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Rasmus Ristolainen Out Week-To-Week With Upper-Body Injury

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It’s been one week since the news that Philadelphia Flyers’ defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen would be out for a few days with an upper-body injury. Philadelphia gave an important update on Ristolainen’s status this afternoon, sharing that his recovery timeline will take a few weeks instead.

The Flyers announcement was expected. Shortly before, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic passed along a message from head coach John Tortorella saying he didn’t expect Ristolainen back anytime soon. Although hindsight is 20/20 and no team could have precisely predicted a longer-term injury to Ristiolainen, it does give credibility to the teams that steered away from the Finnish blueliner at the NHL trade deadline due to injury concerns.

While no one in the Flyers organization suggested that Ristolainen’s injury will end his season, he may return close to the end. Philadelphia only has 13 more games remaining in the season and they aren’t expected to reach the postseason in the allotted time.

Ristolainen has missed the Flyers’ last three contests (excluding tonight’s game) due to his current injury, raising his season total to six missed games at the time of writing. The Turku, Finland native missed three games in February because of a similar upper-body injury which also precluded him from playing for Team Finland in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Whether or not he’s played his last game this season, it’s been a quality year for Ristolainen. He’s scored four goals and 19 points in 63 games, making for his highest point-per-game average since his last year with the Buffalo Sabres in 2020-21. Additionally, he’s earning the most ATOI since his first year in Philadelphia and has reached the 100 shots on goal milestone for the first time since the 2019-20 season. Still, Ristolainen’s possession metrics are down 1.7% in terms of CorsiFor% at even strength, while his on-ice save percentage at even strength continues below his career average of 90.8%.

Ristolainen’s absence from tonight’s contest specifically could have ramifications for the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. The NHL released clinching scenarios for the Washington Capitals this evening, two of which require a win in any fashion over the Flyers. Washington will still need to rely on a specific outcome in the game between the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens, but they’ll have an easier path tonight without facing Ristolainen.

Kings Sign Joe Hicketts To Two-Year Extension

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The Los Angeles Kings are keeping one of their organizational depth defensemen around for another two years. The Kings announced they’ve signed defenseman Joe Hicketts to a two-year, two-way contract worth $1.55MM ($775K AAV) at the NHL level.

Hicketts has never been a household name as far as prospects go. Still, he made some noise in his first professional season after signing with the Detroit Red Wings as an undrafted free agent ahead of the 2016-17 season.

The Kamloops, British Columbia native debuted scoring seven goals and 34 points in 73 games with the Red Wings AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. He didn’t earn any individual awards, but Hicketts finished seventh in rookie scoring among defensemen and aided in the Griffins’ championship run in the Calder Cup playoffs scoring one goal and eight points in 19 contests.

Unfortunately, his rookie campaign would be his best year-long performance in the Red Wings organization. Thanks to injuries and players being moved off the team as Detroit began their current rebuild, Hicketts earned the opportunity to debut in the NHL. From January 2018 to November 2019, Hicketts tallied five assists in 22 contests for the Red Wings averaging 18:13 of ice time per game.

He hasn’t played in the NHL since. From 2021 to 2023, Hicketts enjoyed a two-year stint with the Minnesota Wild’s affiliate, the Iowa Wild, scoring 18 goals and 79 points in 133 games. The 2022-23 AHL season has been his best statistical performance up to this point in his professional career, as he finished fifth in scoring among blueliners.

The nine-year AHL veteran is in his second season with the Kings’ affiliate, the Ontario Reign, and his first as the team’s captain. He’s tied for first with Reilly Walsh as the highest-scoring defenseman on the Reign with three goals and 27 points in 52 contests. Although it hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, Ontario is expected to make the playoffs this year allowing Hicketts to enjoy the sixth postseason push of his career.

San Jose Sharks Recall Jimmy Schuldt

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According to a team announcement, the San Jose Sharks have recalled defenseman Jimmy Schuldt from their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. Without any corresponding roster move, Schuldt’s recall brings the Sharks to eight defensemen on the active roster and 25 players total.

The transaction ends a one-day stint in the AHL for Schdult. Since March 3rd, Schuldt has only spent four days off the Sharks’ active roster. His relatively frequent stay with San Jose of late allowed Schuldt to play in his first NHL game since the 2018-19 season. Throughout March, Schuldt has appeared in four games for the Sharks, posting a -1 rating while averaging 14:36 of ice time per game.

