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Matthew Tkachuk To Join Panthers On Road Trip, Return Uncertain

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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.

Avalanche’s Gabriel Landeskog, Devon Toews To Miss Some Time

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7:00 PM: Both Landeskog and defenseman Devon Toews will have to miss “some time” head coach Jared Bednar told Corey Masisak of the Denver Post after Sunday’s game. Toews exited Colorado’s Saturday matchup with a lower-body injury after an awkward tumble into the boards. He missed Sunday’s game. It is unclear what either player is dealing with, though teammates Scott Wedgewood and Nathan MacKinnon hinted at Landeskog’s injury potentially being a bone fracutre – perhaps his collarbones or ribs.

As pointed out by Masisak, the Avalanche have now lost four players to injury over the last five days – with winger Joel Kiviranta, starting goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, and rookie Gavin Brindley also getting injured. The injuries will pose a tough test for an Avalanche team that, still, has only lost two games in regulation this season. Colorado is currently on a 10-game win-streak. They have a 24-1-3 record dating back to the start of November.

5:50 PM: Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog left tonight’s game against Florida after crashing hard into the net, and needing help off the ice, as seen in a clip shared by Sportsnet. The veteran lost an edge and skidded hard into the left post, with an impact in the rib area. The play was eerily similar to Seth Jarvis’ own injury in late December, which has sidelined the Hurricanes star since.

Landeskog has been a great story so far this season, working his way back after three full seasons missed due to ongoing knee issues. The 33-year-old is no longer a high scorer, but he’s played in every game this season, posting 22 points, and remaining an integral presence on the league’s top team, doing so in a top line role no less.

Official word on the veteran’s status has yet to come out, but based on how it looked, Colorado’s captain could miss considerable time. It would prove to be the first major adversity for the club, sitting comfortably at first in the league by a wide margin, having not lost any top players for any significant time so far in 2025-26.

Pro Hockey Rumor’s Gabriel Foley also contributed to this article.

Jets’ Logan Stanley Suspended One Game

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4:30 PM: A second player has received discipline today, as Stanley is suspended one game for yesterday’s actions, per the NHL Department of Player Safety. The decision proves to be Stanley’s first supplemental discipline in the NHL.

An imposing force at 6’7″, the defenseman has really leaned into physicality to make an impact at the highest level. He has already surpassed his career high in penalty minutes, at 82, in just 40 games this season. Stanley will have to miss Tuesday’s home tilt against Vegas, but figures to return Thursday as Winnipeg hosts Edmonton in step two of a five game home stand.

10:40 AM: The NHL Department of Player Safety announced that a second player will have a hearing for actions in a game last night: Winnipeg Jets defenseman Logan Stanley. More specifically, Stanley will have a hearing for roughing committed against Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk.

The incident in question occurred away from the play, near the Senators’ bench. Stanley and Tkachuk were engaged with one another and Tkachuk ended up losing his helmet in the process. After shoving Stanley, Tkachuk grabbed onto his stick, after which Stanley dropped his gloves and delivered a punch to Tkachuk’s face. In that moment, Tkachuk did not appear to be looking at Stanley when Stanley delivered the punch.

The Athletic’s Julian McKenzie wrote yesterday that the Senators were left “outraged” by the incident and its aftermath, and head coach Travis Green spoke on it after the game, saying: “You never like to see a guy get suckered in the face. It’s unfortunate, we’re lucky he came back. He’s an All-Star player. I’m sure their team wouldn’t be happy if (Kyle) Connor got suckered in the face and there was just a two-minute minor for roughing called.”

Tkachuk managed to finish the game and registered an assist, beating the Jets by a score of 4-2 and handing Winnipeg its ninth straight loss. Based on today’s announcement from the Department of Player Safety, it appears the Jets may be forced to try to end their losing streak without Stanley, as he could miss their next game (or more) with a potential suspension.

Stanley, 27, skated on the Jets’ third pairing last night. He’s been Winnipeg’s No. 5 defenseman in terms of ice time this season, averaging 16:09 per game with only sporadic usage on special teams. He has seven goals and 13 points in 40 games this season, and is playing out the final year of a two-year, $1.25MM AAV contract. Barring an extension, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Flames’ John Beecher Suspended One Game

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3:30 PM: The NHL Department of Player Safety announced this afternoon that Beecher will be suspended one game as a result of last night’s roughing incident. The forward will miss tomorrow’s home game against Seattle.

