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Oilers’ Evander Kane Undergoes Knee Surgery, Out Additional 4-8 Weeks

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Oilers winger Evander Kane underwent a knee procedure on Thursday in Edmonton that will keep him out of the lineup for at least another four to eight weeks, the team said in a statement. While it’s unrelated to the abdominal procedure he underwent in September that’s kept him sidelined for all of the regular season thus far, he’ll need to pause his rehabilitation schedule from that surgery to focus on his knee, the club said.

Kane, 33, should now be considered doubtful to play at all in the regular season. The veteran power forward played through a sports hernia for a good portion of 2023-24, which ended up requiring major surgery at the beginning of training camp to repair it, as well as two torn hip adductor muscles and two torn lower abdominal muscles.

The initial prognosis was a four-month return timeline, which would have put him back in the lineup sometime around the 4 Nations Face-Off. Instead, he’ll now surely be out past the trade deadline and potentially into the postseason.

Kane’s injuries took a toll on his production in 2023-24. While his 77 games played were his most since arriving in Edmonton for the 2021-22 season, his 24 goals and 44 points worked out to 0.57 points per game – his worst since the 2015-16 campaign.

In turn, Kane saw his ice time drop from nearly 19 minutes per game in 2022-23 to 16:47 per game last year, his lowest usage since his rookie season in Atlanta in 2009-10. He added eight points and a league-high 37 PIMs in 20 postseason contests as his Oilers advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.

Crucially for Edmonton, Kane missing the rest of the regular season would allow them to keep his $5.125MM cap hit on long-term injured reserve through the trade deadline. The Oilers have done a good job staying out of LTIR throughout the year, so they should be able to take full advantage of that flexibility on deadline day and will likely be able to make a couple of adds without too much financial worry.

Utah’s Dylan Guenther Out Indefinitely With Lower-Body Injury

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Utah Hockey Club star winger Dylan Guenther will be out indefinitely with a lower-body injury, per a team announcement. Forward Josh Doan was recalled from AHL Tucson in a corresponding transaction, the team said.

Guenther, 21, did not miss a shift in Utah’s last appearance, a 4-1 loss to the Panthers on Wednesday. Whatever the injury, it now looks to keep him on the shelf for multiple weeks as Utah looks to make up ground in the Western Conference wild-card race.

Through their first 40 games in Salt Lake City, Guenther is Utah’s leading goal-scorer with 16. He’s added 18 assists for 34 points, on pace for a career-high 70 over a full season and placing third on the team in overall scoring.

So far, he’s had the year Utah hoped for after inking him to an eight-year, $57.14MM extension at the beginning of training camp. It was viewed as a gamble by most at the time with Guenther only having 50 points in 78 career NHL games under his belt with the Coyotes, who made him the ninth overall selection of the 2021 draft, but locking him in early to avoid paying more for his services later on appears to be a prudent move by general manager Bill Armstrong so far.

Guenther’s absence will be felt most on the power play, where he leads the team in goals with seven. He also leads Utah in total shot attempts (237) and has averaged 16:16 per game, fourth among forwards behind captain Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, and fellow young star Logan Cooley.

Utah has been an above-average team by most metrics – controlling 53% of shot attempts and 52.5% of scoring chances at 5-on-5 while also boasting strong special teams percentages. Puzzlingly, actually getting the puck in the net has been their most pressing issue. Their 2.85 goals per game ranks 23rd in the league, and losing Guenther for an extended spell certainly won’t do anything to help that.

Up comes Doan, who will presumably replace Guenther in his second-line spot alongside Cooley and Jack McBain. The 22-year-old Arizona native made Utah’s opening night roster, posting a goal and an assist in nine games before being returned to Tucson.

He’ll get a more extended look now, during which Utah hopes he’ll produce at a rate closer to the nine points in 11 games he put up down the stretch last year with the Coyotes. The 2021 second-rounder has looked good in Tucson, where he ranks fourth in scoring with 21 points (8 G, 13 A) in 25 games.

Utah had an open spot on the active roster, so they don’t need to place Guenther on injured reserve to recall Doan. It’s now full, though, and he’ll likely be the first one to land on IR if they need another roster spot.

Senators Sign Ridly Greig To Four-Year Extension

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The Ottawa Senators announced that they’ve signed forward Ridly Greig to a four-year contract extension worth a reported $13MM. The deal will carry Greig through the 2028-29 season and will see him carry an AAV of $3.25MM.

The 22-year-old is in his third NHL season with Ottawa and has six goals and six assists in 36 games this year. Over 128 career NHL games, the former first-round pick has totaled 21 goals and 26 assists. Although his offensive numbers don’t jump out at you, his overall game is rounding into form. Greig does have some playmaking ability; his skating is fantastic, and he is starting to show an edge and an ability to get under the skin of his opponents.