With that, Schuldt has been far more active in the AHL over the last few seasons. Schuldt has never been a high-scoring defenseman throughout his professional career, but he’s maintained a certain level of consistency.

Since debuting with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2019 after finishing his collegiate career at St. Cloud State University, Schuldt has scored 35 goals and 126 points in 345 AHL contests split between the Chicago Wolves, Henderson Silver Knights, Coachella Valley Firebirds, and Barracuda. That output brings his career point-per-game rate to 0.37, just above his 0.33 pace this year.

Top-10 Finalists Announced For 2025 Hobey Baker Award

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The 2024-25 NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey regular season will have concluded in three days. All seven conference tournament championships will have been decided by March 22nd, before the Frozen Four tournament begins on March 27th.

Outside of the team accomplishments that will be had by the end of the weekend, the league’s most-coveted individual award has been narrowed down to the last 10 finalists (Twitter Link). The Hobey Baker Award is enshrined in college hockey lore, as it’s annually given to the top player in the NCAA.

The award has never had back-to-back winners and that trend will continue this season. Macklin Celebrini won the award last year after scoring 32 goals and 64 points in 38 games with the Boston University Terriers, leading to his name being called with the first overall selection of the 2024 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks.

Not every Hobey Baker winner is a household name, but many still consider the list exclusive. Paul Kariya is the only Hobey Baker Award winner inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame. However, that list could expand if players like Jack Eichel, Cale Makar, and Celebrini continue their current trajectories.

On a more depressing note, to mention the exclusive award without mentioning the late Johnny Gaudreau is difficult. Gaudreau won the award after the 2013-14 season after putting up an electric 36-goal, 80-point season in 40 games with the Boston College Eagles. It’ll be the first time the award has been bestowed since Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew Gaudreau, were tragically taken from the world on August 29, 2024.

Here is a list of this year’s top 10 finalists with the NHL team that owns their contractual rights if applicable:

D Zeev Buium, University of Denver (Minnesota Wild)

F Jack Devine, University of Denver (Florida Panthers)

F Aiden Fink, Penn State University (Nashville Predators)

F Mac Gadowsky, Army West Point (undrafted)

F Isaac Howard, Michigan State University (Tampa Bay Lightning)

F Ryan Leonard, Boston College (Washington Capitals)

F Ayrton Martino, Clarkson University (Dallas Stars)

F Liam McLinskey, College of the Holy Cross (undrafted)

F Jimmy Snuggerud, University of Minnesota (St. Louis Blues)

G Alex Tracy, Minnesota State University (undrafted)

East Notes: Marner, Kucherov, Svechnikov

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In today’s mailbag, Josh Yohe of The Athletic took one major question regarding the possibility of the Pittsburgh Penguins taking a run at Mitch Marner should the winger hit unrestricted free agency this summer.

Yohe gave a two-pronged response to the question, illustrating the pros and cons of attempting to sign Marner. The Penguins are expected to have approximately $25MM in cap space for free agency, Marner has a previous relationship with general manager Kyle Dubas, and Marner worked well on a line with Sidney Crosby during the 4 Nations Faceoff. Still, given the Penguins’ trade activity throughout this season, Yohe doesn’t believe Dubas has indicated he’ll be aggressive in making a major addition this summer.

Pittsburgh having an interest in Marner makes sense on some levels. He’s having a career year with 21 goals and 80 points in 63 games and would give the Penguins an easier transition out of the Crosby era. However, given that he has yet to play meaningful hockey beyond Round Two of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Marner likely won’t be interested in joining a team that hasn’t reached the postseason in a few years.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • Outside of netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Tampa Bay Lightning are without their top player tonight. Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network reported earlier that former-MVP Nikita Kucherov had been deemed at game-time decision while battling an illness. Shortly before game time, it was confirmed that Kucherov wouldn’t be available for tonight’s contest. Nick Paul is filling in for Kucherov on the team’s first line and has one shot with a -1 rating at the time of writing.
  • According to head coach Rod Brind’Amour, and passed along by Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News, the Carolina Hurricanes aren’t expecting Andrei Svechnikov back tomorrow night against the Detroit Red Wings. Svechnikov missed Carolina’s recent game against the Tampa Bay Lightning due to an undisclosed injury, making tomorrow his second missed contest in a row. Brind’Amour shared he doesn’t expect the injury to keep Svechnikov out long-term.

