Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

East Notes: Matheson, Gadjovich, Flyers

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Montreal Canadiens announced a last-minute scratch tonight as defenseman Mike Matheson was held out of the lineup with a lower-body injury. The news came out just before the puck drop against Utah, Jayden Struble suited up in his place. Matheson skated with the Canadiens earlier in the day during the team’s morning skate but did miss practice yesterday.

Matheson’s absence will leave a hole in Montreal’s defense, particularly their power play where Matheson is typically the only defenseman on their top unit. The 30-year-old is currently averaging over 24 minutes a night in ice time and is third in team scoring with a goal and 12 assists in 20 games this season. Matheson had a career year last season, tallying 11 goals and 51 assists while dressing in all 82 games for Montreal.

In other Eastern Conference notes:

  • Florida Panthers forward Jonah Gadjovich was dressed in a regular practice jersey today as he skated with his teammates (as per Colby Guy of The Palm Beach Post). The 26-year-old did not play last night against the Washington Capitals due to an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day. Gadjovich has just a single goal this season and has only played 11 games due to a back injury that kept him sidelined for eight games in late October and early November. When the Whitby, Ontario native has dressed he’s played sparingly, averaging just 7:13 of ice time per game.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers remain on the hunt for a top-six center (as per Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff). Philadelphia reportedly spoke with the Minnesota Wild earlier in the season about a potential swap, but nothing came from the talks, likely due to the Wild’s tough salary cap situation. The Flyers aren’t in a rush to make a move, which makes sense given the team’s timeline, however, they do have assets to make a move including draft capital as well as potentially using 2018 first-round pick Joel Farabee or Morgan Frost as potential trade pieces in a package.

Metro Notes: Kochetkov, Stillman, Sillinger

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov is out day-to-day (as per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet) . The 25-year-old will not play tomorrow night against the New York Rangers but could play this weekend depending on his status. Kochetkov suffered a concussion on Saturday night after he collided with teammate Sean Walker and entered concussion protocol yesterday.  Hurricanes’ head coach Rod Brind’Amour didn’t have a timeline as of yesterday, noting that concussion recovery is hard to predict.

Kochetkov has been solid this season for Carolina, posting a 10-2-0 record with a 2.42 goals against average and a .904 save percentage. His underlying numbers have been terrific in 13 games, with a goals saved above expected of 3.9 (as per MoneyPuck).

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • The Hurricanes have recalled defenseman Riley Stillman from the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League (Twitter link). The 26-year-old hasn’t appeared in an NHL game since the 2022-23 season and will likely be Carolina’s seventh defenseman tomorrow night when they take on the Rangers. Stillman spent all of last season in the AHL with the Rochester Americans and has suited up in four games this year, tallying a single assist. Stillman has played parts of five seasons in the NHL, registering four goals and 22 assists in 158 games.
  • Aaron Portzline of The Athletic is reporting that Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger will miss tomorrow night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens with an upper-body injury. Sillinger took a skate to the head halfway through Columbus’ victory over Carolina on Saturday night, but the Blue Jackets haven’t officially stated the reason for Sillinger’s absence. His loss will be a big one for the team as the 21-year-old is fifth in team scoring with three goals and nine assists in 20 games. He also plays on both the power play and the penalty kill, which will leave Columbus shorthanded on both sides of their specialty teams.

Timo Meier Receives One-Game Suspension

at CDT | by 8 Comments

1:18 PM: The NHL’s Department of Player Safety didn’t take long to deliberate. They’ve announced a one-game suspension for Meier for his cross-check on L’Heureux last night.

9:29 AM: The National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety has announced that New Jersey Devils forward Timo Meier will have a hearing for his cross-check to the face of Nashville Predators forward Zachary L’Heureux. Meier will face supplemental discipline for an incident that occurred at the 12:17 mark of the third period of last night’s game. The penalty forced New Jersey to kill off a five-minute major while the team held a two-goal lead. The Devils went on to win the game by a score of 5-2.

