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Canucks Announce Four Roster Moves

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The Canucks will get some help tonight versus Nashville as the team announced (Twitter link) that forward Dakota Joshua and defenseman Noah Juulsen have been activated off injured reserve.  To make room on the roster, winger Kiefer Sherwood was placed on injured reserve while winger Max Sasson was assigned to AHL Abbotsford.

Joshua had missed nearly the last four weeks with a leg injury.  It has been a tough year overall for him as his start to the campaign was delayed while recovering from testicular cancer.  Upon returning, he wasn’t as impactful as he was last season.  He has two goals and two assists through 24 outings although his physicality is still present as he has 83 hits while logging 12:21 per night with limited time on special teams.

As for Juulsen, he landed on IR retroactively last week with an undisclosed injury.  He winds up missing a little over two weeks with the issue.  Juulsen has played in 32 games this season, predominantly on Vancouver’s third pairing.  He’s still looking for his first point but does have 57 blocks and 89 hits in 16:34 of playing time per night, the highest that number has been since the 2018-19 season.

Sherwood has been a nice addition to Vancouver’s bottom six group this season.  He has recorded 13 goals and eight assists in 47 games while recording a league-high 273 hits; for comparison, no other player has reached 185.  He left last Thursday’s game with an undisclosed injury and assuming they back-date his placement, Sherwood will be eligible to return as soon as Friday versus Dallas.

Sasson loses his roster spot to make the activations happen.  He has been up with Vancouver for six separate stints this season, spanning 24 games altogether where he has two goals and four assists in a little over 10 minutes a night.  After putting up 42 points in 56 AHL games last season, Sasson’s per-game numbers are down a bit with Abbotsford this year although he still has nine points in 16 outings.

Five Key Stories: 1/20/25 – 1/26/25

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While the trade deadline is still several weeks away, that didn’t stop a trio of teams from combining on one of the biggest trades we’ve seen in the NHL in quite some time.  That’s among the news headlined in our key stories.

Back In The NHL: After he didn’t get a contract over the summer, it looked like Tony DeAngelo’s time in the NHL may have come to an end.  But after his request to be released from his KHL team was granted, he quickly resurfaced, signing a one-year deal worth the league minimum with the Islanders.  DeAngelo subsequently cleared the rarely-seen entry waivers to officially join the team.  The 29-year-old has been a productive blueliner over his career with 210 points in 372 games but hasn’t been able to stay in one spot for long as the Isles are now his fifth different NHL team in as many seasons.  He was quickly put to work, logging more than 25 minutes in his season debut on Saturday.

Three Games For Two: The end of last Saturday’s Canucks-Oilers game got a little chippy and a pair of players had the week off as a result of match penalties received in the final minute.  The Department of Player Safety handed three-game suspensions to Oilers center Connor McDavid and Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers for cross-checking.  It’s the second suspension of McDavid’s career as he received a two-game ban back in 2019 for a check to the head.  Meanwhile, it’s the third sit-down for Myers who had a three-game suspension in 2012 for a boarding incident and then received another three-gamer two years later for a hit to the head.

Three-Team Swap: The Hurricanes decided to strike early with their shopping, adding a pair of wingers in a three-team trade.  They acquired Taylor Hall, Mikko Rantanen, and prospect Nils Juntorp while Colorado picked up Martin Necas, Jack Drury, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2025 fourth-round selection.  Chicago, meanwhile, reacquired their 2025 third-round pick from Carolina while retaining half of Rantanen’s $9.25MM AAV to facilitate the swap.

For Carolina, they add one of the premier wingers in the league in Rantanen plus a serviceable piece in Hall who helps deepen their attack.  Both players are on expiring contracts whereas Necas and Drury are signed through next year (while Drury has two more years of club control).  That last part helps justify the trade for Colorado who opens up a bit of cap space, acquires a top-line piece for Rantanen, and gives them some more cost certainty heading into next summer.  Rantanen is expected to set an NHL record on his next contract as the richest winger in NHL history and he and the Avs weren’t able to come to terms of that agreement, resulting in them getting a guaranteed return over running the risk of losing him for nothing.  As for Chicago, the belief is that they got a slightly higher draft pick by retaining on Rantanen than they would have by retaining on Hall although their portion of the swap is still a bit underwhelming.

Markstrom Out For A While: After a disappointing 2023-24 season, the Devils find themselves in a top-three seed in the Metropolitan Division.  Goaltender Jacob Markstrom has played a big role in that but New Jersey will have to do without him for a while as he’s set to miss the next four to six weeks with a knee sprain.  The 34-year-old has a 2.20 GAA (fifth-lowest in the NHL) with a .912 SV% in 36 starts.  Veteran Jake Allen will take over as the starter in the interim while Nico Daws is expected to be recalled in the coming days to serve as the backup.  Markstrom will now miss the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off but the extended break will also reduce how many games he winds up missing.

