Central Notes: Mikheyev, Namestnikov, Stars, Parayko
The Blackhawks showed some interest in signing pending UFA winger Ilya Mikheyev to a contract extension but now, they’ve put his name out there in trade talks, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link). The 31-year-old has 11 goals and 12 assists in 53 games this season while averaging a career-high 17:17 per night of playing time. Mikheyev has a $4.0375MM cap charge with Chicago (Vancouver is covering the rest of his $4.75MM AAV) and the Blackhawks will need to further pay that down to maximize their return. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times suggests that the team might only be willing to go as high as two years on an extension offer for Mikheyev, albeit likely at an above-market rate. While that would allow him to potentially maximize his earnings and would keep in line with similar deals GM Kyle Davidson has done, this might be his last shot at a long-term contract. The stability of that might outweigh the value of getting top dollar.
More from the Central:
- Jets forward Vladislav Namestnikov left last night’s game with a lower-body injury, relays Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press. The injury, which appeared to be a leg issue, happened early in the second period when he got tangled up with teammate Adam Lowry in the neutral zone. Head coach Scott Arniel told reporters including Wiebe (Twitter link) that the veteran is listed as out week-to-week. Namestnikov, who has been one of Winnipeg’s more versatile players this season, has seven goals and six assists through 57 outings.
- While he won’t be in the lineup tonight against Nashville, Stars center Roope Hintz is expected to skate tomorrow and travel with the team for their upcoming road trip, notes Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). He has been dealing with an illness since returning from the Olympics but it appears he’s at least nearing a return. Radek Faksa’s situation is a little more uncertain as Assimakopoulos adds that it’s unclear if he will accompany the team on the trip. The center suffered a lower-body injury at the Olympics and is currently on injured reserve although he is eligible to be activated at any time.
- Blues defenseman Colton Parayko will be scratched from today’s game against New Jersey due to back spasms, according to Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link). Parayko was a regular for Canada at the Olympics and was a full participant on Thursday, logging over 21 minutes. Through 58 games this season, the 32-year-old has a goal and 13 assists along with 141 blocked shots.
Andrei Kuzmenko Undergoes Meniscus Surgery
Already down a key offensive winger in Kevin Fiala who is out for the season, the Kings are now going to be without another offensive winger for at least a little while. The team announced that Andrei Kuzmenko has undergone successful surgery to repair a torn meniscus and is listed as out week-to-week; he has also been placed on injured reserve. Taking his spot on the active roster is defenseman Angus Booth, who has been recalled from AHL Ontario.
Kuzmenko is in his first full season with Los Angeles after being acquired at the trade deadline last season. A strong finish saw him put up five goals and 12 assists in just 22 games down the stretch before putting up six points in six games in the playoffs. That performance helped keep him around as Los Angeles signed Kuzmenko to a one-year, $4.3MM contract to keep him from testing unrestricted free agency.
Things haven’t gone quite as well for the 30-year-old this season, however. Kuzmenko has been limited to 13 goals and 12 assists through 52 appearances although he still ranks seventh on the team in points with Los Angeles being one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NHL. Now, with him and Fiala out of the lineup, there will be even more pressure on Artemi Panarin in the short term to pick up the slack while GM Ken Holland might be more motivated to try to seek out some scoring help over the coming days as well. Projected to have more than $15MM in cap room on deadline day, per PuckPedia, Los Angeles has plenty of room to add to its roster.
As for Booth, this is his first career NHL recall. The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Kings in 2022, going 116th overall out of the QMJHL. In his second professional season, Booth has played exclusively with the Reign and has a goal and nine assists in 42 games. With Drew Doughty exiting Thursday’s game with a lower-body injury, it appears that Booth will serve as the seventh defender until the veteran is able to return.
Panthers’ Cole Schwindt Out Long-Term
Coming out of the Olympics, the Florida Panthers were expecting several injured players back relatively soon, particularly to reinforce their bottom-six. Unfortunately, another void has been opened. Insider George Richards reported that forward Cole Schwindt is out long-term with a lower-body injury.
It’s the second major injury for Schwindt this season. Earlier this season, he suffered an arm fracture that caused him to miss a few months. Florida didn’t provide any specifics on Schwindt’s injury or recovery timeline. The only known information was that he suffered the injury yesterday evening against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Although Schwindt’s absence won’t create a massive hole for the Panthers, it adds another layer of uncertainty that the team has faced all season. Looking to repeat as Stanley Cup champions for the third consecutive season, Florida is in danger of missing the playoffs entirely. That situation has been greatly impacted by the numerous injuries the team has encountered this season.
