Senators Acquire Riley Kidney From Canadiens
The Ottawa Senators completed a minor-league trade with the Montreal Canadiens, acquiring center Riley Kidney in exchange for center Jake Chiasson and goaltender Hunter Shepard per PuckPedia. The move will bolster the Laval Rocket with two AHL veterans ahead of a playoff run, while adding another young forward to the Belleville Senators with 14 games left in the regular season.
Kidney, 23, was a star scorer across four seasons in the QMJHL. He debuted with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the 2019-20 season after being drafted with the 11th-overall pick in that year’s QMJHL Entry Draft. Kindey quickly translated to the junior flight and scored five goals and 33 points in 59 games as a rookie. His passing ability stood out early, highlighted by an appearance at the 2019 World U17 Hockey Challenge, where Kidney’s five points in six games ranked above Team Canada teamamtes Mason McTavish and Dylan Guenther.
Kidney moved into his age-18 season with momenutm. He scored nine points in the first nine games of the season – before the QMJHL season was suspended from late-November to mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He scored four points in his second game back from the pause and finished the year with 38 points in 33 games. That was enough to earn convince Montreal to draft Kidney in the 2021 second-round pick. He rewarded that selection by notching 100 points in 66 games of the QMJHL’s return to a full schedule in 2021-22. Kidney repeated that feat in 2022-23, combining for 110 points in 60 games between the Titan and the Gaitneau Olympiques.
Despite high-scoring junior seasons, the nimble passer hasn’t found his scoring touch in the pros just yet. He racked up 37 points in 117 games with Laval between 2023 and 2025, slim enough to earn a demotion to the ECHL’s Trois-Rivieres Lions this season. Kidney has scored 11 goals and 33 points in 46 games with the Lions, one point shy of the team lead. Now, he could find space in the bottom-six of a Belleville squad that has promoted Arthur Kaliyev, Xavier Bourgault, and Stephen Halliday into NHL stints this season.
Laval will add Chiasson and Shepard to round out the lineup following Kidney’s move and Jacob Fowler‘s call-up to the NHL. Chiasson scored one point in 20 AHL games and eight points in 14 ECHL games. Shepard has notched six wins and a .885 save percentage in 15 AHL games, and made 12 saves on 14 shots in a mid-game appearance with Ottawa in January. Shepard should assume the backup role behind Kaapo Kahkonen, though his addition could indicate that Fowler is set for an extended stint at the top level. He stopped 32 of 34 shots in his return to NHL action on Wednesday.
Rangers Expected To Activate J.T. Miller From Injured Reserve
The New York Rangers are expected to activate capatain J.T. Miller off of injured reserve for a return in Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Wild, head coach Mike Sullivan told Mollie Walker of The New York Post. Miller was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury on March 3rd. It wasn’t entirely clear when Miller got hurt, though the resulting injury was separate from the one that held him out of eight games in late December and early January.
Miller has been a cornerstone of the offense in his healthy minutes. He has scored 38 points in 51 games, the third highest scoring pace on the team after Artemi Panarin‘s departure. Miller has also served a consistent role on New York’s top power-play and second penalty-kill units. The all-situations role has earned him more than 20 minutes a night on average, his most ice time since Vancouver’s 2022-23 campaign.
Miller had multiple high-scoring seasons in Vancouver, including years with 82, 99, and 103 points. He emerged as an explosive playmaker and became only the second Canucks forward with multiple 60-assist seasons, alongside Henrik Sedin. Miller has continued that playmaking in his return to New York. He also earned the first captaincy handed out by New York’s new head coach – and Miller’s coach at the Winter Olympics – Mike Sullivan, speaking to the veteran presence Miller brings to the lineup.
That presence will be an important addition to the Rangers’ game day, even as the team sits last in the Eastern Conference standings. The Rangers will fave a tough decision of how to balance Miller’s special teams minutes after rookies Gabriel Perreault and Noah Laba stepped into bigger minutes in the captain’s absence. Perreault scored one goal and two points on the powerplay, while Laba was New York’s second-most utilized penalty-killer, in Miller’s five games out of the lineup. New York will also have to balance the ice time of bottom-six left-winger Tye Kartye, who has six points in seven games since joining the Rangers at the Trade Deadline.
One way or another, the Rangers will close the season with a focus on finding the right pieces for next season, while Miller looks to get back to full health after a busy winter headlined by an Olympic Gold medal.
