New York Rangers Reportedly Pursued Kiefer Sherwood
Before losing two franchise pillars (defenseman Adam Fox and netminder Igor Shesterkin) to injury, the New York Rangers “had been aggressively trying to trade for reinforcements,” the Athletic’s Vince Z. Mercogliano reported yesterday.
Citing multiple league sources, Mercogliano reported that the Rangers “have been pushing hard” to acquire veteran winger Kiefer Sherwood from the Vancouver Canucks, but have found the Canucks’ reported asking price of at least a first-round pick to be “prohibitive.”
The Rangers aren’t alone in their interest in Sherwood. Not only is he one of the league’s more popular trade candidates, but earlier this week, we covered reports coming out of Vancouver that the Canucks made a renewed push to try to sign the pending UFA to a contract extension.
Per CHEK and The Athletic’s Rick Dhaliwal, the Canucks made a four or five-year offer to Sherwood with an AAV north of $4MM.
With Sherwood looking increasingly likely to be traded at some point before the March 6 trade deadline, Mercogliano’s report is one of the first coming from a rival team showing clear motivation to acquire Sherwood.
On paper, it’s easy to see why New York might be interested in the veteran winger.
While new Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan and his staff have done a great job patching up the Rangers’ defense, something that was a glaring issue last season, their renewed focus on strong team defense appears to have come at the cost of the club’s offensive attack.
The Rangers rank No. 22 in the NHL in goals scored this season, and have played more games than all but one team below them. They have scored just six more goals than the St. Louis Blues, who rank last in the NHL in goals scored.
The addition of Sherwood, whose 17 goals this season would lead the Rangers, not only would provide the Rangers with a much-needed scoring boost, but he’d also bring a level of physicality and aggression that could benefit the Rangers’ forward group.
But while New York would certainly improve its immediate competitive fortunes by acquiring Sherwood, it’s fair to question whether such a move is in the franchise’s long-term best interests. The team is hardly the only club interested in acquiring Sherwood, a fact that is likely to enhance the Canucks’ odds of receiving their desired first-round pick asking price. Even if the cost is ultimately more in the second-round range, that’s still a valuable draft asset.
Should the Rangers, who sit outside of the playoff picture looking in and are missing two key players to injury, spend that kind of asset for immediate scoring help, especially when that scoring help is a pending UFA?
While New York likely wants to maximize its chances to win while Fox and Shesterkin (and other veterans such as Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller) are in their prime, it might not be wise to spend such an expensive asset on Sherwood. For as many positive qualities as he has as a player, he’s not the kind of addition that will suddenly make a middling Rangers team into a true Stanley Cup contender.
New York could badly use an infusion of young talent with upside onto its roster. Their prospect pool was ranked No. 21 in the NHL in August by Elite Prospects, but some key names look increasingly unlikely to become true NHL difference-makers, such as No. 4 prospect Brennan Othmann.
The Rangers do hold two first-round picks and a second-rounder thanks to the offseason’s K’Andre Miller trade, but given where the Rangers are in their competitive cycle, one could argue the Rangers would be better off making those picks instead of trading them for a 30-year-old pending UFA.
New York doesn’t have the easiest road back to true Stanley Cup contention, and the debate regarding their interest in Sherwood is a prime example of why. For what it’s worth, it does appear that the injuries to Fox and Shesterkin may have altered New York’s outlook on this season. Mercogliano cited two additional league sources who “believe some degree of selling is an increasingly likely outcome for the Rangers” this season.
If that ends up being the case, the Rangers could go a long way towards replenishing their stable of draft picks and prospects, especially if they end up trading pending UFA Artemi Panarin, their leading scorer. Panarin carries a full no-move clause on his contract, so any effort to trade him would need to come with the player’s direct involvement and sign-off.
If the Rangers are concerned with trying to win a Stanley Cup during what remains of the prime years of Shesterkin, 30, it could be that taking a small step back in 2025-26 is the best way to take a more substantial leap forward for 2026-27 and beyond.
