Fallout From The Mikko Rantanen Trade
After one of the biggest in-season acquisitions since the New Jersey Devils acquired Ilya Kovalchuk for a massive haul in the 2009-10 season, more information has begun trickling out regarding Mikko Rantanen and the Carolina Hurricanes.
In an article in The Athletic (Subscription Required), Pierre LeBrun explains that only a few teams knew Rantanen was available. LeBrun indicates that Colorado’s first intention was to extend Mikko, but general manager Chris MacFarland had already called a few teams, saying they may call back about the Finnish sniper.
Extension talks between Rantanen and the Avalanche had increased over the last few weeks. However, the ‘Nathan MacKinnon-internal cap’ gave MacFarland the sense that Mikko wouldn’t sign an extension in the next five months. LeBrun believes Rantanen would have taken less money than Leon Draisaitl received from the Edmonton Oilers ($14MM) but wasn’t willing to make such a drastic cut that he made less than MacKinnon’s $12.6MM salary.
Unsurprisingly, Cory Lavalette from the North State Journal reports the Hurricanes have already had preliminary extension discussions with Rantanen’s agent. Given their history together on Team Finland, Rantanen is already familiar with Sebastian Aho, but he’ll want to get comfortable in Carolina before talks can progress.
As far as what that hypothetical extension may look like — Harman Dayal took a stab at that in a recent article on The Athletic (Subscription Required). Dayal argues that Rantanen’s fairest comparable is Boston Bruins’ forward David Pastrňák who was given 13.5% of the salary cap for the first year of his current contract.
Assuming the salary cap increases to the reported $97 million for next season, that would place Rantanen around the $13.1 million range. It’s already been made clear that Rantanen and his agent have other ideas, as he and the Avalanche likely could have worked out an agreeable salary should that have been the starting point.
Lastly, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman offered some insight regarding the main piece heading back to Colorado — Martin Nečas. Friedman asserts that the Avalanche were not the only team Nečas had been offered to. He believes Nečas was a part of recent trade discussions with the Vancouver Canucks for Elias Pettersson, but not for J.T. Miller.
The acquisition of Rantanen and Taylor Hall likely wraps up all of the headling-making trades for the Hurricanes. Still, despite the cap surgery required for the move, the Hurricanes could circle back on Miller if the Canucks are open to other players on Carolina’s roster.
Devils’ Jacob Markstrom Out 4-6 Weeks With Knee Sprain
Jan. 24: Markstrom’s absence will likely stand in the four-to-six-week range, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast. That keeps him out of the 4 Nations tournament and potentially up until the trade deadline, but all indications point to him being back between the pipes for the stretch run.
Jan. 23: A frightening situation from last night’s game against the Boston Bruins has worsened for the New Jersey Devils. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported that Devils’ goaltender Jacob Markstrom has been diagnosed with a knee sprain and could be sidelined until after the 4 Nations Face-Off, which concludes mid-February.
Weekes states that the diagnosis is more favorable than anticipated, but it adds insult to injury for a team that has struggled recently. Bruins’ forward Justin Brazeau collided with Markstrom early in the second period of yesterday’s game, causing the Swedish goaltender to awkwardly hit his net. Markstrom exited the game after 23:09 of action, having stopped six out of seven shots.
After managing three straight wins against intra-divisional opponents in mid-December, New Jersey has amassed a 3-6-3 record in their last 12 games falling to third place in the Metropolitan Division. It’s difficult to blame Markstrom for the rough patch given he’s managed a respectable .907 save percentage over the same span. Throughout the regular season, Markstrom has been exactly what the Devils needed with a 21-9-5 record in 36 starts with a .910 SV% and 2.20 goals-against average.
While Jake Allen may not be as skilled as Markstrom, he is certainly a better option than many backup goaltenders. This season, he has started 14 games for New Jersey, recording a 6-8-1 record with a .901 save percentage and a 2.66 goals-against average. New Jersey only has seven games between now and the end of February’s international tournament so he won’t have too much to shoulder. Although it may be challenging to count on Allen to steal wins for the Devils, he remains a capable veteran goalie.