Flames Recall Matvei Gridin, Hunter Brzustewicz
March 12: Brzustewicz was initially recalled under emergency conditions, but his recall has now been converted to a standard one, Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 reports. Calgary now has three regular recalls remaining until the end of the season.
March 8: Two top prospects will bolster the Calgary Flames roster after shaking up their lineup at the Trade Deadline. Winger Matvei Gridin and defenseman Hunter Brzustewicz have both been recalled per a team announcement. The duo will support the Flames as they embark on a five-game road trip beginning on Monday.
Gridin was returned to the minor leagues after a five-game stint in the NHL that stretched from late February to the NHL Trade Deadline. His assignment ensures that Gridin will be eligible for the Calder Cup Playoffs, though the Calgary Wranglers currently sit second-to-last in the AHL’s Pacific Division. Gridin has been a major part of their offense any time he is in the minor leagues. He has 29 points in 37 games this season, good for the sixth-highest points-per-game average on the Wranglers.
The dynamic scorer has has ups-and-downs in his trek to bring that scoring to the top flight. Gridin has a stout seven points in the first 18 games of his NHL career. More than half of those points – five – came during a nine-game stretch from mid-January to early-February, before he was returned to the AHL. It took four games for Gridin to get back onto an NHL scoresheet after he was called back up in late February. That has been the hot-and-cold streak that Calgary’s top wing prospect has ridden through his first pro season.
It was Brzustewicz who stepped up in the Wranglers’ latest action, netting an assist on Saturday night to snap a nine-game scoring drought. That streak began one game after Brzustewicz was reassigned to the minor leagues, after he recorded an assist in his first game back. He, too, has had an up-and-down year, with two points in 18 NHL games and 14 points in 34 AHL games. The puck-moving defenseman has honed his ability to make plays in either end of the ice, while spotlighting his ability to move pucks through the neutral zone – the bread-and-butter of Brzustewicz’s game.
Brzustewicz could have the easier path to a lineup role after Zach Whitecloud left Saturday’s win over the Carolina Hurricanes in the first period. That injury should bump Zayne Parekh and Brayden Pachal up a spot in the lineup, opening room for Brzustewicz to play in his first NHL game since January from the bottom pair. Gridin will have to compete with newcomers Ryan Strome and Victor Olofsson for minutes in Calgary’s bottom-six. The rookie could be the odd-man-out as the Flames look to shore up their center depth. If he sits, Gridin will offer a nice bit of offensive upside from the press box and could potentially replace bruisers Adam Klapka or Ryan Lomberg on the fourth line.
Canadiens’ Cole Caufield Out With Illness
Montreal Canadiens winger Cole Caufield will miss Wednesday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators due to illness. He will be replaced by Alexandre Texier per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.
Caufield has scored four goals and six points in his last five games. His absence will be a heavy blow as Montreal steps up to a Atlantic Division matchup. It will also be a major opportunity for Texier, who hasn’t stepped into the lineup since February 26th. He scored six points in his first 11 games with the Canadiens, then went on a run for 10 points in seven games, with the two stints split by a six-game scoring drought.
But Texier has fallen into another lull, with only two points in his last seven games, dating back to January 13th. He could have a prime chance to snap that cold spell as he steps into a top-nine role in Caufield’s absence.
Montreal will rotate Texier with Alex Newhook, Zachary Bolduc, and Josh Anderson on the left-wing. All four have run into hot-and-cold streaks this season, which could put a lot of weight on Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Ivan Demidov to carry the scoring.
Montreal will also be relying on rookie goaltender Jacob Fowler after scratching Sam Montembeault. The weakened Canadiens lineup could present a good chance for Ottawa to begin clawing their way up the standings.
Red Wings Recall Sheldon Dries, John Leonard, Eduards Tralmaks
The Detroit Red Wings have utilized emergency recalls to call-up three forwards from the AHL. Sheldon Dries, John Leonard, and Eduards Tralmaks will all join the Red Wings with two games left on their current road trip. These moves come after Detroit center Andrew Copp sustained a lower-body injury in Tuesday night’s loss to the Florida Panthers. He has been downgraded to doubtful for Thursday’s match against the Tampa Bay Lightning, at least, per Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James.
Three more forwards will help Detroit balance lines at Wednesday’s practice without captain Dylan Larkin, in addition to Copp’s injury and a recent string of maintenance days for winger Lucas Raymond. Detroit also added winger David Perron to their injured reserve after acquiring him from the Ottawa Senators for a fourth-round pick at the Trade Deadline.