Schwindt, 24, is in his first year back with the Panthers. The former third-round pick enjoyed a pair of stops with the Calgary Flames and Vegas Golden Knights before returning to Sunrise last offseason.
Outside of his pair of injuries, he’s been a decent plug-and-play forward for the Panthers this season. He’s registered three goals and one assist in 22 games while averaging 8:51 of ice time per game. Additionally, he’s recorded 25 hits in his limited role, along with a 52.0% CorsiFor% at even strength.
Jets Place Nino Niederreiter On IR; Reassign Domenic DiVincentiis
According to a team announcement, the Winnipeg Jets have placed forward Nino Niederreiter on the injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. Additionally, the Jets have reassigned netminder Domenic DiVincentiis to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.
There’s not much known about Niederreiter’s injury. Head coach Scott Arniel told reporters a few days ago that Niederreiter was expected to miss the next few weeks, but didn’t offer any specifics. It’s assumed that Niederreiter suffered the injury while participating in the recent Olympics for Switzerland. Niederreiter finished the tournament with one goal in five games with a -3 rating.
Falling further down the lineup this season, Niederreiter hasn’t been as successful as in years past. At the time of writing, the 33-year-old winger has registered eight goals and 19 points in 55 games, averaging 13:54 of ice time. That ATOI is the lowest he’s averaged since his sophomore campaign in the 2011-12 NHL season.
Regardless, Niederreiter’s absence won’t put much of a speed bump in the Jets’ lineup. In Winnipeg’s last game, their first since the Olympics concluded, they utilized a third line of Gustav Nyquist, Jonathan Toews, and Vladislav Namestnikov en route to an overtime win.
Meanwhile, DiVincentiis returns to the AHL after serving as the team’s backup on Wednesday. He was originally recalled to serve as a practice player as typical starter Connor Hellebuyck reacclimated himself to the NHL. Hellebuyck is expected to start for the Jets tonight in his first action since an all-world Olympic performance where he won five out of five contests with a .956 SV%, including a 41-save showing against Canada in the Gold Medal game.
Kings’ Andrei Kuzmenko Out With Injury
The Los Angeles Kings will be without forward Andrei Kuzmenko in Thursday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, head coach Jim Hiller told reporters including Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period. Kuzmenko will aim to work his way back to full health before the Kings take on the Calgary Flames on Saturday.
Kuzmenko did not play in the third period of Los Angeles’ February 5th match against Vegas, though he did not appear to sustain a clear injury. He played a full game, and even posted two assists, in the Kings’ return from the Olympic break on Wednesday.
The Russian winger has found a nice scoring touch as of late. Wednesday’s game brought him to four points in his last three games, though Los Angeles would go on to lose all three. That scoring continued a strong new-year for Kuzmenko, who now has 13 points in 19 games since the calendar turned over. He is up to 13 goals and 25 points in 52 games this season, strong enough scoring to earn Kuzmenko upwards of 20 minutes a night through points of this season. His absence will leave the Kings searching for another playmaker, now without wingers Kuzmenko and Kevin Fiala, who sustained multiple fractures in his left leg during the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Los Angeles will tap extra forward Taylor Ward to fill Kuzmenko’s hole in the lineup. Ward has scored four points in 15 NHL games this season. He has also notched 12 goals and 21 points in 32 games with the AHL’s Ontario Reign, matching his goal-total and six points shy of his point-total from 66 AHL games last season. Ward should fill a bottom-line role, while Los Angeles looks towards recent star addition Artemi Panarin to replace the scoring left vacant by Kuzmenko and Fiala. Panarin recorded two assists in his Kings debut on Wednesday, and led the New York Rangers in scoring with 57 points in 52 games prior to his trade.
Ducks Activate Leo Carlsson
Anaheim’s push to hold onto a playoff spot will get a boost tonight as center Leo Carlsson has been activated off injured reserve, according to the NHL’s Media Site. The Ducks had an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made but their roster is now at the maximum of 23.
Carlsson underwent a procedure in mid-January to treat a Morel-Lavallée lesion in his left thigh. The initial recovery timeline was three to five weeks. At the time, the hope was that he’d be able to suit up for Sweden at the Olympics but ultimately, he wasn’t able to participate.
Before being sidelined, Carlsson had been one of the breakout performers in the first half of the season. Head coach Joel Quenneville had the 21-year-old playing a more prominent role compared to his sophomore campaign and the center responded with 44 points in 44 games, a total that made him Anaheim’s leading scorer prior to the injury.
