Nazem Kadri Would Consider A Trade From Calgary
In yesterday’s rendition of Insider Trading on TSN, the crew, particularly Darren Dreger, discussed Nazem Kadri‘s future with the Calgary Flames. According to Dreger, Kadri is more than happy playing out the rest of his contract with the Flames, but would welcome the idea of being traded to a contender if the opportunity presented itself.
Kadri’s name has been floated as a potential trade candidate since last summer. Despite having four years left on a $7MM salary, the 35-year-old former Stanley Cup champion saw his full no-movement clause turn into a 13-team no-trade list this season. Theoretically, the Flames have 18 teams they could trade Kadri to without his approval, but they may be treating him the same way the Nashville Predators are treating veteran center Ryan O’Reilly.
Although he’s been the first-line center for Calgary this season, Kadri is better used as a second-line middleman on a true contender. Much like he did with the Colorado Avalanche in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, Kadri played a significant role in Colorado’s quest for the Stanley Cup, scoring seven goals and 15 points in 16 games, his last time in the postseason.
Outside of a relatively tepid output during his first year in Alberta, Kadri has been one of the team’s top performers since. Since the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign, Kadri has registered 72 goals and 174 points in 208 games, averaging 19:04 of ice time per game.
Furthermore, his underlying metrics haven’t declined as he enters the twilight years of his career. He’s remained consistently solid in the faceoff dot, and has continued to average north of a 50.0% CorsiFor% at even strength despite playing on a mostly non-competitive team in Calgary.
Fortunately for Kadri, there are a few competitive teams that could use his services this season and beyond. Although being a “true contender” is a relatively subjective term, for the sake of argument, we’ll choose from the top-5 teams in the league standings at the time of writing.
A return to Colorado doesn’t make much sense given the lack of cap space and contributions from Brock Nelson this season, and the same holds for the Dallas Stars and Roope Hintz. Still, of the three remaining teams from the group, Kadri would make sense for all of them.
The Minnesota Wild don’t have too much center depth, especially after moving Marco Rossi to the Vancouver Canucks. Although Logan Stankoven has played relatively well down the middle for the Carolina Hurricanes this year, he may be best suited to play on Kadri’s wing if he were to be traded to Raleigh. Meanwhile, the Montreal Canadiens have been one of the most outspoken landing spots for nearly every second-line center on the market.
Given the current demand for a second-line center, the Flames should be able to recoup a haul for Kadri if they decide to move him this season. Still, unlike other potential options, Kadri’s price tag is unlikely to drop even if Calgary doesn’t move him by March. He’s signed through the 2028-29 season, so the Flames aren’t under a time crunch by any means.
Detroit Red Wings Recall Sheldon Dries
The Detroit Red Wings have addressed their need for a 13th forward after reassigning John Leonard earlier today. According to a team announcement, the Red Wings have recalled Sheldon Dries from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins.
If Detroit didn’t want to recall one of their prospects and weren’t willing to remove the Griffins’ captain, Dominik Shine, it was almost certainly going to be Dries. Dries, 31, is in his second year with the Red Wings organization after spending multiple years with the Colorado Avalanche and Vancouver Canucks’ organizations.
It’ll be a coming home of sorts for the Macomb, MI native. Dries spent his youth days playing for the local travel hockey programs in Honeybaked and Belle Tire. He moved to the southwest part of the state for his collegiate hockey days, playing four years with the Western Michigan University Broncos, where he scored 44 goals and 84 points in 148 career games.
He’s always been a quality scorer in the AHL, highlighted by a 35-goal, 62-point performance in 54 games throughout the 2021-22 season for the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. In his last year with the AHL Canucks in the 2023-24 campaign, Dries registered 29 goals and 52 points in 55 games.
His first year with AHL Grand Rapids was similarly solid, finishing fourth on the team in scoring with 25 goals and 40 points in 65 games. Still, like many of his teammates this year, he’s been playing at a different level entirely. Dries currently sits third on the team in scoring with 11 goals and 25 points in 26 games with a +16 rating, on pace for nearly 70 points before the recall.
If he draws into the lineup for the Red Wings, it’ll be his first NHL appearance since the 2022-23 season. That was his longest stretch in the top league by a significant margin, scoring 11 goals and 17 points in 63 games for the Canucks, averaging 11:32 of ice time per game.
Golden Knights Recall Carl Lindbom; Carter Hart Injured
According to a team announcement, the Vegas Golden Knights have recalled netminder Carl Lindbom from the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights. The transaction is undeniably in connection to Carter Hart‘s injury (video link) from yesterday’s contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Golden Knights don’t immediately need to place Hart on injured reserve given they had an open roster spot. Still, they may be headed in that direction regardless.
