Detroit Red Wings Activate J.T. Compher
The Detroit Red Wings will only have one player remaining on the injured reserve heading into today’s action against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Red Wings announced they’ve activated forward J.T. Compher from the injured reserve, giving context to Dominik Shine‘s reassignment on Wednesday.
Compher has missed the last five games for Detroit due to an upper-body injury. The incident that caused his injury led to a two-game suspension for Lightning defenseman Emil Martinsen Lilleberg, as Compher’s head was the primary point of contact. This issue may remain a storyline in today’s matchup if the Red Wings feel compelled to respond.
The former Stanley Cup champion is expected to center Detroit’s fourth line this afternoon, flanked by Joe Veleno and Jonatan Berggren. Compher’s ice time has been significantly reduced this season, dropping from an average of 19:23 during his first year with the Red Wings to just 16:41.
The reduction in ice time is justified. After coming close to scoring 20 goals in each of the past three seasons, Compher has only managed to score six goals this year. His performance falls well short of the expectations the Red Wings had for him as their fifth-highest-paid forward on the team.
His 41.0% CorsiFor% at even strength leaves a lot to be desired and his $5.1MM salary makes him one of the higher-paid bottom-six forwards in the league. Still, the veteran pivot provides respectable value as a defensive-minded forward given his 93.4% on-ice save percentage at even strength.
Islanders Notes: Dobson, Nelson, Pettersson
According to a report by Jim Biringer from RG.com, and further elaborated by Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, which was later shared by the NHL Network, the New York Islanders may be approaching the trade deadline in an unexpected way. Biringer noted that the Islanders are making defenseman Noah Dobson available for trade, while also offering Brock Nelson a three-year contract extension.
It’s a strange development for a team that has gone 8-2-0 in their last 10 and has vaulted back into the playoff conversation in the Eastern Conference. Dobson is arguably the most offensively talented defenseman on the team, won’t become an unrestricted free agent until after the 2026-27 season assuming he doesn’t sign a long-term extension, and is only one year removed from scoring 70 points.
Assuming accurate reporting, Dobson would receive a higher-value return as a young right-handed shooting defenseman. Still, there’s no arguing he’s fallen short of expectations this year. Dobson has scored six goals and 24 points in 46 games for the Islanders this season and a lower-body injury will keep him out of the action until after the 4 Nations Face-Off.
No matter the depressed offensive output or recent injury it would still make little sense for New York to move on from Dobson. They are the fourth-oldest team in the NHL this season and haven’t made it beyond Round One of the Stanley Cup playoffs since the 2020-21 season. Dobson’s ability to score and more than respectable defensive metrics strike as a player the Islanders should invest in long-term — not consider moving.
Keeping Nelson around wouldn’t make them any younger either. A three-year extension would take Nelson to his age-36 season in 2027-28. He’s been a consistent top-six center in New York for over a decade scoring 291 goals and 564 points in 894 career games with the Islanders.
Unless New York continues their winning ways after the 4 Nations Face-Off break, MoneyPuck only gives them a 33.5% of making the postseason. Nelson has been mentioned in trade rumors nearly the entire season and the Islanders could get a valuable return for one of the best rental centers on the market.
Rosner also alluded to another trade target for the Islanders this morning. He reported there’s “a lot of smoke” regarding Vancouver Canucks’ center Elias Pettersson despite the team trading away center J.T. Miller.
New York has been linked to Pettersson over the last couple of months but much of the overall trade interest has died down since Miller was sent to the New York Rangers. Rosner makes a good point that Pettersson only has one year remaining without trade protection but the Canucks could theoretically wait until the 2025 NHL Draft to move him. It would be reasonable for Vancouver to see how Pettersson responds for the rest of the regular season before ultimately taking a firmer stance on his future with the organization.
At any rate, plenty of trade rumors are leaking from a front office that typically doesn’t appreciate them. Lou Lamoriello has deployed ‘smoke-and-mirror’ tactics leading up to deadline day in the past but he doesn’t appear to have a concrete direction for the organization’s future.