Beecher is eligible to return at Montreal on Wednesday, however, as reported by Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960, he was injured in the fight with Hague and could miss additional time.

10:00 AM: Calgary Flames forward John Beecher will have a hearing today for roughing Nashville Predators forward Michael McCarron during last night’s contest, the Department of Player Safety announced.

Beecher is now facing the prospect of a suspension after a play that occurred in the later portion of the first period of last night’s Predators victory. As a scrum between the Predators and Flames began to die down, and officials attempted to separate Beecher and McCarron, Beecher delivered a punch to McCarron’s face, one that dropped the Predators veteran to the ground. Predators head coach Andrew Brunette was visibly agitated after the play, and Beecher fought Predators defenseman Nic Hague later in the game.

It should be noted that the punch was not delivered within the circumstances of a fight, and under the NHL’s rules, one could consider McCarron an unsuspecting or at least unwilling recipient of the punch.

As The Tennessean’s Alex Daugherty noted last night, a punch delivered under those circumstances typically merits a match penalty. The Flames could argue that while Beecher’s punch was certainly uncalled for, it would not qualify as a traditional “sucker punch” as McCarron chose to physically engage with Beecher and therefore could not have been fully unaware that a punch could be coming, or could not be considered a fully “unwilling” participant. But on the other hand, seeing as McCarron and Beecher were in the process of being separated, and that their confrontation appeared to be fizzling out, it’s unclear how strong such an argument would be.

In any case, Beecher will now get the chance to explain his actions to the Department of Player Safety. No supplemental discipline has yet been decided, but it appears likely some will be coming for Beecher.

The 24-year-old began the season as a member of the Boston Bruins before he was claimed off of waivers by the Flames on Nov. 18. He has two points in 19 games in Calgary, and skated last night as the club’s fourth-line center. Beecher is playing out a one-year, one-way $900K contract and is set to be a pending restricted free agent, with arbitration rights, in the summer.

Sharks Sign Alexander Wennberg To Extension

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This afternoon the San Jose Sharks locked up pending free agent center Alexander Wennberg as first reported by Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.

The team went on to officially announce that the deal is for three years at a $6MM AAV.

Signed to a two-year deal worth $5MM per season in 2024, Wennberg has enjoyed playing a larger role on a lesser team of late. An eventual deal to a top contender was likely in mind, but today’s news indicates that San Jose sees Wennberg as much more than merely a veteran placeholder. In a thin trade market for centers, GM Mike Grier could have added even more futures to his loaded cupboard. Yet especially given their step forward this season, the Swede will stay with the Sharks for the foreseeable future and help them blossom into a serious contender in the late 2020s. After so much turnaround in recent years, the core is starting to solidify.

At a $6MM price tag through his age-34 season, the figure for Wennberg is indicative of a limited free agent market, especially down the middle. With another forward now erased from the board, Utah’s Nick Schmaltz remains the likely top center available. The 29-year-old is peaking at the right time, with 36 points in 42 games, and would be wise to hit the market with another counterpart now out of the picture.

As for Wennberg, AFP Analytics predicted that he’d be due for a four year extension worth $4.8MM per season. Therefore, the more favorable three year term came with an added cost, enough to sway Wennberg away from the open market, and San Jose comfortably has the cap room to do so. Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith remain on their entry level deals for one more season, and the Sharks will also have Jeff Skinner’s $3MM coming off the books this summer, along with over $15 million across practically their entire defense core.

Once a high end prospect for Columbus, Wennberg broke out in 2016-17 with 56 points, seemingly on his path to become a high end offensive top six driver. Since then, he’s had no more than 38 points in a season, ending up a more defensive center with playmaking ability. He made stops in Florida, Seattle, and New York, before coming to San Jose on a generous deal which helped the rebuilding club fill the void of Logan Couture while reaching the cap floor.

