Sharks Recall Nolan Allan
Earlier this season, the Sharks added some extra depth on the back end when they added Nolan Allan from Chicago as part of the trade that saw them take on Laurent Brossoit’s contract. Now, they’ll get a chance to see what Allan can do as the team announced (Twitter link) that the blueliner has been recalled from AHL San Jose.
The 22-year-old was a first-round pick by the Blackhawks back in 2021, being taken with the 32nd and final pick of the opening round. However, he hasn’t had a ton of success professionally just yet. Allan got into 43 games with Chicago last season and did okay in a limited role, picking up eight points, 48 blocks, and 61 hits in a little over 15 minutes per night.
However, he was assigned to the AHL in training camp and has been there ever since, aside from a brief stint playing for Canada at the Spengler Cup back in December. With Chicago having strong defensive depth, they were okay with including him in the deal that offloaded Brossoit’s contract.
Before the swap, Allan had two goals and four assists in 29 games with Rockford. However, he has been more productive since then, notching two goals and eight helpers in 20 appearances with the Barracuda to earn this promotion. Now, he’ll look to boost his value with his entry-level contract set to expire this summer.
Allan will take the place of Timothy Liljegren on San Jose’s roster after the Sharks moved him to Washington yesterday at the trade deadline. With now seven healthy defenders on their active roster, it’s unclear when he’ll get a chance to make his Sharks debut while his recall will count against their post-deadline regular recall limit of five.
Roope Hintz To Miss Multiple Weeks
Last night, the Stars got a big boost up front when Roope Hintz returned to the lineup from an illness that had kept him out since the end of the Olympic break. Unfortunately for them, that will be his last game for a little while.
Hintz sustained a lower-body injury in the second period of their game against Colorado and ultimately had to be helped off the ice. Speaking with reporters today including D Magazine’s Robert Tiffin (Twitter link), Hintz is set to miss multiple weeks due to the injury. As he needs to be evaluated by another doctor, no firm timeline is available yet but the team is hopeful that Hintz will be able to return by the start of the playoffs next month.
Hintz has been productive as always this season, putting up 15 goals and 29 assists in 53 games while averaging over 17 minutes per night. The 29-year-old has been their number one center throughout the year while seeing time on both special teams units. On top of that, Hintz is their top full-time performer at the faceoff dot, winning over 59% of his draws. Suffice it to say, his loss will be significant, especially with the Stars in a tight battle for second place in the Central Division to try to secure home-ice advantage in the first round.
With 12 other healthy forwards on the roster, the Stars aren’t yet eligible for an emergency recall, one that wouldn’t count against their post-deadline regular recall limit of five. However, given that Hintz is going to be out for a while, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Dallas utilize one of those five recalls from AHL Texas to ensure that they have at least one extra healthy forward available over the coming weeks.
Blackhawks Recall Nick Lardis And Drew Commesso
The Blackhawks have made a pair of roster moves before tomorrow’s game in Dallas. The team announced that winger Nick Lardis and goaltender Drew Commesso have been recalled from AHL Rockford.
It’s the second recall of the season for Lardis, whose first stint with Chicago lasted nearly six weeks. During that stretch, he got into 21 games, his first taste of NHL action. The 20-year-old certainly made a strong first impression, collecting five goals and two assists in those appearances while logging 12:39 per game of ice time. He has been considerably more productive with Rockford, however, tallying 18 goals and 14 assists in 35 games with the IceHogs in his first season with them.
As for Commesso, it’s also his second stint with Chicago of the season, although his first look was much shorter, lasting all of three days. However, he did make a pair of starts in that stretch, turning aside 55 of 60 shots while winning one of those two contests. The 23-year-old has played in 28 games with Rockford, putting up a 3.07 GAA with a .899 SV%. With Spencer Knight unavailable due to illness for a second straight game, Commesso will likely dress as the backup to Arvid Soderblom.
Because of Knight’s absence, Commesso’s recall will qualify as an emergency one and thus will not count against Chicago’s post-deadline regular recall limit which is up to five this season. Unless there is another injury or illness up front, however, the promotion of Lardis will count against their recall limit.
