Five Key Stories: 3/16/26 – 3/22/26
We’re barely a month removed from the Olympics but the next best-on-best competition is now on the books. That’s among our key stories from the past seven days.
World Cup Of Hockey Returns: The last time there was a World Cup of Hockey was back in 2016 when the tournament was held before the season began. Now, the event is slated to return in 2028 with a midseason event to be held during what would have been the All-Star break, similar to the 4 Nations Face-Off last year. Unlike that event, this one will feature eight different teams playing a total of 17 games. Calgary and Prague will host half of the round robin section of the tournament while Edmonton will host the medal round. The intention is to hold this every four years, meaning that there will be a best-on-best event every two years with the Olympics also being held every four years.
Crosby Returns: The Penguins got a significant boost to their lineup when captain Sidney Crosby was activated off injured reserve. Injured while playing for Canada at the Olympics, he was initially expected to miss a minimum of four weeks. Instead, he came back ahead of schedule, with Pittsburgh holding its own in his absence with a 5-3-3 record. Still, as the Penguins look to hold onto a playoff spot that few expected heading into the season, getting their leading scorer back will certainly help their chances in a tight Wild Card and Metropolitan Division battle. Crosby had three points in his first two games back in the lineup.
Oilers Down A Star: It has been a tough year for the Oilers. Viewed as a contender heading into the season, they instead find themselves in a dogfight to simply make the playoffs (though they’re within striking distance of the division lead as well, to be fair). However, their postseason push just got a lot harder with center Leon Draisaitl is dealing with a lower-body injury and is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season. He was subsequently placed on LTIR, meaning a minimum absence of 10 games and 24 days. The 30-year-old was well on his way to his fifth straight 100-point season before the injury. His 2025-26 campaign ends with 35 goals and 62 assists in 65 games and he’ll now hope that his teammates can get to the playoffs so he’ll have a chance to return.
Two For Carcone: After not getting the types of offers he wanted after saying he’d leave Utah last summer, Michael Carcone ultimately re-signed with the Mammoth. That proved to be the right move as he’s had a bounce-back year, earning himself a two-year, $3.5MM extension for his efforts. The 29-year-old had a breakout campaign in 2023-24 with Arizona, tallying 21 goals but he struggled last season. However, he has played his way back into a full-time bottom-six role this season and has been productive, tallying 14 goals and 12 assists in 67 games. This will be the first time that Carcone will make more than $775K in a season.
Three For Greer: Earlier this week, George Parros met the media to discuss and defend some of the recent decisions from the Department of Player Safety. The department is back in the discussion once again following its decision to suspend Panthers forward A.J. Greer for three games for a hit on Calgary’s Connor Zary. Greer shoved Zary from behind toward the boards a fair distance away from the boards, resulting in an upper-body injury for the youngster. This is the second suspension of Greer’s career, and he will be eligible to return to Florida’s lineup next Sunday.
Photo courtesy of Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images.
Stars Notes: Rantanen, Hintz, Faksa, Robertson
There’s some light at the end of the tunnel on the injury front for Dallas. Speaking on DFW The Ticket’s Bruce LeVine (all Twitter links), GM Jim Nill indicated that winger Mikko Rantanen is nearing a return to the lineup.
Injured back in the Olympics, the 29-year-old still sits third on the team in scoring despite missing the last 12 games, tallying 20 goals and 49 assists in 54 games in his first full season in Dallas. Nill noted that he has been skating on his own for the last week and is expected to accompany the team on their upcoming four-game road trip. If all goes well, he could return for one of the back-to-back games against Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Dallas is only three points behind Colorado heading into tonight’s action for first in the Western Conference, a spot that would give them a much easier matchup in the first round compared to taking on Minnesota, one of the top teams in the league. Getting Rantanen back with a couple of weeks left in the season would certainly give them a boost in that pursuit.
Unfortunately for the Stars, the other injury news isn’t quite as positive. Nill added that center Roope Hintz has yet to resume skating as he continues to battle a lower-body injury that has kept him out for a little more than two weeks. At this point, the team is hopeful that the 29-year-old could be back for the final week of the season or the start of the playoffs. Hintz has played in 53 games this season, collecting 19 goals and 25 assists.
Meanwhile, Radek Faksa’s situation is even murkier. Nill noted that the center is dealing with a “unique injury” with “really no history as far as healing time.” As a result, there is no timetable for his return although they are hopeful that he could be ready for the playoffs. In his first season back with Dallas after returning in free agency this summer, Faksa has 17 points in 56 games while being their most-used forward on the penalty kill.
