Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Newsstand

Stars Sign Oskar Back To Two-Year Extension

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The Stars have signed center Oskar Back to a two-year, $1.65MM extension, the club announced Thursday. The 24-year-old was slated to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and, after signing a one-year deal to remain in the Stars system last summer, became eligible to sign an extension just yesterday.

It’s been a lengthy road to relevancy for Back, who Dallas picked up in the third round of the 2018 draft. After he spent his first three post-draft seasons suiting up in his native Sweden, he signed his entry-level deal with the Stars in April 2021, one year before his exclusive signing rights were set to expire.

Back spent the entirety of his entry-level deal in the AHL, where he slowly upped his offensive production en route to becoming one of the Baby Stars’ best two-way forwards. He posted 19 goals, 69 assists and 88 points in 196 games with a +29 rating over his three years on the farm, including a career-high 36 points in 59 games during the 2023-24 campaign.

With Dallas looking internally to find some cost-effective options for their bottom-six forward group, they re-upped Back on a two-way deal in June to keep him off the restricted free agent market. A strong training camp meant he avoided waivers and made the Stars’ opening night roster. He’s played in 31 of Dallas’ 36 games and hasn’t served as a healthy scratch since early November.

In his first NHL look, Back has been a fine fourth-line piece. He has a goal plus eight assists for nine points with a +4 rating, all the while averaging 11:17 per game and winning 55.6% of his draws. He hasn’t been particularly physical despite carrying a 6’4″, 203-lb frame, only recording 13 hits.

That lack of physicality hasn’t kept Back from recording strong possession impacts, though. His usage has trended defensive at 5-on-5, but the Stars have still managed to control 54.9% of shot attempts with him on the ice compared to 52.1% without him. He’s also received some fringe penalty-kill usage, averaging a tad over a minute per game shorthanded.

Back will now remain in Dallas through the 2026-27 campaign on an affordable $825K cap hit. It’s indeed a one-way deal, Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports confirms. Among players on the Stars’ active roster, 13 are now under contract for next season.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Wild Place Kirill Kaprizov On Injured Reserve, Jared Spurgeon To Miss Time

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The Wild are placing star winger Kirill Kaprizov on injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 23, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports. He’s eligible to come off at any time after missing the last three games with a minor lower-body injury but will still miss at least their next two games, Russo adds. The move creates roster space for a recall from AHL Iowa in place of captain Jared Spurgeon, who left last night’s win over the Predators with a right leg injury and did not return after he was on the receiving end of a slew-foot from Nashville rookie Zachary L’Heureux.

Minnesota hasn’t commented on how long Spurgeon might be out of the lineup, but he’ll miss a game or two at the very least – likely longer. The 35-year-old, who’s missed 72 games since the beginning of last season with back and hip issues that resulted in significant midseason surgery in 2023-24, did not put weight on his right leg as he was helped off the ice (video via Nick Kieser of 102.5 The Game). L’Heureux was assessed a match penalty on the play, although the league’s Department of Player Safety hasn’t yet issued any supplemental discipline.

Spurgeon is still capable of top-pairing minutes and has continued to put up stellar possession numbers in his twilight years, but his point totals haven’t recovered since he dropped from 0.62 per game in 2021-22 to 0.43 per game in 2023-24. Add in the emergence of sophomore Brock Faber as the Wild’s new No. 1 defender, and there have been fewer opportunities for Spurgeon to contribute offensively. He has four goals and 13 points in 32 games this season, working out to a 0.41 points-per-game pace that would stand as his lowest since 2015-16, not counting last year’s 16-game stint in the lineup.

Still, Spurgeon is an incredibly important on-ice and off-ice piece to a Wild team trying to get out of the mud. After a hot start to the season, they’re .500 since the beginning of December and have been hamstrung by injuries to star players, a trend that’s unfortunately continuing into the New Year. Despite the rough patch, they accumulated enough points early on to keep them with a 23-11-4 record, still good for second in the Central Division. The 2008 Islanders sixth-round pick has never suited up for anyone other than the Wild, and his 899 games played rank second in franchise history behind Mikko Koivu. No one’s done better than his career +120 rating for the Wild, either.

Minnesota is already without Spurgeon’s usual second-pairing partner, Jacob Middleton, for another couple of weeks while he nurses a hand injury. That means continued increased responsibility for depth defenders Declan Chisholm, Jonathon Merrill and Zach Bogosian, while the newly-acquired David Jiříček should be in line for a recall from AHL Iowa and some power-play time in Spurgeon’s absence. The 2022 sixth-overall pick has just two points and a -4 rating in nine AHL games since being acquired from the Blue Jackets in November.

