Golden Knights Sign Bronson Ride
The Golden Knights have added some size to the back end in their prospect pool. The team announced that they’ve signed blueliner Bronson Ride to a three-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms of the deal, which begins next season, were not disclosed.
The 21-year-old went undrafted in his three years of eligibility despite his six-foot-seven stature. However, Vegas had some familiarity with Ride as he took part in both their development and rookie camps last year. Clearly, he showed enough there to be monitored and has done enough this season to earn a contract.
Ride is in his fifth and final season at the OHL level and his third campaign with North Bay. He has four goals and 17 assists in 57 games, setting new career highs in assists and points. However, he’s more of a stay-at-home defender so offensive production won’t be his calling card at the professional level.
The Battalion are all but locked into a four-five matchup heading into the upcoming playoffs with the only question being who the home team will be between them and Oshawa. Once North Bay’s postseason run ends, Ride will be eligible to join AHL Henderson if the Silver Knights are still playing at that time.
Senators Recall Lassi Thomson
With a second defenseman now injured, the Senators need some extra defensive depth heading into a back-to-back set this weekend. The team announced that Lassi Thomson has been recalled from AHL Belleville.
It’s the second recall of the season for the 25-year-old, who returned to North America this season after spending last season in Sweden. Thomson has been quite productive in Belleville, tallying 14 goals and 11 assists in 55 games; his goal total leads all AHL defenders. Unfortunately for him, it took until now to get an NHL opportunity.
A first-round pick by the Sens in 2019 (19th overall), Thomson has failed to get any sort of foothold at the NHL level. His time with Ottawa has been limited to just 18 games, 16 of which came back in the 2021-22 season; he last suited up with the big club back in November 2022 as he didn’t play on his first promotion of the season. Accordingly, it was reported back in January that Thomson was already eyeing overseas options for next season when he becomes a Group Six unrestricted free agent in the summer.
Thomson’s promotion comes on the heels of defenseman Nick Jensen being listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury sustained against Montreal. However, TSN’s Claire Hanna relays (Twitter link) that the injury is unrelated to the hip that the veteran had surgery on over the summer. The 35-year-old logged just over 20 minutes a night last season in his first year in Ottawa but his second campaign hasn’t gone as well. Jensen is down more than three minutes per game in ice time while chipping in with four goals and 13 assists in 61 games.
Lightning To Activate Nick Paul, Assign Conor Geekie To AHL
The Lightning made a roster move early this morning, announcing that they’ve assigned center Conor Geekie back to AHL Syracuse. With the cap savings from that assignment, they now have enough money to activate forward Nick Paul off LTIR; head coach Jon Cooper confirmed to reporters, including team reporter Benjamin Pierce (Twitter link), that Paul will be activated before tonight’s game against Carolina.
Paul has missed the last 11 games with a lower-body injury sustained at the beginning of February against Boston. The 30-year-old has been a strong secondary scorer since joining Tampa Bay back in 22 but his playing time and numbers have taken a dip this season. Limited to just 34 games due to multiple injuries, Paul has notched just six goals and six assists so far in 2025-26 although he’s winning a career-high 54.4% of his faceoffs. He’ll likely slot in on either the third or fourth line; the latter if he simply slides into Geekie’s spot in the lineup.
As for Geekie, this stint with the big club ends at five games, bringing his season total to 11 after he broke camp with the Lightning back in the fall. He’s still looking for his first NHL goal of the campaign and has been limited to just two assists so far after notching 14 points in 52 games in Tampa Bay last season. The team has prioritized giving the 21-year-old big minutes in the minors with the Crunch over playing in a depth role which certainly makes sense from a development standpoint. Geekie has fared quite well in that situation, tallying 51 points in 47 games with Syracuse. He’ll return there and help the Crunch as they continue to battle for the top spot in the AHL’s North Division.
With Paul’s pending activation, Tampa Bay is down to two players on LTIR, rookie center Dominic James and freshman defenseman Maxwell Crozier.
Oilers Place Colton Dach On LTIR, Recall Max Jones
The Oilers added some grit to the bottom of their lineup earlier this month when they acquired Colton Dach from Chicago (along with Jason Dickinson for Andrew Mangiapane and a first-round pick). However, they’ll have to wait a while yet for him to really make his mark. The team announced today (Twitter link) that they’ve placed Dach on LTIR. In a corresponding move, winger Max Jones has been recalled from AHL Bakersfield.