Nill was also asked about Jason Robertson’s contract discussions. The winger is slated to become a restricted free agent this summer where he will be owed a qualifying offer of $9.3MM. He’ll also only be one season away from UFA eligibility and could simply elect to go for a hearing, take a one-year award, and test the open market in 2027. That’s an outcome the Stars are clearly hoping to avoid.
Nill indicated that he has held discussions with Robertson’s new representation; back in January, both Robertson brothers hired Octagon’s Andy Scott as their new agent. However, with the stretch run and playoffs ahead, both sides agree that they want the 26-year-old focused on playing at the moment. That suggests that future talks have been tabled for the time being and will be rekindled in the offseason. Robertson is the leading scorer for the Stars this season, picking up 38 goals and 44 assists in 69 games. It’s the fourth straight season that he has reached the 80-point mark.
Injury Updates: Islanders, Grzelcyk, Flames
The Islanders were without a pair of veterans as they continued their push for the playoffs against Columbus. The team announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Ryan Pulock and winger Anthony Duclair were out due to lower-body injuries. Both players took a regular shift on Saturday in Montreal while there was no word on how long either would miss.
Pulock has been a big part of the back end for the Islanders this season, logging just shy of 21 minutes per game while chipping in with 25 points and a team-high 124 blocked shots. Meanwhile, Duclair has bounced back a bit from a disastrous first season with the team to provide New York with some secondary scoring. He has 12 goals and 15 assists in 60 outings although he’s in a bit of a slump at the moment having not scored since January 21st.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- Blackhawks defenseman Matt Grzelcyk sustained an injury in today’s game against Nashville and isn’t expected to accompany the team on their upcoming road trip, notes CHGO Sports’ Mario Tirabassi (Twitter link). The 32-year-old didn’t have a strong free agent market despite a 40-point showing in Pittsburgh last season, eventually inking a one-year, $1MM contract with Chicago. Grzelcyk has been a reliable veteran on a young team and has only missed one game so far this season. If he indeed misses the road trip, that will keep him out for the next four games.
- Flames winger Connor Zary is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, relays Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg (Twitter link). The 23-year-old was injured on a hit from Florida’s A.J. Greer, one that saw the Panther receive a three-game suspension. After collecting 27 points in 54 games last season, his numbers have dipped a bit this year as Zary has 11 goals and 13 assists in 67 appearances. Meanwhile, Steinberg adds that defenseman Yan Kuznetsov is nearing a return from his upper-body injury. The 24-year-old has missed a little more than a week with the issue. Kuznetsov cleared waivers in training camp but since he was recalled back in November, he has been a regular in Calgary’s lineup ever since then.
Flyers Linked To Riley Thompson
With the 16-team NCAA tournament now set, we know which teams are still playing and those whose seasons are done. In the latter category, their players can now start signing professional contracts; we’ve seen several over the past week with more to come.
It appears that one of those is forward Riley Thompson. PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the Flyers have signed the 23-year-old to a one-year, entry-level deal for next season with a $1.025MM cap charge. However, NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jordan Hall relays (Twitter link) that while the team believes they have a serious chance to sign him, no contract is formally in place yet.
Thompson has spent the last two seasons at Ohio State University after playing at the University of Alaska-Anchorage in his freshman year. He had one season of eligibility remaining that he appears to be foregoing. His sophomore year proved to be the most productive of the three, when he tallied 17 goals and 16 assists in 40 games. This season, Thompson’s output dipped to 13 goals and 14 helpers in 37 appearances.
Assuming Thompson ultimately does sign (be it with the Flyers or elsewhere), it will likely be accompanied by an AHL deal for the remainder of this season. This will allow him to get his feet wet at the professional level and start to make his case for a full-time assignment to that level in 2026-27.
A.J. Greer Receives Three-Game Suspension
After announcing that he’d be receiving a phone hearing last night, the Department of Player Safety has made its ruling on Panthers forward A.J. Greer. The league announced (video link) that the veteran has received a three-game suspension for his hit on Flames winger Connor Zary.
The incident occurred during Thursday’s game where Greer hit Zary from behind into the boards. On the play, he was assessed a two-minute minor for hooking, a five-minute major for interference, and a game misconduct. In its ruling, the Department of Player Safety noted that Greer was in control at all times. That ultimately puts the onus on him to deliver a legal check, something he didn’t do given the distance from the boards when he hit Zary from behind.
