Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Seattle Kraken Reassign Gustav Olofsson

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Defenseman Gustav Olofsson’s time on an NHL roster is over for now. The Seattle Kraken announced they’ve reassigned Olofsson to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

The roster move likely serves as a paper transaction given the Kraken don’t play again for a few more days. They’ll go down to six healthy defensemen on the roster but will likely want some available insurance with upcoming matchups against the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, and New Jersey Devils.

Despite spending nearly a week on the active roster, Olofsson hasn’t factored into any games for the Kraken this season. His only playing time has come in AHL Coachella Valley where he’s scored two goals and 11 points in 29 contests.

Seattle’s upper management may keep Olofsson in the AHL for some time. The Firebirds are pursuing their third-straight appearance in the Calder Cup Final but have struggled this season. They’ve managed a 14-11-1-4 record through 33 games this season and sit in sixth place in the Pacific Division.

There are a few more options in Coachella Valley they could choose from. Defensemen Maxime Lajoie and Cale Fleury have NHL experience and are available to recall although the former is on a one-way contract. Whatever the case may be, the Kraken are expected to call up one of the trio over the next few days.

Chicago Blackhawks Activate Craig Smith

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Veteran forward Craig Smith has the opportunity to play in today’s Winter Classic after all. The Chicago Blackhawks announced they’ve activated Smith from the injured reserve after missing the last eight games with a back injury.

Smith is expected to reprise his role on the Blackhawks’ fourth line next to Pat Maroon and Lukas Reichel. He scored six goals and 10 points in 26 games before going down with an injury in mid-December.

Unlike many of his fellow teammates in Chicago, this won’t be the first time Smith has skated in a Winter Classic. He participated in the 2023 Winter Classic between the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins as a member of the former but failed to find the scoresheet after skating in only 5:32 of the game.

Beyond the 2023 matchup, Smith also went scoreless in the 2020 Winter Classic as a member of the Nashville Predators. Since today will be the third outdoor game of his career, Smith will tie for 46th on the NHL’s record of outdoor games played.

Although Smith’s scoring has moderately increased compared to last year with the Dallas Stars, his defensive play has seen some shortcomings. He’s typically hovered between 91% to 93% in on-ice save percentage in all situations but it has fallen to 88.7% this year with the Blackhawks.

Thankfully, he doesn’t have too much responsibility when healthy allowing some of the defensive shortcomings to be overlooked. Still, as one of multiple veteran players brought in last summer, Smith holds an important task in helping develop some of his younger peers.

Red Wings Sign Ondrej Becher To Entry-Level Deal

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

According to a team announcement, the Detroit Red Wings have signed one of their third-round picks from last year’s draft. The organization announced that forward Ondřej Becher has signed a three-year, entry-level contract and will be assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Detroit selected Becher with the 80th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. He skated for the WHL’s Prince George Cougars in his draft year, scoring 32 goals and 96 points in 58 games.

Becher also stole the show on the international stage, particularly in the 2023-24 World Junior Championships. He scored three goals and 10 points in seven games for Team Czechia, helping the country to its second straight top-three finish.

His scoring has dropped this year in his brief stint with the AHL Griffins but it’s nothing the Red Wings’ brass appears concerned with. He’s scored one goal and three points in 16 games for Grand Rapids this season managing a -4 rating.

The sudden lack of scoring is likely due to the competitiveness of the Griffins’ roster this season. The team is running away with the AHL’s Central Division and leaning on veteran players like Austin Watson and Joe Snively rather than the newer prospects in Detroit’s system.

Anaheim Ducks Place Brock McGinn On Injured Reserve

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Anaheim Ducks announced they’ve placed forward Brock McGinn on the injured reserve with a lower-body injury before a matchup this afternoon against the Edmonton Oilers. The roster move marks the second time the Ducks have had to move McGinn to the injured reserve this season.

McGinn missed seven games during his previous injured reserve placement from mid-November to early December. He was similarly sidelined with a lower-body injury and will miss even more game action under his current designation.

It’s par for the course for McGinn throughout his career. He’s consistently been rostered in the NHL for the last eight seasons between the Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Ducks but hasn’t managed a full 82-game season since 2018-19.

Still, when healthy, he’s provided quality depth scoring to a snake-bitten Anaheim offense. He’s scored four goals and eight points in 26 games for the Ducks this season averaging 11:43 of ice time per game. McGinn won’t break any scoring records for Anaheim this season but it’s better than nothing for an offense in the league’s basement with a 2.38 GF/G average.

He primarily played on the team’s fourth line alongside Isac Lundeström and Brett Leason, meaning the injury designation should give Ross Johnston and/or Jansen Harkins an extended look in the Ducks lineup. McGinn’s placement on the injured reserve will likely be retroactive to December 23rd meaning he’ll be eligible to return on Tuesday against the New Jersey Devils.