Rangers Recall Dylan Garand, Igor Shesterkin Out With Upper-Body Injury
If there was ever going to be an injury to a starting netminder, it arguably happened at the best possible time for the New York Rangers. Arthur Staple of The Athletic reported that Igor Shesterkin is expected to miss the next week or two with an upper-body injury suffered in last night’s contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
According to a team announcement, New York has recalled netminder Dylan Garand from the Hartford Wolf Pack, their AHL affiliate. Given that the Rangers had one open roster spot remaining, they didn’t need to make a corresponding transaction or place Shesterkin on injured reserve.
Aside from a game this evening against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Rangers don’t play again until February 22nd due to the 4 Nations Face-Off. The two-week break should give Shesterkin ample time to recover potentially only missing tonight’s game.
The upper-body injury reportedly relates to a scramble in front of Shesterkin during the second period of last night’s game. He tested his right wrist for flexibility but remained in the crease throughout the game, ultimately suffering another loss this season.
Those losses have recently become commonplace for Shesterkin. The 2021-22 Vezina Trophy winner is 1-4-0 in his last five starts with a .835 save percentage. Given that he hasn’t had more than two games in a row with a save percentage lower than .900, it’s his worst stretch of the season.
New York is likely hoping the 4 Nations Face-Off break will give Shesterkin the time he needs to fully recover and get his mind right for the remaining 27 games of the regular season. The Rangers’ success this season has typically started and ended with their goaltending.
Garand has received his second call-up of the 2024-25 season, although he has yet to debut in the NHL. The 22-year-old, a product of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers program, is having the best professional season of his brief career. Garand has managed a 12-7-4 record in 23 games with a .913 SV% and 2.68 goals-against average including three shutouts this season.
Lightning’s Brandon Halverson Clears Waivers
Feb. 7: Halverson cleared waivers, per Friedman. The Lightning now have 30 days to send him to the AHL.
Feb. 6: Halverson is on waivers today for the purpose of reassignment back to Syracuse, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. He backed up Andrei Vasilevskiy on Tuesday against the Senators and will do so again for the second half of their home-and-home tonight, but clearing today will allow the Bolts to return him to the minors as soon as tomorrow or over the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
Feb. 3: Veteran netminder Brandon Halverson has turned his impressive play into an NHL contract. The Tampa Bay Lightning announced they’ve signed Halverson to a two-year contract taking him through the 2025-26 season.
Halverson had been the top netminder playing on an AHL contract this season and arguably the top player. The Traverse City, MI native returned to North America last season after a one-year stint with the Bayreuth Tigers of the DEL2 league in Germany.
He spent much of last season with the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears, where he posted a record of 14 wins, 12 losses, and 3 overtime losses in 32 games, along with a .913 save percentage and a 2.82 goals-against average. After joining the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch for the playoff stretch, his performance improved significantly, achieving a record of 7-3-3 in 14 games, with a .913 save percentage and a 2.18 goals-against average. He also recorded a .916 save percentage in seven playoff games.
This season has quickly become the best of his professional career. After Saturday’s loss to the AHL’s Rochester Americans, Halverson has a 12-7-10 record through 26 games with a .918 SV% and 2.20 GAA, including a league-leading four shutouts.
The Lightning have been dealing with some uncertainty in the net due to a short-term injury to backup netminder Jonas Johansson. Given Halverson’s impressive play on the season, Tampa Bay may opt to utilize him in their backup role for the time being instead of Matt Tomkins. Regardless, it’s been an impressive road back to an NHL contract for Halverson who last suited up in one game for the New York Rangers in the 2017-18 season.
Trade Deadline Primer: Buffalo Sabres
With the 4 Nations Face-Off break approaching, the trade deadline looms large and is about 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 Buffalo Sabres.