Meanwhile, Kaprizov’s absence will last a few more days, although he could miss a bit more. Multiple reports indicate that he hasn’t skated since before the holiday break. The 27-year-old, who becomes eligible to sign what will likely be a fruitful extension in Minnesota next summer, had 50 points in 34 games before exiting the lineup and still leads the league with 20 even-strength goals. Somewhat miraculously, the Wild have gone 2-1-0 in his absence, with Matt Boldy filling in on the top line alongside Marco Rossi and Mats Zuccarello.

The Wild will have two open roster spots after placing Kaprizov on IR, but just $378K in cap space is not enough for an additional recall. They could swap a forward for a defense call-up or create additional financial flexibility by moving forward Jakub Lauko, who hasn’t played since Dec. 14 and remains week-to-week with a muscular issue, from standard IR to long-term injured reserve.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Penguins Activate Marcus Pettersson, Place Kris Letang On IR

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Pittsburgh Penguins have swapped defenders on injured reserve, activating Marcus Pettersson (lower-body) and shelving Kris Letang (lower-body). Pettersson suffered his injury from an awkward hit into the boards during Pittsburgh’s December 14th loss to the Ottawa Senators. He’s since missed the Penguins’ last six games. Where Letang was injured is less clear. He was a late scratch for Sunday’s game against the New York Islanders, and has been designated as day-to-day per Hailey Hunter of SportsNet Pittsburgh. The Penguins will have the ability to make Letang’s IR placement retroactive to December 29th, making him eligible to return as soon as January 5th against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Pittsburgh swaps two of their most utilized defenders with this move. Letang leads the team’s skaters in ice time, averaging 23:24 through 34 games this season. Despite that, he’s been unusually unproductive, with 16 points marking his lowest scoring pace since 2009-10. Pettersson is working to catch Letang in scoring, with 13 points in 32 games while averaging 21:47 in ice time. His scoring pace puts him on track just narrowly beat out his career-high of 30 points set last season. Pettersson also brings a healthy wave of defense back to the Penguins lineup, leading the Penguins defense in Corsi For (52.93 percent) and ranked second in plus-minus (-4). That’ll be a welcome addition to a Penguins roster that’s averaged both 3.29 goals-for and goals-against in seven games without Pettersson, including the game he was injured in.

Pettersson’s return will bump Nathan Clurman out of the lineup. Clurman made his NHL debut on Monday, recording one penalty and no scoring in 11 minutes of ice time. Letang’s move to IR allows Pittsburgh to keep Clurman as their seventh defenseman, while Pettersson lines up to Pierre-Olivier Joseph on the second pair.

Rangers To Place Igor Shesterkin On IR, Recall Louis Domingue

at CDT | by 6 Comments

The New York Rangers will place franchise goaltender Igor Shesterkin on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. To fill his role, New York has also recalled goaltender Louis Domingue from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. No details of Shesterkin’s injury or timeline have been released. This IR placement will force him out of New York’s next three games, at least. Shesterkin played through the entirety of New York’s December 30th loss to the Florida Panthers, allowing four goals on 25 shots.

Losing Shesterkin for any duration is hard news to bear, especially for a Rangers club that’s gone 3-10-0 in the month of December. That’s in part thanks to Shesterkin slightly caving in – posting a .891 save percentage in 10 games this month, fourth-lowest among starting goaltenders. Backup Jonathan Quick didn’t perform much better, with a .847 Sv% through three appearances. The pair have totaled a more admirable .906 and .907 save percentage over the course of the season, though limiting opponent chances remains a major weakness for New York.

The Rangers will turn towards 12-year-pro Domingue to back up Quick in the short-term. Domingue has split AHL starts with top prospect Dylan Garand, recording a measly 4-9-1 record and .888 Sv% in 14 appearances. This is the first call-up of his season, and gives Domingue a chance to play in just his second game as a Ranger, after he recorded a 25-win for the team last season. He’s a veteran of eight NHL seasons, totaling a 60-60-10 record and .905 Sv% across 143 career games.

Penguins’ Jesse Puljujärvi Clears Waivers

at CDT | by 11 Comments

Dec. 31: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared that Puljujärvi has been successfully passed through waivers. The Penguins organization can now send him to the AHL unencumbered.

Dec. 30: The Penguins have placed winger Jesse Puljujärvi on waivers for the purposes of assignment to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Puljujärvi, the fourth overall pick of the 2016 draft by the Oilers, lands on waivers for the first time in his eight-year NHL career. The 26-year-old has played just once since Nov. 23, last suiting up on Dec. 7 against the Maple Leafs and serving as a healthy scratch in 14 of the Pens’ last 15 games.