During the play in question, after being scored on by Columbus captain Boone Jenner early in the first period, Hart exited for the remainder of the contest. He was unable to make it down the tunnel on his own power, instead being helped by teammates and staff. There have been no additional updates to Hart’s status, though they may come tomorrow morning after practice.
Before the injury, Hart had a relatively shaky start with his new team. Throughout his first six starts with the Golden Knights, Hart managed a 3-1-2 record with a .903 SV%. Unfortunately, he’s fallen off the rails since then, earning an .825 SV% over his last six starts on 114 shots.
Meanwhile, Lindbom returns to Vegas for his second stint of the year. Over his first recall in late-October, Lindbom picked up one win in seven starts with a .870 SV% and 3.14 GAA. He’s understandably been much better with AHL Henderson this year, managing a 6-3-4 record in 12 games with a .926 SV% and 2.08 GAA.
Red Wings Activate, Reassign Shai Buium
According to a team announcement, the Detroit Red Wings have activated defensive prospect Shai Buium from the season-opening injured reserve and reassigned him to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins.
Buium, 22, is the older brother of Vancouver Canucks’ blue liner Zeev Buium. He too played for the University of Denver Pioneers, scoring 14 goals and 75 points in 120 games with a +61 rating. Shai won two National Championships with the Pioneers, whereas Zeev only contributed to one.
The Red Wings, who drafted Buium with the 36th overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, signed him to his entry-level contract at the end of the 2023-24 NCAA season. He only registered one game for the Griffins down the stretch.
Last season was his first in the professional circuit, and he performed relatively well. He finished second on the team in scoring among defensemen with two goals and 25 points in 67 games. Unfortunately, he couldn’t help the Griffins achieve a deep playoff run, going scoreless in three games with a -3 rating.
Although Buium hasn’t played yet this season, we know the situation he’ll be returning to in Grand Rapids. The Griffins have been on an unprecedented pace this season, producing a 28-1-1-1 record in 31 games. The next closest team in the overall standings is the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, who are 11 points back of the Griffins with three additional games played.
Because of this, the Griffins can easily afford to slowplay Buium’s return to consistent minutes. The team is flush with good defensemen, sporting veterans Erik Gustafsson and Justin Holl on a nightly basis, assisted by Antti Tuomisto, Ian Mitchell, William Wallinder, and William Lagesson.
Colorado Avalanche Reassign Taylor Makar
As expected, the Colorado Avalanche have trimmed some of their depth after returning from a three-game road trip through the southeastern United States. Late yesterday evening, the Avalanche announced that they’ve reassigned forward Taylor Makar to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles.
Makar was originally recalled one day before Colorado departed for their road trip. At the time, the team was dealing with a pair of mild injuries to Gavin Brindley and Joel Kiviranta. The former returned against the Florida Panthers on Sunday, and Kiviranta didn’t make his way back to the lineup, as predicted.
Throughout the recall, Makar only appeared against the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning, though he didn’t play much in either contest. Across the entire 2025-26 campaign, Makar, 24, has gone scoreless in five outings with a +1 rating. In Loveland, CO, with the Eagles, Makar has registered six goals and 10 points in 26 contests with a +11 rating.
Still, it’s somewhat surprising to see Makar move back to the AHL so quickly, considering that the Avalanche are returning to Denver more banged up than when they left. Although Kiviranta is expected back in a few days, captain Gabriel Landeskog is expected to miss multiple weeks with an undisclosed injury suffered against the Panthers. Unless Kiviranta returns to the lineup against the Ottawa Senators, Colorado will be down to 11 healthy forwards on the roster.
Regardless, if the Avalanche want to add a depth forward to the mix over the next couple of days, it by no means has to be Makar. Assuming they’ll prefer a waiver-exempt forward, Colorado could also recall Ivan Ivan, Matthew Stienburg, or Tristen Nielsen instead.
Ducks Recall Tim Washe, Place Petr Mrazek On Injured Reserve
According to a team announcement, the Anaheim Ducks have recalled Tim Washe from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. The Ducks also placed netminder Petr Mrázek on the injured reserve in a corresponding transaction.
Washe, 24, is in his second year with the Ducks after signing as a collegiate free agent last season. He was coming off a remarkable year, scoring 16 goals and 38 points in 42 games with the NCAA’s Western Michigan University Broncos with a +22 rating. Additionally, Washe captained the team to their first National Championship in program history.
Due to the Broncos advancing as far as possible in the national tournament, Washe only played in two games for Anaheim to conclude the 2024-25 season. This season has been spent entirely with AHL San Diego, where Washe has scored 13 goals and 25 points in 30 games, boasting a +7 rating. He’s currently tied for third with three other players in rookie scoring in the AHL.
Anaheim passed bottom-six forward Nikita Nesterenko through waivers earlier today, and Washe will likely slot into a similar role. However, it’s important to note that although Nesterenko has cleared waivers, the Ducks haven’t yet reassigned him to AHL San Diego, necessitating the additional roster move with Mrázek.
