Ivar Stenberg Emerging As Potential First Overall Pick
Entering the 2025-26 season, the scouting community following NHL draft prospects generally shared a clear consensus: the top prospect for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft was WHL star Gavin McKenna. McKenna, who was an otherworldly scorer with the Medicine Hat Tigers, was slated to begin his NCAA career with Penn State. Most believed he’d ride a highly productive college season all the way into the summer, where he’d become the No. 1 overall pick.
So far, things haven’t quite played out that way, and the tide has begun to shift at the top of public-facing NHL draft rankings. The early rumblings began on Nov. 18, when The Athletic’s Corey Pronman wrote that McKenna’s path to becoming the No. 1 pick was now “in question.”
At the time, he cited a lack of clear alternatives for the No. 1 slot as a reason why he believed McKenna was still likely to be the No. 1 pick, even if he was no longer a lock. Then, in his rankings on Dec. 10, he ranked McKenna No. 4 in the class, behind center Tynan Lawrence, defenseman Keaton Verhoeff, and winger Ivar Stenberg.
It was the World Junior Championships later that month that provided the stage for a true alternative to McKenna to emerge as a candidate to become the No. 1 pick: Stenberg, a winger in the SHL.
Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala, who is a former NHL scouting director, wrote on Jan. 13 that Stenberg was his new No. 1 prospect in the 2026 class. Yesterday, two of the more prominent public-facing NHL draft rankings were released, coming from The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler and the team at Elite Prospects. Both Wheeler and Elite Prospects ranked Stenberg as their No. 1 prospect, in both cases overtaking McKenna, who fell to No. 2.
This emerging trend in public-facing rankings is, without question, the storyline to watch regarding the upcoming entry draft. McKenna, as mentioned, entered the season as not only the consensus No. 1 player, but a skater widely believed to be a future No. 1 pick of above-average quality relative to other players selected at that slot. An exceptional status player who entered the CHL at the age of 15, McKenna managed 97 points as a 16-year-old winger for Medicine Hat, and was absolutely brilliant in 2024-25, scoring 129 points in 56 regular-season games and 38 points in 16 postseason contests.
That production hasn’t translated to the same extent to the NCAA, where McKenna has 24 points in 20 games. While that’s still very impressive production for a freshman player, to be clear, it remains below what many expected of McKenna. 
Other top prospects in the past have had more productive freshman campaigns, such as Adam Fantilli (65 points in 36 games during his draft year) and Jack Eichel (71 points in 40 games). McKenna was widely believed to be of that caliber as a prospect, so the fact that his production, while still good, isn’t on that level, appears to have hurt him in the rankings.
Wheeler wrote in his rankings this week that McKenna “increasingly has frustrated evaluators” this season.
It is worth noting, when considering McKenna’s production, that the NCAA isn’t what it has been in the past. That is to say, the quality of competition in college hockey has reached new heights thanks to a recent rule change that allowed players with CHL experience (and even pro experience, in some cases) to play college hockey. That massive influx of new, higher-level talent into the collegiate ranks has likely made it more difficult for younger players such as McKenna to excel to the same extent that Fantilli and Eichel, for example, were able to.
But one factor totally outside of McKenna’s control that appears to have impacted his odds of becoming the No. 1 pick considerably has been the emergence of Stenberg. The Swedish winger is having one of the best seasons by a draft-eligible SHL forward in the recent history of the draft process. The 18-year-old has 26 points in 27 games for Frölunda, and he added alongside that 10 points in seven games at the World Juniors, leading Sweden to a gold medal.
The key aspects of Stenberg’s game, according to public-facing scouts, that have allowed him to close the gap on McKenna and emerge as a real contender to be the No. 1 pick are his competitiveness, physical development, and ability to impact the game away from the puck.
Elite Prospects wrote that Stenberg “looks ready to make an NHL impact as soon as next fall,” and Wheeler noted in his own rankings that Stenberg is “very, very strong in hockey terms” and “wins a ton of battles along the boards.” When it comes to predicting whether a teenage player will be able to make an impact at the NHL level quickly after being drafted, those are key traits that come into focus. That Stenberg has made those traits some of the standout elements of his game is, per the indications of the public scouting sphere, one of the key factors as to why he’s become a potential No. 1 pick.