Flyers Recall Alex Bump, Assign Adam Ginning To AHL
After moving Bobby Brink to Minnesota on Friday, it was expected that the Flyers would be giving an NHL look to Alex Bump. That is indeed the case, as the team announced (Twitter link) that he has been recalled from AHL Lehigh Valley.
The 22-year-old was a fifth-round pick of the Flyers back in 2022, going 133rd overall. At the time, he was playing in the USHL but a year later, he went to Western Michigan University where his offensive production started to take off. Over two seasons with the Broncos, Bump tallied 37 goals and 46 assists in 80 games which was enough to convince Philadelphia to turn him pro.
Bump got a pair of games in with Lehigh Valley late last season and had played exclusively with the Phantoms until now. Through 36 games this season, he has 11 goals and 15 assists, good for a tie for fourth in team scoring.
The Flyers enter play today six points out of the final Wild Card spot in the East, close enough to not entirely be out of the race just yet even after acting as a small seller on Friday. With that in mind, it’s unclear if Bump will get the chance to make his NHL debut this afternoon against Pittsburgh or if that opportunity will have to wait a little while longer.
The team also confirmed yesterday’s reported reassignment of defenseman Adam Ginning to the Phantoms. Instead of using one of their five non-emergency recalls to immediately bring him back up, they’ll keep him playing regularly in the minors for the time being.
Mammoth Making Progress In Extension Talks For Nick Schmaltz
With Logan Cooley set to begin a $10MM-per-season extension next season, some wondered if Utah would still be willing to give middleman Nick Schmaltz a pricey new deal as well. There was speculation over the offseason that extension talks were not going well and his future with the Mammoth looked murky.
However, it appears that there has been some positive progress on that front. Prior to the trade deadline, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that there has been positive movement in contract negotiations and that Schmaltz is unlikely to make it to unrestricted free agency this summer. Meanwhile, speaking with reporters yesterday following the trade deadline (video link), GM Bill Armstrong declared that he feels “comfortable and confident that Nick’s going to be a Mammoth.”
The 30-year-old is in his eighth season with the organization, dating back to its days in Arizona. Very quietly, he has been quite consistent in recent years, putting up five straight seasons of more than 20 goals and at least 58 points. He has already reached those marks in 2025-26, tallying a career-high 24 goals and 34 assists in 62 games; at this rate, he’ll set a new personal best in points within the next few weeks.
With that production, Schmaltz is the leading scorer league-wide among pending unrestricted free agents. Given that and the fact he plays a premium position, he’s in great shape to get a significant increase on his current $5.85MM AAV. That current contract was heavily backloaded and as a result, he’s making $8.5MM in actual salary this season.
That salary number should serve as a reasonable approximation of a starting point for his next deal. The next best scoring options down the middle are Evgeni Malkin, who seems likely to stay with Pittsburgh and Charlie Coyle, whose production in recent years has run hot and cold. With the type of consistency Schmaltz has been delivering, he would have no shortage of suitors if he actually made it to the open market.
Fortunately for Utah, they have more than ample flexibility to afford that type of contract, even with Cooley’s new deal and the recent acquisition of MacKenzie Weegar. Per PuckPedia, the Mammoth have a little under $25MM in payroll room for next season with seven or eight roster spots to fill. Schmaltz should take up nearly a third of that himself but that will still leave ample room to round out the roster and ensure that the top pending UFA center doesn’t actually test free agency.
Panthers Recall Luke Kunin
Luke Kunin’s time in the minors was short-lived. With the roster limit in the NHL now lifted, the Panthers have recalled the veteran, according to the AHL’s transactions log.
The 28-year-old has spent most of the season in Florida but passed through waivers unclaimed less than a week ago, resulting in an assignment to AHL Charlotte. That had him set to see his first action at that level since the 2018-19 campaign, when he was still a prospect in Minnesota’s system. However, that playing time will be capped at one game, as Kunin recorded two assists last night and is now back up with the big club.