Another year, another disappointing season for the Sabres franchise. Not only is Buffalo on pace to miss the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season, but they’re tracking toward their seventh bottom-five finish during that stretch.
Record
21-26-5, 8th in the Atlantic
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$26.52MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2025: BUF 1st, BUF 2nd, BUF 3rd, BUF 4th, MIN 4th, BUF 5th, BUF 6th, WSH 7th, NSH 7th, BUF 7th
2026: BUF 1st, BUF 2nd, BUF 3rd, BUF 4th, BUF 5th, BUF 6th, BUF 7th
Trade Chips
Not to be misconstrued as a positive, the Sabres are in a unique position for the upcoming deadline season. Buffalo is saturated with underperforming players and should be open for business regarding just about anybody. Thankfully, one of the only positive takeaways from the current iteration of the Sabres is that there aren’t any expensive contracts significantly weighing down the team long-term.
Even defenseman Owen Power, whose $8.35MM salary could be considered high by many due to his uninspiring play on the defensive side of the puck this season, is ranked 16th in the NHL among defensemen for total cap hits. The percentage of the salary cap he’s taking up will decrease as the cap goes up, and he has plenty of time to improve as a 22-year-old blue-liner.
The two bigger question marks come in the form of forward Dylan Cozens and defenseman Bowen Byram. After this year, Cozens will have five years and $35.5MM left on his contract and has wildly underperformed since his 31-goal, 68-point performance only two years ago. Byram is a restricted free agent after this season and is likely expecting a substantial increase from his $3.85 million salary. 
Byram is the most likely candidate to be traded, although it wouldn’t be surprising to see both players remain with the Sabres after the trade deadline. Buffalo would likely be selling low on Cozens if they attempted to move him, making Byram the highest-value trade asset in the lineup.
The other two valuable trade assets are pending unrestricted free agents Jason Zucker and Henri Jokiharju. The Sabres have the option to retain the salaries of both players, which could slightly enhance their trade return. However, some reports suggest Buffalo may be more interested in extending Zucker than trading him as a rental player.
Team Needs
A Right Shot Top Four Defenseman: The Sabres are a team that continues to have a lot of needs, demonstrated by another season at the bottom of the NHL standings. Their biggest need is a top-four defenseman on the right side who can bump Connor Clifton back to the third pairing, which would better suit his skill set. The Sabres were reportedly in on Jacob Trouba before he was dealt to Anaheim, but it would be wise to find an emerging defenseman to fill that role. That is certainly easier said than done, as right-shot defenders are always at a premium, as demonstrated by the Trouba trade and the fact that the Rangers were able to get out from under his contract. The Sabres are currently ranked 28th in the NHL in goals against, and given the offensive talent they have on the left side of their defense core, they would be wise to look for a defensive defenseman to slot in on the second pairing next to Power. The price will be steep if the Sabres intend to fill that role, however, they will have plenty of cap space this summer and have all of their draft picks for the next three years plus a handful of extra late-round picks this year.
A Top Six Winger: The Sabres bought out Jeff Skinner last summer and then brought in Zucker via free agency on a one-year deal. Zucker has been terrific this year in Buffalo but is a possible candidate to be dealt at the NHL Trade Deadline (if the Sabres can’t sign him) and isn’t an ideal option long-term at 33 years old. The Sabres need a bonafide top-six winger who can bring more of a two-way game to Buffalo’s forward core. The team could wait for Jack Quinn or Zach Benson to emerge and fill the role. However, both men are better suited as third-line players at this early stage of their careers. The Sabres could be patient and wait until the summer to fill the winger role as there are a number of highly coveted wingers who will be available in free agency, although the Sabres might be forced to overpay to bring them to Buffalo given the Sabres lack of recent success.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports.
PHR’s Josh Cybulski contributed to this article.
Buffalo Sabres Recall Felix Sandstrom, Place Mattias Samuelsson On IR
Just ahead of tonight’s matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Buffalo Sabres announced a roster move. Buffalo shared that they’ve recalled goaltender Felix Sandstrom from their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, and have placed defenseman Mattias Samuelsson on injured reserve in a corresponding transaction.