Despite missing a dozen games, Carlsson has only slipped to a share of second place in team scoring, behind only winger Cutter Gauthier. He’s also tied with fellow youngster Beckett Sennecke and veteran winger Troy Terry for that number two spot in points.
It’s not all good news on the injury front for Anaheim, however. Derek Lee of The Hockey News relays that forward Mikael Granlund will miss tonight’s game against Edmonton due to an upper-body injury sustained at the Olympics. Fortunately for them, he’s expected to skate on Thursday and hasn’t been ruled out of Friday’s contest versus Winnipeg.
Sabres Announce Multiple IR Moves
The Buffalo Sabres have sorted out their injuries ahead of their return to action on Wednesday night. Forwards Joshua Norris and Joshua Dunne, as well as goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, have been activated from injured reserve and will be available for Wednesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils. In a corresponding move, Buffalo has also placed wingers Zach Benson and Jordan Greenway on IR per NHL.com’s Heather Engel. Greenway has not played since January 22nd, while Benson missed Buffalo’s final game before break on February 5th.
Buffalo will exchange roster forwards with these moves. Norris has served a middle-six center role when healthy but has only appeared in 19 games this season as he battled through multiple injuries. His most recent was sustained on January 14th, in a matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers. The 26 year old has racked up 17 points in his appearances this season, the third-highest scoring pace on the team behind Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin. He should return to an impact role on the second-line and should help the Sabres bridge the divide until Benson is able to return.
The 20-year-old Benson dealt with a couple of different ailments over the three-week Olympic break. His current injury has not been disclosed, though head coach Lindy Ruff did clarify that it is separate from the upper-body injury he sustained on February 2nd. Benson returned to skating earlier this week but hasn’t yet been folded into Buffalo’s practices, suggesting he could still have a bit before returning to NHL action. He will be eligible for activation as soon as he’s back to full health.
Buffalo will want their dynamo winger back as soon as possible. Benson has earned 26 points in 42 games this season – a 51-point scoring pace. On top of that, his best impacts have seemed to come away from the puck, where his mix of tenacity and skill allow Benson to fill any role on the forecheck. He has often been deployed on the second-line but has received upwards of 20 minutes of ice time a night when Buffalo needs a punch.
The biggest impact from these moves could be in net. Luukkonen went down with a lower-body injury on January 27th. The injury not only held him out of Buffalo’s subsequent five games, it also costed Luukkonen his spot on Team Finland’s Olympic roster.
Buffalo survived Luukkonen’s absence by leaning on Alex Lyon as their starter. He performed well, setting a .922 save percentage and two wins in four games in injury-relief, while rookie backup Colten Ellis recorded one overtime-loss. Luukkonen has split starts with Lyon for much of the year and recorded 11 wins and a .902 save percentage in 21 games. Those marks both fall just shy of the 14 wins and .912 save percentage that Lyon has reached in 27 games. The pair of goaltenders will continue to compete for starts, while Ellis likely remains with the NHL roster as an extra hand.
Buffalo’s series of moves is wrapped up by swapping two bruising depth-forwards off of IR. Greenway ranks seventh on the Sabres in hits-per-game, with an average of 7.18. Just above him, at sixth, is Dunne who has averaged 7.66 hits in what is his first chance at an extended NHL look. Greenway has beat out the first-year pro on the scorecard, netting five points and a minus-nine in 33 games, while Dunne has four points and a minus-four in 28 games. The two will exchange spots near the bottom of Buffalo’s lineup. The veteran Greenway would seem to have the edge on minutes when he’s back to full health.
Tampa Bay Lightning Activate Brayden Point
According to team insider Erik Erlendsson, the Tampa Bay Lightning have activated forward Brayden Point and defenseman Emil Martinsen Lilleberg from long-term injured reserve. Additionally, the team has placed Nick Paul on the injured reserve in a corresponding roster move.
The transactions were largely expected on all accounts. Despite being sidelined with a significant knee injury since January 12th, there was a fringe chance that Point would suit up for Team Canada at the Olympics. Although that didn’t happen, the expectation is that he would return to the team for their first game back, while taking time during the break to complete his rehabilitation.
Tampa Bay has arguably been the most dominant team in the Eastern Conference this season, and they’ve mostly done so without Point at the top of his game. When he has been healthy, Point has scored only 11 goals and 30 points in 37 games, averaging 18:02 of ice time. Still, his possession and defensive metrics have remained stable throughout his career averages.
Still, the point production has been worrisome, and would have a bigger impact if the rest of the team hadn’t been filling in the gaps. Point is only a year removed from an impressive three-year stretch where he scored 139 goals and 267 points in 240 games. Hopefully, the Olympic break provided Point with the necessary time to fully rehabilitate from the injuries that have negatively impacted his 2025-26 campaign, allowing him to regain his form in the final stretch.