Wennberg posted 35 points in 77 contests last season, but especially with the team playing much better overall, he’s taken a step forward with 26 in 41 games. On most contenders, Wennberg would be a true third line center, but clearly he enjoys playing a key role on a dynamic young team, earning more salary to do so. He posts strong defensive and playmaking metrics, proving to be a highly valued supporting piece.

Above the .500 mark at the midway point, San Jose sneaking into the playoffs still seems unlikely, but considering their progress under Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky, the team will be a threat for the duration of Wennberg’s deal. With an abundance of assets and the unique opportunity to overhaul their back end this summer, Grier checks a big box today, with his forward corps mostly sorted out.

Today’s news is a nice morale boost for the group as they return to action on Tuesday, aiming to maintain their playoff push and cap off the rebuild ahead of schedule.

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron – Imagn Images. 

Maple Leafs’ Chris Tanev’s Season In Doubt

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This afternoon David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period shared an update on Toronto’s Chris Tanev; the defenseman may miss the remainder of the regular season. Tanev returned to the lineup in late December, appearing in three games. Now, an apparent groin injury which is unrelated to his previous lower-body ailment could end Tanev’s regular season.

Pagnotta noted that Tanev will meet with a surgeon this week to determine if a procedure is needed. If such is the case, he will not be able to return until late April or early May, postseason at best. Given their status in the extremely competitive Eastern Conference, Toronto’s playoff hopes are already uncertain, and even more clouded without their veteran shutdown defender.

Despite today’s speed oriented game, Tanev remains an integral piece when healthy. He and Jake McCabe form one of the league’s best shutdown pairings, and even in his age, Tanev is playing as well as ever, making the ongoing injury issues especially demoralizing.

Nothing will be confirmed for the next few days, but it seems to be a forgone conclusion that Tanev will land on long-term injured reserve, giving much needed cap space for Toronto to pursue outside help. Thankfully, fellow righty Brandon Carlo is thought to be nearing a return, much needed given Tanev’s absence. However, even with Carlo back in the fold, the Leafs are seeking a shake up. Veteran Troy Stecher, claimed off waivers from Edmonton in November, has been a strong fit in Tanev’s role, and the team has found success of late, 4-0-2 in their last six games. Recent results aside though, GM Brad Treliving has been linked to defenseman Rasmus Andersson, going back to their time in Calgary, along with forwards such as Brayden Schenn and Kiefer Sherwood, as reported by The Fourth Period.

Toronto has a long history of adding such players mid-season; the issue is the assets on hand. Treliving has just three owned draft picks for 2026, no better than a third, and no first round choice until 2028. They face the difficulty of having mostly underachieving players as their only trade material. Andersson, who could become a real focus due to today’s Tanev news, has a modified no-trade clause. Even if he’d be willing to waive, and Calgary was satisfied by a player-heavy offer from Toronto, it is a real question if the team should gamble on another trade rental. None over the past few seasons have necessarily panned out, nor stuck around, painting the team into the corner they find themselves at now.

Tanev, 36, is just now in year two of a six year contract worth $4.5MM per season. As it takes him up to age 40, it was not likely the Ontario native would play out the deal, yet for his future to already be in flux was not according to plan. Tanev would expectedly age more gracefully than Jake Muzzin or T.J. Brodie, who found themselves in similar situations, but Treliving was surely not ready to cross such a bridge so soon as now. While the hope is that he could avoid surgery and return sometime in the winter, unfortunately, it may soon be time for Toronto to search for their long-term replacement for a highly respected veteran who has been a warrior over the past 15 years.

Canucks Sign Linus Karlsson To Two-Year Extension

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The Vancouver Canucks continue to work on figuring out next year’s roster as they enter a transitional period. The Canucks announced that they’ve signed forward Linus Karlsson to a two-year, $4.5MM extension ($2.25MM AAV).

Vancouver has obviously liked what they have seen from Karlsson’s first full year with the team. Despite being selected with the 87th overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft, it took Karlsson multiple years to find a consistent spot on the Canucks’ roster.