Despite winning the game, the Devils were pushed around for much of the night. Before the Meier cross-checks, L’Heureux caught Devils forward Paul Cotter with a hip check that sent him to the New Jersey bench in obvious discomfort. L’Heureux and Meier then engaged in a battle after the whistle where L’Heureux gave Meier a shot in the back and then Meier hit him back with two cross-checks, the second of which caught the 21-year-old L’Heureux up high.

Meier has never missed any NHL games due to a suspension in his eight-year NHL career but has had to pay out some fines. During his rookie season in 2017-18, he was fined for elbowing then Vancouver Canucks defenseman Michael Del Zotto, then in 2019 he was given a $2000 fine for a second offense of Rule 64, which concerns diving and embellishment.

Meier’s hearing will take place today, and although the NHL hasn’t formally announced whether it will be a phone or in-person hearing, the tight timeline indicates that it will be a phone hearing.

Morning Notes: Daugavins, Norris, Crosby

at CDT | by 10 Comments

The IIHF reports that former NHL forward Kaspars Daugavins has retired. The 36-year-old’s announcement caught many by surprise as he has been very productive in recent seasons including this year in Slovakia’s top league Tipos Extraliga, where he has posted six goals and 14 assists in 19 games.

Daugavins was a third-round pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2006 (91st overall) and played seven seasons in the organization, including parts of three seasons in the NHL. Daugavins played 85 games with the Senators before he was plucked off waivers by the Boston Bruins in March of 2013. He played just six games with the Bruins before making his way to Europe the next season. During his brief NHL career, Daugavins registered six goals and nine assists while averaging just over 11 minutes of ice-time per game.

In other morning notes:

  • Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff mentioned on Daily Faceoff Live that Ottawa Senators forward Josh Norris has had his name come up in conversations that the Senators have been having, presumably with other teams. Ottawa has struggled out of the gate this season and has failed to live up to expectations once again. Their core is signed to significant long-term deals, and Norris is one player who hasn’t lived up to his paycheck. That being said, moving Norris would be very difficult given his cap hit and injury history. The 25-year-old has been decent offensively this year, posting eight goals and six assists in 21 games while starting 56% of his even-strength shifts in the defensive zone.
  • Sidney Crosby’s off-season extension with the Pittsburgh Penguins appears to have done nothing to cool the trade rumors that continue to be pushed out about him. On yesterday’s edition of TSN Overdrive, Bryan Hayes floated out what a potential Crosby trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs would look like. A deal involving the two sides is highly unlikely, given Kyle Dubas’ history with the Maple Leafs and Crosby’s desire to finish his career in Pittsburgh. However, thanks to the Penguins’ massive struggles as of late, a Crosby trade out of Pittsburgh doesn’t look as impossible as it did a month ago. Pittsburgh figures to be busy in the coming months if they don’t turn things around. However, the chances that Crosby is moved remain relatively close to zero.

Evening Notes: Sullivan, Penguins, Blues

at CDT | by 22 Comments

Josh Yohe of The Athletic wrote about the Pittsburgh Penguins freefall and what it means for head coach Mike Sullivan. Yohe wouldn’t lean one way or the other when it comes to Sullivan’s future but did concede that the Penguins’ current predicament is ripe for a coaching change. However, he doesn’t believe that general manager Kyle Dubas or Penguins ownership expected the team to make the playoffs this season.

Sullivan has been at the helm of the Penguins since late 2015 and has guided the Penguins to two Stanley Cup championships. That being said, the Penguins haven’t been out of the first round of the playoffs since 2018 and have missed the postseason in each of the last two years. Combine that with their horrific 7-12-4 start to this season, and it has people wondering if a coaching change is in order. Yohe casts doubt on that possibility but does add that if things get much worse in Pittsburgh, it could happen.

In other evening notes:

  • TSN’s Darren Dreger spoke on TSN690 radio and mentioned that the Penguins have been heavily scouting the Montreal Canadiens. Dreger wonders if a trade could be brewing between the two sides, adding that nothing is in the works yet, but he does see a potential path to a deal between the two teams. Pittsburgh isn’t in fire sale mode yet, but with so many expiring contracts on the books and the playoffs falling out of reach with each passing game, the Penguins may begin to move players out with an eye toward the future.
  • The St. Louis Blues didn’t expect to make a coaching change until Jim Montgomery became available a few days ago (as per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press). Blues general manager Doug Armstrong spoke to the media today saying that the Blues viewed Montgomery’s free agency as an opportunity to grab a top coach in the NHL and improve the team’s prospects behind the bench. The move certainly came as a shock to many but can’t be that surprising given Montgomery’s coaching experience as well as his deep ties to the Blues organization.