Photos courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
Oilers’ Adam Henrique Out Long-Term, Placed On IR
Edmonton Oilers forward Adam Henrique is set to miss nearly two months of action after sustaining an undisclosed injury in Tuesday’s game against the Nashville Predators. The Oilers placed Henrique on IR and announced that he is expected to return after the NHL’s break for the Winter Olympics, which ends on February 24th.
When Henrique sustained his injury isn’t entirely clear. Henrique did block a shot from Predators’ winger Filip Forsberg with his wrist in his final shift of the game but didn’t appear to be in pain for the rest of his time on the ice. Whether that caused his injury or not, the veteran forward will now be forced to miss the next 14 games, at least.
Henrique has had a quiet year on the scoresheet. He only has 10 points and 12 penalty minutes in 43 games this season – a career-low scoring pace. The 35 year old has made up for that lack of scoring away from the puck. He leads Edmonton’s forwards with 57 shot blocks, ranks second among the club’s usual centers with a 54.8 faceoff percentage, and ranks fifth on the offense with 24 hits. He’s continued to fill a core, bottom-six role in Edmonton that will be hard to fill.
The Oilers will bring Trent Frederic back into the lineup in Henrique’s spot. Frederic has had a year much quieter than his rich extension would suggest, with only three points and a minus-10 in 41 games. He has posted 103 hits, though, good for second on the team behind Vasily Podkolzin. Edmonton also has Andrew Mangiapane, who has 11 points in 40 games, in the press box. They oculd also recall Quinn Hutson, who leads the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors with 35 points in 27 games.
Edmonton could be afforded a chance to figure out Henrique’s replacement by Kasperi Kapanen‘s return from a three-month long injury absence. Kapanen scored two points in Edmonton’s 6-2 win over the Predators on Tuesday. That win ended a three-game losing skid and brought Edmonton up to a 6-4-0 record in their last 10 games. Comfortably in a playoff position, Kapanen’s return could help buoy the offense while they address a new hole on the fourth line.
Ducks Recall Tim Washe, Place Petr Mrazek On Injured Reserve
According to a team announcement, the Anaheim Ducks have recalled Tim Washe from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. The Ducks also placed netminder Petr Mrázek on the injured reserve in a corresponding transaction.
Washe, 24, is in his second year with the Ducks after signing as a collegiate free agent last season. He was coming off a remarkable year, scoring 16 goals and 38 points in 42 games with the NCAA’s Western Michigan University Broncos with a +22 rating. Additionally, Washe captained the team to their first National Championship in program history.
Due to the Broncos advancing as far as possible in the national tournament, Washe only played in two games for Anaheim to conclude the 2024-25 season. This season has been spent entirely with AHL San Diego, where Washe has scored 13 goals and 25 points in 30 games, boasting a +7 rating. He’s currently tied for third with three other players in rookie scoring in the AHL.
Anaheim passed bottom-six forward Nikita Nesterenko through waivers earlier today, and Washe will likely slot into a similar role. However, it’s important to note that although Nesterenko has cleared waivers, the Ducks haven’t yet reassigned him to AHL San Diego, necessitating the additional roster move with Mrázek.
Meanwhile, Mrázek’s placement on the IR was largely expected. The 14-year veteran left Monday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers with an undisclosed injury, and the Ducks quickly recalled Ville Husso on an emergency basis the following day. Throughout the season, his first in Anaheim, Mrázek has compiled a 3-5-0 record in eight starts, with a .858 SV% and a 4.07 GAA in a backup role.
Penguins Place Rutger McGroarty On IR, Assign Harrison Brunicke To Juniors
The Penguins have placed forward Rutger McGroarty on injured reserve, per a team announcement. McGroarty sustained a concussion after colliding with teammate Connor Clifton during Tuesday’s practice. As such, there is no timeline for his return, the team noted. Additionally, the Pens announced they’ve reassigned defenseman Harrison Brunicke to the Western Hockey League’s Kamloops Blazers after he suited up for Team Canada at this year’s World Juniors.
McGroarty entered the season as Pittsburgh’s top prospect but has had a rocky few months. After churning out 39 points in 60 AHL games as a rookie last season and making his NHL debut, he was expected to break camp with the Pens – potentially even in a top-six role – but sustained an upper-body injury that knocked him out of training camp. He was activated in November and spent his first couple of weeks in the minors on what was essentially a conditioning stint before getting added back to Pittsburgh’s roster on Dec. 1.