That run of scratches has less to do with Puljujärvi’s performance than with the Penguins’ unwillingness to mess with a good thing. Pittsburgh has gone 10-4-1 since Thanksgiving and has thus kept its forward lineup intact on a nightly basis, with injuries allowing, understandably not leading to many opportunities for playing time for the once highly-touted Finn.

In 21 games with the Penguins this season, Puljujärvi had mustered three goals and five assists for eight points with a -2 rating. He did so while averaging 11:37 per game, up from the paltry 9:11 he received in a 22-game run with Pittsburgh last year. The 6’4″, 201-lb winger has added 30 hits and played an extremely effective game defensively. Despite starting 58.3% of his shifts at 5-on-5 in the defensive zone, the Pens still controlled 50.6% of shot attempts with Puljujärvi on the ice compared to 49.5% without him.

Those latter numbers make it a tad surprising to see him become available to the rest of the league for free, although it’s become clear there isn’t much of a role for him in Pittsburgh anymore. He’s in the back half of a two-year, $1.6MM contract he signed with the Pens in February 2024 after a lengthy stint on the free-agent market following double hip surgery.

It’s become clear that Puljujärvi likely won’t recapture the form that saw him produce a career-high 0.55 points per game back with Edmonton in 2021-22, but he remains a legitimately useful piece for a bottom-six shutdown unit. With a cap hit of $800K and no commitment past this season, it won’t be surprising if he ends up landing with another NHL club tomorrow.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Jonathan Toews Explains Absence, Doesn’t Rule Out NHL Return

at CDT | by 20 Comments

Jonathan Toews’ name has slowly begun slipping from hockey dialogue. He led a star-studded career with the Chicago Blackhawks from 2007 to 2023, serving as the team’s captain for 14 seasons and leading the team to three Stanley Cup wins. Toews remained a tremendous lineup piece long after Chicago started to lose their luster – but the 2020s brought a challenge with nagging injuries that the franchise centerman couldn’t overcome. He announced in December of 2020 that he’d miss the entirety of the upcoming, shortened 2020-21 season due to an undisclosed illness, later revealed to be Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS).

Toews rehabbed and returned from the illness in 2021-22, and while he returned to a productive top-line role – the illness still forced him out of 38 games between 2021-22 and 2022-23. Toews announced at the end of the 2023 summer that he would be stepping away from hockey to focus on healing. That journey took him through rounds of alternative medicine, natural healing, and even a five-week trip to India to practice Ayurveda – a traditional healing approach. Toews recently returned from the cross-world trip and opened up to GQ Magazine about what he learned, how he’s feeling, and what future may lie ahead.

Toews opened the interview by explaining that his battles with illness ran deeper than previously foretold. He shared that a lifelong battle with digestive and immune system issues hit a flare in his second season in the league – the 2008-09 season, when a 20-year-old Toews was named Chicago’s captain. He struggled to eat or sleep, and ended up working with a team of doctors to craft a diet tailored to his needs.  That helped Toews get through the next 10 seasons – where he scored 624 points in 721 games, earned three All-Star bids, and won three Stanley Cups – but he says he never once felt like his illness was fully behind him.

Then, Toews caught COVID-19. He explains that the illness perpetuated all of his issues, worsening his energy sink and ability to recover game-to-game. The story of his struggles recovering from COVID have been well documented. Toews explains that he was too caught up in recovery to discuss a contract for the 2023-24 season, leading to him taking another season off. He heard about various approaches to healing over the year, including a recommendation to visit an Indian Sadhu to practice Ayurvedic medicine. One thing led to another, and Toews ultimately decided to take up the unique approach in September of 2023. He said all the while he was driven by a saying from his mother: “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.”

Toews describes his day-to-day experience in India in-depth. Ultimately, the practices helped him regain control and confidence over his health – and Toews adds that he’s been able to continue to practice Ayurveda back in North America. That has him feeling better, and reconsidering the thought of playing in the NHL. Toews told GQ that his desire to play hasn’t left, and that there’s still a part of him that hasn’t come to terms with his career being over. He spoke optimistically, saying, “There’s never any guarantees in life, but I’m going to give it my best shot.”

Toews’ statement of hope is an encouraging sign, given his career seemed to be at its end. He faces an uphill battle working back into the NHL as a 36-year-old who hasn’t had hockey at front-of-mind since early-2023. But Toews is proudly an all-time-great, posting a career that has already gone down in the history books of an Original Six franchise. He scored 372 goals and 883 points in 1,067 career games; and managed an 81-point season as recently as 2018-19. Toews was significantly less impactful in his most recent two seasons – with just 68 points in 124 games between 2021 and 2023 – but his value as a well-rounded, middle-six centerman could still stand tall.