Meanwhile, Mrázek’s placement on the IR was largely expected. The 14-year veteran left Monday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers with an undisclosed injury, and the Ducks quickly recalled Ville Husso on an emergency basis the following day. Throughout the season, his first in Anaheim, Mrázek has compiled a 3-5-0 record in eight starts, with a .858 SV% and a 4.07 GAA in a backup role.
St. Louis Blues Activate Nathan Walker
The St. Louis Blues are returning a bottom-six forward much earlier than expected. Earlier this afternoon, the Blues announced that forward Nathan Walker will rejoin the lineup for St. Louis’ contest tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Walker sustained an upper-body injury against the Anaheim Ducks on December 1st. The team quickly placed him on injured reserve and shared that they expected Walker to miss eight weeks. Returning tonight, Walker will have only missed five weeks.
Much like he has been the last several years, Walker was a cog in the bottom-six of the Blues’ forward core before succumbing to the upper-body ailment. Outside of being a healthy scratch on a few occasions, he was a fairly consistent piece of St. Louis’ forward core, scoring three goals and nine points in 25 games while averaging 12:38 of ice time per game.
Despite the tepid offensive output at first glance, Walker was actually trending toward the highest production of his nine-year career. Had he continued his current pace across 82 games this year, Walker would have finished with approximately 10 goals and 30 points. That’s much more than last season, at least in the assist department, when he scored eight goals and 16 points in 73 games while managing a 12:01 ATOI.
Regardless, the Blues have never counted upon Walker for his offensive prowess. He’s been one of the most physical forwards on the team for the past three years, giving out 471 hits in his previous 143 contests, averaging out to 3.29 hits per game.
Minnesota Wild Recall David Jiricek
According to a team announcement, the Minnesota Wild have recalled defenseman David Jiříček from the AHL’s Iowa Wild. The Wild now have a full 23-man roster, with eight of them being defensemen.
Jiříček’s story in the NHL is well known at this point. The Wild acquired the former sixth overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft from the Columbus Blue Jackets last season for a 2025 first-round pick, 2027 second-round pick, 2026 third-round pick, 2026 fourth-round pick, and defenseman Daemon Hunt, who has since re-joined the Wild.
Still, Jiříček, 22, has yet to break out in any meaningful way with Minnesota. He looked promising in his first professional season with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, scoring six goals and 38 points in 55 games with a -11 rating. He hasn’t come close to achieving that level of performance again.
In fact, the way his tenure with the Wild has begun is similar to how his time with the Blue Jackets ended. Jiříček was frequently moved between the NHL and AHL lineup, failing to provide any continuity in the early stages of his development. He now finds himself in the same situation with the Wild.
During the 2025-26 season, Jiříček has played 18 games for Minnesota and 13 games for Iowa. He’s only scored with the latter, posting a goal and two assists with a -8 rating. His limited output in the NHL may be due to averaging just over 12 minutes of ice time per game when he plays.
There’s little indication he’s poised for an offensive breakout either. Throughout his tenure with the Wild, he’s only managed a 46.3% CorsiFor% at even strength, which is slightly worse than what he averaged with Columbus. However, his defensive play has improved, averaging a 94.3% on-ice SV% at even strength.
Regardless, given that the Wild are dealing with a few injuries on defense to Hunt and Zach Bogosian, Jiříček should find his way into the lineup for the time being. However, once one of them returns, he’s likely headed back for another extended stay with AHL Iowa.
Jack Johnson Retires, Joins Canucks Staff
According to a team announcement, the Vancouver Canucks have hired former defenseman Jack Johnson as a professional scout. The update indirectly confirms that Johnson’s 19-year career has come to an end.
Johnson’s professional career began in 2005 when he was selected with the third overall pick of the 2005 NHL Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes, behind Sidney Crosby and Bobby Ryan. Just over a year after being drafted, the Hurricanes traded Johnson and Oleg Tverdovsky to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Tim Gleason and Éric Bélanger.
Before joining the Kings at the end of the 2006-07 season, Johnson played two years at the University of Michigan in the NCAA, where he scored 26 goals and amassed 71 points in 74 games.
Unlike fellow prospect Drew Doughty, Johnson took longer to adapt to the NHL’s pace. Throughout his first three years, despite playing in a top-four role, Johnson managed only nine goals and 22 points in 120 games with a -42 rating. Still, once he was moved to a top-pairing role for the 2009-10 season, Johnson’s offense took off, scoring 13 goals and 78 points in his next 162 contests.
Los Angeles quickly rewarded Johnson for his breakout, signing the young blue liner to a seven-year, $30.5MM extension in early January of 2010. Unfortunately, his tenure with the Kings wouldn’t last much longer.