The Red Wings have split their two games since Larkin sustained a day-to-day, lower-body injury. Copp was promoted to the top line in Larkin’s spot and recorded two assists and six shots on net before going down with his own injury. That could force the Red Wings to lean on Marco Kasper as their top center, even if Copp is able to play. Kasper scored one goal on four shots in Tuesday’s loss, bringing him to 10 points in his last 17 games dating back to mid-January. A bump in minutes could be well-timed for Kasper, who has not recorded a game with more than 20 minutes of ice time this season. The former eighth-overall pick had three such games in his rookie season last year. He finished with 19 goals and 37 points in 77 games.
Both Dries and Leonard have played a handful of NHL games this season, with Leonard scoring four points in nine games and Dries scoring one goal in six games with Detroit. The two rank first and third on the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins in scoring with 41 and 37 points respectively. Sixth on the list is Tralmaks, who is receiving the first call-up of his NHL career with this move.
After a quiet three seasons in the Providence Bruins’ organization to begin his pro career, Tralmaks spent the last two seasons with the Kladno Knights in Czechia’s top pro league. He scored 21 goals and 32 points in 52 games of his first Czech season, then jumped to a league-leading 51 points in 48 games last season. He signed with the Red Wings on the heels of that season and has since found his confidence in the AHL. Tralmaks has 18 goals and 28 points in 49 games with Grand Rapids this season. This call-up could now give the six-foot-four, 225-pound Latvian a chance to make his NHL debut.
Detroit may not need to lean on any of their call-ups if Copp can play on Thursday. If not, it will be centerman Dries who gets tapped to fill-in, unless the Red Wings move a winger to the center spot to fit-in the hot-scoring Leonard, or rookie Tralmaks. Bottom-six winger Dominik Shine has filled both forward positions through his career but has only taken one faceoff in the NHL.
Anders Lee Hopes To Retire With Islanders
The New York Islanders have undergone a lot of transformation in recent years. Many of the team’s cornerstone pieces have moved on – with Brock Nelson and Noah Dobson traded away and Josh Bailey, Cal Clutterbuck, and Matt Martin calling their playing careers to a close. Amid those major shifts, and the development of New York’s next generation, Islanders captain Anders Lee said there’s “no doubt” he wants to retire an Islander per RG’s DJ Siddiqi.
Lee has spent his entire NHL career in New York. The Islanders landed him in the sixth-round of the 2009 NHL Draft, amid questions about the high school dual-athlete’s future. He committed fully to hockey with a move to the USHL that turned into four seasons at the University of Notre Dame. Like he did in high school, Lee managed strong scoring in every season of his junior career, ramping him nicely into a debut with the Islanders in 2013.
Lee didn’t play through his rookie NHL season until the 2014-15 season. He was an immediate impact in New York, netting 25 goals and 41 points in 76 games. That season still stands as one of only six seasons where an Islanders rookie scored at least 20 goals, a list most recently added to by defenseman Matthew Schaefer.
With that performance, Lee took off. He became a consistent scorer near the top of New York’s lineup and reached 34 goals, then 40 goals, in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons respectively. The Islanders named Lee team captain on the heels of those performances, following the departure of John Tavares. The Islanders blazed their way to the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals in Lee’s second season wearing the ‘C’, their deepest playoff run since the 1993 playoffs. New York wasn’t able to pull above the eventual Stanley Cup-winning Tampa Bay Lightning and have only returned to the postseason in three of the six seasons since.
But the 2025-26 campaign seems different. The Islanders stand third in the Metropolitan Division, only one point and one game behind the Pittsburgh Penguins in second place. Much of their resurgence has been driven by Calder Trophy-favorite Schaefer, though the Islanders have also received strong performances from Ilya Sorokin, Mathew Barzal, and Bo Horvat. A 35-year-old Lee has also continued to stand tall, netting 15 goals and 35 points in 64 games, good for fourth on the team in total scoring.
With that mix of top-end firepower and performing depth, the Islanders are well-positioned for another strong run in the postseason. They will have to negotiate a new deal with their captain on the other side of the playoffs, following the end of his current seven-year, $7MM contract. Lee’s scoring and lineup role have both dwindled since he last signed a contract – but he still brings an impact worth hanging onto.
New York is projected to carry $15.21MM in cap space into the off-season, per PuckPedia, with the majority of their lineup locked into multi-season contracts. That will make re-signing Lee a top priority before free agency opens. Convincing him to take a slight discount from his current salary – perhaps down to $6MM per season – could leave the Islanders with plenty of space to add a difference-maker on the open market.