He’s been a staple in the lineup since returning, at least until his healthy scratch on Sunday against the Blue Jackets, but those designs of a top-six role have gone unfulfilled. McGroarty has instead spent most of his time on an all-rookie third line with Ville Koivunen and Benjamin Kindel, but the production hasn’t popped.
In 16 games, the 21-year-old has been limited to two goals and one assist with a -5 rating. Including last year’s late-season call-up, he’s only produced six points in 24 career outings. That line with Koivunen and Kindel has had great possession impacts, recording a team-high 59.8 xGF% at 5-on-5, but that hasn’t yet translated into results.
Any chance of those advanced numbers spiking a turnaround in McGroarty’s scoring will have to be put on hold. Recent trade pickup Yegor Chinakhov has slotted into McGroarty’s spot and, considering he’s got a goal and an assist in three games since his acquisition from Columbus, appears set to remain in a top-nine role for the foreseeable future.
Brunicke returning to juniors isn’t a surprise, especially with the more experienced Jack St. Ivany locking down a job as Pittsburgh’s third-pairing righty behind Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang since recovering from an early-season injury. Many still view the 19-year-old as the organization’s top defense prospect, but his initial NHL showing wasn’t much to write home about.
The 6’3″, 201-lb righty was in and out of the lineup for weeks before being loaned to the Canadian national junior team last month, only making nine appearances with one assist and a -4 rating. He averaged 15:43 of ice time per game and posted a -6 rating in his final three outings.
Since Brunicke didn’t hit the 10-game mark before being returned to Kamloops, his entry-level contract will not go into effect this season. He will still receive the $87.5K signing bonus he’s owed, though, further reducing his cap hit from its original $875K down to $816.7K when he is no longer slide eligible next year.
Snapshots: Marchand, Kings, Fleury, Flyers
Speaking with reporters this morning including Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link), Panthers winger Brad Marchand stated that had he not re-signed with Florida before free agency started, the Maple Leafs were the other team he was considering signing with. Johnston went on to add in a piece for The Athletic (subscription link) that Toronto is believed to have passed up on a chance to acquire someone in June to ensure they’d have the cap space to try to sign the 37-year-old. While there was an expectation that Florida couldn’t afford to keep him, he ultimately re-signed on a six-year, $31.5MM pact. Marchand, who exited tonight’s game in Toronto early, had a very strong first half of the season, picking up 23 goals and 23 assists in 40 games, putting him on pace for more than 90 points, a mark he has only reached once.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- Kings center Anze Kopitar (lower body) and winger Joel Armia (upper body) are listed as day-to-day, per Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider (Twitter link). The injuries were sustained in Monday’s game against Minnesota. Kopitar has 21 points in 37 games in his final season while Armia has 16 points in 41 outings in his first season with them after coming over from Montreal in free agency. If one of them can’t play on Wednesday against San Jose, they do have an open roster spot available.
- The Jets announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Haydn Fleury was transported to hospital by ambulance following a hit from Vegas winger Keegan Kolesar. He was fully alert and moving his extremities at the time. The team is expected to provide a further update when more information becomes available.
- Despite a strong night on the scoreboard, it was a tough night on the injury front for the Flyers. The team announced (Twitter links) that winger Bobby Brink (upper body) and defenseman Jamie Drysdale left with injuries and did not return. Brink was injured on a hit from Jansen Harkins while Drysdale was injured by Ross Johnston, who was ejected for his hit on the play. There were no updates on either player after the game.
Buffalo Sabres To Activate Jason Zucker
After seeing their 10-game winning streak come to a close a few days ago, the Buffalo Sabres will get a boost to their forward core. In an injury update released by the team earlier this afternoon, the Sabres announced that Jason Zucker will return to the lineup tomorrow against the Vancouver Canucks.
The Sabres revealed that Zucker has been healthy for some time, but the coaching staff didn’t feel comfortable removing anyone from the lineup due to their current performance. In fact, head coach Lindy Ruff indicated that Zucker could have returned on December 31st against the Dallas Stars, and was frustrated he was unable to.
