With the NHL continuing its break for the Olympics, it was a relatively quiet week around the league. However, on top of the Olympic tournament ending, there was still some notable news around the hockey world which is recapped in our key stories.
Gold For USA: Heading into the Olympics, a Canada versus the USA matchup was one that many fans were hoping to see after their two memorable matchups at the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025. With both teams going undefeated through their first five games, that meeting came in the Gold Medal contest. Matt Boldy opened the scoring for Team USA while Cale Makar tied it up for Canada late in the second. After a goalless third period, that set the stage for a three-on-three overtime where Jack Hughes fired home the winner to win USA the gold. It’s a measure of revenge after losing in overtime last year at the 4 Nations while it’s their first gold medal in the men’s tournament since 1980. Meanwhile, on the injury front, Canada’s Sidney Crosby and Finland’s Mikko Rantanen both missed medal round games due to injuries which will be something to keep an eye on.
Back On The Market: When Jeff Skinner signed a one-year, $3MM deal with San Jose in free agency, it felt like one of those cases where the Sharks could give him some playing time, increase his value, and flip him for future assets at the trade deadline. That clearly isn’t happening now after the two sides reached a mutual agreement to terminate the remainder of his contract, making him an unrestricted free agent. The 33-year-old notched just six goals and seven assists in 33 games this season and had been scratched for several weeks before his release. While he’s walking away from more guaranteed money than he’ll get when he gets his next contract, Skinner appears to be willing to make that trade off to land either more guaranteed playing time or a chance to play with more of a contender.
Three For Bussi: Brandon Bussi has been one of the feel-good stories of the season. Claimed off waivers in training camp to serve as Carolina’s third goalie despite never seeing NHL action before, he has since taken on a bigger role and won 23 of his 27 starts. He was rewarded for his efforts as the Hurricanes signed him to a three-year, $5.7MM contract extension that begins next season. With Pyotr Kochetkov likely done for the season with a lingering hip injury and Frederik Andersen having some up-and-down performances, Bussi is likely to be Carolina’s top netminder down the stretch. Meanwhile, assuming Kochetkov is able to return next season, the Hurricanes’ goalie tandem will cost just $3.9MM next season, a significant bargain.
Injury News: The Ducks won’t be getting their backup goalie back to aid in their push for a playoff spot. Instead, Petr Mrazek will miss the rest of the season after undergoing hip surgery. The veteran is in the final year of his contract, one that carries a $4.25MM cap charge, and finishes with just ten appearances. Ville Husso, who started the season as a pricey third-string option, is now the full-time backup behind Lukas Dostal. Meanwhile, Filip Chytil’s rough year continues. After the Canucks center returned from a suspected concussion, he’s now out indefinitely once more after suffering a facial fracture in a mini-game in practice earlier in the week. A key part of the return for J.T. Miller last season, Chytil has been limited to just 27 games in total since then, a number that won’t be increasing for a while.
Back Behind The Bench: The Oilers will have a familiar face behind the bench when play resumes this week. The team announced that Paul Coffey has rejoined their coaching staff. He has held a variety of roles with Edmonton in recent years but joined the staff as assistant coach when Kris Knoblauch took over as head coach in 2023 and helped stabilize their back end. Coffey had moved back into an advisory role ahead of this season but is now being tasked with repeating history and shoring up that group once again to give them a boost for the stretch run.
Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.
I think Mrazek, Andersen, And, Bobrovsky are all finished.