Of course, there is still quite a bit of time before any player hears his name called in Buffalo at the 2026 draft. There’s still more than enough time for evaluations to change, for other players to stand out and make a push for the No. 1 slot (such as defenders Verhoeff or Chase Reid, for example). There’s also enough time for McKenna to address some of scouts’ concerns about his game and make a push for the No. 1 status Stenberg appears to have now grabbed hold of.
But at this point, the tide appears to be changing in the public scouting sphere, and it’s entirely possible if not likely, that the tide could also be changing in the eyes of NHL scouts. A Swedish player has not gone No. 1 overall at the NHL draft since Rasmus Dahlin in 2018, and Dahlin was the first since 1989’s Mats Sundin.
Photos courtesy of Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Morning Notes: Shea, Kuemper, Malenstyn
The Pittsburgh Penguins have had a better season than most expected of them in 2025-26, and it’s been elevated contributions from players throughout the lineup that have powered them to this point. (Alongside to-be-expected star-level performances from players such as Sidney Crosby.) One player who has meaningfully improved his NHL stock as a Penguin is defenseman Ryan Shea. The Athletic’s Josh Yohe wrote yesterday that “the Penguins would like to keep [Shea] around,” and that he is a real candidate to receive a contract extension that keeps him from hitting the open market as a UFA this upcoming summer.
Shea is a textbook illustration of one of Penguins GM Kyle Dubas’ standout traits — his ability to work the margins of NHL rosters to uncover quality players, players he can acquire for very little and hand over to his coaching staff, who promptly turn them into legitimate NHLers. Dubas signed Shea to a one-year, league-minimum deal in 2023, handing the player a one-way contract despite him having zero NHL experience to that point. Shea rewarded Dubas with 31 NHL games played in his first year in Pittsburgh, and this season he’s emerged as a full-time NHLer. He’s scored 16 points in 48 games and is averaging 18:57 time on ice per game, including 2:07 on the penalty kill. Given how he’s earned head coach Dan Muse’s trust as a defensive defenseman, it’s no surprise Pittsburgh appears to want to keep him from hitting the open market as a UFA.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- Los Angeles Kings starting netminder Darcy Kuemper left the team’s victory over the New York Rangers last night early after appearing shaken up by a collision with Rangers forward Jonny Brodzinski. The Kings announced his exit was due to an upper-body injury. It’s worth noting that Kuemper missed some time earlier this month with an upper-body injury. Kuemper has been solid for Los Angeles this season, though not quite as brilliant as 2024-25. He has a .904 save percentage in 32 games played.
- Buffalo Sabres forward Beck Malenstyn left the team’s victory over the Nashville Predators early after blocking a shot, and while the team did not announce any injury to the player, his status is nonetheless worth monitoring. The 27-year-old is a key bottom-six player for head coach Lindy Ruff, offering aggressive forechecking and physicality on a nightly basis. He has seven points in 48 games this season playing fourth-line minutes, with a regular role in the team’s rotation of penalty killers.
Canadiens To Activate Kirby Dach From LTIR
Jan. 20th: As expected, Dach will make his much-awaited return tonight. According to Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, Dach will draw into the lineup tonight against the Minnesota Wild. The Canadiens had an open spot on the active roster, so no corresponding roster move is necessary.
Jan. 18th: Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach is “very close to a return to the lineup,” and could be activated off long-term injured reserve in time for the team’s game Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild, reports Arpon Basu of The Athletic.
Dach’s impending return was signaled when he skated without restriction at practice in Ottawa. Fellow injured forward Patrik Laine also skated without restriction, though it’s unclear what his full return timeline is at this stage.
The 24-year-old suffered a fractured foot in November. He most recently played Nov. 15 against the Boston Bruins. Dach has missed 30 consecutive games as a result, with this injury (as well as an earlier lower-body ailment) limiting him to 15 games played in 2025-26.
Unfortunately, injuries have become the dominant storyline in Dach’s career not only since he arrived in Montreal, but even stretching back to his days as a top prospect with the Chicago Blackhawks.
The No. 3 pick of the 2018 draft was limited to just 18 games in his sophomore season (2020-21) due to injury, something that clearly hampered his development and helped pave his way out of Chicago.
Dach impressed early after arriving in Montreal, scoring 38 points in his first campaign as a Canadien, flashing some chemistry on the team’s top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.
Injuries limited Dach to 58 games in that campaign, though, and while he looked exceptional in the first game of the 2023-24 campaign, he suffered a season-ending injury in the Canadiens’ second game of the season.