In addition to the impact of Markstrom’s injury on the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference playoff race, it could pose a significant challenge for Team Sweden. The team is already facing the potential unavailability of Linus Ullmark due to his injury status, and Filip Gustavsson has struggled with a .839 save percentage over his last four starts, which has not instilled much confidence. Multiple sources indicate that Philadelphia Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson would be called to fill the role if neither Markstrom nor Ullmark can participate in the Four Nations Face-Off because of injury.
Winnipeg Jets Reassign Dominic Toninato
After nearly a month on the NHL roster, Dominic Toninato is heading to the AHL. The Winnipeg Jets announced they’ve reassigned Toninato to their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.
It’ll likely be his last stint with the Jets. Toninato has been on the active roster for 24 days, so if he spends six more days in Winnipeg, he’ll need to clear waivers again this season. The Jets are back down to 12 healthy forwards after the roster move thanks to Mason Appleton‘s recent activation from injured reserve and Adam Lowry‘s placement on it.
Winnipeg hardly used him during his recent call-up, as he went scoreless in four games and averaged 8:03 of ice time per game. Still, it’s reasonable to think the Jets will want another forward on their roster in case of additional injuries.
Toninato has the most NHL experience of any prospective forward call-ups but not the only one. Winnipeg could recall any of Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Mason Shaw, or Axel Jonsson-Fjällby should they want a depth forward familiar with the top level.
The Jets’ most pressing need is down the middle of the ice after Lowry’s injury giving Anderson-Dolan the inside track for a potential call-up. He’s spent the entire season with AHL Manitoba scoring two goals and two assists in 24 games.
Boston Bruins Recall Michael DiPietro
Michael DiPietro, American Hockey League All-Star for the Providence Bruins, will get his first look on the bench with the Boston Bruins this evening. The Bruins announced they’ve recalled DiPietro from their AHL affiliate to fill in for Jeremy Swayman as he deals with a minor injury.
Still, aside from an injury to Joonas Korpisalo or a lopsided affair against the Ottawa Senators, DiPietro will have to wait to debut with the Bruins. Should he be needed; however, it will be exactly three years to the day that DiPietro last suited up in an NHL contest.
Boston acquired DiPietro from the Vancouver Canucks in the 2022-23 season as a part of the package that sent Jack Studnicka to British Columbia. He spent much of that year for the Bruins’ ECHL affiliate, the Maine Mariners, posting a 19-9-0 record in 29 games with a .918 save percentage.
DiPietro hasn’t looked back since becoming a full-time netminder with AHL Providence. He split the net with Brandon Bussi last season posting an 18-9-2 record in 30 games with a .918 SV% and 2.51 goals-against average, including four shutouts. For better or for worse, Providence tasked Bussi with playoff duties despite DiPietro’s marginally better output, and they were ousted in four games against the Hartford Wolf Pack.
The Windsor, Ontario native is still sharing the net with Bussi this season albeit starting a few more games. DiPietro has already been named to the Eastern Conference All-Star Team with a 14-5-4 record in 22 games with a .930 SV%. Not only is DiPietro leading Providence in save percentage by a large margin, he sits second only to Devin Cooley in the entire AHL for netminders that have started in 20 or more contests.
Toronto Maple Leafs Recall Matt Murray, Reassign Dennis Hildeby
Although they don’t play until Saturday, the Toronto Maple Leafs are making a small move between the pipes. Toronto announced they’ve recalled veteran netminder Matt Murray and reassigned goaltender Dennis Hildeby to their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.
It’ll be Murray’s first opportunity back in the NHL over the last month. Due to injuries, the veteran puck-stopper hadn’t played a game for the Maple Leafs since April 2, 2023, and returned to the NHL toward the end of the 2024 calendar year.
His first start in 628 days came against the Buffalo Sabres when Murray stopped 24 of 27 shots and secured the win. His next start wasn’t as productive, stopping only 27 of 31 shots for a .871 save percentage in a loss against the Washington Capitals.
