- The Ducks announced they’ve reassigned goaltender Ville Husso to AHL San Diego. The veteran third-stringer, acquired from the Red Wings last month, backed up Lukáš Dostál for the second straight contest in last night’s win over the Islanders while John Gibson remains sidelined with a lower-body issue. They’ve sent him to the minors on off-days during Gibson’s absence, so today’s move isn’t necessarily an indication Gibson will be ready to return when Anaheim hosts the Capitals tomorrow. Husso has yet to play for the Ducks since the swap, but the 30-year-old has a .894 SV%, 3.27 GAA, one shutout, and a 3-1-0 record in four showings for San Diego.
Ducks Rumors
Husso Recalled From San Diego
- A day after sending him back to the minors, Anaheim’s AHL affiliate in San Diego announced that the Ducks have once again recalled goaltender Ville Husso to the big club. He was acquired for future considerations last month to add some goalie depth and has a 2.84 GAA along with a .908 SV% in 17 AHL contests this season while compiling a 3.69 GAA and a .866 SV% in nine NHL contests. Husso is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Minor Transactions: 3/8/25
The NHL Trade Deadline has finally passed, pulling teams into the late stages of their seasons. The transaction wire has stayed hot as teams continue to sort out their lineups for the remainder of the year. As always, Pro Hockey Rumors will track the minor moves here:
- The Anaheim Ducks have reassigned goaltender Ville Husso to the AHL. Husso was recalled to be Anaheim’s third-string goalie behind Lukas Dostal and John Gibson on Friday, after news that Gibson had suffered a day-to-day, lower-body injury. Husso has played in three games with the San Diego Gulls since joining Anaheim’s system. He won the first with a 34-save shutout, but split his last two while allowing 10 goals on 59 shots. With this move, Husso will look to build on his 2-1-0 record and .892 save percentage with the Gulls.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have reassigned defenseman Jack St. Ivany. Pittsburgh recalled St. Ivany under emergency conditions and used him as a healthy scratch in Friday’s game against Vegas. He has been a fixture of the minor leagues since November, netting six points, eight penalty minutes, and a minus-two in 21 games. Before that, St. Ivany appeared in 19 NHL games and recorded one assist, 17 penalty minutes, and a minus-three. He could find a tougher time earning another call-up, after Pittsburgh acquired longtime Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins at the deadline. Timmins has eight points in 51 NHL games this season.
- The Vancouver Canucks have swapped emergency netminders, assigning Arturs Silovs to the minor leagues and utilizing an emergency recall on Nikita Tolopilo. Silovs played in two NHL games in late February. He lost them both while allowing six goals on 56 shots. He’ll return to the minors sporting a dismal .858 save percentage and 1-6-1 record at the NHL level. He’s been far more productive in the AHL, where he has a .906 Sv% and 10-4-0 record. Meanwhile Tolopilo could be in store for his NHL debut after posting a .890 Sv% and 12-14-2 record as the AHL starter in Silovs’ absence. Tolopilo is in just his second season of North American pros after two years in the HockeyAllsvenskan. He posted a .912 Sv% and 39-38-0 record across 79 games in Sweden’s second-tier league.
- Defenseman Calen Addison has been traded from the Henderson Silver Knights to the Springfield Thunderbirds in exchange for future considerations. Addison played in 49 games and recorded 33 points, 55 penalty minutes, and a minus-24 with Henderson. He is expected to initially report to Springfield’s ECHL affiliate, the Florida Everblades. Addison was once a second-round pick in the NHL Draft and managed a single-season high of 29 points across four NHL seasons. His career totals at the top level stand as 50 points and 96 penalty minutes in 152 games.
Anaheim Ducks recall Ville Husso
- Due to another injury to netminder John Gibson on Wednesday, the Anaheim Ducks were expected to recall another goaltender. Anaheim announced they’ve recalled Ville Husso from their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, to fill the void left by Gibson. It’s Husso’s first call-up with the Ducks since being acquired from the Red Wings on February 24th. He posted a 1-5-2 record in nine games in Detroit this season with a .866 SV% and 3.69 GAA.