Kraken Activate Matt Murray From IR
Another goaltender is set to join the Seattle Kraken depth chart. Matt Murray has been activated off of injured reserve after recovering from a lower-body injury sustained in November. Murray was originally expected to miss six weeks with the injury but instead totaled nearly four months out.
Murray has been working over injury complications since 2023. He underwent bilateral hip surgery in October 2023 to address nagging injuries. That procedure forced him to miss the entire 2023-24 season and the bulk of 2024-25. He made a brief appearance with the Toronto Maple Leafs in December 2024 before being knocked out of the lineup again until May. Murray seemed well over the injury headed into the 2025 summer, prompting the Kraken to sign him to a one-year, $1MM contract for this season.
The two-time Stanley Cup-winning netminder began the season in a normal role with the Kraken – but only managed five appearances before going down with another injury. He allowed eight goals on 102 shots – good for a .922 save percentage – in his limited appearances. His injury pushed the Kraken back towards a tandem of Joey Daccord and Philipp Grubauer for the bulk of this season. Both are having strong years backing a Kraken team that has allowed the ninth-fewest goals-against (182) this season. Daccord has set 18 wins and a .902 save percentage in 37 games, while Grubauer has 11 wins and a .913 save percentage in 24 games.
The Kraken are likely to continue leaning on their de facto duo while allowing Murray a chance to ease back from injury. He has not played more than 30 games in a single season since the 2019-20 campaign. In total, Murray has recorded 147 wins and a .910 save percentage in 279 career games, and 10 seasons in the NHL. He could be a timely addition to Seattle’s depth chart as they fight to hang onto the Western Conference Wild Card. They sit one point ahead of the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings in the Wild Card race.
Penguins’ Justin Brazeau Out Week-To-Week
It appears the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup will stay shaken up by injury. Three players have been designated as out with upper-body injuries. Winger Justin Brazeau is out on a week-to-week basis, while center Kevin Hayes and defenseman Samuel Girard are out day-to-day. Brazeau and Hayes missed Sunday’s overtime win over the Boston Bruins while Girard played 18 minutes in the matchup. It is not clear when exactly the trio of injuries were sustained.
Brazeau was originally deemed as out day-to-day. His downgraded status will be bad news for a Penguins’ top-six already without Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. Brazeau has emerged as a hot hand in the Penguins lineup this season. He has 16 goals and 30 points in 48 games, fourth on the team in goals and seventh in total scoring. It is a breakout year after Brazeau stamped his NHL spot with 20 points in 57 games with the Boston Bruins last season. He finished his 2024-25 campaign with the Minnesota Wild but moved on after only scoring two points in 19 games with the club. Brazeau signed a two-year, $3MM contract with Pittsburgh on July 1st.
Another man down will force another promotion into the Penguins’ top-six. Wingers Egor Chinakhov and Ville Koivunen earned increased minutes in the wake of Pittsburgh’s superstar injuries, while Rickard Rakell moved to a center role. Chinakhov has earned his keep with five points in seven games since the return from the Winter Olympic break – but Pittsburgh’s offense overall has dwindled to a 3.00 goals-per-game average in that span, down from their 3.37 average across the full season.
While attempting to patch holes in the top-six, Pittsburgh will also need to make up for Hayes and Girard on their bottom lines. Rookies Avery Hayes and Benjamin Kindel have recently split center duties in the bottom-six, while Connor Clifton will draw back onto the blue-line. The Penguins success this season has largely been driven by their rookie forwards, making the boost in minutes timely. Clifton only has five points in 32 appearances this season – though he has stayed above bar with a plus-two, one of seven Penguins defensemen with a positive plus-minus.
The Penguins will likely lean on their top lines and veteran skaters as they take on the top team in the Metropolitan Division, the Carolina Hurricanes, on Tuesday night. Pittsburgh sits second in their division, eight points behind Carolina.
Afternoon Notes: Hutson, Ovechkin, Carlson
The Washington Capitals will be watching closely as top prospect Cole Hutson heads to the Hockey East postseason this weekend. The defenseman could head to Washington as soon as Boston University’s season ends per Chris Cerullo of RMNB. Both team and player have expressed interest in coming together soon, with Capitals general manager Chris Patrick recently mentioning that trade acquisition Timothy Liljegren could be a smart veteran partner for Hutson if he leaves college, “like [the team] hopes”.