If Toews does near a return, his decision on where to suit up will be hotly followed. He spent the entirety of his 15-year career with the Blackhawks, who drafted him third-overall in the 2006 NHL Draft. But Toews is a native of Winnipeg, and faced plenty of trade rumors throughout the later years of his career. The Blackhawks could certainly use his help, as they’re currently sat with the fourth-fewest goals in the NHL and a menial 14-18-4 record. Toews could also be a fantastic support to young superstar Connor Bedard, who’s looking to take over Toews’ and Patrick Kane’s mantle as the team’s franchise leader. It’ll be that ability to lead teams and inspire young players that earns Toews a return, though it seems the answers to if and where he’ll return are yet to come – as the Chicago hockey legend works to reintroduce himself to the game.

NHL To Fine Dallas Stars For CBA Violation

at CDT | by 4 Comments

According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the National Hockey League will fine the Dallas Stars organization for violating certain terms in the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA. The NHL hasn’t directly confirmed the punishment but the Stars organization is expected to pay a $100K fine.

The punishment was warranted because Dallas held an ’optional’ practice on December 26th. The CBA strictly prohibits practice and travel for their terms on certain days during the holidays of the regular season so no team has a competitive advantage over another.

This isn’t the first time a team has been fined for violating the CBA over a holiday break. Two years ago, the Toronto Maple Leafs were fined $100K for a similar infraction. Toronto left one day early from 2022’s holiday freeze for a game against the St. Louis Blues. Outside of Toronto’s example, the last time a team was fined for a similar event was in 2015 when the Philadelphia Flyers left a day earlier than allowed.

There’s no evidence the Stars deliberately attempted to circumvent the CBA, as they may have reasonably believed making the practice optional would limit the league’s concern. However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman believes the CBA’s language is fairly black and white saying, “There are rules about what you’re not allowed to do. You’re not allowed to practice, you are not allowed to provide ice to players. The Stars had some kind of skate on Boxing Day, and that has gotten the league’s attention.“

Minnesota Wild Activate Joel Eriksson Ek

at CDT | by 1 Comment

After starting the season with a 17-4-4 record through their first 25 games the Minnesota Wild have struggled of late with a 5-6-0 record in their last 11. Minnesota needed a boost in a major way and will get one in the form of top center Joel Eriksson Ek whom the team has activated off the injured reserve.

Minnesota’s fall from the top of the Central Division is directly related to Eriksson Ek’s absence. The team has struggled to find a proper solution down the middle in Eriksson Ek’s absence outside of Marco Rossi. The youngster has been nearly a point-per-game player without Eriksson Ek scoring five goals and nine points in the last 11 games but the Wild don’t have another legitimate top-six center option behind him.

Eriksson Ek’s scoring has depressed this season when healthy with five goals and 13 points in 22 games. That 0.59 point-per-game average is nearly a third lower than what he’s been producing the last few years in Minnesota. Still, Eriksson Ek has provided quality play in the faceoff dot and is very responsible on the defensive side of the puck.

The recent injury will likely hinder Eriksson Ek’s efforts to capture his first Selke Trophy given that he only play a maximum of 68 games this year. He’s finished in the top 10 of Selke votes the last four years and was averaging the highest on-ice save percentage of his career before suffering the lower-body injury.

Eriksson Ek’s absence also raised some important questions for the Wild. It proved that Minnesota lacks depth down the middle which needs to be filled if they have any hopes of competing in the tough Central Division down the stretch. The lingering buyout penalties for Zach Parise and Ryan Suter limit Minnesota to approximately $2MM in deadline cap space making their lives that much harder.

Still, the Wild could trade some salary off the roster such as Zach Bogosian or Jonathon Merrill, and acquire a player with term given that Parise and Suter’s buyout penalties effectively end after this season. Minnesota has already traded away their first-round pick this season in the trade that brought David Jiříček to the organization so that will be another limiting factor heading into deadline season.

Washington Capitals To Activate Alex Ovechkin From Injured Reserve

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The wait is over for the Washington Capitals. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Capitals are expected to activate Alex Ovechkin from the team’s injured reserve tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Ovechkin has missed the last 16 games for Washington after suffering a broken fibula against the Utah Hockey Club on November 18th. The injury was a major buzzkill to Ovechkin’s season as the veteran sniper got off to a torrid start with 15 goals and 25 points in 18 games.

