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Carolina Hurricanes, Taylor Hall Discussing Extension

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A few days ago, Andy Strickland of FanDuel Sports Network reported the Carolina Hurricanes and newly acquired forward Taylor Hall are working toward a contract extension. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed the news in his written rendition of 32 Thoughts, although neither insider had specifics to share.

Because of the ongoing situation regarding Mikko Rantanen, Hall’s status as a pending unrestricted free agent in Carolina has been entirely overshadowed. The former first overall selection of the 2010 NHL Draft is on the final year of a four-year, $24MM contract signed with the Boston Bruins in 2021.

The news of a potential contract extension with the Hurricanes is somewhat peculiar, given Hall’s play with the team. The veteran winger has only tallied one goal and one assist in nine games with Carolina, averaging 14:47 of ice time per game. Furthermore, despite a strong win against the Buffalo Sabres yesterday evening, the Hurricanes are 3-5-1 since making the trade.

Much of it will depend on Hall’s price point. One can reasonably assume he’ll make far less than his current $6MM salary, and it likely won’t be a long-term deal since he’ll enter his age-34 season next year. The Calgary, Alberta native’s subpar production and injury history over the last few years may point him toward a bonus-laden contract should he remain with the Hurricanes.

Still, it’s important to note his subpar production is only relative to the previous standard Hall set earlier in his career. He’s scored 48 goals and 79 assists in 207 games over the life of his four-year contract, split between the Bruins, Hurricanes, and Chicago Blackhawks. Many teams would be content with that production from a middle-six winger, albeit at a lower price point.

The main cause for concern would be Hall’s recent injury history. Before the beginning of the 2024-25 season, Hall had only played in 152 games for the Bruins and Blackhawks- 61.7% of possible contests. Much of that was because of a torn ACL last season, limiting the former MVP to 10 games.

Fortunately, Hall has seemingly put the injury behind him this year. Despite one healthy scratch in Chicago and a few games missed due to illness, he’s projected to play in a full season for the first time since the 2021-22 campaign.

Columbus Blue Jackets, Mathieu Olivier Discussing Extension

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Shortly before their all-important win last night against the Detroit Red Wings, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported the Columbus Blue Jackets are working on an extension with one of their forwards. Dreger shared that progress has been made with Mathieu Olivier on a new deal, and there’s virtually no chance he’ll be traded before next Friday’s deadline.

The Blue Jackets acquired Olivier from the Nashville Predators before the 2022-23 season for a fourth-round pick. Despite being limited to 66 games in his first year with the team and posting a ghastly -20 rating, Columbus signed Olivier to a two-year, $2.2MM contract the following summer.

Olivier was again limited by injuries last season, scoring five goals and 12 points over 54 games. Still, he made notable improvements, increasing his shooting percentage by 2.4%, hits per game by 0.32, his CorsiFor% at even strength by 3.4%, and his on-ice save percentage at even strength by 2.2%.

He won’t threaten to lead the team in scoring, but the pending unrestricted free agent became integral to the Blue Jackets’ turnaround this season. He’s already posted the best offensive season of his career with 11 goals and nine assists in 59 games. The Biloxi, MS native has additionally raised his shooting percentage to 14.9% and posted a career-high 99 PIMs due to several fighting majors throughout the regular season.

His possession metrics have declined slightly, largely due to a three-minute bump in average ice time. Still, Olivier’s physicality is entering a new realm this year, averaging 3.78 hits per game and sitting second in the NHL behind Vancouver Canucks’ Kiefer Sherwood with 223 total hits.

Dreger didn’t mention any specifics for the potential extension. Keegan Kolesar’s three-year, $7.5MM extension with the Vegas Golden Knights is a reasonable comparable, given his similar playstyle to that of Olivier. Since Olivier is three years younger than Kolesar, the Blue Jackets may entertain giving Olivier a fourth year and bumping his AAV closer to the $2.75MM range.

Penguins’ Matt Nieto Clears Waivers

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Feb. 27: Nieto cleared waivers and can be sent to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports.

Feb. 26: According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Pittsburgh Penguins have placed forward Matthew Nieto on waivers. Should he clear waivers over the next 24 hours, the Penguins can safely reassign him to their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

It’s the second time in his career that Nieto has been placed on waivers and his first as a Penguin. His last time on the waiver wire came back in 2017 when Nieto was claimed off waivers from the San Jose Sharks by the Colorado Avalanche.

The news is unsurprising given Nieto has been an oft-scratched member of Pittsburgh’s forward core for much of February. Since being activated from the team’s injured reserve in mid-November, Nieto has played in 31 of the Penguins’ 42 games despite being healthy for all of them.