[SOURCE LINK]
Devils Acquire Brian Dumoulin From Ducks
11:48 a.m.: Both clubs have announced the trade as reported.
10:48 a.m.: The Devils have acquired defenseman Brian Dumoulin from the Ducks, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. Anaheim receives the better of the Oilers’ or Jets’ 2025 second-round pick and the signing rights to winger Herman Träff in return, per Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic and Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. LeBrun adds the Ducks also retain 50% of Dumoulin’s $3.15MM cap hit. New Jersey had an open roster spot after placing Jack Hughes on long-term injured reserve yesterday following his season-ending shoulder surgery, so no corresponding move will be necessary.
As expected, the third-place Devils aren’t punting on their season following Hughes’ injury. They have a lot of work to do to hold onto their Metropolitan Division berth with defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler joining Hughes on LTIR and leading defense point-getter Dougie Hamilton out week-to-week, though. Dumoulin, coming in at an affordable $1.575MM price tag and on an expiring contract, is a short-term replacement down the stretch for the former. Meanwhile, Anaheim will finish the season with their three lefty rearguards under 25 – Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov, and Olen Zellweger.
Dumoulin, 33, has played all 61 games with the Ducks and turned in a very solid 2-14–16 scoring line with a plus-two rating while averaging nearly 20 minutes per game, although his possession numbers aren’t as encouraging. The stay-at-home defender’s 43.4 even-strength CF% is well below Anaheim’s 46.6% share without him on the ice, although he is starting a career-high 57.9% of his zone starts in the defensive end. His -12.9 expected rating is worst on the Ducks, though, and his 42.2 xGF% is his career’s worst possession quality control figure. Some positive regression on those numbers down the stretch is likely in a much more competent possession system in New Jersey.
Even with this year’s struggles, Dumoulin has a lengthy history of being a strong complementary top-four piece, spending most of his career in Pittsburgh alongside Kris Letang. He’s had above-average possession impacts as recently as last year with the Kraken, who signed him to his current two-year, $6.3MM contract in the 2023 offseason. He was a tad too expensive for their liking after loading up their blue line with Brandon Montour last summer, though, prompting them to trade him to Anaheim for a 2026 fourth-round pick. That’s a good bit of business for Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek, who upgrades that pick by two rounds and lands an additional prospect while getting 60-plus games out of Dumoulin.
New Jersey’s blue line wasn’t viewed as a priority area at the deadline a few weeks ago, but injuries to Hamilton and Siegenthaler evidently changed that. The latter was only expected to miss two to three weeks after undergoing a procedure over the 4 Nations break, but he’s already missed two and a half and hasn’t returned to practice.
Dumoulin will likely step into a bottom-pairing spot on the left side behind Brenden Dillon and Luke Hughes in the interim, likely pushing youngster Seamus Casey back down to AHL Utica when Siegenthaler is ready to return. Whether Dumoulin remains in the regular lineup at that point remains to be seen. Siegenthaler has produced less individual offense this year when healthy with nine points in 55 games but has better relative possession impacts in more difficult minutes. That would presumably push Dumoulin to the press box short of someone shifting to their off side, making a second-rounder and a C-tier prospect a steep price to pay.
Träff, 19, was selected by New Jersey in the third round of last year’s draft. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic tabbed him as the No. 6 prospect in the Devils’ system in his 2025 rankings, but they acquired another big winger with a similar projection by picking up Shane Lachance from the Oilers in this week’s Trent Frederic three-team deal. That softens the blow of losing Träff, who’s posted a respectable 3-4–7 scoring line in 25 games with HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League as a teenager this year. The 6’3″, 216-lb winger will be buried a bit more in a deeper Ducks system but still has legitimate NHL upside.