Dach returned for 2024-25, but injuries again limited his effectiveness alongside his availability. Having lost his spot next to Caufield and Suzuki to 2022 No. 1 pick Juraj Slafkovsky, Dach only managed 22 points and an injury limited him to just 57 games played.
Through 15 games of 2025-26, Dach had seven points. If he is indeed able to return to the lineup at some point soon, a significant opportunity could be in reach. While Slafkovsky had usurped Dach’s former place on the Canadiens’ top line and held it firmly, the Slovak forward has since been moved to the Canadiens’ second line, forming a deadly trio with rookies Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen.
As a result, the Canadiens have been forced to rotate several forwards in Slafkovsky’s former lineup spot alongside Suzuki and Caufield. Zachary Bolduc was tried at first, but his ineffectiveness prompted head coach Martin St. Louis to try midseason signing Alexandre Texier on that line.
Texier recently inked a two-year, $2.5MM AAV extension with the Canadiens, and has performed very well so far next to the Canadiens’ two star forwards, scoring 16 points in 27 games. That could indicate that Texier will remain next to Suzuki and Caufield for the foreseeable future. But if Texier falters at any point, Dach could be next in line to get a shot on Montreal’s top line.
If that can happen, it would be a massive opportunity for Dach to rebuild his confidence and his stock in the eyes of Canadiens decision-makers in advance of his upcoming restricted free agency.
Regardless of where he ends up playing in Montreal’s lineup, the key for Dach, arguably more than even finding a way to produce, is going to be finding a way to stay healthy. For as talented as he can be, his chronic lack of availability threatens to undercut his value proposition to NHL teams.
As a 6’4″ forward who can play center or the wing, and has the coveted combination of size and skill, he should be a player NHL teams trip over themselves to get their hands on. Injuries have, so far, kept him from achieving that status. More than anything else, Dach will need to show he can put those injuries behind him if he’s going to maximize his value as an NHL player.
Photos courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Flyers Recall Lane Pederson, Rodrigo Abols Replaced On Olympic Roster
1/19: After being placed on IR by the Flyers on Sunday, centerman Abols has been replaced by Rihards Bukarts on Team Latvia’s roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics per a team announcement. Bukarts currently has eight points in nine games with Presov HC of Slovakia’s Tipsport Extraliga. This move suggests that Abols’ scary-looking injury will indeed knock him out of contention at another Olympic event.
1/18: The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that center Rodrigo Abols has been placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. In a corresponding move, the club recalled forward Lane Pederson from their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Abols suffered a lower-body injury against the New York Rangers on Jan. 17, and will now miss at least a week as a result of his IR placement. He was centering the Flyers’ fourth line in between Garnet Hathaway and Carl Grundstrom, a role that will likely now go to Pederson, who can play center.
The Latvian international was signed out of the SHL by the Flyers in advance of the 2024-25 season, and he earned his way into the NHL with a solid campaign at the AHL level. In 47 games for the Phantoms, Abols scored 32 points, a performance that helped him get into a total of 22 NHL games that year.
So far this season, Abols has been able to carve out a steady role on the Flyers’ fourth line. Though he only has 10 points in 42 games, he’s been able to provide the kind of size and game-to-game reliability teams are looking for in the fourth-line center position. Abols has also seen sporadic deployment on the penalty kill, where he averages 0:39 time on ice per game overall, but has a single-game high of 2:13.
With this recall, it’s Pederson who will get the chance to replace Abols in head coach Rick Tocchet’s lineup. It’s highly unlikely Pederson alone will be able to reverse the Flyers’ recent struggles, but he does have nearly 80 games of NHL experience and a solid record of scoring at the AHL level.
From Pederson’s perspective, this recall is a significant opportunity for him as he’s a pending unrestricted free agent. Depth players in his position often have to squeeze everything they can out of the limited NHL exposure they receive, so he’ll be under some pressure to step up in advance of an important free agent summer for the future of his career.
Sharks Reassign Nick Leddy, Activate Vincent Desharnais
Jan. 19th: According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Leddy has made it through waivers unscathed. A few moments later, the Sharks announced that Leddy has been reassigned to AHL San Jose, and that Desharnais has been activated from the injured reserve.
Jan. 18th, 2:01 p.m.: Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky confirmed today, per Peng, that it’ll be Vincent Desharnais, not Mukhamadullin, who is the injured Sharks defenseman set to take Leddy’s spot in the lineup. Desharnais has been sidelined since late November with an upper-body injury.