Kunin has played in 44 games with Florida this season, his first year with the club. However, he has been fairly quiet offensively, notching just two goals and two assists, by far his lowest full-season output. Unsurprisingly, his playing time has been rather limited as well, as he’s logging just 8:36 per contest, well below his career average of 14:18 per game.
Despite being out of a playoff spot, Florida was a light buyer, so to speak, at the trade deadline. They picked up Vinnie Hinostroza from Minnesota and claimed Cole Reinhardt off waivers from Vegas. Now, with Kunin back up, the Panthers have some extra forward depth to hedge against injuries or if they decide to shut some players down to help get them ready for next season.
Wild Acquire Nick Foligno
In a tight battle in the Central Division, the Wild continue to add depth pieces. Frank Seravalli of Victory+ reports (Twitter link) that Minnesota is close to acquiring winger Nick Foligno from the Blackhawks. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that Chicago is only receiving future considerations in return. The teams have since confirmed the move.
The 38-year-old is in the final season of a two-year, $9MM contract. Notably, Minnesota will be picking up the full cost of his $4.5MM cap charge as Chicago no longer has any remaining salary retention slots having used two earlier this week on Jason Dickinson and Connor Murphy and one last season on Seth Jones. Meanwhile, Chicago will not replace Foligno as their captain for the rest of the season; NHL.com’s Tracey Myers relays (Twitter link) that winger Tyler Bertuzzi will become an alternate captain for the remainder of the season.
Foligno has had a quiet year offensively, notching just three goals and eight assists in 37 games while also missing 21 contests due to injury. Meanwhile, his playing time has dropped sharply for the second straight year. After logging nearly 18 minutes a night in 2023-24 in his first season with the team, Foligno is now down to just 12:28 per night despite seeing playing time on Chicago’s second power play unit and being part of their penalty killing rotation. It stands to reason that his ice time will slide even more with this swap as he’s a strong candidate to be a fourth liner for Minnesota.
This move, assuming it gets finalized, would reunite Foligno with his younger brother, Marcus Foligno, giving them a chance to play together for the first time. Marcus has spent a good chunk of the season on the Wild’s fourth line as well, so on top of getting a chance to play on the same team, they might even wind up on the same line once he returns from his lower-body injury.
Armed with ample cap space at the trade deadline for the first time in a long time, GM Bill Guerin is putting it to use. This will be his fourth forward addition of the week having swung previous trades for Michael McCarron and Bobby Brink, while he also grabbed Robby Fabbri off waivers. With the roster limit no longer being in effect as of today, Minnesota now has considerable forward depth to mix and match with for specific matchups or when injuries arise. Even with those moves, they can still add more than $5MM in full-season salary, per PuckPedia, meaning that they might not be done just yet.
East Notes: Laughton, Capitals, Halliday
While pending unrestricted free agent center Scott Laughton has made it known that he’d like to stay with the Maple Leafs, Chris Johnston reported in a recent piece for The Athletic (subscription link) that the veteran likely won’t get his wish. At this point, it appears that there have yet to be any substantive discussions about Laughton extending his time in Toronto and with the demand for middlemen being quite high, a trade remains the likeliest outcome. With Philadelphia covering half of Laughton’s contract, his remaining $1.5MM cap charge is certainly affordable which should have the Maple Leafs in a strong position to land a strong return, even if it’s not quite as strong as the one they gave up to get him this time last year, headlined by a first-round pick.
Elsewhere in the East:
- While the Capitals have been sellers thus far, having moved veterans Nic Dowd and John Carlson, it appears they’re trying to be buyers as well. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that they showed interest in acquiring Conor Garland from Vancouver and that they are looking to add a piece before today’s 2 PM CT deadline. Cap space isn’t an issue for Washington as PuckPedia pegs them with an ability to add more than $26MM in contracts. The Caps find themselves four points out of the last Wild Card spot in the East so a mixed approach makes some sense if GM Chris Patrick feels his group could still get back into the mix.