This is the second suspension of Greer’s career. He received a one-game ban back in 2023 for a cross-check on Montreal’s Mike Hoffman. Given that it has been more than two years since that suspension, he is not classified as a repeat offender for the purposes of determining forfeited salary. Accordingly, Greer loses three days’ pay (3/192 days) compared to three games’ pay (3/82) had he been a repeat offender. With his $850K AAV, that means he will forfeit $13,281.24 in salary; that money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Greer will miss Florida’s upcoming games on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and will be eligible to return to the lineup a week today when the Panthers travel to New York to take on the Rangers.
Blackhawks Expected To Recall Anton Frondell
Chicago’s already young roster is about to get even younger for the stretch run. Top prospect Anton Frondell’s playoff run in the SHL came to an end today, paving the way for him to officially make his debut in North America. To that end, Scott Powers of The Athletic relays (subscription link) that the Blackhawks are expected to recall the youngster and he could make his NHL debut as soon as next week.
The 18-year-old was the third overall pick last June and the second forward to come off the board. Frondell spent most of his draft year in Sweden’s second-tier Allsvenskan level, helping his club team Djurgardens earn a promotion to the SHL for this season. He fared quite well, tallying 11 goals and 14 assists in 29 regular season games while adding seven points in 16 playoff contests.
Although Frondell is a natural center, he spent the bulk of this season playing on the wing with Djurgardens. It allowed his scoring side to come out as he potted 20 goals (with eight assists) in 43 games, good for a tie for seventh league-wide in tallies. He also played a big role for Sweden at the World Juniors, chipping in with eight points in seven games en route to a gold medal. Now, he’s ready to take that next step and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him deployed on the wing in Chicago to allow him to ease in.
While Sacha Boisvert’s debut is presently on hold while he waits to receive his work visa, that won’t be the case for Frondell. The team clarified that Frondell already went through the visa process when he signed his entry-level deal over the summer. Accordingly, he’ll be eligible to play as soon as he joins the team.
But even with that, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Chicago manage Frondell’s minutes somewhat. While it rarely comes up at this time of the season, the Blackhawks would officially burn the first season of his contract if he plays in ten or more games. A Sunday debut seems highly unlikely but if he joins the team on their upcoming road trip, there will be a dozen games left in the season. It doesn’t seem worth burning a year to get him three extra games so the Blackhawks will likely limit Frondell’s game action to nine appearances or less to ensure he’ll still have three years left on his contract heading into next season. But even with that, Frondell will have some runway to get his feet wet at the top level before making a push for a full-time opportunity in 2026-27.
PHR Mailbag: Kings, Rangers, Raddysh, Lightning, Sabres, Red Wings, CBA
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include forecasting the next contract for the top-scoring pending UFA, Buffalo’s turnaround, and more. If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in last weekend’s column while we have one more mailbag to come from our latest call for questions.
bigalval: Does Ken Holland have any clue what he’s doing? Rob Blake was bad and Holland’s moves have been puzzling at best.
Holland has been around long enough that I’m confident in saying he knows what he’s doing; there is a plan in place. His moves over the offseason clearly signaled that he was leaning into the team playing a slower, more deliberate game and that after being unable to land a big fish, he leaned into building up their depth. You can quibble with some of the moves made (and I’d say you’re probably right to do so) but I understand the method to the madness.
Then there’s the Artemi Panarin move. If you’re thinking that moving a first-round prospect in Liam Greentree to get him with a two-year extension doesn’t make sense for a bubble team, I get that. The rebuild is probably coming at some point; it can only be stalled so long. And with Los Angeles struggling mightily offensively, this might not have been the right time to take a big swing. Clearly, Holland believes that this group could do some damage in a Pacific Division that’s up for grabs; they just have to get there first.
That belief I suspect also shaped the decision to make a coaching change, even if it came a lot later than most would have expected. The results have been middling since D.J. Smith took over (not unlike how they were before) but there’s still time to win a few and really lock down a playoff spot. I like the approach to go with an interim coach in case they want to pivot to a different option over the summer and perhaps change their system a little more drastically.
So far, things have largely looked like more of the same under Holland despite a much higher volume of moves. But there’s a plan in place; I’m just not sure it’s necessarily the right one as again, that rebuild is bound to happen at some point and it wouldn’t shock me if it’s sooner than later.
lgr34561: Do you think this recent hot streak with Gabriel Perreault and more specifically Alexis Lafreniere is legit and something Rangers fans should be seriously optimistic about or just assume it’s Lafreniere just going on a short streak then back to his old ways?