Dach sustained the injury on Tuesday against Colorado, exiting after just two shifts. He played in three games after the swap, recording an assist in his second game with Edmonton. The 23-year-old played in 53 contests with Chicago before the move, notching three goals and six assists along with 189 hits in a little under 12 minutes per game.
It’s unclear how long Dach’s undisclosed injury will keep him out for but the LTIR placement means he’ll miss at least 10 games and 24 days, backdated from when the injury occurred. That means he’s out for the remainder of the month at an absolute minimum, hardly ideal as he’s set to become a restricted free agent this summer.
Dach’s LTIR placement gives Edmonton an extra $825K in its LTIR pool. That, coupled with the minimal space they already had, was enough to add Jones and his $1MM price tag to the roster. However, their LTIR pool is down to just $300K of full-season space, per PuckPedia.
This is the second recall of the season for Jones and his first of 2026, with his previous stint coming back in December. The 28-year-old had a goal and an assist in eight games on the fourth line over that first stint, meaning he’s only two appearances away from needing to clear waivers again to return to Bakersfield. Jones, a pending unrestricted free agent, has been reasonably productive with the Condors, potting ten goals and eight assists in 38 games so far this season.
Radko Gudas Receives Five-Game Suspension
After a knee-on-knee collision that ultimately ended Auston Matthews‘ season, supplemental discipline was widely expected for Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas. After a phone hearing today, the Department of Player Safety announced (video link) that the blueliner has received a five-game suspension. That is the maximum suspension for a phone hearing.
The incident occurred in the second period of Thursday’s game. The initial call was five-and-a-game for kneeing which was upheld after video review. In the Player Safety ruling, it was noted that Gudas, though trying to make a legal body check, was in full control on the play. That puts the onus on him to deliver a legal check, which he did not do by leading with his knee, resulting in a “forceful, dangerous, and direct knee-on-knee collision.”
This is the fifth suspension for Gudas in his career, but the first since 2019 when he received a five-game ban for high-sticking. As a result of the time between suspensions, he is not considered a repeat offender for the purpose of forfeited salary. He loses five days’ worth of salary (5/192) as opposed to five games’ worth (5/82) of salary. As a result, he will lose $104,166.65, which goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. With these five games, Gudas will now have been suspended for a total of 26 games in his career. It’s the third-longest suspension he has received, following a 10-game ban in 2017 for slashing and a six-game suspension in 2016 for a late high hit.
It’s fair to say that Matthews’ agent, Judd Moldaver of The-Team (formerly Wasserman), is not a fan of the ruling. Asked for comment by reporters, including Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link), Moldaver released the following statement:
In light of the obvious severity of the play, I am disappointed and shocked the league would allow such a ruling. A phone hearing and 5 games is laughable and preposterous.
While the process is set in our CBA, that this was the discipline is reckless and ridiculous.
This decision results in a further loss of confidence in the disciplinary process for all players.
Players and fans deserve better. The Player Safety Department should be suspended.
Meanwhile, the loss of Gudas is noteworthy for Anaheim. The captain is a regular on their back end, taking a regular turn on the penalty kill. With John Carlson still working his way back from a lower-body injury, the Ducks will have to dip a little deeper into their defensive depth for the time being, heading into a back-to-back road set this weekend.
Canucks, Oilers Swap Josh Bloom And Jayden Grubbe
With Friday representing the AHL’s trade deadline, which also sets roster eligibility for the rest of the season, there have been a handful of moves made in recent days. The Canucks and Oilers were among them, with the latter announcing that they’ve acquired winger Josh Bloom in exchange for center Jayden Grubbe.
Bloom was a third-round pick by Buffalo back in 2021 but never played in their system. Instead, he was flipped to Vancouver near the trade deadline two years later in exchange for blueliner Riley Stillman. Since then, Bloom has primarily played at the ECHL level, getting into 70 games over parts of three seasons compared to half as many at the AHL level. This season, the 22-year-old has 15 goals and 13 assists in 19 games with ECHL Kalamazoo but has been limited to just one goal in 19 appearances with AHL Abbotsford. Bloom is a pending restricted free agent and will need a qualifying offer in June for his rights to be retained.
That’s the exact situation that Grubbe also finds himself in. Originally a third-round pick by the Rangers (65th overall) in 2021, New York opted not to sign him and flipped his rights to Edmonton two years later. The 23-year-old played exclusively in the AHL with Bakersfield over his first two professional seasons, notching nine goals and 24 assists in 129 games. However, this season, he hasn’t seen any action at the AHL level, instead playing with ECHL Fort Wayne, where he notched seven goals and a dozen assists in 28 contests.