He’ll remain with HV71 to close out the season. The Ducks will retain Träff’s signing rights through June 1, 2028. Notably, they’re down to one available retention slot after today’s move.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Ducks Likely To Retain John Gibson Amid Weak Trade Market
The Hurricanes and Oilers remain engaged in trade talks with the Ducks regarding netminder John Gibson, but Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports that neither team has put forth a particularly appealing offer. With no other buyers looking for goaltending help, it’s looking likely that another season of trade rumors regarding the Anaheim goalie won’t result in any movement, LeBrun writes.
While Carolina’s dwindling interest in Gibson makes sense given veteran Frederik Andersen’s return to form following knee surgery, Edmonton’s lukewarm interest is puzzling – especially considering LeBrun’s comment that the Oilers “don’t appear to see Gibson as a true upgrade.” While that may have been the case in years past, it’s an objectively incorrect take given Gibson’s 2024-25 performance versus what the Oilers have to offer.
For the first time since before the pandemic, Gibson should be in line for some fringe Vezina trophy consideration. Behind a Ducks defense that allows 32.2 shots against per game, the most in the league, he’s posted a .909 SV% and 2.82 GAA with a 9-10-2 record in 26 appearances. While the 31-year-old has still been outplayed and lost the starter’s crease to up-and-comer Lukáš Dostál, he’s done well enough in his own right to re-solidify himself as a top-15 netminder in the league, at least this season. On top of posting his best raw numbers since the 2018-19 campaign, Gibson’s saved 14.1 goals above expected to tie him for 10th in the league with Mackenzie Blackwood and Adin Hill, per MoneyPuck.
That’s a significant upgrade over what Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard have put up behind an Oilers squad that still ranks among the 10 best shot-suppressing teams in the league despite their recent struggles. After getting Edmonton to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last year, Skinner has just a .897 SV% and 2.87 GAA with a 20-15-4 record in 40 showings – down considerably from his .909 SV% over the prior two years. The veteran Pickard hasn’t fared any better as a No. 2 option, logging a .896 SV% and 2.76 GAA in 24 appearances, albeit with a 15-7-0 record that translates to a better points percentage than Skinner. The pair have combined to allow 10.4 goals above expected this year, including 3.8 from Skinner and 6.6 from Pickard.
That said, this is Gibson’s best showing in quite some time. As a rental, maybe Edmonton pays up – but in addition to not valuing him as a legitimate playing upgrade over Skinner, they’re not willing to take the risk attached to the remainder of his contract, a $6.4MM cap hit through 2026-27. That’s impossible for the Oilers to accommodate anyway without significant retention, as they enter the deadline with $4.475MM in space, per PuckPedia.
Pacific Notes: Flames, Thrun, Gibson
The Calgary Flames have defined the last two Trade Deadlines by selling a suite of impactful veterans, but they’re set up to take much more of a back seat this year. General manager Craig Conroy told Sportsnet’s Eric Francis that their focus continues to be adding young players to round out their existing core – not to bring in any major additions. Conroy went on to add that the Flames would be interested in adding a left-shot defender, but that any deal would need to make sense for the club.
Calgary won’t have a ton of trade chips to move at the deadline, with veterans Nazem Kadri, Blake Coleman, Rasmus Andersson, and MacKenzie Weegar all on the untouchables list. Conroy told Francis that their lack of assets has limited the calls the Flames are receiving – but that the market is also quieter than in years past. He went on to praise the efforts of players like Joel Hanley, Ilya Solovyov, and Jake Bean – who would stand in direct competition of any defenders acquired via trade.
The expressed interest could connect Calgary to a scant defender market at the deadline. Vancouver’s Carson Soucy, San Jose’s Mario Ferraro, and Pittsburgh’s Matt Grzelcyk headline a market full of middling left-defenders. The market price has already been set, after New York Rangers defender Ryan Lindgren was traded to the Colorado Avalanche alongside Jimmy Vesey in exchange for Juuso Parssinen, Calvin de Haan, and two draft picks.
