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Sabres Notes: Tokarski, Luukkonen, Quinn

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The Buffalo Sabres have recalled goaltender Dustin Tokarski from the Rochester Americans of the AHL. The 34-year-old has yet to play in the NHL this year and has sat fourth on the Sabres goaltending depth chart this season. The veteran of 80 NHL games will split duties with Eric Comrie for the time being as the Sabres have opted to leave youngster Devon Levi in the AHL.

A standout junior goalie in the WHL with the Spokane Chiefs, Tokarski has never been able to put it together in the NHL. He last dressed for an NHL game nearly a year ago to the day for the Pittsburgh Penguins surrendering four goals on 42 shots in a 5-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils. This season in the AHL, the native of Watson, Saskatchewan has struggled to a 7-7-2 record with an .888 save percentage and a 3.47 goals-against average.

In other Sabres notes:

  • Another Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is day-to-day after suffering a lower-body injury during the team’s morning skate. The 24-year-old was slated to start his fifth straight game tonight but will be sidelined for a few days. Luukkonen has started 10 of Buffalo’s last 11 games and is coming off his fourth shutout of the season on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings. The native of Espoo, Finland is 13-13-2 this season with a 2.51 goals against average and a .913 save percentage.
  • The Sabres also placed forward Jack Quinn on the injured reserve today with a lower-body injury. The 22-year-old underwent surgery on January 29th and is expected to be out for eight weeks meaning that his IR placement won’t affect a potential return when he is ready to get back into the lineup. The Ottawa, Ontario native has struggled with injuries this season and has played just 17 games. He was heating up before the injury with four points in his last two games and had been productive most of the season, posting five goals and seven assists.

Pacific Notes: Golden Knights, Bellemare, Mintyukov, McTavish

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The Vegas Golden Knights made some roster moves today as they’ve assigned goaltender Jiri Patera and forward Sheldon Rempal to the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL.

Patera dressed last night as starting netminder Adin Hill’s backup as netminder Logan Thompson was out of action due to an illness. The 24-year-old Patera has appeared in five games this season for Vegas, registering a 1-3 record with a 3.75 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage.

Rempal has also appeared in five games at the NHL level this season and has posted the first two goals of his NHL career. The Calgary, Alberta native has appeared sparingly over parts of five NHL seasons and once again finds himself in the AHL where he has posted solid offensive numbers with 21 goals and 12 assists in 43 games.

In other Pacific Division notes:

  • Roots Sports reporter Scott Malone tweeted that the Seattle Kraken have activated forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare off the injured reserve. The 38-year-old has been out of action since suffering a lower-body injury back on December 18th and has appeared in 29 games this season for the Kraken, posting four goals and a single assist while averaging 9:34 of ice time per game. Bellemare is in his tenth NHL season as he was a late arrival to the NHL having spent his first 11 professional seasons playing in his native country of France.
  • Derek Lee of The Sporting Tribune is reporting that the Anaheim Ducks have welcomed back defenseman Pavel Mintyukov as the rookie 20-year-old was activated off the injured reserve today. According to Lee, Mintyukov skated on the Ducks’ third pairing tonight alongside Ilya Lyubushkin. Mintyukov has had a solid first season in the NHL, posting two goals and 17 assists in 41 games this season while averaging over 18 minutes a night in ice time.
  • The Ducks also welcomed back forward Mason McTavish after a one-game absence. The 21-year-old was dealing with an upper-body injury that kept him sidelined briefly but was healthy enough to be reinserted into the lineup tonight as the Ducks fell to the Montreal Canadiens 5-0. McTavish is mired in a six-game goalless drought but still has 13 goals on the season to go along with 18 assists in 44 games.

Phil Kessel To Work Out For Vancouver Canucks

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The Vancouver Canucks announced today that unrestricted free agent forward Phil Kessel would be working out this week in Abbotsford, presumably with the Canucks AHL squad. Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin told the media that the three-time Stanley Cup champion would be taking reps in the Vancouver area in what could become a reunion of sorts between Kessel, head coach Rick Tocchet and much of the Canucks management group. Kessel, Jim Rutherford, Tocchet, and Allvin won two Stanley Cups together with the Pittsburgh Penguins and could be the favorites to do the same in Vancouver.

Kessel has surprisingly remained unsigned despite being the NHL’s reigning Iron Man. He sits just eight points shy of 1000 for his career and was still productive last season posting 14 goals and 22 assists in 82 games on his way to a third career Stanley Cup.

Kessel has remained adamant that he wanted to continue playing and it looks as though he could do so if things go right in Vancouver. The 36-year-old isn’t the offensive threat he once was, but he remains an excellent passer and should have enough in the tank to be a good depth scoring option and a power play specialist.