Since the swap occurred after the NHL’s trade deadline, both Bloom and Grubbe are ineligible to be recalled for the remainder of the season.
Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag
The trade deadline has come and gone with a sequence of moves that have given some teams a boost for the stretch run. Now, the focus shifts to either the playoff race or the race to the bottom as some rebuilding teams will be looking to help their odds heading into next month’s draft lottery. With that in mind, it’s a good time to open up the mailbag once again.
Our last call for questions had enough queries for three columns. Among the topics in the first were Artemi Panarin’s situation before his eventual trade to Los Angeles, what a possible extension for Nikita Kucherov, and the new rule about players playing in the minors before being recall-eligible. The second went over the potential extent of the Rangers’ rebuild this season, predicting which rental Blackhawks would have the most value, and if the time was right for the Flyers to go into a bigger rebuild. Lastly, topics in the third included how Dallas could reach the Stanley Cup Final, if an off-ice shakeup is needed in Winnipeg, and top forward prospects for the upcoming draft.
You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter/X or by leaving a comment down below. The mailbag will run on the weekend.
Five Key Stories: 3/2/26 – 3/8/26
As always, trade deadline week provided a flurry of activity around the league, even if the volume of trades over the past seven days wasn’t quite as high as it has been in previous years. As expected, that activity highlights the bulk of this week’s key stories.
Islanders Make A Splash: After a division rival added a key veteran forward (Columbus adding Conor Garland from Vancouver), Islanders GM Mathieu Darche made another move to add to his roster. New York acquired center Brayden Schenn from St. Louis in exchange for winger Jonathan Drouin, 2026 first and third-round picks, and goalie prospect Marcus Gidlof. While Schenn’s offensive numbers are starting to drop, he’s still a capable two-way center on a reasonable contract as he has two years left on his current deal at a $6.5MM cap charge. Schenn didn’t have to go very far to join his new team as the Blues and Islanders were both in the same hotel in San Jose. Meanwhile, Darche kept another middleman in the fold, signing Jean-Gabriel Pageau to a three-year, $14.55MM contract extension. The 33-year-old figures to be New York’s third-line center for the next little while and is taking a small pay cut from his current $5MM price tag to stick around.
Contract Extensions: While the trade deadline is a time for players to be moved, it’s also often a time for pending UFAs to sign contract extensions and this year was no exception. With rumblings that he could be flipped once again just after being acquired, the Sharks and Kiefer Sherwood worked out a five-year, $28.75MM extension. He already has 19 goals for the second straight year and set the single-season hit record last year and will make more in one season of this deal than his combined earnings to this point of his career. Meanwhile, the Ducks inked center Ryan Poehling to a four-year, $15MM pact, taking another center off the open market. In his first season with Anaheim, he’s on pace for his second straight 30-point season. This deal made it easier for the Ducks to then flip Ryan Strome to Calgary for a seventh-round pick, knowing they’d have the stability with Poehling locked up. Lastly, the Kraken signed captain Jordan Eberle to a two-year, $11MM pact. The 35-year-old is their leading scorer with 22 goals and 22 assists this season and the price tag is certainly fair for someone still producing as a top-six piece.
Colorado Swings Big: Already the top team in the NHL with decent depth down the middle, the Avalanche made two moves to shore things up. First, they parted with a first-round pick and a fifth-round selection to pick up Nicolas Roy from Toronto. Roy is having a down season but was a quality third-line center in Vegas and should help stabilize their bottom six. Then, just before the deadline, they swung a bigger move, bringing back Nazem Kadri from Calgary. They received Kadri and a 2027 fourth-round pick in exchange for winger Victor Olofsson, forward prospect Max Curran, a 2028 first-round pick, and a 2027 second-rounder. Calgary will retain 20% of Kadri’s $7MM cap charge (that runs through 2028-29) as part of the swap. Kadri was Calgary’s top scorer before the swap and has lots of experience with Colorado, having played three seasons with them, the last of which saw him win a Stanley Cup. All of a sudden, the Avs now have one of the deepest center groups in the NHL.