Five For Borgen: Last month, the Rangers acquired defenseman Will Borgen along with a pair of draft picks in exchange for winger Kaapo Kakko.  Borgen was set to be an unrestricted free agent but he clearly made a strong impression on his new team as New York inked him to a five-year, $20.5MM extension.  The 28-year-old had two straight seasons of at least 20 points coming into this season but he has been limited to just five in 50 games between the two teams in 2024-25.  The Rangers are banking on his track record and his early performance with his new club and have made him a key cog of their back end for the foreseeable future.

Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.

Canucks Receiving Interest In Elias Pettersson

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Over the past few weeks, the expectation has been that if Vancouver winds up moving one of its top two centers, that player was likely to be J.T. Miller.  Last weekend, a potential deal was close enough that the Canucks pondered scratching him but the move never materialized and Miller remained in the lineup that night.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, various reports indicated that Carolina was in discussion with Vancouver about both Miller and Elias Pettersson with various proposed offers for either one.  Ultimately, neither of those happened with the Hurricanes instead pivoting to adding Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall from Colorado and Chicago respectively.

But with discussions for Miller not seemingly going well, it appears that teams are still calling about Pettersson.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Sabres are believed to be among the teams showing a lot of interest in the 26-year-old.  The Fourth Period suggests that the Senators could be a team to keep an eye on as well.

Pettersson is in the first season of an eight-year, $92.8MM contract, or a cap hit of $11.6MM per season.  Notably, since this is the final of his original RFA-eligible years, Pettersson doesn’t have any form of trade protection.  Miller, on the other hand, has a full no-move clause which could make things more complicated for the Canucks.

Two years ago, Pettersson put up his first 100-point season, picking up 39 goals and 63 assists in 80 games.  He wasn’t quite able to reach those numbers in 2023-24 but still managed 34 goals and 55 helpers, giving him another season of over a point per game.  While that wasn’t elite production, it was still legitimate top-line numbers at a premium position.

Unfortunately for both Pettersson and the Canucks, the decline in output has continued into this season.  He has 11 goals and 19 assists through 42 games, putting him fifth on Vancouver in scoring.  While some believe his struggles are at least in some part related to the apparent rift between him and Miller, it’s clear that the Canucks are expecting much more from him either way.

Both Buffalo and Ottawa have younger centers on long-term deals that would seemingly serve as starting points for a Pettersson offer.  Dylan Cozens is only two years removed from a 31-goal, 68-point season and is signed through 2030 at $7.1MM per year.  Meanwhile, Josh Norris has a 35-goal campaign under his belt from 2021-22 and checks in at $7.95MM per season through 2030.

Neither player is a number one middleman but would give Vancouver a serviceable second option behind Miller.  Of course, those would only be the starting point of offers and finding the other pieces needed will determine whether a swap gets past the finish line.  And again, other teams are believed to be interested as it’s not too often that a top-line center in his prime becomes available.

At this point, it doesn’t look like the Canucks are getting the types of offers they’re hoping for to get a Miller trade done.  As a result, a Pettersson move looks like it’s starting to become a bit more palatable so expect GM Patrik Allvin to be fielding more calls about his young center in the coming days.

Minor Transactions: 1/26/25

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There have been a few minor roster moves made around the NHL today, some of which may or may not ultimately be paper transactions that are reversed in the next couple of days.  We’ll run through those here.

  • The Panthers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve loaned defenseman Tobias Bjornfot to AHL Charlotte. The 23-year-old got into eight games with Florida after being recalled earlier this month but with Aaron Ekblad returning yesterday, his presence was no longer needed on the roster.  Bjornfot is tied for third in scoring by Checkers blueliners, notching 11 points in 27 games at the minor league level.
  • The Stars have returned winger Matej Blumel to the minors, per an announcement from AHL Texas. He has been shuttled back and forth with some frequency in recent days though he did suit up today versus Iowa.  The 24-year-old has a goal in seven games with Dallas and is now up to 19 goals and 15 assists in 33 AHL contests.
  • Nashville has assigned defenseman Spencer Stastney to AHL Milwaukee, per the AHL’s transactions log. He suited up in seven games for the Predators over the last three weeks while on recall but didn’t register a point.  The 25-year-old has three points in 10 games with the Admirals after missing nearly two months while on personal leave.  Nashville now has just six healthy blueliners on their active roster so it’s possible that Stastney could be back up relatively quickly.
  • The Hurricanes have placed center Tyson Jost on LTIR, PuckPedia reports (Twitter link). The 26-year-old last played at the end of December and is battling a lower-body injury although he resumed skating last week.  Assuming the placement is retroactive, he has already missed the required 10 games and 24 days.  The move allowed them to remain cap-compliant after Friday’s three-team trade.