West Notes: Kaprizov, Sturm, Kings

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov has reportedly not suffered a serious injury and will be evaluated over the next few days (as per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet). The news comes after the 27-year-old sat out last night’s game against the Calgary Flames due to a lower-body injury. Kaprizov had an MRI that revealed no major issues, which is good news for a Wild team that have caught many by surprise this season.

Kaprizov appeared to be injured in Thursday’s game against the Oilers when he collided with Edmonton forward Drake Caggiula. He left the game briefly but did return to action and finished out the third period. Kaprizov has been dominant this season, registering 13 goals and 21 assists in 19 games thus far with a +16 plus/minus. The Wild currently sit in second place in the Central Division with a 13-3-4 record.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now is reporting that forward Nico Sturm has rejoined the San Jose Sharks as a regular participant in practice. Sturm was placed on injured reserve back on November 18th with an upper-body injury and hasn’t played since November 14th against the New York Rangers. The 29-year-old played less than eight minutes a game in each of his last three appearances for the Sharks and has averaged a career-low 9:50 of ice time per game this season. Despite the nearly five-minute drop-in average ice time, as well as very difficult deployment, Sturm is having one of his finer offensive seasons with three goals and three assists in 18 games.
  • The Los Angeles Kings have reversed yesterday’s roster transaction as netminder Erik Portillo has been recalled from the Kings’ American Hockey League affiliate the Ontario Reign while goaltender Pheonix Copley has been sent back down. The Kings made the opposite move yesterday, recalling Copley and demoting Portillo. Copley served as starter David Rittich’s backup yesterday against the Seattle Kraken while Portillo was rock solid for the Reign last night, stopping 33 of 34 shots to pick up the win after not playing for a week.

Rangers Recall Brett Berard, Ruhwedel And Mancini Assigned To AHL

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The New York Rangers have recalled forward Brett Berard from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League and have assigned defensemen Victor Mancini and Chad Ruhwedel to the AHL.

A former fifth-round pick in 2020, Berard will have an opportunity to make his NHL debut in just his second full season with the Wolf Pack after spending three seasons with Providence College of the NCAA. The 22-year-old had 25 goals and 23 assists in 71 AHL games last season and has produced better offensive numbers this season with seven goals and six assists in 16 AHL games thus far.

Going back to the AHL is Mancini, who himself is a former fifth-round pick (2022) and is in his second season of professional hockey, although he played just seven AHL games last season. The Hancock, Michigan native has dressed in ten NHL games for the Rangers this season and has produced decent offensive numbers with a goal and three assists while averaging 15:25 of ice time per game. Despite the offensive numbers, Mancini has been overwhelmed on the possession front, posting an abysmal 36.3 CF% at even strength.

Also headed to Hartford is veteran Ruhwedel. The former Stanley Cup champion has rarely seen AHL action since becoming an NHL regular in 2017-18. Ruhwedel played out a series of short-term one-way NHL contracts but had to settle for a two-way deal this past summer. This year the 34-year-old has played sparingly, with just one scoreless NHL appearance and seven AHL games.

The demotion of two defensemen to the AHL likely means that Zachary Jones will return to the Rangers lineup sooner rather than later.

West Notes: Predators, Gourde, Daccord

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman believes that the Nashville Predators aren’t looking to move any of their three 2025 first-round picks. The news comes in as the team’s general manager Barry Trotz is reportedly shopping for a center as well as a top-four defenseman with some term left on their contract.