Jan. 18th, 1:13 p.m.: The San Jose Sharks have placed veteran defenseman Nick Leddy on waivers. The news was first reported by San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng.
By placing Leddy on waivers today, the Sharks open up the possibility for Leddy to be reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. Reassignment to the AHL is contingent on Leddy clearing waivers.
Last week, The Hockey News’ Max Miller reported that defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin would travel with the team on their four-game road trip. It appears, as a result, that Mukhamadullin is nearing the point where he’ll be able to be activated off injured reserve. Since the Sharks already have a full 23-man active roster, waiving Leddy today provides the Sharks with an additional amount of roster flexibility in advance of Mukhamadullin’s return. The Sharks would have just six healthy defensemen with Leddy removed from the roster, so it’s easy to tie Leddy’s waiver placement with an impending Mukhamadullin activation.
If Leddy clears waivers, he can be reassigned to the Barracuda, opening up the necessary roster spot for Mukhamadullin’s activation. If Leddy is claimed off waivers, the same goal is achieved — a roster spot is opened up for Mukhamadullin.
Today’s development is an unfortunate one for Leddy, who, at 34, is a veteran of 1,061 NHL games. He hasn’t played in the AHL in more than a decade, his most recent AHL experience coming in 2012-13 with the Rockford IceHogs. His play in 2025-26 has, unfortunately, paved the way for this sort of transaction. He’s struggled this season, frequently finding himself a healthy scratch as the Sharks linger in the Western Conference playoff race.
Leddy’s time on ice per game is down to 17:30, including no power play time and 1:31 of penalty-killing time per game. That’s a distinct decline from how much he was played as recently as 2023-24. That season, Leddy was the St. Louis Blues’ No. 2 defenseman, averaging 22:21 time on ice per game and serving as a top penalty-killer alongside Colton Parayko.
Leddy’s form in San Jose has made those days seem like a distant memory, but his compensation ($4MM cap hit through the end of the year) is still commensurate with his former steady top-four role.
That mismatch between Leddy’s current on-ice value and his level of compensation is likely to keep him from being claimed off of waivers. Although there might be some teams who believe they can get more out of Leddy than he’s provided San Jose, his cap hit likely means he carries too much risk to be claimed.
There are other possibilities on the table to keep Leddy in the NHL, such as a trade, but the Sharks only have one slot left to retain salary, so they might only look to find a trade where the other team can take on the full freight of Leddy’s remaining salary.
Leddy could also elect to sacrifice the remaining portion of his salary and agree on a mutual contract termination, paving the way for him to freely sign with any team willing to offer him a guaranteed NHL role. Two players have already taken that path this season: Egor Zamula and Alexandre Texier. That option worked quite well for Texier in particular, as he seized on the NHL opportunity he sought and got a two-year, $2.5MM AAV contract extension as a result.
If Leddy and the Sharks were to take this route, Leddy would almost certainly sacrifice the remaining pro-rated portion of his $3MM salary for what is left of 2025-26.
There’s no firm indication at this point as to what lies ahead for Leddy. It’s still possible a team could elect to claim him off waivers, and it’s also possible he feels no great pressure to avoid an AHL reassignment at any cost. In any case, today’s move by the Sharks makes Leddy a name to watch in the near future, especially for a team in need of more experienced defensive depth such as the Buffalo Sabres.
Photos courtesy of Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
Capitals Reassign Brett Leason, Activate Justin Sourdif
Jan. 19th: According to Sammi Silber of DC Backcheck, Sourdif will be the one coming off the IR for today’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. Sourdif was informally placed on IR on January 16th, but has not played since January 11th after taking a puck to the face.
Jan. 18th: The Washington Capitals announced today that forward Brett Leason has been reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears.
The move opens a roster spot for the Capitals, a notable development as the team has three forwards on IR who would need to be activated before they can return to the lineup: Tom Wilson, Justin Sourdif, and Pierre-Luc Dubois. Dubois is expected to be out long-term, but Wilson or Sourdif could return on a shorter timeline.
The Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson wrote that Leason’s reassignment is a “good indication” that Wilson “is getting close to returning,” perhaps as soon as Monday against the Colorado Avalanche.
While Wilson’s impending return is undoubtedly good news for the Capitals — the 31-year-old has scored 22 goals and 42 points in 41 games this season, and was named to Canada’s Olympic roster — it’s more difficult news for Leason, whose most recent stint in the NHL has now concluded.