Similarly to last year, Nieto hasn’t been all that productive when healthy, either. Nieto signed a two-year, $1.8MM contract with Pittsburgh in the 2023-24 offseason and has scored two goals and seven points in 53 games since.

Although he’s been confined to a bottom-six role for much of his tenure in Pittsburgh, the team was likely hoping for more offensive production. He’s been a productive bottom-six scorer for much of his career with several multi-goal and 20-point campaigns, but things haven’t worked out positively in western Pennsylvania. The 12-year NHL veteran may find a home in another team’s bottom-six but odds are he’ll be packing his bags for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton by tomorrow.

Ottawa Senators Reassign Angus Crookshank, Jan Jeník

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Feb. 27: The Senators announced they’ve reassigned both forwards to AHL Belleville. The move indicates Ottawa will have Tkachuk and/or Pinto back by Saturday. Neither Crookshank nor Jeník scored in last night’s loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

Feb. 26: Despite a mild three-day break since their first game back from the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Ottawa Senators still required a few extra forwards for tonight’s game. Ottawa announced they’ve recalled Angus Crookshank and Jan Jeník from their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators.

The two will replace Brady Tkachuk and Shane Pinto in the lineup against the Winnipeg Jets. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like they’ll be needed for long, as multiple reports out of Ottawa indicate Tkachuk and Pinto fully participated in the Senators’ optional skate this morning.

Jeník is the only one of the duo who’s suited up for Ottawa this season. The former high-end prospect for the Arizona Coyotes is in his first year with the Senators organization after being acquired via trade this past offseason. Unfortunately, Jeník’s scoring production has noticeably declined this year. He’s scored seven goals and 13 points in 30 games with AHL Belleville after averaging 0.72 points per game over five years with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners.

Meanwhile, Crookshank has spent the entire 2024-25 campaign with AHL Belleville after making his NHL debut last season. The former 126th overall pick has scored 18 goals and 33 points in 48 AHL contests this year, ranking first on the team in goal-scoring. It will be his first NHL contest since April 2, 2024, should he suit up tonight against the Jets.

Poll: Will The Hurricanes Trade Mikko Rantanen?

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One of the biggest storylines heading into trade deadline week is the potential availability of Carolina Hurricanes’ winger, Mikko Rantanen. The Finnish star has already been traded once this year, going from Denver to Raleigh for Martin Nečas, Jack Drury, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2026 fourth-round pick. However, a lack of extension with the Hurricanes this close to the deadline has some insiders believing Carolina will look to move him again rather than lose him for nothing in the offseason.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman threw fuel on the fire last Saturday. Friedman suggested on his weekly segment Saturday Headlines the Hurricanes have offered Rantanen an eight-year, $100MM+ extension, which would make him the eighth player in NHL history to sign a nine-figure deal. Still, due to the emotions of being traded away from the only organization he’s known for the last decade, Rantanen hasn’t decided on an extension with Carolina. Friedman emphasized that it doesn’t indicate Rantanen is leaning either way, but it does put the Hurricanes’ front office on a time crunch.

To update the situation further, TSN’s Darren Dreger touched on Rantanen’s status on TSN’s Ottawa 1200 yesterday evening (beginning around the 10:30 mark of the broadcast). Dreger mentions that owner Tom Dundon, a hands-on owner, relatively speaking, is having difficulty considering a Rantanen trade given what they parted with to acquire him. Still, Dreger is confused, like many analysts, about why Carolina made the trade in the first place if they weren’t fully convinced Rantanen would sign an extension. Additionally, the TSN insider doesn’t believe Rantanen is enjoying his time with the Hurricanes.

There’s on-ice data to support that claim. The former 100-point scorer with the Colorado Avalanche has posted one goal and two assists through his first eight games with Carolina, averaging 20:10 of ice time per game. His shooting percentage has dropped to 4.0%, which is exceptionally low considering his career track record. Rantanan simply hasn’t looked fully engaged as a Hurricane, and the team has suffered for it, posting a 2-5-1 record with him in the lineup.

Unfortunately for Carolina, the team will have difficulty acquiring a package similar to the one they sent to Colorado. Most contending teams will consider Rantanan a rental at this stage, which will decrease what they’re willing to part with to obtain him.

For potential suitors, we can reasonably assume he won’t wear another team’s jersey in the Metropolitan Division this season. The Hurricanes are looking for their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 2006, and they’ll have to go through one or two teams in their division due to the current playoff formatting. Furthermore, as good as Rantanen’s fit would be with any of the three-headed monsters in the Atlantic Division (Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Toronto Maple Leafs), it’s hard to imagine Carolina helping a team they might have to play for a Stanley Cup Final berth.