His best years came in Pittsburgh while Tocchet was an assistant coach for the Penguins. He and Kessel appear to share a special relationship, and it seems that Tocchet has always been able to help Kessel find another gear in his game. If Kessel can show he has enough left in the tank and sign a contract, it could add another redemption arc to the Phil Kessel story.

Senators Notes: Mandolese, Zub, Sanderson

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The Ottawa Senators have assigned goaltender Kevin Mandolese to the AHL’s Belleville Senators. Mandolese’s demotion comes as no surprise given that the Senators activated netminder Anton Forsberg off the IR earlier today. The 23-year-old didn’t see any NHL action during his most recent recall and hasn’t played in the NHL since last season when he dressed in three games for Ottawa going 1-2 with a .916 save percentage.

Mandolese’s AHL numbers have remained comparable to the ones he posted last season as the native of Montreal, Quebec is sporting a 6-7-2 record with an .895 save percentage and a 3.38 goals-against average with Belleville. The former sixth-round pick has good size at 6’4” tall but he hasn’t been able to put it all together or fill out his frame as he plays smaller than most netminders of his stature.

In other Senators notes:

  • The Ottawa Senators were forced to play tonight’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets without the services of defenseman Artem Zub. The 28-year-old has been dealing with a lower-body injury and was unable to dress this evening. Zub had been playing in the top four and was rolling offensively as of late with seven assists in his last 11 games. Zub could return to the lineup on Thursday night when the Senators take on the Anaheim Ducks but there is no word yet on his status going forward.
  • The Ottawa Senators were also without the services of defenseman Jake Sanderson. Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun tweeted that the Senators would be forced to dress just five defensemen tonight with Zub and Sanderson out of the lineup. The 21-year-old is also dealing with a lower-body injury and told reporters earlier today that he would like to get back into the lineup at some point during the team’s upcoming Florida road trip. Given that timeline, it is fair to guess that the former fifth-overall pick will miss the next two or three games as Ottawa doesn’t visit the state of Florida until early next week. Sanderson has been good this season as he has taken another step forward for Ottawa registering seven goals and 17 assists in 47 games.

Central Notes: MacKinnon, Bedard, Gustafsson, Plandowski

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Colorado Avalanche announcer Conor McGahey tweeted that Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon is okay after hitting his face on the ice on Saturday night in a game against the Florida Panthers. The 28-year-old superstar didn’t practice today due to a different minor tweak, but the team is hopeful that he’ll be able to play tomorrow night against the Washington Capitals.

MacKinnon is currently second in NHL scoring with 32 goals and 53 assists in 53 games but has been held pointless in three straight games.

In other Central Division notes:

  • Chicago Sun-Times reporter Ben Pope tweeted that the Chicago Blackhawks expect to get rookie phenom Connor Bedard back into the lineup next week. Bedard has a final imaging appointment a week from today and if the appointment goes well Bedard could be back into action by the middle of next week. Bedard’s return will be a welcome development for himself and the Blackhawks as the 18-year-old hasn’t played since January 5th and has 15 goals and 18 assists in 39 games this season.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have activated forward David Gustafsson off the injured reserve and loaned him to their AHL affiliate the Manitoba Moose for conditioning purposes. The 23-year-old has missed the previous 18 games with a lower-body injury and hasn’t dressed since December 22nd. He has just two assists in his last 21 games and hasn’t scored a goal since October 30th. In 27 games this season the native of Tingsryd, Sweden has just two goals and two assists.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have extended the contract of Director of Amateur Scouting Darryl Plandowski. No terms of the deal were released, but the extension will keep Plandowski with the Coyotes for the foreseeable future. Plandowski was a big part of the Tampa Bay Lightning as he spent 12 years with the organization and was part of the club during their two Stanley Cup championships. He worked his way through the Lightning organization into the role of Assistant Director of Amateur Scouting before eventually joining Arizona in 2020.

Metropolitan Notes: Pesce, Schmid, Foerster, Ristolainen

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Carolina Hurricanes reporter Walt Ruff writes that Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce has returned to team practice after missing the last two games with an illness. The 29-year-old hasn’t played since last Tuesday and is mired in a seven-game point drought in what has been a disappointing offensive season for the pending unrestricted free agent. Pesce has just three goals and four assists in 41 games after posting a career-high 30 points last season in 82 games. His defensive metrics are still fantastic as Pesce remains the Hurricanes’ best option for the difficult defensive matchups against elite competition.

Pesce could suit up tomorrow night when the Hurricanes travel to Dallas to take on the Stars in their first of three games on the road. Carolina currently sits second in the Metropolitan Division with a 30-16-5 record and has begun to pull away from the teams behind them as they are 7-3 in their last ten games.