Leason, 26, was recalled on Jan. 7 and ended up playing in six games for the Capitals. While he wasn’t able to land on the scoresheet, his size and heft (he stands 6’5″, 220 pounds) earned him a small amount of power play time in three separate contests.
It’s not the most common occurrence for bottom-six call-ups to get any look on an NHL power play, so Leason at the very least got a more significant opportunity than many other players in similar situations.
In total, Leason averaged 8:34 time on ice per game, registering 10 hits in six games, but just one shot on goal. Washington went 2-4-0 with Leason in the lineup. He’ll now return to Hershey, the team where he made his professional debut as a second-round pick in 2019-20.
Leason has scored a healthy 14 points in 20 games for the Bears, a solid scoring rate and one to be expected for a player who has mostly played in the NHL over the last few years. Washington lost Leason on waivers to the Anaheim Ducks in 2022, and Leason went on to skate in 184 NHL games for the Ducks.
The Ducks non-tendered Leason after he scored 17 points in 62 games last season, leading to the player’s return to the Capitals organization. Leason signed with Washington on Oct. 27 after spending the preseason on a PTO with the Minnesota Wild and a brief stint on an AHL PTO with the Charlotte Checkers.
This year is a significant one for the pending UFA, especially from a financial perspective. While he made $1.05MM on his most recent Ducks contract, the deal he signed with the Capitals after being non-tendered not a one-way contract. Leason’s one-year, two-way deal carries a $775K NHL salary and a $250K AHL salary. Undoubtedly, Leason will want to continue his level of production for the Bears in order to earn as many recalls back to Washington as possible this season.
Not only will recalls back to the NHL hold an immediate financial benefit, but the more time he can spend in the NHL, the better-positioned he’ll be to get back to a one-way contract as a free agent in the summer.
Penguins Activate, Reassign Rutger McGroarty, Recall Joona Koppanen
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced today that forward Joona Koppanen has been recalled from the club’s AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In a corresponding move, the club activated forward Rutger McGroarty off injured reserve and reassigned him to the AHL.
McGroarty has been sidelined since Jan. 3 with a concussion. This reassignment allows McGroarty to build back up to NHL readiness at the AHL level after missing seven games. The 21-year-old began the year in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, scoring seven points in just five games. That performance, likely coupled with the fact that he’s widely considered one of the team’s top prospects, landed McGroarty a spot on the team’s NHL roster.
Before his injury, McGroarty had managed to dress for a total of 16 NHL contests this season. Averaging 12:13 time on ice per game without much special teams usage to speak of, McGroarty only managed three points.
As a prospect, the most significant question mark surrounding McGroarty was his skating. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman classified McGroarty’s foot speed as “mediocre,” while David St-Louis of Elite Prospects wrote that McGroarty could become a quality middle-six NHLer if he could further develop his skating stride.
While McGroarty is widely credited with having improved his skating over the course of his time in the Penguins organization, the pace of NHL hockey proved to be a steep challenge for him during his 16 games of action so far this season. As a result, he has thus far been unable to translate his offensive production from the AHL level to the NHL, even as other positive qualities in his game have begun to surface.
Not only does reassigning McGroarty to the AHL give him a chance to ramp up from his injury recovery in a lower-pressure environment, it also gives him the chance to build up some confidence as a scorer. While the Penguins have not indicated any clear timeline for McGroarty’s return to the NHL level, it would be a surprise to see him with the AHL Penguins for an extended period.
Benefiting from McGroarty’s reassignment is Koppanen, who returns to the NHL roster after almost two months in the AHL. The 27-year-old last played in the NHL on Nov. 29, skating 13:28 in a tough 7-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He’s played in 10 games this season, registering one assist on 12:28 time on ice per game.
While it’s possible Koppanen’s recall lasts only as long as it takes for McGroarty to return to the NHL, this transaction is nonetheless a significant opportunity for the winger to gain some NHL experience in advance of his unrestricted free agency in the summer.
Earlier in the season, The Athletic’s Josh Yohe wrote that Koppanen “isn’t an NHL player.” He hasn’t gotten into an NHL game since that point. The key for Koppanen to flip that narrative and earn both an extended stint in the NHL and a one-way NHL contract for next season (he’s playing this year on a two-way deal with a $475K AHL salary) will be to bring a consistent defensive and physical element to the table on a shift-by-shift basis.
Koppanen stands 6’5″ and already got some time on the penalty kill in his last NHL stint. He has all the tools necessary to be an impactful fourth-line role player, and now this recall gives him another opportunity to show he can translate those tools into meaningful on-ice value.