Central Injury Notes: Texier, Faksa, Martinez, Smith, Bortuzzo

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Lou Korac of The Hockey News reported earlier that forward Alexandre Texier would be a game-time decision for the St. Louis Blues this afternoon. Additionally, Korac shared that bottom-six forward Radek Faksa would miss his third straight game with a lower-body injury.

Texier has been battling an illness and missed St. Louis’ recent game against the Nashville Predators on Friday. He’s apparently all set to go as the Blues organization later confirmed that they’ve welcomed Texier back to the active roster for this afternoon’s game. He’ll join Pavel Buchnevich and Robert Thomas on the team’s first line and look to build upon his two-goal, five-point effort this season.

Despite being absent for nearly 10 days, Faksa isn’t expected to miss much longer. His lower-body injury was suffered in the Blues’ overtime loss to the Florida Panthers on December 20th but the team never placed him on the injured reserve. Faksa has added two goals and seven points in 30 games to the St. Louis roster this year.

Other injury news from the Central Division:

  • The Chicago Blackhawks are expected to reintroduce a pair of veteran players into the lineup. According to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, defenseman Alec Martinez and forward Craig Smith have been downgraded to day-to-day and are expected back soon. Both players have missed nearly a month for the Blackhawks with separate injuries. Chicago only has one open roster spot in the NHL meaning they’ll need to make at least one roster move to pave the way for both player’s activation.
  • Utah Hockey Club’s blue line has been decimated by injuries this season but one veteran talent is expected back soon. Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune reports that defenseman Robert Bortuzzo has fully participated in back-to-back practices and is nearly healed from a lower-body injury. Utah never formally placed Bortuzzo on the team’s injured reserve but he hasn’t played since December 10th.

Capitals Activate Lars Eller, Reassign Hendrix Lapierre

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Washington Capitals have reportedly made a roster move to create room for Lars Eller’s activation but not necessarily the one they were expected to make. The Capitals organization announced they have reassigned youngster Hendrix Lapierre to their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, to make space for Eller on the active roster.

Lapierre came into the 2024-25 season off of a respectable effort in 2023-24. He scored eight goals and 22 points in 51 games for the Capitals and represented one of the better prospects in the system as the former 22nd overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft. He showed a lack of maturity in the faceoff dot (which isn’t uncommon for younger centers) but displayed adept playmaking and defensive abilities.

It’s hard to classify this season as anything but a step backward for Lapierre. He’s tallied eight assists in 27 games but has no goals to show for and has seen his ice time cut dramatically in the last few weeks. He isn’t shooting the puck nearly as much as he was last year and is in clear need of a reset.

Lapierre’s demotion means that fellow youngster Ivan Miroshnichenko’s spot on the roster is safe for now. The 20-year-old Russian is the only other forward on Washington’s roster who wouldn’t have needed waivers for an AHL reassignment and was originally believed to be the eventual casualty of Eller and Alex Ovechkin’s return. He hasn’t taken any meaningful step forward in limited action this year with one goal and four points in 15 games averaging 9:24 of ice time per game.

Eller missed four games battling an illness. He’s expected to reprise his role down the middle of the team’s third line for their game against the Detroit Red Wings later this afternoon. Since being acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in an early-season trade, Eller has scored two goals and six points in 13 games in his second go-around in Washington.

Winnipeg’s Daniel Torgersson Clears Waivers, Contract To Be Terminated

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Dec. 29th: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed Torgersson has successfully cleared waivers and will have his contract terminated by the Jets organization.

Dec. 28th: Daniel Torgersson’s first three years in North American professional hockey haven’t gone as expected. The Winnipeg Jets have seen everything they need to as the organization announced they’ve placed Torgersson on unconditional waivers to terminate his contract.

Winnipeg selected Torgersson as the 40th overall selection of the 2020 NHL Draft from the SHL’s Frölunda HC program. He had a terrific season for Frölunda’s J20 SuperElit team scoring 26 goals and 44 points in 39 games.

He failed to build a positive reputation in the Swedish Hockey League over the next two years but eventually landed with AIK of the HockeyAllsvenskan in 2021-22. He scored seven goals and 17 points in 40 games for AIK before ending the season with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.

Torgersson was solid but unimpressive in his first full season with the Moose scoring 11 goals and 20 points in 69 games. He tied for 10th on the team in scoring during his rookie campaign but failed to move beyond the team’s bottom six.

The next year and a third have been an unmitigated disaster for Torgersson. He disappointed with one goal and nine points in 52 games for the Moose last season and has failed to find the scoresheet once this year through 12 contests. There’s no confirmed transaction but Torgersson is expected to continue his professional career in Sweden.

Winnipeg was likely hoping for a higher return on investment for a second-round pick but the 2020 NHL Draft presented unique scouting challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Torgersson will have the opportunity to repair his value overseas and potentially return to North America in the future.