Still, his time with AHL Toronto has been more than fruitful this year, earning an 8-4-3 record in 15 games with a .934 SV%, 1.68 goals-against average, and three shutouts. The 30-year-old native of Thunder Bay, Ontario is in a difficult situation where he hasn’t recently been healthy enough to be a consistent netminder in the NHL and is almost too good for the AHL.
Hildeby returns to a familiar environment after playing backup duty for Joseph Woll for the last month. He was hardly used by the Maple Leafs during that stretch, posting a 1-2-0 record in three starts against the Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, and Columbus Blue Jackets, respectively, with a .868 SV%. His track record this year and beyond has been much better for the Marlies where Hildeby has managed a .916 SV% in eight games on the current campaign.
Ottawa Senators To Activate David Perron, Move Linus Ullmark To LTIR
Jan. 23rd: The Senators needed to create additional cap space to activate Perron for tonight’s game. PuckPedia reports that Ottawa has moved goaltender Linus Ullmark and his $5MM to LTIR opening up the necessary room for Perron and another $1MM in space. Unfortunately, PuckPedia added that the organization would need to clear an additional $1.9MM from their books when they eventually activate Ullmark.
Jan. 22nd: Longtime veteran winger David Perron is expected to return for the first time since before American Thanksgiving. Although no official announcement has come from the Ottawa Senators, Matt Porter of The Boston Globe reports Perron will suit up tomorrow night against the Boston Bruins.
The timing couldn’t be better for Perron or the Senators. The former has been limited to nine games this season due to unfortunate complications in the birth of his daughter and a nagging back injury for the last few weeks. Even if Perron stays healthy enough to play in Ottawa’s remaining 35 games, it’ll be the first time since the 2010-11 season he’s failed to play 45 or more regular season contests.
Still, his return can’t be seen as anything other than a positive. Thanks to a 14-8-3 run over their last 25 games, the Senators are hanging on to the top wild-card position in the Eastern Conference. Given that Ottawa is the eighth youngest team in the NHL and Perron is only one of three former Stanley Cup champions on the roster, his experience should prove a boon as they compete for a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
Perron’s return should also help alleviate some issues in the team’s bottom six. Because the Senators are closer to the salary cap ceiling than they’ve been in seasons past, the bottom six of their forward core is largely composed of spare parts.
The veteran winger should provide more consistency to that group assuming he stays healthy the rest of the way. Ottawa has more pressing needs on the blue line during the trade deadline season which is where much of their focus is expected to go.
Flyers Reassign Aleksei Kolosov, Olle Lycksell; Recall Anthony Richard
The Philadelphia Flyers will no longer carry three goaltenders on their roster. The team announced that they have reassigned goaltender Aleksei Kolosov and forward Olle Lycksell to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In a corresponding move, they recalled forward Anthony Richard.
Goaltending has been an issue for the Flyers this year. The team is currently in last place in the NHL, with a save percentage of only .874, and has had difficulty maintaining consistency in net for much of the season.
Since the start of 2025, the narrative has shifted. Samuel Ersson has emerged as the primary goaltender, boasting a 5-1-0 record in six starts and a .920 save percentage since New Year’s. Meanwhile, Kolosov, who hasn’t played for the Flyers since January 2nd, has become the odd man out, especially since he is exempt from waivers.
The demotion appears to be a prudent move for the young netminder. Since finally joining the Flyers organization last season, Kolosov has earned a 2-3-1 record in six AHL games with a .878 SV% and 3.20 goals-against average. Given his similar production in the NHL, it might be time for Kolosov to get more consistent starts to build up his confidence.
In the less noteworthy part of the transaction — Lycksell returns to AHL Lehigh Valley after going scoreless in five straight games in Philadelphia. He’s understandably been much more productive with the Phantoms scoring nine goals and 24 points in 25 games this season.
The Flyers have decided to rely on Richard’s more readily available talent. Although he hasn’t played in Philadelphia since mid to late November, he was one of the team’s highest-scoring players during that stretch. In his previous call-up from November 7 to November 20, Richard scored two goals and recorded six points in seven games, with five coming at even strength.