Other notes from out West:
- Speaking of left-defense, the San Jose Sharks will be without youngster Henry Thrun in Saturday’s game against the Ottawa Senators per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. Thrun has one goal and 10 points in 51 games this season – one fewer than he scored in just as many games last year. The former Harvard Crimson captain is still very early in his career, but has improved his standing in San Jose’s lineup seemingly every night. He played a career-high 24 minutes in San Jose’s Monday loss to the Winnipeg Jets, and averaged 17 minutes per night on the year. San Jose will turn Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Jack Thompson – who have been exchanging minutes of their own – to fill in for Thrun’s absence.
- Netminder John Gibson will draw back in for the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday per Derek Lee of The Hockey News. Gibson has missed Anaheim’s last three games after sustaining an upper-body injury on February 22nd. The Ducks recalled Oscar Dansk to serve as the backup behind Lukas Dostal in Gibson’s absence. Dansk has posted an .886 save percentage and 10-10-3 record in 27 AHL games this season. He’s been reassigned to the minor leagues per Mathieu Sheridan of The Hockey News. Meanwhile Gibson will return to platooning in the starter’s role, looking to build on his .916 save percentage and 9-9-2 record amid a resurging season.
Ducks Recall Sam Colangelo, Place Robby Fabbri On IR
The Ducks announced they’ve recalled right-winger Sam Colangelo from AHL San Diego. Left-winger Robby Fabbri is headed to injured reserve to make room on the active roster.
Fabbri, 29, left Tuesday’s loss to the Sabres with an upper-body injury and didn’t return. He wasn’t at practice today, either, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reports. The team hasn’t issued a return timeline, but the upper-body designation at least means it’s unrelated to the meniscus tear that kept him out of the lineup for over a month earlier this season. The IR placement rules him out for Anaheim’s next three games at a minimum. He’ll be eligible to return next Wednesday against the Canucks, the Ducks’ final game before the March 7 trade deadline.
In the meantime, Colangelo is added back to the roster for the first time since mid-January. The 23-year-old has been a frequent call-up option for Anaheim this season, making 12 appearances after skating in three games at the tail end of the 2023-24 campaign to begin his NHL career. He has a pair of goals across those 15 career contests, posting a minus-seven rating while averaging 11:17 per game.
A second-round pick out of the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League in 2020, Colangelo had a decorated collegiate career with Northeastern and Western Michigan. After a 43-point senior season at WMU that earned him Hobey Baker consideration, he hasn’t missed a beat in his transition to the pros. While not quite ready for a full-time NHL role, he’s been among San Diego’s most productive players with 19-16–35 through 38 games. He suited up in this year’s AHL All-Star Classic and leads the club in goals.
Anaheim is tight on roster space with Trevor Zegras suspended and goaltender John Gibson dealing with a short-term injury, so Colangelo will re-enter the lineup for the first time since Jan. 14 on a line with Cutter Gauthier and Isac Lundeström. That’s an elevation from the fourth line with Jansen Harkins and Ross Johnston, where he’s spent most of his time as a call-up this year.
Anaheim Ducks Acquire Ville Husso From Detroit Red Wings
The Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings have connected on a goaltending trade. Both teams have announced that the Ducks have acquired netminder Ville Husso from the Detroit Red Wings for future considerations. Anaheim confirmed that Husso will report to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.
Although netminder John Gibson had recently succumbed to an upper-body injury, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed that wasn’t Anaheim’s motivation for the trade. Gibson’s recovery timeline is still considered day-to-day with no reports indicating otherwise.
It appears Husso will remain in the same role as he had with Detroit this season. The former seventh-place finisher in Vezina Trophy voting (2021-22) has been deployed as a third-string option for the Red Wings this year albeit an expensive one.
That’s likely behind Detroit’s motivation for the trade. Although Husso is only owed around $1.3MM in actual salary for the remainder of the regular season, the move clears approximately $3.5MM from the Red Wings’ salary cap table giving them plenty of flexibility for next Friday’s trade deadline should they look to acquire additional talent.