Much of that time post-draft was with Karlskrona HK and BIK Karlskoga of the HockeyAllsvenskan. His status as an upper-level prospect with the Canucks began in the 2020-21 season, scoring 20 goals and 51 points in 52 games with Karlskoga. He followed that up with a sensational introductory performance with the SHL’s Skellefteå AIK, registering 26 goals and 46 points in 52 games, taking home SHL Rookie of the Year honors.

Understandably, the Canucks quickly brought him to North America following that performance. He spent the entire 2022-23 season with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, recording 24 goals and 49 points in 72 games. Much like he did in Sweden, he followed that up with an even better showing, scoring 23 goals and 60 points in 60 games the next year while also making his NHL debut.

Last season was the most Karlsson had seen in the NHL until this year, though it wasn’t the showing that he or the team likely wanted. There was virtually no offense to his game in the sport’s highest league, finishing with three goals and six points in 23 contests. Still, his defensive metrics were impressive and proved valuable at some moments, given that he spent much of his time relegated to a bottom-six role.

Regardless, his subpar play in the NHL couldn’t take away from his impressive run in the AHL. Karlsson concluded the 2024-25 campaign with 23 goals and 39 points in 32 games for the AHL Canucks. Additionally, he helped the team win the Calder Cup, recording 14 goals and 26 points in 24 postseason appearances with a +4 rating.

Although his offense has been much better this season, nine goals and 16 points in 36 games, his defensive metrics have declined dramatically. Karlsson finished with a 94.3% on-ice SV% at even strength last season, and has only mustered an 85.8% mark this year.

Still, Karlsson is on pace for 20 goals this year, which is ultimately a win for the Canucks. At the beginning of the year, there was some concern that Karlsson would become a Group VI unrestricted free agent next summer, though he’s certainly on pace for 80 career games now. Regardless, Vancouver has committed to him through the 2027-28 season, and he’s currently projected to become the team’s eighth-highest-paid forward.

Photo courtesy of William Liang-Imagn Images. 

Bo Horvat Avoids Long-Term Injury, Out At Least One Week

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One day after being included on Team Canada’s roster for the 2026 Olympics, Islanders center Bo Horvat suddenly saw his participation fall into jeopardy after sustaining a lower-body injury in the third period of Thursday’s loss to the Mammoth. Today’s evaluation revealed he’s expected to be back in action before heading to Italy next month, although he will miss at least the next week, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Horvat, 30, had recently returned from a two-week absence due to another lower-body injury. Sources told Stefen Rosner of NHL.com that the injury he sustained yesterday is of a similar nature and should carry a similar return timeline.

While those injuries have provided the Ontario native with some bumps in the road, he’s persisted to churn out a career-best offensive performance to earn him a spot on the world’s biggest stage as NHLers return to the Olympics. He had two goals in four games in his return to the lineup to boost his season totals to 21 goals and 33 points in 36 appearances.

The Isles’ top scorer and second-most used forward behind Mathew Barzal, Horvat is also averaging a career-high 20:30 of ice time per game as a true all-situations center. His 57.6 faceoff percentage is the eighth-best clip among the 45 players with at least 500 total faceoffs this season.

While concern over Horvat’s Olympics availability no longer abounds, there’s still the question of how the Islanders will navigate another multi-game stretch without him. Barzal will center the top line between Anders Lee and Emil Heineman to start, per Denis Gorman of the Associated Press, while second-year winger Maxim Tsyplakov will get a look in a second-line role after serving as a healthy scratch in nine of New York’s last 11 games.

Instead of placing Horvat on injured reserve, the Islanders opened a roster spot this morning by reassigning defenseman Marshall Warren to AHL Bridgeport. Warren, 24, had appeared in six straight games and has three assists in eight games on the year, the first appearances of his NHL career. Ice time has been limited, though, with the Long Island native averaging only 11:29 per game.

With Warren down, the Islanders can recall a forward from AHL Bridgeport before Saturday’s game against the Maple Leafs if they wish. However, with 13 healthy forwards still on the roster without Horvat and two games left on their homestand, there might not be a corresponding move.

Image courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images.

Team Sweden Announces 2026 Olympic Roster

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After the other medal frontrunners unveiled their Olympic rosters earlier today, Team Sweden has also formalized the 25 players it’s taking to Milan, Italy, in February. Their full roster can be found below.