As a pending UFA, every strong NHL game he can add to his résumé could make a difference in the summer, so how he performs in this newfound opportunity will be interesting to monitor in Pittsburgh’s next few games.
Filip Hronek Has “No Interest” In Trade Away From Canucks
As the Vancouver Canucks consider all possibilities to help reshape their club and build a future Stanley Cup contender, one name that has emerged as a potential key trade candidate is defenseman Filip Hronek. The Czech blueliner is the Canucks’ most important rearguard in the aftermath of the Quinn Hughes trade, and would likely draw an immense amount of league-wide interest if he was shopped.
The prospect of Vancouver dealing Hronek is a topic that has been recently discussed by numerous figures in the media, but today Hronek’s agent, Allan Walsh of Octagon Hockey, shut down the speculation, writing: “This is just wasted air,” and “Vancouver management and coaches are happy with Fil and Fil has no interest in going anywhere else.”
While Hronek may have seemed like a potentially realistic trade candidate for those outside of the Vancouver market, Walsh’s unequivocal denial of such a possibility does not come as any great surprise upon closer examination. First and foremost, Hronek’s eight-year, $7.25MM contract carries a full no-move clause until 2028. As a result, Hronek and his camp would need to sign off on any deal involving him. In other words, if Hronek doesn’t want to be traded (and Walsh said, in no uncertain terms, that he does not), he won’t be traded.
Additionally, while the Canucks are pursuing a team-building strategy centered around acquiring young players and draft picks, there is still a necessity for veteran leaders to insulate and guide that young talent. The Montreal Canadiens, a team many point to as an example of rebuild done right, retained key veterans such as Brendan Gallagher, Josh Anderson, and Mike Matheson throughout their rebuild, ensuring their young core players had experienced veterans to guide them. Hronek could be one of the Canucks’ equivalents to that Canadiens trio.
Hronek is held in high regard both for his immense on-ice contributions as well as his value off the ice to the Canucks’ locker room and overall team culture. He’s a trusted veteran and is a legitimate candidate to be the Canucks’ next captain, according to CHEK TV’s Rick Dhaliwal (via The Athletic’s Thomas Drance).
While he’d certainly fetch the Canucks a mammoth return if they ever elected to trade him, keeping Hronek could very well end up being the more valuable choice when it comes to meaningfully advancing their rebuild.
In this sense, it’s important to not look at the concept of “advancing a rebuild” in narrow, dogmatic terms.
Keeping a valuable veteran asset, rather than trading him for draft picks or prospects, can be the right choice for a rebuilding team. The value to a rebuild provided by a veteran effectively absorbing a difficult workload can equal, or even outweigh, the value provided by an extra set of draft picks. Hronek is positioned to be able to illustrate this in the coming years.
Hronek is now Vancouver’s No. 1 defenseman, averaging 24:23 time on ice per game including time on both sides of special teams. He’s behind only Elias Pettersson for the team lead in scoring, and is often their most consistent player on a nightly basis.
There is a real trickle-down effect of the workload Hronek handles on a nightly basis. By handling the tough matchups and eating so much time on ice per game, the Canucks are able to more appropriately deploy their younger blueliners. Because Hronek is playing 24 minutes per night, the Canucks can ease a younger defenseman such as Victor Mancini into the NHL in a role he’s more suited for. If Hronek were traded, a defender like Mancini could end up playing more minutes and tougher matchups than he’s ready for, something that may not be conducive to his development.
Matheson was mentioned earlier as a comparable defenseman in terms of being a veteran on a rebuilding club, and one only needs to look at the impact Matheson has had in Montreal in order to grasp just how valuable Hronek can be to the Canucks’ rebuild. Over the course of the worst years of the Canadiens rebuild, Matheson was a rock. He ranked No. 11 in the NHL in time on ice per game his first year in Montreal, and was No. 3 in the NHL in 2023-24.
Because Matheson was able to weather those difficult matchups and handle such a heavy workload, the Canadiens enjoyed a clear trickle-down benefit. Young, developing defensemen such as Lane Hutson, Kaiden Guhle, and Arber Xhekaj were able to find their footing at the NHL level without being handed too much, too fast.