Hutson has emerged as a star prospect since joining the Terriers last season. He scored 14 goals and 48 points in 39 games as a freshman, becoming the X-factor addition that drove Boston University to their first National Championship appearance since Jack Eichel‘s great 2014-15 season. Hutson has dwindled to 30 points in 33 games this season, on the back of a struggling Terriers offense as a whole. Those struggles will be their challenge as the playoffs roll around. If and when Hutson moves to the pros, he will rival Rasmus Sandin and Martin Fehervary for minutes on the left-side, and could be the reason one of the veterans moves to the right-side as the team tries to replace John Carlson.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- Sticking in Washington, franchise great Alex Ovechkin said that his retirement decision will hinge on how his body feels in an interview with Ian Oland of RMNB. Ovechkin has scored 24 goals and 50 points in 64 games this season, keeping up a tendency for strong scoring into his age-40 season, though he’s dipped from the pace that led him to 44 goals and 73 points in 65 games of his historic 2024-25 season. Ovechkin holds the NHL’s all-time goals record, racking up 921 in 1,555 career games so far. How many he’ll add to those totals seems to be up in the air as he continues to weigh a closely-followed retirement decision.
- Speaking of Carlson, the former Capitals star is hoping to make his debut with the Anaheim Ducks at the end of their current, four-game road trip as he works back from a day-to-day, lower-body injury per Derek Lee of The Hockey News. The Ducks’ road-trip ends with a back-to-back against Ottawa and Montreal on Saturday and Sunday. Anaheim pulled off the surprise of the Trade Deadline in their acquisition of Carlson for conditional-first-round and third-round draft pick. Carlson scored 10 goals and 46 points in 55 games with the Capitals before the trade. He has surpassed the 50-point mark in each of the last two seasons and reached 71 points in 78 games of the 2021-22 season. He should bring a boost of offense to a veteran Ducks blue-line.
Brad Marchand Weighing Surgery Among Panthers Injury Updates
The second half of the season is becoming clearer for the Florida Panthers, who saw multiple players progress and regress from extended injuries. Defenseman Seth Jones and center Jonah Gadjovich, both on long-term injured reserve, have each taken a step forward but both still aren’t ready to return yet, head coach Paul Maurice told reporters including Miami Herald’s Jordan McPherson.
Maurice spoke more in depth about winger Brad Marchand who will see doctors on Tuesday to determine if he needs surgery for a nagging, undisclosed injury. Marchand has dealt with the injury for most of the season, pushing Maurice to try and control his rest. That task has become tougher as a condensed back-half of the season rolls around. Marchand hasn’t been able to stand up to his top-six role since March rolled around, averaging just 13:30 in ice time over his last four games – over four minutes under his season-long average. The team expects to have an answer on his status for the rest of the season before the week ends.
Marchand has been a cornerstone of Florida’s offense, even while playing through injuries. He has scored 54 points – split evenly – in 52 games, making him one of only two Panthers scoring above a point-per-game alongside Matthew Tkachuk. Marchand’s ability to produce consistently from the first or second line has supported Tkachuk as he’s eased back from a season-opening injury and heavy role at the Winter Olympics.
The Panthers will turn towards trade acquisition Vinnie Hinostroza to fill in the lineup chart with Marchand on the shelf. He scored three goals and 10 points in 48 games with the Minnesota Wild before moving to Florida at the Trade Deadline for future considerations. He will step into a fourth-line role with the Panthers, while Eetu Luostarinen earns a bump into unrivaled, top-six minutes. Luostarinen has 24 points in 55 games this season and is in the midst of a seven-game scoring drought. He and Carter Verhaeghe should be the biggest beneficiary of Marchand’s available minutes.
Florida is missing another major piece in Jones, who ranks second on the defense in scoring with 24 points in 40 games. He led the team in ice time per-game before going down with injury, averaging 23:29 – a good stride above Gustav Forsling‘s 22:44 ranked second. Jones has stood up to a top role in Florida’s offense after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks for a steep price in 2025. Jones’ return will fortify Florida’s blue-line alongside Aaron Ekblad.
Meanwhile, Gadjovich’s return will round out Florida’s depth alongside waiver acquisition Cole Reinhardt. Gadjovich recorded three assists in 10 games before going down with injury on October 25th. He has missed 53 games, and the Winter Olympics, since.
The Panthers will move forward with a dented lineup as they try to climb back from an 11-point deficit in the standings. It seems they are much more likely to miss the postseason on the heels of back-to-back Stanley Cup wins, an outcome that – at the least – would allow more time for stars Tkachuk, Marchand, and Jones to work to full health by next season.