In other Metropolitan notes:

  • The New Jersey Devils have recalled goaltender Akira Schmid from the Utica Comets of the AHL. Schmid dressed in 15 games for the Devils earlier in the season but struggled to hold onto an NHL job with a 5-7-1 record, a 3.26 goals-against average and an .893 save percentage. Schmid will serve as the likely backup to Nico Daws while Vitek Vanecek is sidelined due to a lower-body injury. Schmid was assigned to the AHL a month ago and has struggled in 12 games going 3-5-4 with an .885 save percentage and a 3.58 goals-against average.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers are dealing with a couple of minor injuries as defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen and forward Tyson Foerster will be sidelined until at least the weekend. Ristolainen has an upper-body injury and Flyers GM Daniel Briere is hoping he will be back by the weekend. Foerster has a lower-body injury and Briere is also hoping he can play this weekend as well. Ristolainen has struggled this season and has just a goal and three assists in 31 games while Foerster has posted career highs with 10 goals and 11 assists in 52 games. The Flyers take on the Devils in the Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Saturday night.

Penguins Notes: Letang, Harkins, Malkin

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Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports is reporting that Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang left practice today for what is being described as precautionary reasons. Not much else is known about the 36-year-old’s status, but head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters that Letang is banged up a little bit.

Letang could be dealing with a nagging issue as his play has slipped as of late. He has just a single point in his last seven games despite having been elevated to the team’s top power-play unit in place of Erik Karlsson. Overall, he is having one of the finest seasons of his career with four goals and 26 assists in 49 games while playing some of his best defensive hockey. He has flourished in a different role this season even if his play has trailed off as of late.

In other Penguins notes:

  • Rorabaugh is also reporting that Penguins forward Jansen Harkins has been placed on the injured reserve with a concussion. The 26-year-old had become a regular on the Penguins fourth line alongside veterans Noel Acciari and Jeff Carter and had been taking much of the team’s defensive zone starts in recent weeks. Harkins has been okay in a depth role for the Penguins, although he hasn’t provided much in the way of offense with just four assists in 34 games this season. No word yet on a timeline for Harkin’s return but he will presumably miss the Penguins games this week.
  • Rorabaugh has also reported that Pittsburgh forward Evgeni Malkin had a maintenance day today and did not practice with his teammates. The 37-year-old skated briefly in a sweatsuit before the team’s practice while he was monitored by Penguins medical staff. Malkin hasn’t been himself this season as it appears the aging curve has started to catch up with the former Hart Trophy winner. In the last ten games, Malkin has struggled with just a single goal, and this is the second maintenance day he has received in the last few weeks leading to speculation that he could be dealing with a nagging injury of his own.

Maple Leafs Notes: Giordano, Kämpf, Timmins

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David Alter of The Hockey News is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano returned to team practice today after missing Saturday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators. The 40-year-old lined up on Toronto’s third defensive pairing alongside William Lagesson.

Giordano suffered a lower-body injury last Wednesday in a game against the Dallas Stars and took some time off to recover. Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters today that the team will see how Giordano is feeling tomorrow morning before deciding on whether or not he will play tomorrow night against the St. Louis Blues.

Giordano has a goal and five assists in 34 games this season and hasn’t registered a point in his past 12 games.

In other Maple Leafs notes:

  • David Alter is also reporting that Maple Leafs forward David Kämpf will likely return for tomorrow night’s game against the Blues. Kämpf is currently on the injured reserve with an undisclosed injury but will be activated prior to game time if he is good to go in the morning. The 29-year-old hasn’t played since January 27th and has had a disappointing campaign thus far with just four goals and four assists in 46 games.
  • Alter is also reporting that Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins will miss tomorrow night’s game with an illness. It will be the fifth game in a row that the St. Catharines, Ontario native has missed as he has appeared in just 16 games this season for Toronto. The 25-year-old had an appointment today to plan a path going forward as he tries to get back into the lineup. Timmins has dressed in just three games since Christmas and could certainly give the Maple Leafs a boost, especially with Morgan Reilly awaiting supplemental discipline.

Rangers Recall Matt Rempe And Adam Edstrom

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The New York Rangers made a series of moves late last night by recalling forwards Matt Rempe and Adam Edström from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. In addition to the recalls, New York also assigned forward Jake Leschyshyn to Hartford.

If he can get into the lineup, the 21-year-old Rempe will be looking to make his NHL debut during his recall. He is in his second AHL season and has a career-high eight goals and four assists in 43 games this season. On the surface, his eight goals don’t seem like much, but they actually have him tied for the team lead in five-on-five goals.

Edström is in his first full AHL season and has eight goals and two assists in 25 games this year. He made his NHL debut earlier this season with the Rangers and made it a memorable one by notching his first career NHL goal. The 23-year-old was a sixth-round pick of the Rangers back in 2019 and is an intimidating presence on the ice standing 6’8” tall and weighing 225 pounds.