- League executives have told Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch that center Stephen Halliday is someone to keep an eye on before the deadline. The 23-year-old has been fairly productive in limited minutes for the Senators, notching four goals and seven assists in 28 games despite barely averaging eight minutes a night of playing time. Waiver-eligible for the first time next season, Halliday is the type of player that rebuilding teams will often want to take a longer look at so if Ottawa can swing a move to add another piece before the deadline, he’s certainly a candidate to be part of the return.
Sabres Shopping Devon Levi
With the Sabres carrying three goalies all season long, there hasn’t been a place for youngster Devon Levi. Once viewed as their netminder of the future, now, it appears that he’s a trade chip. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports (Twitter link) that the Sabres are now shopping the 24-year-old.
Levi was a seventh-round pick by Florida back in 2020 and has certainly outperformed that draft slot. He never suited up for the Panthers as he was instead part of the trade that saw Sam Reinhart go to Florida. Levi immediately became Buffalo’s top goalie prospect and after a strong college career, he turned pro in 2023, nearly helping lead the Sabres to an improbable late playoff spot that ultimately came up just short.
That had expectations sky-high heading into the 2023-24 campaign. However, he wasn’t able to live up to them and wound up splitting the year between Buffalo and AHL Rochester. Levi was then expected to be a factor last season but only saw nine NHL games with the bulk of his playing time coming in the minors. This year, he has played exclusively with the Amerks, posting a 2.71 GAA and a .909 SV% in 38 contests.
Levi has a total of 39 career outings with Buffalo under his belt but his under-the-hood numbers aren’t the greatest, with a 3.29 GAA and a .894 SV%, though last year’s short disastrous stint does skew those a bit.
Levi is still waiver-exempt this season and is signed through next year at a cap hit of just $812.5K, putting him below next year’s league minimum. That could make him an especially appealing target for a team that’s looking for some potential upside in a backup goalie while trying to keep their costs down, so Buffalo should be able to get some interest in him.
With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen signed long-term and starting to live up to the potential he was thought to have early in his career and Colten Ellis showing some promise, it looks like the Sabres have at least their short-term goalie tandem intact. Luukkonen is signed through 2028-29 while Ellis is under club control through 2027-28, meaning there isn’t necessarily a spot for Levi anymore. While his value isn’t as high as it was a couple of years ago, Levi’s value could drop next season once he’s waiver-blocked so the time might be right for GM Jarmo Kekalainen to move him.
Colton Parayko Won’t Waive Trade Protection Before The Deadline
After he nixed a trade that would have sent him to Buffalo, there was still some speculation that Blues defenseman Colton Parayko would approve a trade to a team that he’d be more interested in going to. However, that won’t be the case. On today’s TradeCentre broadcast on TSN (video link), Pierre LeBrun reported that the blueliner will not be waiving his no-trade protection before today’s trade deadline.
The 32-year-old has been a fixture on the back end in St. Louis for more than a decade now while making multiple international appearances as well, including in last month’s Olympics. That track record was enough to elicit what would have been a strong return from the Sabres, one that was believed to have included a top prospect in Radim Mrtka and a first-round pick, even though Parayko is in the middle of a down season offensively.
After putting up career highs in goals (16) and points (36) last season, he has just one tally along with 13 assists in 58 games this season and is now currently sidelined with back spasms. However, Parayko is still logging over 22 minutes of playing time per night with tough defensive matchups.
Parayko has four years left on his contract after this one with a $6.5MM price tag so it’s reasonable to think that his market would still be strong should teams decide to make a pitch for his services in the offseason. At that time, he might be more open to move depending on what the landscape is at the time while not having to immediately uproot his family.
In the meantime, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this result in an uptick in interest in another St. Louis right-shot defender, Justin Faulk. Signed through next season at a $6.5MM price tag, the 33-year-old has been speculated to be in play in recent days and doesn’t have full trade protection like Parayko, just a 15-team no-trade list. With the Blues unable to get anything for Parayko right now, GM Doug Armstrong redoubling his efforts to ensure he gets a strong return for Faulk and cash in on the demand for impact defenders would make a lot of sense.