Those defensemen were able to be placed in positions to succeed more often than not, and faced a far lower risk of over-exposure damaging their confidence and development. The Canadiens have reaped the benefits of that arrangement. Their rebuild meaningfully advanced because they elected to prioritize the on-ice value of keeping Matheson, rather than the hypothetical future value of trading him for prospects or draft picks.
That appears to be the approach the Canucks are set to take with Hronek. As mentioned, the player’s representation has made it clear that he has no interest in landing elsewhere, and the Canucks themselves are reportedly more likely to name Hronek captain than they are to deal him. That may not stop teams in need of a high-end blueliner from calling, but they’ll likely do so with a clear understanding that trading for Hronek is not a realistic possibility.
Photos courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
Latest On Artemi Panarin, Rangers Retool
Mirroring a similar action they took almost eight years ago, the New York Rangers released a public statement — a letter — to fans and the media announcing the club would chart a new direction for its competitive future, embracing a “retool” of its roster as the best path back to legitimate Stanley Cup contention.
While no transactions have yet been made to kick off this “retool,” (outside of a brief recall of defenseman Connor Mackey) it’s likely that we’ll see several made as we get closer to the NHL’s trade deadline on March 6.
In the aftermath of the Rangers’ letter, two players have emerged as the most likely candidates to be traded by the team before the deadline: pending UFAs Artemi Panarin and Carson Soucy.
Soucy’s situation is more straightforward. He’s an established defensive defenseman with over 400 games of NHL experience. The Rangers should have no issue fielding offers for Soucy, even if they have to navigate a $3.25MM AAV contract that contains a 12-team no-trade list. The Athletic’s Peter Baugh wrote Friday that the Rangers “should be able to fetch at least a mid-round pick” in any Soucy deal.
Panarin’s situation is significantly more complicated. First and foremost, he has a full no-move clause, meaning he’ll need to sign off on any deal before he can be traded. 
Panarin was asked about the Rangers’ new direction after the team’s victory over the Philadelphia Flyers yesterday, and he said “I’m still confused, but the GM decided to go in a different direction. I’m OK with that.” Panarin was asked more specifically about his no-move clause, but he declined to address that specific element of the situation.
The Rangers have made it clear to Panarin, per multiple reports, that he will not be offered a contract extension with the club. So, as long as he is willing to waive his no-move clause to go somewhere, he’s a near-certainty to be moved at some point before the deadline.
Parsing together where he might actually be dealt is the more difficult part of the equation, largely because it’s so dependent on Panarin’s preferences. For example, he’d be within his rights to only accept a trade to a single destination, if he finds he has his heart set on playing for one specific team. There is some precedent for such a scenario, such as when Taylor Hall used his contractual rights in 2021 to steer the Buffalo Sabres into trading him to the Boston Bruins.
There’s been no indication, at this point, that Panarin is going to take up that approach, and it could be equally likely that he provides the Rangers with a curated list of teams he’d accept being dealt to. There’s even a possibility — however remote — that Panarin declines to waive his no-move clause at all.
What the Rangers might receive in return appears, in many ways, dependent on Panarin’s decisions in this process. If he allows for a wide range of potential destinations, the Rangers could create sufficient leverage in trade talks to generate a significant return. If Panarin only accepts a deal to one team, New York would naturally have far less leverage in trade talks, and the return could subsequently be lighter than anticipated.
Looking back to the Hall example, the Sabres’ return for their star winger, a recent Hart Trophy winner, was widely considered “underwhelming” at the time. In exchange for Hall, the Sabres were only able to net a second-round pick and Anders Bjork, in large part due to being forced into exclusive negotiations with the Bruins.
While there’s been no indication that Panarin has a specific destination in mind the way Hall did, the precedent is worth looking back at, as it illustrates just how much control Panarin has over the process.
New York recently communicated to Panarin, their star forward of the 2020’s, that he would not be offered a contract extension. As a result, he may have a limited appetite to assist the Rangers and provide them with a wide range of teams he’d accept a trade to.
Beyond Panarin, the Rangers do have a few other trade candidates to consider, though the key ones are not pending UFAs like Panarin and Soucy.
The Athletic’s Vince Z. Mercogliano wrote yesterday that center Vincent Trocheck is “widely considered” the Rangers’ most valuable trade asset, and the 32-year-old could be the top pivot available in an extremely limited in-season trade market at the position. He could be of immense interest to center-needy contending teams such as the Minnesota Wild.