Forwards

Defensemen

Goaltenders

Like Canada and the United States, Sweden’s roster is made up entirely of NHLers as the players make their first Olympic appearance since 2014. Headed to do battle with Finland, Slovakia, and the host Italy in Group B, they’re well-positioned as the favorite with one of the tournament’s deeper blue lines and highest-ceiling creases.

In goal, Gustavsson was Sweden’s starter at last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off and is likely ticketed for the No. 1 role again. He’s joined by two new faces, Markström and his teammate Wallstedt, who replace the struggling Samuel Ersson and Linus Ullmark from one year ago. The veteran Markström’s porous .884 SV% in 20 appearances for New Jersey this year indicates the Minnesota tandem, each of whom has saved more than 10 goals above expected (per MoneyPuck), will be leading the way.

Dahlin and Hedman will be the left-side anchors of Sweden’s top four group on defense after being locked in as two of their initial six players over the summer. Every single name on the list is a bona fide top-four piece for their NHL club – something only them, Canada and the US can say – with an appropriate mix of younger talent like the up-and-coming Broberg, while boasting two of the NHL’s best shutdown defenders in Brodin and Forsling. The only player not returning from the 4 Nations group is the Oilers’ Mattias Ekholm. He’s been replaced by Ekman-Larsson and Broberg as the Swedes added an eighth defender as permitted under IIHF rules.

Up front, Nylander will be the centerpiece of Sweden’s offense. The Toronto star has missed some time recently with an injury, but with 41 points in 33 games this season, he leads Swedish NHLers in points per game.

Both their forward and defense groups boast arguably the tournament’s most cohesive two-way identity. They boast multiple veteran, well-regarded all-situations centered like Eriksson Ek and Wennberg – although the latter’s linemate in San Jose, William Eklund, is a glaring omission, while more bottom-six/penalty-kill oriented options like Holmberg find themselves included.

Team Finland Announces 2026 Olympic Roster

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Finland has become the second country to announce their Winter Olympic roster on Friday. The roster closely aligns with Finland’s lineup at the 2025 4 Nations tournament, with some notable additions from across the hockey world. The full roster is as follows:

Forwards

Defense

Goaltenders

The biggest difference between Finland’s 4-Nations and Olympic rosters is the addition of star defenseman Heiskanen, who was unavailable for last year’s international tourney. He may be the country’s best representation on the NHL stage, offering top-level play on both sides of the puck. Heiskanen has 35 points in 41 NHL games this season and scored a career-high 73 points in 79 games in the 2022-23 campaign. He will be leaned on as a top player for the Finnish side, and could lead the team in average ice time.

Finland has also added Lehtonen and Canadiens rookie Kapanen – two interesting additions as the country looks to add a bit more bolt to their lineup. Lehtonen is a journeyman of international hockey. He has played in five top leagues and recently found a home with the Lions in Switzerland’s National League, where he won league championships in 2024 and 2025. He currently has 16 points in 32 games this season and offers downhill offense at the expense of robust defense. Centerman Kapanen has found a similar downhill drive in his first NHL season. He has 12 goals and 21 points in 40 games for Montreal, with no signs of slowing down. Kapanen was a revelation as a young player in Finland’s Liiga, where he totaled 65 points in 124 games and three seasons.

The Finns will return their 4 Nations roster otherwise, set to lean heavily on Aho, Rantanen, and Hintz as the explosive pieces of an otherwise fundamental offense. It was Granlund who led that team in scoring, though, with four points in three games – double the scoring of Finland’s top offensive pieces.

Second and third on the 4 Nations team in scoring were Patrik Laine (three points) and Aleksander Barkov (two points), who will both miss the Olympic Games due to injury. Barkov, one of the NHL’s premier two-way centers, had to undergo ACL and MCL surgery after a preseason injury. Laine is also on the mend after undergoing surgery in October.

With the slightly shorthanded roster and brave additions of an NHL rookie and Swiss-league defender, the Finns will step up as a team to watch this tournament. They don’t seem to offer the firepower of Sweden, the USA, or Canada, but could surprise with a significant defense addition supporting a goaltending room that struggled at the 4-Nations.

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