His hot start put him only 27 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 career goals. Ovechkin will still have 48 games to break Gretzky’s record this season despite missing over a month due to injury. Not only will Ovechkin chase the goal-scoring record for the remaining regular season games but will also help Washington pursue the team’s first Metropolitan Division title since the 2019-20 season.

He’s now moved to second behind Connor McMichael in goal-scoring for the Capitals this season. Still, Washington performed well in their captain’s absence with a 10-5-1 record. Outside of their record, the Capitals have surprisingly excelled in areas of the game that Ovechkin would otherwise excel in.

Washington managed a 16.4% powerplay percentage with nine goals in 55 opportunities with Ovechkin in the lineup at the beginning of the year but has turned things around with 13 goals in 47 attempts (27.7%) in his absence. Still, their 5on5 goal-scoring has taken quite a hit dropping to 3.68 GF/G after averaging 4.33 with Ovechkin.

The Capitals won’t have to make any corresponding roster move for Ovechkin’s activation since they’re reportedly keeping Lars Eller on the team’s injured reserve due to illness. Former first-round pick Hendrix Lapierre will slot down the middle of the team’s third line while Ovechkin will reprise his role on the team’s top line.

Ovechkin has publicly stated he’s putting the Capitals’ playoff aspirations above his chase for the goal-scoring record. If he can’t break it this season, he’ll have one more year under his current contract giving him plenty of time to eventually take the crown.

Avalanche Sign Mackenzie Blackwood To Five-Year Extension

at CDT | by 18 Comments

11:29 a.m.: Blackwood has put pen to paper on a five-year deal, the team announced. The contract carries a $5.25MM cap hit for a total value of $26.25MM, according to Friedman. His deal will be split evenly year-to-year including a $1MM signing bonus in 2026-27, and he has a six-team no-trade clause throughout, PuckPedia adds.

10:08 a.m.: The Avalanche are nearing an agreement on a contract extension with pending unrestricted free agent netminder Mackenzie Blackwood, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports Friday.

Blackwood, 28, had rediscovered his game as a legitimate tandem/1A option with the Sharks over the past couple of seasons. He was open to sticking around in San Jose. Still, with the rebuilding club needing to keep their long-term future open for top prospect Yaroslav Askarov, they opted not to engage in extension talks and instead traded him to the Avs earlier this month. Colorado needed a more stable solution between the pipes with both halves of their opening-night tandem in Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen struggling. So far, Blackwood has provided that. Along with veteran trade pickup Scott Wedgewood from Nashville, they’ve put up save percentages north of .930 in their nine combined starts since being acquired.

Those strong early returns, plus a burgeoning track record behind a thin defense in San Jose, make Blackwood a clear fit in Denver past this season. A few years ago, he was one of the more intriguing young netminders in the league, posting a .915 SV% and 2.77 GAA in 43 starts and four relief appearances with the Devils in 2019-20 while finishing sixth in Calder Trophy voting.

He hasn’t posted above-average numbers since but is on pace to do so this season, logging a .913 SV%, 2.83 GAA, and one shutout in 21 starts and two relief appearances split between the Sharks and Avalanche. He’s stopped nine goals above average and 5.9 above expected, per MoneyPuck, squarely positioning him as a top-20 netminder in the league this season. Twelve out of his 21 starts have been quality ones (SV% above league average).

Blackwood has allowed exactly two goals in all four of his starts for Colorado thus far, allowing eight on 116 shots faced over the past couple of weeks. The Avs’ high-powered offense has given him necessary goal support, leading to a 3-1-0 record to begin what now will be a multi-year run in the Central Division. Whatever his new deal is, it’ll come with a significant raise on his current $2.35MM cap hit as afforded by the two-year, $4.7MM pact he signed with the Sharks in 2022.

Keeping Blackwood around became especially important when Colorado traded one of their higher-ceiling young options in Annunen to the Predators in the Wedgewood deal. That’s not to say Colorado’s prospect pool between the pipes is completely barren. There’s 2024 second-round pick Ilya Nabokov, who’s coming off a Gagarin Cup championship in the Kontinental Hockey League with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, and Pavel Lysenkov of Match TV said Thursday that he won’t re-sign in Russia and will ink an entry-level deal with the Avs for next season. There’s also 23-year-old Trent Miner, who has a .901 SV% in 14 AHL games this season and stopped 12 of the 13 shots he faced against the Capitals in his NHL debut last month.

Regardless, Blackwood figures to be the Avs’ Game 1 starter in the playoffs, assuming they stick around for an eighth consecutive postseason berth. Whatever extension he signs will walk him to unrestricted free agency at its conclusion.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top