Meanwhile, the Lightning are also adding some defensive depth back into the lineup. Lilleberg has missed multiple months with an undisclosed injury and is one of many Tampa Bay defenders to suffer long-term injuries this season. Before exiting the lineup in mid-December, Lilleberg scored two goals and six points in 32 games, averaging 17:21 of ice time. There’s no word on whether he’ll enter the lineup tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Lastly, Paul, like Lilleberg, is dealing with an undisclosed injury from before the Olympics. Unfortunately, the Lightning haven’t provided any rigid timeline for his return. Already seeking middle-six depth leading up to the deadline, Paul’s absence could further influence this plan. The 30-year-old veteran has registered six goals and 12 points in 34 games for the Bolts this season.
Penguins Place Sidney Crosby On IR, Activate Kris Letang
The lower-body injury Sidney Crosby sustained at the Olympics will significantly impact the rest of his season. According to a team announcement, the Pittsburgh Penguins have placed their captain on the injured reserve. Additionally, the team has activated veteran defenseman Kris Letang in a corresponding roster move.
Although Team Canada, largely out of respect for the Penguins, failed to clarify the extent of Crosby’s injury; Pittsburgh did. The team shared that Crosby is expected to miss the next four weeks at a minimum, putting his projected return toward the end of March in a best case scenario.
Obviously, Crosby’s absence will have a significant impact on Pittsburgh’s competitiveness to close out the regular season. Despite their strong performance this season, largely led by Crosby offensively, the team is only one point up on the New York Islanders and five points up on the Columbus Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals. Still, the Penguins have a few games in hand on the Islanders and Capitals, respectively.
Even if the Penguins commit to buying at the deadline, there are few options to fill the void left by Crosby, both on and off the ice. In his age-38 campaign, he’s remained a point-per-game player, registering 27 goals and 59 points in 56 games, averaging 19:35 of ice time per night. There’s a 15-point gap between Crosby and fellow veteran Evgeni Malkin for the team-lead in scoring.
If there’s any consolation, Pittsburgh will be able to move Malkin to the first-line center, where he’s filled in on occassion throughout Crosby’s career. Also incumbered by injuries throughout the season, Malkin has had a quality year when healthy, scoring 13 goals and 44 points in 41 games.
It’ll be interesting to see if Crosby’s injury will have any impact on the Penguins’ plans for the trade deadline. Given that they’re surprisingly competitive this season, General Manager Kyle Dubas has been able to add a few NHL pieces in a flurry of trades while also improving the team’s draft capital moving forward.
Meanwhile, Letang returns from injury after a month, though much of that was from the Olympic break. He had been recovering from a broken foot. The 20-year veteran has scored three goals and 25 points in 50 games for the Penguins this season. It’s expected that he’ll resume his role on Pittsburgh’s second defensive-pairing, alongside recent acquisition, Samuel Girard.
Golden Knights Make Multiple Roster Moves
The Vegas Golden Knights are inching toward a healthy roster. Yesterday, Jason R. Pothier and Ken Boehlke of SinBin.vegas reported that forwards Colton Sissons and Brandon Saad have been activated off the team’s injured reserve.
In addition to the two mentioned, the Golden Knights’ lineup has welcomed back defenseman Brayden McNabb, who was activated from long-term injured reserve, according to PuckPedia. Additionally, the team has placed Carter Hart and Brett Howden on LTIR, creating $3.1MM in salary cap space leading up to the trade deadline.
The return of Sissons and Saad won’t be incredibly impactful in a vacuum, though they should help improve the team’s depth moving forward. Sissons, 32, has scored three goals and six points in 41 games this season, whereas Saad, 33, has registered two goals and seven points in 39 games. Each veteran will become an unrestricted free agent next summer, assuming they don’t sign a contract extension with the Golden Knights.
Meanwhile, McNabb’s return will allow Vegas to see how the team’s defensive core operates since acquiring Rasmus Andersson. Barring something surprising, it’ll be the first time the Golden Knights have been able to deploy their best defensemen since trading for Andersson.
It’ll be interesting to see how Vegas utilizes McNabb with Andersson in the fold. A defensive stalwart for many years, McNabb has seemingly taken a step back in that category this season. Before going down with an upper-body injury on December 31st, McNabb was averaging an 89.0% on-ice SV% at even strength, the lowest mark of his career. Still, he remains a capable shot-blocker and will provide more value down the lineup.