Ruff was quoted as saying, “I think (he’s) a little frustrated he wasn’t put back in earlier, but I think the little extra time will help him, too, and I think he can help us. I talked to him before that Dallas game, and he was anxious to get back in, which he should be. Any player that sits out shouldn’t be happy; if he’s happy, he’s in the wrong business.”
Zucker will return tomorrow after nearly a month away from the game due to lower- and upper-body injuries. Before being placed on the injured reserve on December 8th, Zucker had scored nine goals and 18 points in 21 games with a -10 rating, averaging 15:36 of ice time per game. Nine of those points came on Buffalo’s power play.
The Sabres’ power play is expected to benefit the most from Zucker’s return. Although Buffalo ended December with a 10-game winning streak, their power play struggled, achieving only a 15.2% success rate. They’ve scored 19.1% of the time with the man advantage when Zucker is in the lineup.
Before the Olympic break, outside of their recent hot streak, the Sabres have a massive opportunity in January to further entrench themselves in the playoff conversation in the Eastern Conference. They have a particularly difficult stretch in front of them, lining up nine times against teams currently positioned in a postseason spot in their remaining 14 games through the end of the month.
Matthew Tkachuk To Join Panthers On Road Trip, Return Uncertain
The Florida Panthers could receive a superstar addition during their upcoming six-game road-trip through Canada and the American East Coast. Winger Matthew Tkachuk has been practicing with the club for the last week and has a loose target for his return – but hasn’t yet stepped up to full-contact practice – per David Dwork of The Hockey News. Tkachuk added that he may have stretched the truth when he returned from his injury for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Tkachuk played in all 23 games of Florida’s run to a second consecutive Stanley Cup.
Tkachuk has taken a long road to recovery for a adductor injury sustained during the 2025 4-Nations Face-Off. He opted to undergo surgery early in September and had an estimated return of January, which he is on track to uphold with a return soon.
The Panthers have found their way to a successful record without Tkachuk and star two-way center Aleksander Barkov this season – but their absences have still been strongly felt. Florida ranks 15th in the NHL in goals scored after finishing first, sixth, and 11th in that mark over the last three seasons. Those finishes – and a dip outside of the top-10 last year – can be largely attributed to Tkachuk’s impact on the top line. The American star recorded 40 goals and 109 points in 79 games of the 2022-23 season, when Florida topped the league in goals. He followed that with 88 points in 2023-24, then 57 points in 52 games last year. All throughout, his mix of top-level skill and unrelenting grit have served to set the tempo of Florida’s forecheck.
Tkachuk didn’t seem to mind the injury in his brief return last season. He scored 23 points in the postseason, continuing a near-point-per-game streak that stretches back to the 2023 postseason. With three months of recovery under his belt, it seems the last step for Tkachuk will be to donn the full-contact jersey and boost his conditioning. The Panthers face tough competition throughout their upcoming road trip, including matchups against the Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, and Washington Capitals. Adding Tkachuk to the lineup against that level of competition would be a quick way to boost Florida’s odds of snapping a recent 2-3-1 skid.
Adding Tkachuk back to the lineup will likely knock Jack Studnicka back to the extra forward role. Studnicka has no points in 14 games this season and has received as few as four minutes of ice time while playing games from his bottom-line role. He’ll be a certain choice to move into a depth position, while A.J. Greer and Eetu Luostarinen could see some knocked minutes in favor of the Panthers’ star.
Metro Notes: Wilson, Zegras, Protas
The Washington Capitals are dealing with a high-level injury concern from their contest against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight. The Capitals announced that forward Tom Wilson is questionable to return after suffering a lower-body injury.
Wilson suffered the injury in the first period of tonight’s contest. Although the specifics of the injury are unknown at this time, Wilson appeared to awkwardly bend his right ankle after being on the receiving end of a reverse hit from Blackhawks’ defenseman Connor Murphy.
It would be a significant blow on a few fronts if Wilson is dealing with a longer-term ailment. He currently leads Washington in scoring with 22 goals and 42 points in 40 games, and was recently named to Team Canada for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics set to take place in February.
Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- In his recent mailbag, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic speculated what a potential extension might look like between the Philadelphia Flyers and Trevor Zegras. Without knowing details of hypothetical conversations, Kurz believes that a five-year, $45MM ($9MM AAV) sounds right for Zegras. A five-year extension for Zegras would buy out three years of his UFA-eligibility window, while a $9MM salary would make him the highest-paid forward on the team. Kurz also asserted that an extension between the Flyers and Zegras was inevitable.
- Wilson isn’t the only injured member of the Capitals’ forward core. Before tonight’s puck drops, Washington shared that Aliaksei Protas would miss the game due to a lower-body injury. Protas, 25, is the Capitals’ fifth-highest scorer with 16 goals and 31 points in 41 games with a +21 rating. He was relatively banged up in Washington’s recent loss to the Ottawa Senators, so he may only need a day to rest.
West Injury Notes: Avalanche, Klingberg, Mukhamadullin
Much like he did a few days ago ahead of their road trip through the southeast, Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar provided a few more injury updates this afternoon. Provided by Corey Misiak of The Denver Post, Bednar said that the team is expecting netminder Mackenzie Blackwood and forward Joel Kiviranta to return after the trip.
Additionally, on the positive side of the update, Bedar indicated that although he won’t play tonight, forward Gavin Brindley may return as early as tomorrow against the Florida Panthers. Both Kiviranta and Brindley are dealing with lower-body injuries, though neither is expected to miss too much time.
The news is also good regarding Blackwood. The Avalanche did not initially provide a timeline for his recovery, so a few days missed should not significantly impact their chances on the three-game road trip. Bednar mentioned to Misiak that Blackwood’s injury was discovered at the team’s practice on Thursday.
Other injury notes from the Western Conference:
- The San Jose Sharks were missing blueliner John Klingberg in their blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning today. Before the game, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now shared that Klingberg is dealing with a lower-body issue. The Sharks could have used Klingberg’s offensive capabilities today, as he’s scored nine goals and 16 points in his first 31 games with the club.
- Outside of Klingberg, the Sharks are dealing with another injured defenseman from today’s game. Shortly before the start of the third period, San Jose shared that Shakir Mukhamadullin has exited the game due to injury, without specifying if it was a lower or upper-body issue. The 23-year-old defenseman skated in 5:33 of today’s contest, earning a -3 rating with one blocked shot.
East Notes: Dubois, Kesselring, Horvat, Nylander
Capitals center Pierre-Luc Dubois has started skating as he continues to work his way back from abdominal surgery two months ago, reports Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post (Twitter link). The original recovery timeline for the procedure was three to four months so he’s past the halfway point now. However, head coach Spencer Carbery quickly mentioned that the 27-year-old won’t return until after the Olympic break next month. Dubois got off to a slow start before the injury and was held without a point in his first six games but he was a key contributor last season, tallying a career-high 66 points. He’ll certainly be a welcome addition for Washington for the stretch run.
Elsewhere in the East:
- Sabres defenseman Michael Kesselring missed today’s game against Columbus due to a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day, relays Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald (Twitter link). It has been a rough start to the year for the 25-year-old, who is in his first season with Buffalo after coming over from Utah in an offseason trade. Kesselring has missed more games than he has played due to injury and is still looking for his first point after being held off the scoresheet in his first 16 outings after putting up 29 points just last season.
- Islanders center Bo Horvat skated on his own today, just two days after suffering a lower-body injury, notes Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News (Twitter link). Head coach Patrick Roy noted that the veteran seems to be doing well but couldn’t provide a timeline for his return. At a minimum, Horvat will miss the next week, making him IR-eligible should New York need to open up a short-term roster spot. Horvat, who was named to Canada’s Olympic team this week, has 21 goals and 12 assists in 36 games this season.
- Maple Leafs winger William Nylander will miss his fourth straight game tonight due to a lower-body injury, mentions David Alter of The Hockey News. However, head coach Craig Berube indicated that Nylander is progressing well and the hope is that he could be back on the ice on Monday for practice. Despite missing seven games due to various injuries this season, Nylander still leads Toronto in scoring with 14 goals and 27 assists in 33 games.