Carolina Hurricanes Recall Riley Stillman
Before tomorrow’s intra-division game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Carolina Hurricanes added some depth to their blue line. The Hurricanes announced they’ve recalled defenseman Riley Stillman from their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.
Stillman lost the first month of the 2024-25 NHL season to a lower-body injury and was finally activated from the injured non-roster list on November 12th. Since clearing waivers the next day, the seven-year veteran has received five call-ups by Carolina this year.
He’s been a stable presence on AHL Chicago’s blue line this season. Although he’s only scored two goals and five points in 15 contests, that’s only one point shy of his 47-game output from last season. Aside from his mild offensive production, Stillman has a -2 rating on the year and is sixth on the team in PIMs.
Although the Hurricanes face several injuries to their forwards, the team’s blue line is not currently affected. That makes Stillman’s recall more peculiar, given that a home game against the Blue Jackets wouldn’t require additional depth.
Paper Transactions: 1/22/25
According to a team announcement, the Colorado Avalanche have recalled forwards Ivan Ivan and Jere Innala to the NHL roster. The transaction marks the 10th time this year Ivan has been promoted to the Avalanche and the fifth time for Innala.
Even though he’s been formally reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, nine times, Ivan has only suited up in two AHL contests this season. Most of his playing time has come with the Avalanche, where he’s scored five goals and eight points in 39 games, averaging 10:09 of ice time per game. Ivan hasn’t been without value for the Avalanche this season, sitting 13th out of all 25 forwards used by Colorado this season in CorsiFor% (51.6%) while starting 67.3% of his shifts in the defensive zone.
The same can’t be said for Innala. He’s been a physical presence in Colorado’s bottom six this season over 14 games but has yet to tally his first NHL point. He ranks 23rd of all forwards used in CorsiFor% with a 45.1% mark. Innala will likely have a full-time role in the AHL carved out by the end of the season should the Avalanche add to their forward depth at the trade deadline.
Additional paper transactions:
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have again reassigned defenseman Maxwell Crozier to their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. Crozier has been filling in for the injured Erik Černák, managing a +1 rating in the last three games while averaging 17:06 of ice time per game. Remarkably, thanks to a consistently healthy roster, Crozier is only the eighth defenseman to play more than two games for the Lightning this season.
- Finishing off the list of paper transactions are the Dallas Stars, who have reassigned forward Matěj Blümel to their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars. It is the fifth time Blümel has been reassigned to AHL Texas in a season where he’s scored one goal in seven NHL contests. Since he’ll be 25 and won’t hit 80 career games by the end of the season, Blümel will become a ‘Group 6’ unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.
Minnesota Wild Reassign David Jiříček
Given that the Minnesota Wild are expected to activate forward Kirill Kaprizov and defenseman Jared Spurgeon before tomorrow’s game against the Utah Hockey Club, at least one player needed to come off the roster. According to a team announcement, the player in question will be defenseman David Jiříček, who the team has reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild.
It was difficult to ascertain any concrete expectations for Jiříček in his first real go-around with the Wild. Although he had been on the NHL roster after the team acquired him from the Columbus Blue Jackets, he had only participated in practice.
Once the team originally sent him to AHL Iowa, he was expected to continue or improve upon his nine-goal, 22-point effort in 33 games he had achieved from the start of the 2023-24 season with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. Instead, Jiříček fell short of those expectations, tallying only two assists in his first 11 games.
The Wild recalled Jiříček on January 8th to replace the injured Spurgeon but he produced many of the same results. Jiříček went scoreless over the first four games of the call-up averaging 12:56 of ice time per game.
Still, Jiříček was determined not to leave the Wild with a bad taste in their mouth, showing flashes of exactly why he was drafted with the sixth overall selection of the 2022 NHL Draft. In two games against the Nashville Predators and Colorado Avalanche, Jiříček scored one goal and one assist with a +2 rating averaging 13:16 of ice time.
It was readily apparent that Jiříček had more confidence with the puck and was more engaged in the action because of it. As he heads back to Des Moines, IA to continue his development with the Wild’s AHL affiliate, the team can only hope he brings that same confidence to his AHL contests.