In addition to Trocheck, Mercogliano also named defenseman Braden Schneider, who is a pending RFA, as a key trade candidate. Since New York has right-shot blueliners Adam Fox and Will Borgen each signed to long-term deals, they could deal from a position of strength with Schneider. Trading the 2020 first-rounder would give the Rangers’ retool a significant boost, as he’s likely to command a strong return as a coveted young, sizeable right-shot defenseman.
But while the Rangers could conceivably wait until the offseason to deal Trocheck or Schneider, they don’t have the privilege of that kind of timeline with Panarin or Soucy. As a result, the Rangers’ retool could begin in earnest sooner rather than later.
Photos courtesy of Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Bruins Lead Pursuit Of Flames’ Rasmus Andersson
Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson is one of the top players available for trade at this stage in the 2025-26 season, and as a result, his name has featured heavily in recent reporting as he figures to be dealt at some point in the near future. Numerous developments have been reported regarding Andersson, and on yesterday’s Saturday Headlines segment on Sportsnet’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, Elliotte Friedman issued a few notable updates on Andersson’s status.
According to Friedman, “the team that appears to be in the driver’s seat” is the Boston Bruins. Friedman characterized Boston’s interest in Andersson as “very serious,” and added that not only has Boston made Calgary an offer that is believed to be more to Calgary’s liking than the offers of other suitors (such as the Vegas Golden Knights), but they are also the only team, per Friedman, that has permission from the Flames to conduct extension talks with Andersson’s representatives.
Those extension talks between Boston and Andersson’s camp, which is led by Claude Lemieux of 4Sports Hockey, were characterized as “pretty significant” by Friedman. The talks are significant for all parties involved, as the Bruins’ interest in trading for Andersson is reportedly entirely contingent on being able to secure his agreement on a long-term extension.
Because the Bruins are only interested in trading for Andersson if they can sign him to a contract extension, it tracks that their offer to the Flames appears to be more substantive, at this stage, than the offers made by other suitors.
Generally speaking, teams are more willing to part with quality trade assets if they’re receiving a core player in return, rather than a rental.
While the Vegas Golden Knights appear confident that they’d be able to sign Andersson, the fact that the Bruins would only make this trade with an extension in place has a key implication: it means that their trade offer to the Flames takes into consideration, from the outset, the fact that they’d be acquiring a core piece rather than a rental player.
Right now, per Friedman, Vegas’ offer “is not seen” to be as strong as Boston’s. While he cited both the Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs as other teams in the mix, the Bruins are seen as the clear front-runner to acquire the Flames blueliner.
As for what Andersson might cost Boston, there’s no firm indication as to what the Bruins have included in their offer to Calgary. If the Flames are looking for, at minimum, a first-round pick and a quality prospect, perhaps one that is close to NHL ready, the Bruins have some options to play with.
Boston could dangle a top-five-protected Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2026 first round pick, the one they acquired in last year’s Brandon Carlo deal, as a core part of their offer. The Maple Leafs are currently on the outside of the playoff picture, meaning the pick could be one that participates in the draft lottery.
While it’s almost guaranteed Boston would be trading at least one of its first-rounders in any Andersson deal, it’s less immediately clear what sort of prospect (or prospects) they might have included in their offer to the Flames. Their prospect pool is in better shape than it’s been in recent years, rising to a No. 17 ranking among systems across the league, per Elite Prospects.
One has to assume 2025 No. 7 pick James Hagens is off the table as Boston’s No. 1 prospect and a key piece of the team’s future. 2024 first-rounder Dean Letourneau has had a stellar sophomore season at Boston College, but the Bruins may be loath to surrender the 6’7″ pivot alongside a high-end draft choice.
2021 first-rounder Fabian Lysell has been unable to break into the NHL with the Bruins, and an Andersson trade could serve as his opportunity to receive a change of scenery. But Lysell may not hold enough value at this stage to be the centerpiece prospect of an Andersson offer, though he is far closer to the NHL than No. 2-ranked prospect Letourneau or No. 4 prospect William Moore.
Other possibilities from Boston’s system include World Juniors standout Will Zellers, first-year pro center Dans Locmelis, and Youngstown Phantoms star Cooper Simpson.
While one of these names appears likely to have been included in Boston’s offer for Andersson, there’s no guarantee any of them will end up ultimately being dealt by the Bruins. Other teams are still in the mix to secure Andersson’s services. Although Boston is reportedly the only one at this stage that has had substantive extension talks with the player, it’s not a foregone conclusion that he’ll end up a Bruin.
Photos courtesy of Sergei Belski-Imagn Images