Updates On The Collective Bargaining Negotiatons

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Before next week’s General Managers Meeting in Palm Beach, FL, The Athletics’ Pierre LeBrun shared a few updates regarding the ongoing Collective Bargaining negotiations and additional notes, in his recurring writeup, NHL Rumblings.

According to LeBrun, next season’s schedule has been tentatively agreed upon. Similarly to this year, next year’s start date will likely be October 7th, and the Stanley Cup Final will likely run to the third week of June. The final schedule may deviate a few days, but we’ll have a clear answer when it’s officially released in July.

Of course, the major scheduling issue is the upcoming XXV Olympic Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. The 2026 Winter Olympics is expected to have a longer break for NHL players than the most recent 4 Nations Faceoff tournament, which took place between February 12 and February 20. Factoring in the 2026 NHL All-Star Game at UBS Arena, the NHL may have an approximate three-week break for the players.

LeBrun mentioned that commissioner Gary Bettman has already told teams there will be more back-to-back contests next year and a more packed schedule. Since the current iteration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires before the 2026-27 season, the NHL and the NHLPA will look to amend the schedule then.

That’s the primary problem LeBrun wrote about. He shared that serious discussions are being had about shortening the preseason and expanding the regular season to 84 games. That would move the regular season start date to the last week of September while keeping the Stanley Cup Final around the same time.

Extending the calendar by a week or two would lower the saturation of regular-season games over a seven-month schedule. It also accounts for the expected Olympic Games and World Cup tournaments every two years.

Another change to the schedule being discussed is removing the requirement of playing at least one game in every NHL arena per season. According to LeBrun, this idea doesn’t have much momentum or support, given that some teams financially benefit from Connor McDavid coming to their stadiums or heavily followed teams such as the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Lastly, LeBrun shared that there are ongoing negotiations regarding the potential removal of the NHL All-Star Game. It wouldn’t come soon, if ever, because the league already has one scheduled for next season. From LeBrun’s write-up, it appears the Board of Governors would like it to stay, but questions are being raised.

Toronto Maple Leafs Activate Chris Tanev

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According to a team announcement, the Toronto Maple Leafs have activated defenseman Chris Tanev from their injured reserve. Tanev’s activation was alluded to in an earlier report from David Alter of The Hockey News.

Tanev’s activation before tonight’s contest against the Florida Panthers will limit his games missed to six. His last contest came against the Boston Bruins on February 25th, when Tanev left the game after two shifts following a hit along the boards from John Beecher. The rugged blueliner was seen donning a sling after the contest.

Since he only missed a handful of games, and Toronto was already well-within playoff positioning, Tanev’s absence wasn’t crippling to the Maple Leafs but it was noticeable. PHR’s Josh Erickson summed up the areas lacking in Toronto’s game throughout Tanev’s absence, writing, “They’ve struggled to control play at 5-on-5 with a 43.7 CF%, a number Tanev’s return will undoubtedly help boost. While his raw 47.4 CF% at even strength on the year isn’t particularly impressive, he dominates shot quality over quantity and leads the team with a +8.8 expected rating and +26 actual rating.”

Although the Maple Leafs would undoubtedly prefer Tanev to participate in every game this season, his return arguably couldn’t come at a better time. Toronto will share the top spot in the Atlantic Division should they best Florida tonight, although the Panthers have the first tiebreaker. Still, with two more games against Florida remaining on the schedule after tonight, Tanev and the Maple Leafs should be locked in a heated battle down the stretch for home-ice advantage through the first two postseason rounds.

East Notes: Jones, Peterka, Novak

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Due to the recent 20-game suspension to Florida Panthers’ defenseman Aaron Ekblad for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program, the team needed a new first-line powerplay quarterback and top-pairing defenseman. As expected, that distinction will go to newly acquired defenseman Seth Jones.

It’ll be a familiar role for Jones, who operated as such over four years with the Chicago Blackhawks and several years with the Columbus Blue Jackets. 146 out of Jones’s 432 career points have come with the man advantage, and that number should continue to grow on the league’s 12th-ranked powerplay.