Atlantic Notes: Ekblad, Ullmark, Jensen, Knies

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The Panthers will welcome back a key blueliner to their lineup tonight in San Jose.  Team reporter Jameson Olive mentions that Aaron Ekblad has been cleared to return from the upper-body injury that has kept him out for seven straight games and eight of the last nine.  While the 28-year-old isn’t quite the two-way defender he was earlier in his career, he still leads all Florida rearguards in assists with 18 in 41 games while logging 23:32 per night, a team-high which certainly won’t hurt his case heading into unrestricted free agency this summer.  With his return, Tobias Bjornfot is expected to be a healthy scratch.  Ekblad remained on the active roster while injured so no roster moves need to be made on Florida’s end to accommodate his return.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • While goaltender Linus Ullmark was a full participant in today’s game day skate, he won’t suit up tonight or tomorrow, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link). The 31-year-old has been out for a little more than a month with a back injury and recently landed on LTIR to allow Ottawa to remain cap-compliant in the short term.  Ullmark has a 2.38 GAA and a .915 SV% in 23 games so far this season and his eventual return will certainly be welcomed with the Senators squarely in the battle for playoff positioning.
  • Still with the Senators, defenseman Nick Jensen won’t play in either game this weekend, relays TSN 1200 (Twitter link). He suffered an undisclosed injury on Thursday versus Boston, leaving the game late and not returning.  Jensen has been a nice addition to Ottawa after coming over in an early July trade from Washington, putting up 18 points in 48 games while logging a career-high 20:49 per game of ice time.  There’s no word on how much longer he might miss beyond these next two games.
  • Maple Leafs winger Matthew Knies briefly skated before practice on Friday with head coach Craig Berube telling reporters including Nick Barden of The Hockey News that Knies is listed as day-to-day. He sustained an upper-body injury on Wednesday against Columbus.  The 22-year-old has already set a new career best for goals this season with 18 in 47 games, positioning him well when it comes to contract discussions this summer when he’ll be a restricted free agent.

Sabres Activate Ryan McLeod Off IR, Assign Tyson Kozak To AHL

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As expected, the Sabres announced today that they have activated center Ryan McLeod off injured reserve.  To make room for him on the active roster, center Tyson Kozak has been assigned back to AHL Rochester.

McLeod’s activation should come as little surprise as he was a full participant in practice on Friday with the team indicating at that time that he was expected to play against his former team today and line up on the second line.  He winds up missing just three games with a nagging upper-body injury.

The 25-year-old was acquired from Edmonton in the summer along with prospect Tyler Tullio in exchange for prospect Matthew Savoie.  He has fit in well with the Sabres and enters play today tied for sixth in team scoring with blueliner Owen Power.  McLeod has 10 goals and 15 assists in 45 games this season while winning over 52% of his draws, the best rate of Buffalo’s full-time middlemen.  He carries a $2.1MM cap charge this season and will be a restricted free agent with salary arbitration rights this summer.

As for Kozak, the 22-year-old has gotten into nine games with the Sabres this season during his three recalls, his first taste of NHL action.  He has just one point – a goal – in those outings while blocking 14 shots in 10:36 of playing time.

Kozak is in his third professional season and generally hasn’t been particularly productive with the Amerks.  He had 10 points in his rookie year and 12 last season.  However, he has already matched that mark this season with six goals and six assists in 24 games in Rochester which should help his case as he’s set to become a restricted free agent with his entry-level deal expiring at the end of June.

Ryan Donato Receiving Trade Interest

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While Blackhawks forward Ryan Donato has been pretty consistent over the years with his production, he hasn’t had much stability, lasting no longer than two seasons with each of his five NHL teams.  It appears that trend may soon be continuing as Chris Johnston relays in his latest Trade Board for The Athletic (subscription link) that the 28-year-old is starting to attract some attention from other teams on the trade front.

Donato has put up at least 20 points in seven straight seasons now, including this one.  While his career high in that department is 31 set back in 2021-22, he is well on his way to beating that.  In 46 games so far with Chicago, he has 14 goals and 14 assists despite playing less than 15 minutes a night.  On top of that, he has played down the middle more often than usual this season; that versatility will only help his trade value.

So too will a reasonable contract.  Donato is in the final season of a two-year, $4MM deal signed back in 2023.  That’s pretty good value for a player who currently sits third on the Blackhawks in points.  The fact that Donato is having that success in more of a middle-six role should also be appealing as he’s likely to be in the bottom six on most contending teams where his 22 even-strength points will fit in well.

Considering Donato’s performance this season and the fact that Chicago is still trying to find the right mix of veterans to keep in the fold, there’s certainly a case to be made that the Blackhawks might be better off trying to re-sign him.  Given how much he has bounced around, it’s possible he’d be interested in some stability in which case it might not cost considerably more to re-sign him.

