Auston Matthews Out For The Season
After sustaining a knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim’s Radko Gudas on Thursday night, the Maple Leafs won’t have their captain down the stretch. The team announced (Twitter link) that center Auston Matthews will miss the remainder of the season due to a Grade Three MCL tear. He will be reevaluated in two weeks and a further update will be provided at that time.
The injury brings a premature end to what has been a tough season for the 28-year-old. After lingering injuries slowed Matthews down off and on at times last season, the hope was that he’d come into this year fully healthy and get back to the level that saw him win three Rocket Richard trophies for the most goals in four years. With Mitch Marner now in Vegas, they were counting on him to be able to shoulder more of the load offensively.
However, that hasn’t happened. In between dealing with a pair of short-term lower-body injuries, Matthews saw his production drop even further this season. After putting up 78 points in 63 games in 2024-25, he was limited to just 27 goals and 26 assists in 60 outings this season. His goal earlier in Friday’s game snapped a 12-game goalless drought, allowing him to avoid tying his career-long stretch in that regard, set back in his rookie season back in 2016-17. Instead of leading the way offensively, Matthews finds himself fourth in team scoring and will likely stay there with Oliver Ekman-Larsson (who’s fifth) being 18 points behind.
Matthews has two years remaining on his current contract, one that carries a $13.25MM AAV that was briefly the richest in NHL history. It’s fair to say that Toronto hasn’t received fair value on that agreement so far given his reduction in production over the past two years. They’ll have to hope that the extended time off before next season will help spur his offense forward in the second half of the agreement.
His absence could also have an impact in the draft lottery. Toronto will retain its first-round pick if they land in the top five of the draft after the lottery. (If they pick outside that range, the selection goes to Boston.) The Maple Leafs are tied for eighth-last in the league right now, five points ahead of St. Louis, which is currently 28th. However, without their number one center in the lineup down the stretch, they could be primed to fall a little further in the standings.
Meanwhile, Gudas had a phone hearing with the Department of Player Safety earlier today as part of the supplemental discipline process. That will cap a potential suspension at no more than five games. With Anaheim in action both Saturday and Sunday, a decision on that front should come before too long.
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.
Post-Deadline Transaction Restrictions
While the trade deadline has come and gone, there will still be quite a few transactions made between now and the end of the season. However, many of those have new restrictions imposed on them, as follows.
Waivers
Teams can still waive players after the trade deadline. However, if they’re claimed, the player is automatically ineligible to play for the remainder of the season. We will likely still see some waiver activity closer to the end of the year if a player on recall and AHL playoff-eligible needs to clear waivers to return to the minors.
Trades
While the term ‘trade deadline’ would imply a hard cap on trades now, that’s not the case. However, similar to players claimed on waivers post-deadline, those players are ineligible to play down the stretch. Over the next week, we will likely see a player or two traded for future considerations to add someone for their AHL team; their trade deadline is exactly one week after the NHL deadline on March 13. Rights to unsigned players will also likely be moved in the coming weeks.
Signings
A player not on an NHL reserve list who signs can play down the stretch during the regular season, but is ineligible to play in the playoffs. We typically see this with college free-agent signings who get into a game or two for the stretch run, but technically, a player on an AHL contract can sign an NHL deal and play with that team until the playoffs.
AHL Eligibility
For a player to be assigned to the minors, that player must have been on an AHL roster at the trade deadline. Otherwise, even if the player is waiver-exempt, he is ineligible to play in the minors. An exception can be made for a player needing a conditioning loan due to a long-term injury. This rule is why there were so many ‘paper transactions’, moves to put a player in the minors before the deadline to keep them eligible to play there down the stretch.
Recalls
This is the one that comes into play the most after the deadline. Teams are limited to five non-emergency recalls between now and the end of the season. That’s a rule change from last summer’s CBA extension; the previous limit was four. Players recalled from deadline-day paper transactions count against the five, so several teams will have fewer than five to work with immediately.
An emergency situation is created when a team has fewer than 12 healthy forwards, six healthy defensemen, or two healthy goaltenders available. In those cases, a player can be recalled under emergency conditions if the team has cap space available. However, when that team gets the injured player(s) back, the recalled player must return to the minors. Otherwise, his recall is converted from an emergency one to a regular one and would count against the limit of four.
Pretty much every team will still be involved in transactions of some sort over the next few weeks, but they’ll need to be mindful of these restrictions when making them.
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.