Generally speaking, I try not to read too much into how players perform down the stretch when they’re on teams playing for nothing but pride. However, there’s still room for some optimism with how those two have performed as of late.
This month, Perreault has four goals and eight assists in 10 games. Perhaps more notably, he’s averaging over 18 minutes per game in March. Those are legitimate top-level reps that are going to help him beyond this season. The Rangers drafted Perreault with the hope that he can be an impactful top-six forward for them. I’m not sure he’s going to be fully ready to be that next season (a lot will depend on offseason moves as well) but this stretch suggests that he’s trending in the right direction to have that role.
As for Lafreniere, he has done this before, where he has a good stretch. However, he hasn’t followed that up by continuing it for an extended amount of time. He’s not going to have that chance here either with the season almost over. Don’t get me wrong, 14 points in 10 March games is nice to see but I’m not ready to think that this is the beginning of the long-awaited breakout. I think this But if GM Chris Drury is pondering trading the 24-year-old this summer, this performance certainly can’t hurt from a value standpoint.
FeeltheThunder: I already asked about Nikita Kucherov’s extension. Now, I must ask about Darren Raddysh. How do you think Tampa will approach the intriguing Raddysh conundrum? GM Julien BriseBois had recently stated he wants to keep Raddysh wearing a Bolts’ jersey after this season and Tampa will have an admirable amount of cap space this offseason ranging around $15 to $16 million. I feel Tampa will keep him, it’s just what is the final price and term going to be?
Also, Tampa didn’t get an extra RD at the trade deadline, so do you think they’ll search for an additional RD in the offseason of FA even with Raddysh, Cernak, and Crozier and if so, who might those prospects potentially be?
This might be the most fascinating contract of the offseason. Heading into the season, Raddysh looked like he was heading for a nice raise after back-to-back 30-plus-point years. Making $975K this season, if he landed in the $3.5MM range or so with his limited usage, that would have made sense for both sides.
But then this season happened. Raddysh doesn’t just lead all pending UFA defensemen in points but rather pending unrestricted free agents, period. He’s up to 60 points in as many games. And it’s not as if he’s still getting limited minutes either; he’s averaging close to 23 minutes per night and even seeing light penalty killing playing time. Being a right-shot defender with this type of output in a market where cap space exceeds the quality of players available and you have the perfect storm for a huge offer.
Given where things are, I could see a team, perhaps begrudgingly, offering $7.5MM per season for Raddysh, rationalizing that even if he winds up in the 45-50-point range next year, it could still age well. I don’t think Tampa Bay would be willing to go quite that high, even with their cap space and right-side situation. GM Julien BriseBois isn’t known for paying top dollar. I could see a long-term pact (six years or so) around $6MM or so being where the two sides ultimately settle where he leaves a bit on the table to stay but still gets life-changing money.
Assuming that they get Raddysh re-signed, I think they’ll be content enough with him and Cernak as their top two right-shot rearguards. I could see them looking for a third-pairing player that keeps Maxwell Crozier in a reserve role, however. Nick Jensen coming off an injury-riddled season is eligible for a one-year, bonus-laden deal. That feels like a good fit, giving him a soft landing spot to try to rebuild some value while possibly giving Tampa Bay some value for the role. A reunion with Luke Schenn could be a viable option as well.
FeeltheThunder: I want to add one more question here. I think Tampa should look for a new backup goaltender this offseason as Jonas Johansson is just way too hot and cold. I think if they bring in competition this offseason like a UFA in Matt Murray, for example, would be an improvement. Also, Tampa may need an AHL goaltender for Syracuse if they don’t bring back Brandon Halverson (which would be surprising) but they could have Johansson for that if so. What do you think of the whole situation?
For years now, the Lightning have been in a spot where they haven’t had a choice but to go with low-cost options. Some of that has been self-inflicted with their other moves but now, as you noted with your first question, they have a lot more cap flexibility this summer. I think they would benefit from upgrading on Johansson, it just comes down to how much more money they want to spend on the position. Murray is one who isn’t exactly the most consistent either but if they just wanted to bring in someone for competition (and waive the one who doesn’t make it), I could see that happening. And if so, that might push Halverson out.
Otherwise, I’d hope they’d aim a little higher and try to get someone who can maybe cover 25-30 games a season. With the increased minimum salary next season, they’d clear all but $25K of Johansson’s salary off the books with an AHL assignment so I think it’d be worth their while to explore it.