The Predators have had a disappointing start to the season and are currently sitting in the second-last spot in the Western Conference with a 6-11-3 record. The team had high hopes coming into the season after several high-priced free-agent acquisitions. However, it’s easy to see why Trotz is apprehensive to move out any first-round picks to try and salvage this season.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • The Seattle Kraken reportedly want to keep forward Yanni Gourde in Seattle long-term (as per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet).  The 32-year-old has had a slow start to the season with just two goals and five assists in his first 20 games, but that hasn’t deterred the Kraken, who love the player. Gourde is in the final season of a six-year $31MM contract he signed back in November of 2018 while he was a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning and would likely have a hard time matching that kind of deal in free agency. However, if the Kraken wants to keep the two-time Stanley Cup Champion in Seattle, he should still score a lucrative deal once again.
  • Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord is receiving interest from two different countries for two different upcoming tournaments despite not being born in either country. Daccord was born in the United States but is reportedly receiving interest from Team Canada (as per Ken Campbell of The Hockey News) for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off. Daccord’s father was born in Montreal, Canada, while his mother was born in Switzerland, and he is apparently receiving interest from the Swiss team for the upcoming Olympics (as per Friedman). Daccord came out of nowhere last season, dressing in 50 games for the Kraken in his age-27 season. He put up strong numbers last year and has been even better this season, starting out the year with a 9-3-1 record and a .923 save percentage.

Penguins Notes: Howe, Lizotte, Glass

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Tanner Howe was traded by the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League to the Calgary Hitmen last night (as per Taylor Shire of the Regina Leader-Post). Howe was the Pats captain this season and was pulled from the lineup late last night after finding out he had been traded for two players and two picks.

The move is great news for the Penguins’ 2024 second-round selection and will surely make Pittsburgh management happy as Howe goes from the rebuilding Pats to the Hitmen who are making moves to try and go after a championship this season. Howe was selected 46th overall by the Penguins in this year’s NHL Entry Draft and has put up solid goal-scoring numbers to start the year with six goals in his first ten games.

In other Penguins notes:

  • Penguins forward Blake Lizotte skated away from the team today as he looks to recover from a second concussion in as many months (as per Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Lizotte has been hit twice in the face by friendly fire this season after getting hit by pucks shot by Kris Letang and Drew O’Connor. The 26-year-old has been limited by the injuries to just seven games but has been an effective depth player when he has been healthy.
  • Pittsburgh forward Cody Glass also skated away from the team as he looks to recover from a concussion suffered last Thursday in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes (as per Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Glass hasn’t provided much offensively for the Penguins with just four assists in 14 games. However, the 25-year-old has been a very effective bottom-six forward despite limited playing time. Glass has started nearly 70% of his shifts in the defensive zone but has posted incredible possession numbers (58.7 CF%) despite the daunting assignments.

Pacific Notes: Canucks, Pietrangelo, Smith

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Vancouver Canucks made a couple of roster moves today, assigning forward Jonathan Lekkerimäki to the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League while recalling forward Max Sasson. Lekkerimäki was called up to Vancouver on November 10th after Brock Boeser was injured during a game against the Los Angeles Kings on November 7th. His demotion could signal that Boeser is ready to return to the lineup, but Sasson’s call-up indicates that he might not be quite ready to play yet.

Lekkerimäki initially filled in for Boeser alongside J.T. Miller and did get some extended looks on the Canucks power play. However, he struggled at even strength as the Canucks were dominated on the possession front (CF% of 45.5% as per Hockey Reference) whenever Lekkerimäki’s line was on the ice. The 20-year-old has a single goal in five NHL games this season and averaged just under 15 minutes of ice time per game.

In other Pacific Division notes:

  • The Vegas Golden Knights have announced that defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The news gives the recent Robert Hagg recall some context as Vegas will need another body on the backup, particularly now that they are missing three NHL regulars from their defensive core. Pietrangelo joins Nic Hague and Ben Hutton who are both out of the lineup due to injury. Pietrangelo has had a strong start to the season posting two goals and 12 assists with a +5 plus/minus in 19 games.
  • San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky tells the media that he isn’t aware of any discussions to send Sharks forward Will Smith to the World Juniors to play for Team USA (as per Max Miller of The Hockey News). Smith has struggled considerably in his first NHL season, registering just two goals and two assists in 17 games to go along with an abysmal -12 plus/minus rating. Given his play, it’s fair to wonder if the 2023 fourth-overall pick is NHL-ready, but it doesn’t appear the Sharks have any plans to have Smith play in the Juniors tournament this season.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top