The reasoning behind Sandstrom’s recall is entirely without controversy. Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reported earlier that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is out with a minor injury and that although the team would have called up Devon Levi, there wasn’t enough notice given he’s still in California for the AHL All-Star Challenge.
It’ll be the first time this season that Sandstrom will participate in a backup role for the Sabres. After clearing waivers at the beginning of the season, Sandstrom has spent the entire season with AHL Rochester posting a 9-4-1 record in 14 games with a .900 save percentage and 2.89 goals-against average.
If Buffalo didn’t have Levi waiting in the wings, this would be respectable enough production to warrant an unexpected call-up to the NHL level. Still, the Sabres brought Sandstrom in on a one-year, $775K contract this past summer in case Levi needed to be recalled, not the other way around.
Sadly, Sandstrom’s recall adds further complications for an organization that can barely endure more challenges. Samuelsson will again be placed on injured reserve this season after missing 17 games due to injury.
The Philadelphia, PA, native hasn’t skated in more than 55 contests in a single season since joining Buffalo as a full-time defenseman for the 2021-22 NHL season. The Sabres still owe Samuelsson $21.429MM over the next five years after the 2024-25 campaign — a heavy price for a blue liner that has only maxed out at two-thirds of a full season.
New Jersey Devils Activate Erik Haula, Reassign Brian Halonen
The New Jersey Devils have taken their last player off injured reserve as they enter tonight’s action against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Devils announced they’ve activated forward Erik Haula from the injured reserve and reassigned forward Brian Halonen to their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, in a corresponding roster move.
Tonight’s game against the Penguins will be Haula’s first in exactly a month. The veteran middle-six forward suffered a sprained ankle in New Jersey’s January 4th matchup against the San Jose Sharks leading to his placement on the team’s injured reserve.
The 33-year-old from Pori, Finland, is experiencing his lowest average offensive output in an 82-game season since his second year with the Minnesota Wild during the 2014-15 campaign. This season, he has scored five goals and recorded 11 points in 42 games with the Devils, placing him 14th on the team in scoring and 10th among forwards.
It’s an understandable decline, given his deteriorating responsibility with New Jersey. He’s only one year removed from scoring 16 goals and 35 points in 76 games for the Devils, averaging 16:53 of ice time per game. His usage was primarily based on team necessity, as New Jersey suffered an onslaught of injuries last year.
Haula has seen his average ice time drop by approximately two and a half minutes, which makes him more of a third-line scoring option at this point in his career. Still, given his ability to play all three forward positions and his experience on the special teams, he’s one of the multiple cost-effective options the Devils could put anywhere in the lineup.
Halonen, the former standout at Michigan Technological University, returns to AHL Utica after a two-game stint in New Jersey. He’ll return to his role as a productive top-six forward, having scored 54 goals and 86 points in 138 career games as a Comet, although the team has struggled dramatically in that time.
San Jose Sharks Recall Andrew Poturalski
The San Jose Sharks have recalled some forward depth in case Tyler Toffoli‘s lower-body injury prohibits him from playing this evening. San Jose announced they’ve recalled forward Andrew Poturalski from their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.
Tonight’s contest would be Poturalski’s first NHL appearance since a two-game stretch with the Seattle Kraken last year, should he enter the lineup tonight. Including this season, Poturalski has been one of the best veteran forwards in the world for those not currently rostered in the NHL.
Since his last year with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers in the 2018-19 season, Poturalski has scored 106 goals and 359 points in 343 games split between the Checkers, San Diego Gulls, Chicago Wolves, Coachella Valley Firebirds, and Barracuda, respectively. He’s also won two Calder Cups, the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs, and two John B. Sollenberger Trophies as the league’s leading scorer during that stretch.