Defensemen Getting Dealt: There were some notable blueliners who found themselves on the move as well. The Flames parted with another veteran defender, sending MacKenzie Weegar to Utah for Olli Maatta, prospect Jonathan Castagna, and three 2026 second-round picks. Weegar is having a down season but had 99 points over the last two years combined and is an all-situations player. The Mammoth are taking on his full $6.25MM cap charge through 2030-31. Meanwhile, the Ducks made a splash on the rental front, acquiring long-time Capitals defender John Carlson for a conditional 2026 first-round pick and a 2027 third-rounder. The 36-year-old is on pace for his third straight 50-point season and will give a big boost to an Anaheim group that quietly leads the Pacific Division heading into today’s action as they look to reach the playoffs. Lastly, the Red Wings added a key piece as well in Justin Faulk from St. Louis. The Blues received veteran Justin Holl, prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov, plus 2026 first and third-round picks. Faulk will provide Detroit with some secondary offense plus an ability to log big minutes in all situations to help them try to end their playoff drought.
Defenseman Doesn’t Get Dealt: In a week that featured lots of trades, one of the bigger stories was one that didn’t happen. The Sabres had reached an agreement with the Blues that would have landed them defenseman Colton Parayko. Top prospect Radim Mrtka and a first-round pick were believed to be part of the return while Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman added in a Saturday Headlines segment (video link) that AHL Rochester’s roster would have been decimated, suggesting St. Louis was getting more as well. However, Parayko declined to waive his no-trade protection, nixing the move. Parayko, who missed his fifth straight game tonight with back spasms, will now stick around for at least the rest of the season but given the potential strong return, it wouldn’t be shocking if incoming GM Alex Steen tried to revisit the idea of dealing him over the summer. Meanwhile, Buffalo pivoted to Plan B on the back end, acquiring blueliners Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn from Winnipeg. In exchange for the pending UFAs, the Jets picked up prospect Isak Rosen, defenseman Jacob Bryson, a 2027 second-round pick, and a 2026 fourth-round selection.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry-Imagn Images.
Sharks Recall Nick Leddy, Assign Nolan Allan To AHL
The Sharks have shuffled up their depth defense. The team announced (Twitter link) that veteran Nick Leddy has been recalled from AHL San Jose while after being recalled just yesterday, blueliner Nolan Allan was sent down to the Barracuda.
Last offseason, the Sharks decided to claim Leddy off waivers from St. Louis, absorbing the final year and $4MM left on his contract. Coupled with some of their veteran additions on the back end (including Dmitry Orlov and John Klingberg), they were hoping to raise the floor of their defensive group. Orlov and Klingberg were able to do so but things haven’t gone anywhere near as well for Leddy.
The 34-year-old has only played in 19 games for the Sharks this season, picking up four assists and 26 blocks while averaging 17:30 per night of ice time. In mid-January, San Jose decided to put him on waivers to open up a roster spot and sent him down to the Barracuda. However, with them, he has only suited up once. He may be a more logical option to serve as a reserve defender for the stretch run with him heading for unrestricted free agency in the offseason over having a younger player watching from the press box.
Allan’s recall didn’t yield any playing time so he’s still looking for his first NHL opportunity of the season after getting into 43 contests last season with Chicago. Acquired midseason as part of the Laurent Brossoit pickup, the 22-year-old has been fairly successful with the Barracuda, notching two goals and eight helpers in 20 outings since the swap.
The quick demotion is fairly curious, given that they burned one of their five post-deadline regular recalls when they brought Allan up. By sending him back down and bringing Leddy up, they’re now using another one in short order to fill a roster spot that’s unlikely to see much playing time.
Rangers Recall Brendan Brisson, Move Taylor Raddysh To Non-Roster Status
The Rangers have made a pair of roster moves heading into tomorrow’s game against Philadelphia. The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Brendan Brisson has been recalled from AHL Hartford. In a corresponding move, winger Taylor Raddysh is being moved to non-roster status, according to Newsday’s Colin Stephenson (Twitter link). Raddysh will miss the next two games to attend his father’s funeral.
It’s the second recall of the campaign for Brisson. The first one ended just a few days ago as he spent a little over two weeks with New York, getting into three games where he had an assist while averaging 10:35 per night. The 2020 first-round pick has spent the majority of the year with the Wolf Pack, picking up 15 goals and 12 assists in 49 games. With the team having 12 other healthy forwards on their roster, Brisson’s promotion should count as one of New York’s five post-deadline regular recalls.
As for Raddysh, he’s in his first season with the Rangers after signing a two-year, $3MM deal with them over the summer. He has spent the bulk of the campaign in a bottom-six role but has held his own offensively despite the limited minutes, collecting nine goals and eight assists in 59 games while averaging just under 12 minutes per game. He’s expected to rejoin the team for Thursday’s contest against Winnipeg.