That should isolate Rantanen’s potential market to Western Conference teams only. The Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights are clear suitors, with the Edmonton Oilers also being a team to watch out for. Edmonton has a larger need for a defenseman, but they could afford Rantanen’s remaining deal should Evander Kane spend the remainder of the regular season on long-term injured reserve. Despite the need for a defenseman, few teams in the West could compete against a top line of Rantanen, Connor McDavid, and Leon Draisaitl.

Should a team like the Chicago Blackhawks or San Jose Sharks believe they can sign Rantanen to a big-ticket extension, they may be willing to pay the premium. Chicago and San Jose could easily wait until July 1st to sign Rantanen without parting with any assets, but the potential of an eighth year in his contract might entice them.

The Hurricanes are caught between a rock and a hard place. Will they keep Rantanen for a shot at the Stanley Cup, or will they recoup some assets for him rather than lose him for nothing in the summer? Vote below!

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Rangers Recall Matthew Robertson, To Place Adam Fox On IR

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After losing a pair of defensemen during last night’s game against the New York Islanders, it comes as no surprise the New York Rangers have recalled defenseman Matthew Robertson from their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. Unfortunately, the recall comes with a major blow to their postseason chances as Arthur Staple of The Athletic reported the team is expected to place Adam Fox on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.

Fox left Tuesday night’s game in the third period due to the upper-body injury after tallying one assist in 17:48 of ice time. As Staple shared in his report, the Rangers are optimistic he can return for the final stretch of the regular season.

Still, Fox’s injury will severely impact New York’s playoff chances for the foreseeable future. Only one year removed from earning the ’Regular Season Champions’ banner at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers have posted a 29-25-4 record through 58 games this season. At the time of writing, that record is good for two points back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Despite their proximity to the last playoff spot in the standings, MoneyPuck gives New York a 43.4% chance of reaching the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs — lower than their odds for the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings. Fox is one of the handful of players on the Rangers who hasn’t disappointed this season scoring five goals and 48 points in 58 games averaging 23:14 of ice time per night with a +5 rating.

Meanwhile, Robertson is positioned to debut in the NHL, albeit under unfortunate circumstances. The former 49th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft has been impressive for the Wolf Pack this year scoring one goal and 18 points in 47 contests with a +2 rating. The Rangers still carry six healthy defensemen on the roster outside of Fox but Robertson should likely debut given the length of Fox’s recovery timeline.

If general manager Chris Drury is hell-bent on getting New York to the playoffs for a fourth straight season the injury to Fox should affect their trade deadline strategy. The Rangers may ultimately hang on to oft-mentioned trade candidates such as Ryan Lindgren and K’Andre Miller. Additionally, Drury could begin putting feelers out in the rental market for right-handed defensemen.

Injury Notes: Josi, Tanev, Milano

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It doesn’t appear the Nashville Predators will have their captain tomorrow night against the Winnipeg Jets. Beat reporter Brooks Bratten reported earlier that defenseman Roman Josi is still being evaluated for an upper-body injury suffered in Tuesday’s game against the Florida Panthers.

Approximately halfway through the second period of the game, Josi was checked from behind by Panther Sam Bennett causing his head to hit the plexiglass. The Norris Trophy-winning defenseman played through the injury for the remaining minutes of the second period but was ruled out for the third. Bennett was assessed a two-minute minor penalty for boarding on the play.

When asked about Josi’s ongoing injury evaluation, head coach Andrew Brunette said (as reported by Predators’ reporter Nick Kieser), “Yeah, I don’t know. I’m not a doctor. I don’t really know. With those things it’s day-to-day, could be week-to-week, could be season-ending, we don’t really know yet.” Although speaking vaguely, Brunette mentioning a longer-term injury when speaking to reporters should raise concerns regarding Josi’s availability for the foreseeable future.

Other injury notes:

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have reportedly avoided a worst-case scenario with their top shutdown defenseman. The Hockey News’ David Alter shared that Chris Tanev’s recovery timeline is only considered day-to-day although he’s been ruled out for Friday’s contest against the New York Rangers. Tanev was seen wearing a sling after missing the final two periods of Toronto’s game yesterday evening against the Boston Bruins.
  • After missing the last four months of action due to an upper-body injury, a return to game action is on the horizon for Washington Capitals’ forward Sonny Milano. According to Bailey Johnson of the Washington Post, Milano was upgraded to a full-contact jersey for today’s practice. Unfortunately for Milano, given the likelihood of the league-leading Capitals’ adding one or two forwards before next Friday’s trade deadline, Milano is a strong candidate for waivers upon his activation from the long-term injured reserve.