Unfortunately, that impressive production in the AHL has hardly translated to the NHL. Poturalski has only been allowed to suit up in six NHL appearances since the start of the 2016-17 season and only has two assists to show for.
Still, his performance in the AHL is impressive enough in his own right, and Poturalski is again leading the league in scoring. He recently participated in the AHL’s All-Star Challenge scoring one goal in three games as a Pacific Division All-Star team member.
Boston Bruins To Activate Mark Kastelic, Reassign Vinni Lettieri
The Boston Bruins’ remaining injured forward will return tonight. Joe Haggerty of the Boston Sports Journal reported that forward Mark Kastelic will be activated ahead of tonight’s game against the Minnesota Wild. According to Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub, the Bruins have reassigned Vinni Lettieri to make room on their active roster.
Injuries have again prohibited Kastelic from a complete season in the NHL. The career bottom-six talent has only amassed a career-high of 65 games in the regular season although he could finish with slightly higher than that this year if he remains healthy.
Due to a lower-body injury toward the beginning of the season, an upper-body injury that lost him two weeks in early January, and his recent undisclosed injury, Kastelic has already lost nine games this year due to various ailments. He has achieved a career-high in points during his first year with the Bruins, scoring four goals and totaling 13 points in 45 games.
The only other additional improvement in his game has been his physicality. Kastelic was already a physical forward, throwing 280 body checks throughout his last two years as an Ottawa Senators. Meanwhile, in Boston, he’s already thrown 175 hits on the year, well above his 2.2 hits-per-game average with the Senators.
On the other side of the transaction, Lettieri heads back to join the AHL’s Providence Bruins after an eight-game stretch in the NHL. Over the past two years, he received more ice time than usual in the game’s top league, scoring two goals and averaging 12:05 per game.
He’ll continue with his fruitful season in the AHL for now. Lettieri has historically been a major offensive threat in the AHL when healthy and has shown that again this year, scoring 14 goals and 35 points in 35 games.
Blue Jackets’ Kirill Marchenko Out Indefinitely With Broken Jaw
12:34 p.m.: Marchenko underwent successful surgery to repair the break, per a team announcement. He’s been placed on injured reserve and is out indefinitely.
7:52 a.m.: During an ill-fated moment in last night’s loss to the Dallas Stars, the Columbus Blue Jackets also lost arguably their top forward. In an article from Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, he shared that a team source confirmed that forward Kirill Marchenko suffered a broken jaw.
Portzline adds that an errant puck hit Marchenko in the jaw during the second period of yesterday’s game, and he quickly went to a hospital near the American Airlines Center. The Blue Jackets haven’t disclosed a timeline for Marchenko’s recovery, but a broken jaw typically keeps a player out between six and eight weeks.
The injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for Columbus. Factoring in center Sean Monahan‘s long-term wrist injury, the Blue Jackets have lost two of their top forwards and most of their top line as they jockey for playoff positioning in the competitive Eastern Conference.
Not only has Marchenko been a bright spot for Columbus this year but he’s been a bright spot for the entire National Hockey League. He’s blown past his previous career-high of 42 points in 78 games with a 21-goal, 55-point performance through his first 53 contests this season.
His production has accelerated on the defensive side of the puck, too. Before the injury, Marchenko averaged a career-high CorsiFor% of 52.6% and a career-high on-ice save percentage of 92.1%. He was also leading the entire league with a +31 rating.
With captain Boone Jenner expected to return relatively soon, his presence should help mitigate the loss of Marchenko on the right side, though fully replacing him internally will still be a challenge. Fortunately for Columbus, neither Marchenko’s nor Monahan’s injuries are expected to linger for the remainder of the regular season. The Blue Jackets can, theoretically, strive for a strong finish despite having a depleted forward group.
Still, with more cap space than many of their contending peers, Columbus could look to add a small offensive piece before the trade deadline. The Blue Jackets weren’t previously expected to be an active deadline team but the injury to Marchenko could ultimately force their hand.