Leschyshyn is being returned to Hartford after his latest NHL recall and hasn’t suited up for the Rangers since January 11th. The 24-year-old has spent the bulk of his season in Hartford suiting up in 19 games for the Wolf Pack. The native of Raleigh, North Carolina has four goals and six assists this season in the AHL as he continues to shuttle back and forth between the NHL and AHL for the third consecutive season.

Trade Deadline Primer: Florida Panthers

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With the All-Star break in the rear-view, the trade deadline looms large and is now just a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Florida Panthers.

The Florida Panthers have been an impressive team for a couple of seasons now and are once again having a terrific season. Many thought that they might take a step back this season after losing in the Stanley Cup Finals last spring, however, the club was able to overcome several injuries to key contributors early on and now have their full complement of impact players in the lineup. Panthers’ general manager Bill Zito hasn’t been afraid of pulling off blockbuster trades in recent seasons having made the move for Matthew Tkachuk and another move two years ago at the trade deadline for Claude Giroux. While the Giroux move didn’t work out, the Tkachuk trade has turned out great for the Panthers. All that being said, the Panthers don’t have the cap space or the assets to swing for the fences at this trade deadline, but that being said Zito will likely evaluate every option when it comes to improving his group. The Panthers will be a tough team to play in the playoffs as they are well-built and have finally figured out how to win in the playoffs. It will make for an interesting deadline in Florida.

Record

33-15-4, 2 in the Atlantic

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

 $5.72MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2024: FLA 3rd, FLA 4th,  FLA 5th, PHI 5th, FLA 6th, FLA 7th
2025: FLA 2nd, FLA 3rd, FLA 4th, CAL 4th*, FLA 5th, SJ 5, FLA 6th, FLA 7th

* If the 2025 1st RD pick that Florida sent to Calgary is a lottery pick resulting in Calgary receiving Florida’s 2026 1st RD pick instead, then the 2025 4th RD pick that Calgary sent to Florida also slides to 2026.

Trade Chips

Florida has ten players on their current roster who will be unrestricted free agents this offseason. Despite the amount of turnover that will happen this summer, Zito probably isn’t looking to move much off of the NHL roster in any trade deadline moves. However, they will likely need to shed some salary to acquire any high-priced talent. The Panthers’ big moves for Tkachuk and others have certainly paid off, but it also came with a high cost. They don’t have a first-round pick in either of the next two drafts and don’t have a second-round pick this year. While a lack of picks might keep them out of the running for some of the top available names at the deadline, they still possess all of their mid-round picks and should still be able to make some smaller moves.

The Panthers’ farm system also leaves a lot to be desired as they are ranked near the bottom third of the league in terms of prospect pipelines. The Panthers do have some decent draft picks from previous seasons that could entice teams to part with a bigger name.

Gracyn Sawchyn is an intriguing player for a number of reasons. He was drafted in the second round last summer and plays a very simple game that relies on speed and physicality. He could have been a higher pick but is undersized and doesn’t possess the offensive abilities of some of his peers chosen before him. That being said, he is 19 and has a lot of upside to his game that teams will covet.

Mackie Samoskevich is another name that the Panthers could float in a potential trade. He has dressed in seven NHL games this season and was the Panthers’ first-round pick in 2021. Samoskevich is in his first full season of professional hockey and has produced decent offensive numbers in the AHL with 12 goals and 17 assists in 37 games. Samoskevich has a high hockey IQ and should be able to translate that and his other skillset into a career in the NHL, it just remains to be seen if that will happen in Florida or if he will be dealt at the deadline.

Other Potential Trade Chips: D Ludvig Jansson, D Kasper Puutio, D Michael Benning

Team Needs

1) Top-9 Forward: The Panthers haven’t gotten what they need out of the third line and would probably like to add some scoring punch to it. They recently moved Evan Rodrigues there and elevated Nick Cousins to the top 6, but in a perfect world, they would acquire another forward and push Cousins onto the fourth line. The Panthers had this balance previously with Anthony Duclair but shipped him off to San Jose last summer. The Panthers likely won’t be able to make a Jake Guentzel-type addition, but a solid scorer with some speed might go a long way to helping them get back to the Stanley Cup Finals. A reunion with Duclair might be an option given how good of a fit he has been previously.

2) Depth Defenseman: Florida is the second-best defensive team this season and has done so without two of their top defensemen for a good portion of the season. That being said, their current alignment relies on two veteran defensemen in their bottom pairing group who could wear down during a long playoff drive. Oliver Ekman-Larsson is averaging almost 19 minutes a night and Dmitry Kulikov is playing 16:33 per game. Both veterans could stand to either play a little bit less or get some nights off leading into the playoffs. A depth defenseman could allow Florida to put their veterans in a spot where they are the likeliest to succeed and give them a chance to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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