Florida Panthers Reassign Justin Sourdif

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Feb. 26: It’ll only be a one-and-done for Sourdif. The Panthers announced they’ve reassigned Sourdif to AHL Charlotte meaning Luostarinen should be expected back in the lineup tomorrow evening. Still, it was a productive stay for Sourdif at the NHL level, scoring his first NHL goal last night against the Nashville Predators.

Feb. 24: The Florida Panthers have added some bottom-six forward depth before their game tomorrow night against the Nashville Predators. Florida announced they’ve recalled Justin Sourdif from their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, who last played in the NHL on October 21, 2023.

Although forward Matthew Tkachuk is dealing with a longer-term injury from the 4 Nations Face-Off, Sourdif won’t replace him on the active roster. He’ll be replacing center Eetu Luostarinen, who’s eagerly awaiting the birth of a new child.

There’s no typical or agreed-upon timeline for a player on paternity leave, so the length of the recall is entirely up for question. At the very least, Sourdif will feature in one game for the absent Luostarinen and could reasonably play in one or two more.

Still, given the Panthers’ depth up front, and the team’s remarkable ability to stay healthy this season (outside of the recent injury to Tkachuk), Sourdif shouldn’t expect a stay on the roster longer than a week. He’s become increasingly valuable to the Checkers’ offensive schematics and they’ll want that to continue.

Since officially joining the Panthers organization for the 2022-23 season, Sourdif spent the year in AHL Charlotte scoring seven goals and 24 points in 48 games. It wasn’t impressive production by any stretch of the imagination but Sourdif still finished 10th on the team in scoring and first amongst rookie skaters.

He improved last season scoring 12 goals and 38 points in 58 games. Sourdif also skated in the first three NHL contests of his career although failing to find the scoresheet. The Richmond, British Columbia hasn’t matched his point totals from years past but his point-per-game average has increased scoring 11 goals and 22 points in 29 games this season.

Predators Acquire Jesse Ylönen From Lightning

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The Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning are making an AHL swap shortly before the trade deadline. The Predators announced they’ve acquired forward Jesse Ylönen from the Lightning for forward Anthony Angello.

Sticking to the deadline approach he shared yesterday, general manager Barry Trotz has acquired a forward with NHL experience who can fill in should the Predators move out multiple forward pieces. There are non-subtle expectations Nashville will be one of the aggressive sellers during this year’s deadline season, and Ylönen provides a quality depth option for that approach.

Despite playing the entire year with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, Ylönen is a veteran of 111 games at the NHL level — all with the Montreal Canadiens. After debuting with the Canadiens on May 12, 2021, Ylönen scored 11 goals and 29 points in Montreal before signing on with the Lightning this past summer as an unrestricted free agent. He was recalled on February 22nd by the Lightning but only served as a practice player for Tampa Bay’s returning members of the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The lack of NHL minutes hasn’t hindered his production this season as Ylönen’s recorded eight goals and 25 points in 47 games for the Crunch. That production puts the Scottsdale, AZ native third on the team in scoring and would make him tied for seventh on the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals.

Meanwhile, Angello heads east to join the fourth organization of his professional career. The former fifth-round pick of the 2014 NHL Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins is a veteran of 320 games at the AHL level split between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Springfield Thunders, and Admirals. He’s managed 68 goals and 133 points over that stretch and 307 PIMs. Angello isn’t a stranger to the NHL either, scoring three goals and five points in 31 games for Pittsburgh from 2019 to 2022.

Seattle Kraken Reassign Mitchell Stephens

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Due to a three-day break until their next regular season contest the Seattle Kraken have made a cap-related roster move. The Kraken announced they’ve reassigned forward Mitchell Stephens to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

This transaction would only be counted as a non-paper move if Seattle expected Yanni Gourde back by the weekend which isn’t the case. Despite AHL Coachella Valley having two games between now and the Kraken’s next game, there’s no expectation Stephens will suit up for them.

Since Stephens cleared waivers earlier this month, Seattle won’t have to send him through the wire for the modest cap-savings. The move was made during the 4 Nations Face-Off break so the Kraken still have a seven-game window with Stephens before he needs to clear waivers again for reassignment.

He’s been a fine if unimpressive bottom-six center for Seattle this year. Stephen is only 10 contests away from reaching his career-high of 38 games played which came in the 2019-20 season with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He’s scored one goal, and two assists, and has managed a 53.6% faceoff percentage averaging 9:14 of ice time this season, albeit with a -8 rating.

Those numbers don’t jump off the page as a legitimate bottom-six option for most teams in the NHL but the cap-strapped Kraken are positioned to rely on cheaper insurance options this season. Stephens could finish the final stretch of the regular season with Seattle should the team sell off multiple forward assets leading up to the trade deadline.

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