Looking to add a top-six center, the Kings traded Johnson, along with a 2013 first-round pick, to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Jeff Carter. Carter played a crucial role in the Kings’ first Stanley Cup championship later that year, while Johnson experienced the best years of his career with Columbus.
Playing out the rest of his extension with the Blue Jackets, Johnson finished his first stint with the Blue Jackets, scoring 36 goals and 154 points in 445 games. Additionally, he could always be counted upon on the defensive side of the puck, never falling below a 90.0% on-ice SV% at even strength throughout his tenure in Ohio.
Entering unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career, Johnson signed a five-year, $16.25MM contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins ahead of the 2018-19 season. Despite averaging nearly three hits a game for Pittsburgh, his offense didn’t hold up to the contract value. Johnson finished his tenure with the Penguins with four goals and 24 points in 149 games, and had the final three years of his contract bought out after the 2019-20 campaign.
Again a free agent, Johnson signed with the New York Rangers on a one-year, $1.15MM contract. Unfortunately, he was limited to 13 games in the year due to a core muscle repair surgery.
Firmly in the twilight years of his career, Johnson was open to a lower salary and a lower role in an attempt to win the first Stanley Cup of his career. He found it immediately.
Signing a one-year, league-minimum contract with the Colorado Avalanche for the 2021-22 campaign, Johnson played in 13 games for the Avalanche during the 2022 postseason, helping the team win its first Stanley Cup championship in 21 years.
Salary cap limitations prevented the Avalanche from re-signing Johnson the following year, but they subsequently acquired him again at the trade deadline from the Chicago Blackhawks. He experienced a brief offensive resurgence with Colorado during the 2023-24 season, before ultimately finishing his career with Columbus last season. He briefly attempted to make the Minnesota Wild’s roster last September, though he didn’t make the roster.
Johnson finishes his career with 77 goals and 342 points in 1,228 games with a -127 rating across 19 seasons. The length of his career is remarkable, given his willingness to sacrifice his body, averaging 1.49 blocked shots and 1.57 hits per game.
We at PHR congratulate Johnson on an impressive career and wish him the best of luck in his new role with the Canucks.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.
Multiple Teams Interested In Andrew Mangiapane
On Saturday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared that the Edmonton Oilers were actively looking to trade forward Andrew Mangiapane. Despite the struggles that might come with attempting to trade a higher-priced winger with another year left on his contract, some potential suitors have reportedly emerged.
According to a new update from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the Oilers have spoken to the Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, and Winnipeg Jets regarding Mangiapane. Edmonton is reportedly looking to acquire a “two-way” forward in return.
Outside of being division rivals, it’s difficult to imagine the Ducks and Oilers lining up on a trade for Mangiapane. Anaheim has a relatively deep forward core, and although they do need a winger on the third line, it’s only temporary while Frank Vatrano recovers from an upper-body injury. Additionally, even if the Ducks think that Mangiapane can rebound offensively, they already have a top-10 offense in the league without him.
Regardless, for speculation’s sake, the Oilers have likely contacted the Ducks due to their overwhelming cap space, and may covet one of Anaheim’s fourth-line forwards, namely Ross Johnston. The big-bodied winger is enjoying his best season to date, registering 11 points (the same as Mangiapane) in 39 games. Additionally, he offers more of a two-way style that they’re seeking, being one of the most physical forwards in Orange County and averaging a 92.3% on-ice SV% at even strength across his 10-year career.
Meanwhile, similar to Anaheim, the Red Wings make little sense as a trade partner given their deep forward core. Unlike the Ducks, Detroit could theoretically use more offense at even strength, though much of their drawbacks this year have been on defense, save a few players. The Red Wings could offer Mason Appleton, who is also signed through next season, in the hope of more offense from their bottom-six. Additionally, the Red Wings could offer struggling youngster Elmer Söderblom, who has been a healthy scratch on multiple occasions this season, like Mangiapane.
Lastly, of the three candidates, the Jets seem to be the likeliest fit. There is no more struggling team in the game as Winnipeg has only managed eight wins in its last 30 contests.
In his same report on Saturday Headlines, Friedman indicated that the Jets are desperately seeking goal-scoring. Additionally, if the Oilers want two-way players, Winnipeg has some to offer in Gustav Nyquist, Tanner Pearson, Nino Niederreiter, or Vladislav Namestnikov, each of whom has struggled in their own right this season.
In fact, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic wrote just yesterday that Winnipeg appears to be the likeliest destination for Mangiapane. Although some teams might be hesitant to acquire Mangiapane and his $3.6MM salary through next season, LeBrun notes that the Jets may find this attractive.
Whatever the case may be, and wherever Mangiapane ultimately finishes the 2025-26 campaign, it will almost assuredly not be in Edmonton.