But on the other hand, as someone who isn’t expected to be part of their long-term plans when their rebuild is completed, GM Kyle Davidson might simply elect to move him for the best possible offer, ensuring at least a return of some value for a low-risk addition just a year and a half ago.  The Blackhawks have just one retention slot remaining following yesterday’s three-team swap so they could use it on Donato to make him affordable to even the most cap-strapped of teams which should only help his return.  Either way, it looks like he’s a strong candidate to be moved by the March 7th deadline.

Blue Jackets Notes: Jenner, Mateychuk, Sillinger, Monahan

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Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner took to the ice today as he continues to work his way back from a shoulder injury sustained back in training camp, relays Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers (Twitter link).  It’s the first time the captain has skated with the team since suffering the injury.  Jenner has been a key middleman for Columbus for more than a decade when healthy although he has missed time with injuries for five straight years now.  Considering he’s just starting to skate with the team now, it’s fair to suggest Jenner is still several weeks away from returning but with the Blue Jackets hanging around the playoff battle in the East, it’s possible that their big trade deadline addition to boost their roster could simply be getting him back in their lineup.

More from Columbus:

  • The Blue Jackets will welcome defenseman Denton Mateychuk back to the lineup tonight against Los Angeles, notes Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 20-year-old had missed three straight games due to illness.  Mateychuk has played in 12 games since being recalled late last month and has held his own in his first taste of NHL action with three points along with 21 blocked shots while averaging a little over 18 minutes a night of playing time.  Mateychuk had gotten off to quite a strong start before that in the minors, collecting 25 points in 27 contests with Cleveland before being brought up.
  • While they’re getting Mateychuk back, the same can’t be said for center Cole Sillinger. Team reporter Jeff Svoboda mentions (Twitter link) that the 21-year-old didn’t take the morning skate and thus is expected to miss his third straight game with an upper-body injury.  Sillinger had a solid first half with 23 points in 45 games while seeing his playing time jump up to 17:40 per night.
  • Compounding Jenner’s absence is that Sean Monahan (wrist) has also been out of the lineup for the past three weeks, weakening their already relatively thin center depth. Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch mentions that while Jenner is hoping to be back after the 4 Nations Face-Off, Monahan is expected to be back before him so Columbus may not have to deal with being down their top two centers for too much longer.

Penguins Recall Bokondji Imama, Assign Owen Pickering To AHL

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The Penguins have added some toughness to their roster heading into tonight’s game versus Seattle.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Bokondji Imama from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  To make room on the roster, blueliner Owen Pickering was sent to the minors.

Imama has yet to play in the NHL this season but has seen time at the top level in each of the last three seasons, spanning 15 games overall.  In those outings, he has one goal along with 17 penalty minutes and 45 hits while averaging a little under six minutes a night of playing time.

The 28-year-old is a well-known pugilist in the minors, however.  Imama has surpassed the 100-PIM mark in four of his five seasons in the minors and is on pace to do so again this season.  Through 24 AHL appearances, he has 47 minutes in the box to go along with three goals and two assists.  He’s playing on a one-year, two-way deal worth the league minimum of $775K.

As for Pickering, he’s in his first professional season after wrapping up his junior career last year.  He started the season in the minors, getting into a dozen games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton where he had just a single goal before being recalled in mid-November.

Since then, the 20-year-old has largely played a regular role when healthy (though he did miss time with a concussion).  Overall, Pickering has played in 25 games with Pittsburgh, collecting a goal and two assists in just under 15 minutes a night of playing time.  He’ll now have a chance to play a bigger role for the time being in the minors.  He carries a cap charge of $886.7K, meaning Pittsburgh will get some minor cap savings from these moves.

Senators Activate Travis Hamonic, Assign Donovan Sebrango To AHL

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The Senators are welcoming back a veteran blueliner for their game against Toronto tonight.  Per the NHL’s media site, blueliner Travis Hamonic has been activated off injured reserve.  To make room on the roster, the team announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Donovan Sebrango was assigned to AHL Belleville.

Hamonic has missed the last three weeks with a lower-body injury.  Before then, he was a fixture on Ottawa’s third pairing, getting into 37 games.  Offensively, the 34-year-old has been limited to just three assists although he has 58 blocked shots and 38 hits while averaging 17:25 of playing time per night, up nearly three minutes from his ATOI in 2023-24.   Hamonic is in the final season of his contract, one that carries a $1.1MM AAV and a no-movement clause and he’ll once again be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

As for Sebrango, he was recalled last week and got into two games with Ottawa, his first taste of NHL action.  The 23-year-old didn’t record a point in those outings while averaging 10:19 of playing time.  Sebrango has played in 28 games with Belleville this season, notching three goals and ten assists, both career-highs at that level.  He’s in the final season of his entry-level deal and will be a restricted free agent this summer.

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