable of carrying his brick wall style well into his 30s. The Kings will look to bank on that growth on his next extension, which will likely carry Gavrikov to the sunset years of his career.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Boston Bruins offered captain Brad Marchand a three-year extension before opting to trade him to the Florida Panthers, per ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. Kaplan goes on to add that Boston’s original extension offers to the 36-year-old Marchand were stuck at two years, but that the team expanded their offer in the waning minutes to try and secure a deal. Ultimately, the money wasn’t right for Marchand – and he opted to pursue a move to the Panthers instead. Marchand will have a chance to sign a more preferable deal when he enters unrestricted free agency this summer. The Bruins lost their second-highest scorer in dealing away Marchand, who has 21 goals and 47 points in 61 games on the year. He’ll be a major addition for the Florida Panthers, but will first need to overcome a shoulder injury that’s expected to hold him out for a few weeks.
  • Tampa Bay Lightning captain Victor Hedman missed the team’s Saturday night matchup against the Boston Bruins and has been listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Hedman has made a major impact on the Bolts lineup over his recent stretch, with five points in his last five games and seven points in his last 10 games. J.J. Moser elevates to the top line in Hedman’s absence, while Emil Martinsen Lilleberg draws back onto Tampa Bay’s third pair. Moser has 10 points and a plus-13 in 35 games this season, while Lilleberg has 14 points, 85 penalty minutes, and a minus-seven in 58 games.
  • The newest Boston Bruins defenseman Henri Jokiharju told reporters that he had requested a trade away from the Buffalo Sabres prior to his deadline-day move. He also clamored about his positive relationships with new Boston teammates Casey Mittelstadt and Joonas Korpisalo. Jokiharju joins the Bruins after six tough seasons with the Buffalo Sabres. He earned top-pair minutes at points during his Sabres tenure, as the team struggled to staff a hardy right-defense corp – but Jokiharju could never make much of his minutes. He set a career-high of 20 points in 74 games last season, but had just six points in 42 games with Buffalo this year. Jokiharju should fill a much more manageable bottom-four role in Boston, playing behind shutdown defender Andrew Peeke at least.

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