Florida may face some significant challenges at even strength. Fortunately, Jones will have one of the league’s fastest and most defensively effective players alongside him in Gustav Forsling. Based on his past performance, it’s clear that Jones will require a defensive partner who can help alleviate some of the responsibilities in the defensive zone. According to MoneyPuck, Jones’s on-ice goals percentage has steadily dropped from 55.1% in 2018-19 to 44.0% this season with Chicago.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • The Buffalo Sabres could be without one of their top offensive players tomorrow evening. Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reported earlier that John-Jason Peterka is dealing with a lower-body injury and could miss tomorrow’s game against the waning Detroit Red Wings. Peterka is again challenging for the team lead in points, scoring 19 goals and 51 points in 61 games, only five points behind Tage Thompson.
  • Thomas Novak, a recent acquisition for the Pittsburgh Penguins, is day-to-day due to a lower-body injury, according to Wes Crosby of NHL.com. Given the game’s proximity, it’s assumed that Novak suffered the injury in Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Wild. Novak has gone scoreless through his first two games as a Penguin, managing a -2 rating while averaging 13:01 of ice time per game.

Update On Brad Marchand’s Injury, Extension Negotiatons

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Much of the buzz around TD Garden this morning came from Brad Marchand’s return to the ice in another team’s jersey. The Boston Bruins recently traded their former captain to the Florida Panthers just before the trade deadline for a conditional 2027 second-round pick.

Seeing Marchand practice in Panthers’ garb firmly cemented the reality of the trade in the minds of Bruins’ fans. However, as much as Marchand’s first game with Florida may have a similar emotional impact, it’s still far off.

The Panthers’ head coach, Paul Maurice, spoke to reporters after practice today, illustrating the team’s hope that Marchand will return to the ice before the end of the regular season (Tweet Link). Marchand’s recovery timeline from his upper-body injury is still considered week-to-week.

The upper-body injury prohibited Marchand from participating in Boston’s final three games before the deadline, effectively ending his 16-year career with the team on March 1st. Primarily because the injury limited Marchand to only three shifts in his final game with the Bruins, his last point with the team came on February 25th against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe asked if that would be his final game as a Bruin by questioning if that chapter of his career had fully closed during Marchand’s media availability. Ryan dictated Marchand, saying, “I don’t know, I guess is how I would respond to that. I don’t know what the future brings. I know it didn’t come together now. Can things change down the road? Potentially. But I don’t know where that goes.”

Extension negotiations between Boston and Marchand had been a talking point for much of the regular season. A report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in late October suggested that Marchand was close to signing a three-year extension with the Bruins, only to have the report refuted by Marchand himself. Similarly, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan shared one day after the trade that the Bruins had offered Marchand a three-year extension after offering him a two-year deal for much of the year, only to have Marchand disagree about the salary.

While the negotiations were taking place, Marchand and Bruins’ general manager, Don Sweeney, were fairly open with the media about their desires to agree on a contract extension. Although that may have been true for much of the season, the failed negotiations, the trade, and Marchand’s comments today don’t suggest he’ll return to the team a few months after they traded him.

Anaheim Ducks Recall Ville Husso

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For the third time since March 7th, the Anaheim Ducks have recalled goaltender Ville Husso from their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. Despite being involved in a roster move consecutive times since the trade deadline, Husso has yet to make his first appearance with the Ducks.

The first two call-ups were expected, with netminder John Gibson being out with a lower-body injury. However, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reported that Gibson had been medically cleared to return this morning, making this transaction somewhat peculiar. Although Anaheim may want another night of rest for Gibson, one could reasonably assume he could have done that in a backup role behind Lukáš Dostál.

Dostál has already been confirmed as tonight’s starter against the Washington Capitals, so we know that Husso isn’t expected to play. However, as the league’s top-ranked offense, there’s a chance Dostál could be chased at some point during the contest, forcing their hand at playing Husso. This could also be why the Ducks chose Husso as the backup rather than Gibson.

If he plays in tonight’s contest, it will be Husso’s first NHL appearance in about two months. He’s managed a 1-5-2 record in nine games this season, all with the Detroit Red Wings, with a .866 SV% and 3.69 GAA. He’s performed better in the AHL with the Gulls and Grand Rapids Griffins, combining for an 11-5-0 record in 17 games with a .908 SV% and 2.84 GAA.

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