NHL To Fine Dallas Stars For CBA Violation

at CDT | by 4 Comments

According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the National Hockey League will fine the Dallas Stars organization for violating certain terms in the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA. The NHL hasn’t directly confirmed the punishment but the Stars organization is expected to pay a $100K fine.

The punishment was warranted because Dallas held an ’optional’ practice on December 26th. The CBA strictly prohibits practice and travel for their terms on certain days during the holidays of the regular season so no team has a competitive advantage over another.

This isn’t the first time a team has been fined for violating the CBA over a holiday break. Two years ago, the Toronto Maple Leafs were fined $100K for a similar infraction. Toronto left one day early from 2022’s holiday freeze for a game against the St. Louis Blues. Outside of Toronto’s example, the last time a team was fined for a similar event was in 2015 when the Philadelphia Flyers left a day earlier than allowed.

There’s no evidence the Stars deliberately attempted to circumvent the CBA, as they may have reasonably believed making the practice optional would limit the league’s concern. However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman believes the CBA’s language is fairly black and white saying, “There are rules about what you’re not allowed to do. You’re not allowed to practice, you are not allowed to provide ice to players. The Stars had some kind of skate on Boxing Day, and that has gotten the league’s attention.“

Minnesota Wild Activate Joel Eriksson Ek

at CDT | by 1 Comment

After starting the season with a 17-4-4 record through their first 25 games the Minnesota Wild have struggled of late with a 5-6-0 record in their last 11. Minnesota needed a boost in a major way and will get one in the form of top center Joel Eriksson Ek whom the team has activated off the injured reserve.

Minnesota’s fall from the top of the Central Division is directly related to Eriksson Ek’s absence. The team has struggled to find a proper solution down the middle in Eriksson Ek’s absence outside of Marco Rossi. The youngster has been nearly a point-per-game player without Eriksson Ek scoring five goals and nine points in the last 11 games but the Wild don’t have another legitimate top-six center option behind him.

Eriksson Ek’s scoring has depressed this season when healthy with five goals and 13 points in 22 games. That 0.59 point-per-game average is nearly a third lower than what he’s been producing the last few years in Minnesota. Still, Eriksson Ek has provided quality play in the faceoff dot and is very responsible on the defensive side of the puck.

The recent injury will likely hinder Eriksson Ek’s efforts to capture his first Selke Trophy given that he only play a maximum of 68 games this year. He’s finished in the top 10 of Selke votes the last four years and was averaging the highest on-ice save percentage of his career before suffering the lower-body injury.

Eriksson Ek’s absence also raised some important questions for the Wild. It proved that Minnesota lacks depth down the middle which needs to be filled if they have any hopes of competing in the tough Central Division down the stretch. The lingering buyout penalties for Zach Parise and Ryan Suter limit Minnesota to approximately $2MM in deadline cap space making their lives that much harder.

Still, the Wild could trade some salary off the roster such as Zach Bogosian or Jonathon Merrill, and acquire a player with term given that Parise and Suter’s buyout penalties effectively end after this season. Minnesota has already traded away their first-round pick this season in the trade that brought David Jiříček to the organization so that will be another limiting factor heading into deadline season.

Blackhawks Reassign Kevin Korchinski, Recall Wyatt Kaiser

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Chicago Blackhawks are making a roster swap with two of their depth defensemen. The organization announced they’ve reassigned defenseman Kevin Korchinski to their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, and recalled Wyatt Kaiser to the NHL roster.

Korchinski is not a depth defenseman in the true sense of the word but he has been utilized like one this season. He’s only three years removed from being the seventh overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft and played through his rookie season last year. There’s reason to believe Korchinski was inappropriately rushed to the NHL last year as his rookie campaign yielded lethargic results.

It was never going to be an easy transition for Korchinski. He was tasked with shouldering top-four minutes on a weak Blackhawks’ roster and he ended the year with five goals and 15 points in 79 games with an eye-popping -39 rating. Chicago understandably sent Korchinski down to the AHL this season to help the young blue-liner regain confidence and take a small step back in his development.

Under his current recall, Korchinski skated in nine games for the Blackhawks but failed to find the scoresheet averaging 16:46 of ice time per game. He saw a minor increase in his CorsiFor% but a nine-game trial isn’t enough to make any serious judgement calls about Korchinski’s current development.

He’s produced better offensively with AHL Rockford scoring two goals and 11 points through 21 games but hasn’t quite yet gained the defensive maturity required for professional hockey. Still, being back with the IceHogs will allow increased playing time and an opportunity to compete for a playoff spot down the stretch.

Kaiser is back on the Blackhawks roster after a small demotion over the holiday break. He’s suited up in 28 games for Chicago this season but had been serving as a healthy scratch for their last three. He sits fourth on the team in blocked shots and will likely slot into the bottom-pairing duo next to T.J. Brodie for the team’s game against the Dallas Stars later today.

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