Despite opening up a decent chunk of cap space, this couldn’t have been the future general manager Steve Yzerman sought for Husso when he acquired the netminder from the St. Louis Blues for a third-round pick in 2022. The year before donning the winged wheel for the first time, Husso posted a 25-7-6 record with a .919 save percentage and 2.56 goals-against average in 38 starts for St. Louis.
Largely due to a poorer defense in front of him after he transitioned to the Red Wings, Husso failed to replicate his stellar play from the 2021-22 campaign. Throughout two and a half seasons in Detroit, Husso will finish his Red Wings tenure with a 36-32-11 record in 82 starts with a .892 SV%, 3.26 GAA, and a horrid -25.6 goals saved above average according to Hockey Reference.
Yzerman lost faith in Husso before this season, sending the Finnish netminder through waivers in early October. In his first multi-game stay in the AHL, Husso has managed an 8-4-0 record in 13 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins, along with a .912 SV% and 2.70 GAA.
He’ll join a tandem in San Diego who could use serious improvement. The combination of Oscar Dansk and Calle Clang has given the Gulls an average of .885 SV% and 3.46 GAA, and the latter is expected to be out with a longer-term injury. Should Husso continue the solid play he displayed with the Griffins this season, San Diego may have a fighting chance at playoff positioning down the stretch.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the trade.
Ducks’ Trevor Zegras Suspended Three Games
The league’s Department of Player Safety announced today they’ve suspended Ducks center Trevor Zegras for three games for interference against Red Wings forward Michael Rasmussen. Zegras will remain on Anaheim’s active roster while serving the suspension and can return to the lineup on March 4 against the Oilers.
It’s the first suspension of Zegras’ five-year, 245-game career and the second incident that required any sort of supplemental discipline. He was fined $1.5K back in November 2022 for slashing then-Sharks defenseman Matt Benning.
This infraction, however, was far more egregious. The incident occurred late in the second period of last night’s overtime loss, during which Zegras laid a late hit that he left his feet to deliver, forcing his shoulder into Rasmussen’s head. Detroit head coach Todd McLellan said Rasmussen has since been listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury and isn’t traveling with the team for their game against the Wild tomorrow. On-ice officials failed to assess a penalty to Zegras on the play.
The most pertinent part of the league’s video explanation is transcribed here:
Players who are not in possession of the puck are never eligible to be checked. However, the intereference rule provides a brief window where the player who initiates the check while his opponent is in possession of the puck may finish the hit. This is not such a play. Here, Zegras begins his hitting motion after Zegras releases the puck, and contact is made outside the window where a check may be legally finished. In addition to the lateness, what causes this hit to rise to the level of supplemental discipline is the significant head contact on this play combined with the force.
It’s hard to disagree with DoPS’ description of the play, although a three-game ban could be seen as steep for a first-time offender. It comes amid another injury-plagued and difficult offensive season for the 23-year-old, who has 7-9–16 through 34 games – a 17-goal, 39-point pace over 82 games. That’s a far cry from the back-to-back 60-point campaigns he put up leading into the 2023 offseason when he landed a three-year, $17.25MM deal after months on the RFA market. So far, it’s been a prudent move from general manager Pat Verbeek to hold out for a lower cap hit than expected for a player who finished second in Calder Trophy voting in 2022.
Zegras has looked better since returning from right knee surgery last month. Since coming off injured reserve, he has six points in 10 games, an even rating, and an average ice time of 17:15 per night. It’s not world-beating, but certainly a step in the right direction for the 6’0″ center, who again finds himself in trade rumors ahead of the March 7 deadline.
Without Zegras, Anaheim doesn’t have a healthy extra forward for tomorrow’s road game in Buffalo. They don’t have an open roster spot and would need to make a corresponding transaction to get one up from AHL San Diego.