As for the AHL side, it feels like about a third of the veteran goalies bounce around from year to year. If Halverson leaves, there will be plenty of other AHL veterans to choose from so I wouldn’t worry too much about that situation. It actually wouldn’t surprise me if they look to an international goalie in free agency, a younger one that could see some time with the Crunch while trying to see if they can develop a future backup for a couple of years from now.
Injury Updates: Mikkola, Girard, Oilers
Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola suffered a lower-body injury on Friday against Calgary and is expected to miss some time, notes George Richards of Florida Hockey Now. The 29-year-old has been a key piece of Florida’s back end this season, logging over 20 minutes a night in a shutdown role. Gustav Forsling missed last night’s game with an undisclosed injury while Uvis Balinskis is dealing with an undisclosed injury himself. If one of those two can’t return by their next game on Tuesday, Florida would be able to utilize an emergency recall from AHL Charlotte that wouldn’t count against their post-deadline limit.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- The Penguins welcomed back one of their blueliners today versus Winnipeg as Samuel Girard returned to the lineup after missing five games due to an undisclosed injury. Acquired from Colorado last month, the 27-year-old had been held off the scoresheet in seven games since the swap while averaging 18:25 per game. With Girard returning and the recent returns of Ryan Graves and Jack St. Ivany from conditioning stints, Pittsburgh’s back end is now much deeper with nine players available.
- The Oilers could be welcoming back an important defenseman tonight against Tampa Bay. Team reporter Tony Brar relays (Twitter link) that it looks like Ty Emberson will be back in the lineup after missing the last five games with an undisclosed injury. He has been a regular on the third pairing and penalty kill this season so getting him back will be a welcome addition at a time when they’ve had a lot of tough news on the injury front as of late. Meanwhile, Brar adds that center Curtis Lazar is expected to return to the lineup sometime next month. He has been out for nearly three weeks with an undisclosed injury of his own.
Jets Activate Neal Pionk From Injured Reserve
Only five points out of the final Wild Card spot in the West, the Jets still have an outside shot at a playoff spot but they will have to be much sharper down the stretch to have a chance. Getting one of their top defensemen back will help as the team announced (Twitter link) prior to today’s game against Pittsburgh that Neal Pionk has been activated off injured reserve.
The 30-year-old has missed more than two months with a lower-body injury and Winnipeg’s back end has certainly taken a hit for it. Even in a down year offensively by his standards (just eight points in 40 games after putting up 39 points last season), Pionk has been an all-situations player this season. His 22:47 ATOI ranks second on the team behind only Josh Morrissey while he leads all Jets players in shorthanded playing time per game.
Winnipeg’s back end has undergone some changes in the second half of the season. Veteran Colin Miller remains out with a long-term injury of his own while Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn were shipped to Buffalo at the trade deadline. That deal yielded Jacob Bryson as part of the return while youngster Elias Salomonsson is now playing more of a regular role.
Now, Pionk’s return means that Winnipeg’s top four is now fully intact, with him joining Morrissey, Dylan DeMelo, and Dylan Samberg. Whether that’s enough to kickstart a long enough winning streak to get back to the postseason remains to be seen but he’ll still be a big addition to their back end for the stretch run.
Noah Laba And Urho Vaakanainen Out Week-To-Week
With the Rangers well out of playoff contention and playing out the stretch, this is the time of year when it would be good to get some of their younger players or depth pieces a bit more playing time to help evaluate things for next season. That won’t be happening for a pair of players, however. Newsday’s Denis P. Gorman relays (Twitter link) that center Noah Laba and defenseman Urho Vaakanainen are listed as out week-to-week.
Laba sustained a lower-body injury on Wednesday against New Jersey. The 22-year-old came into training camp, locked down a roster spot to start the year, and hasn’t looked back since as he has been a regular in New York’s bottom six. Through 65 games this season, Laba has nine goals and 12 assists while winning just over half of his faceoffs. He has also chipped in with 90 hits while logging over 13 minutes a night of ice time, a solid freshman year overall.
As for Vaakanainen, he also was injured against the Devils, though with an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old has been a depth defender for the Rangers since coming over as part of the Jacob Trouba trade early last season. Through 33 games, he has six assists and 26 blocks in 13:48 per game of ice time. Instead of possibly getting a chance to make a case for a more stable role down the stretch, he’ll now be sidelined for the next little while.
With Connor Mackey being recalled on Thursday and New York still having 12 healthy forwards on the roster, it’s unlikely that there will be any further promotions from AHL Hartford for the time being. If they do elect to call up someone, that move would count against their post-deadline limit of five since they have enough healthy players to not be eligible for an emergency recall.