Senators president of hockey operations and general manager Steve Staios said in a release from the team that “Ridly has established himself as a key member of our team going forward. He brings a good mix of versatility and tenacity to our forward group.”

Greig has made the jump to the NHL rather quickly after spending just 46 games in the American Hockey League, where he posted 16 goals and 16 assists. His ascension and versatility have given the Senators a lot of options within their forward ranks, as they can utilize Greig at both center and wing. Greig has been paired up recently with Brady Tkachuk and Shane Pinto to form a formidable line.

Greig was a member of Team Canada during the 2022 World Junior Championships when Canada took gold. He posted three goals and three assists in five games during the tournament. He also represented Canada last year at the 2024 World Championships after the NHL regular season was over, posting a goal and two assists in two games.

At the end of his new deal, Greig will still be a restricted free agent with one year to go until UFA eligibility. He’ll be eligible for arbitration – which he wasn’t going to be this summer if he held out – and will be due a qualifying offer of $3.25MM.

PHR’s Josh Erickson contributed to this article.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Kraken’s Daniel Sprong Clears Waivers

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Jan. 9: Sprong has cleared waivers, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. He must be assigned to Coachella Valley within 30 days before needing to clear waivers again.

Jan. 8: The Kraken placed winger Daniel Sprong on waivers Tuesday, intending to assign him to AHL Coachella Valley, according to a team announcement.

Seattle picked up Sprong, 27, in a trade with the Canucks in November in exchange for future considerations. The Kraken were hoping to get the kind of production out of Sprong they got two years ago when he posted a career-best 21 goals and 46 points in only 66 appearances, but things haven’t gone to plan.

Sprong’s tumultuous season thus far comes after a turbulent summer during which, despite recording 43 points in 76 games for the Red Wings last season, Detroit opted not to qualify him and let him become an unrestricted free agent. The Amsterdam native unexpectedly had to wait nearly three weeks to land a deal, eventually signing a one-year, $975K commitment with the Canucks.

Most expected Vancouver to have Sprong factor in as a complementary top-nine piece, potentially even on Elias Pettersson’s wing, but that experiment didn’t last very long. He also bounced around lines with Pius Suter and Aatu Räty down the middle, averaging 11:39 per game and recording three points until the Canucks decided to cut bait after just nine games and traded him back to Seattle.

Sprong likely desired the move – he would have gotten a bit more playing time in a familiar environment where he’s had success before. He’s barely been utilized by new head coach Dan Bylsma, though, sitting in the press box for most of his second stint in the Emerald City. He’s logged only 10 appearances since the trade, including just four since the beginning of December, posting a goal and an assist with a plus-one rating.

Playing time became more scarce for Sprong last month when the Kraken acquired winger Kaapo Kakko from the Rangers. He’s sat in the press box for four straight now and hasn’t landed a job ahead of the newcomer or depth players like Tye Kartye. His inability to play down the middle has left him on the outside looking in, even with Yanni Gourde on injured reserve.

This season may not be pretty for Sprong, with five points through a combined 19 games, but teams should be willing to take a flyer based on his recent history of depth scoring. Despite averaging fewer than 12 minutes per game across the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, he managed 39 goals and 89 points in 142 games for Seattle and Detroit – good for 0.63 per game.

Florida Panthers To Host Winter Classic, Tampa Bay Lightning To Host Stadium Series

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The Commissioner of the National Hockey League has followed through with his vague promise from the 2025 NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field. The Florida Panthers announced they would host the New York Rangers in the 2026 Winter Classic at LoanDepot Park, home of the MLB’s Miami Marlins. Their intra-state rival, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced they would host the Boston Bruins in the 2026 NHL Stadium Series at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It’ll be the southernmost outdoor event the NHL has attempted since successfully pulling off the 2020 NHL Winter Classic in Dallas, Texas. Unlike the Cotton Bowl Stadium, LoanDepot Park has some flexibility with the weather thanks to a retractable roof. There’s a high chance the roof will be used for a hockey event given that the temperature in Miami on January 1st, 2025 reached a high of 81°F (27°C ).

The Panthers organization will take part in their first Winter Classic and outdoor event. This is quite different from their opponent, the Rangers, who have already participated in two Winter Classics and three Stadium Series games.

Traveling northwest to Tampa Bay, the Lightning will play in their second Stadium Series contest in franchise history after defeating the Nashville Predators in 2022 at Nissan Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. Like their in-state counterpart, it’ll be the first time the Lightning have hosted an outdoor event in franchise history.

Unfortunately, unlike the stadium amenities at LoanDepot Park, Raymond James Stadium does not have a roof and is exposed to the elements. Tampa is relatively milder than Miami in terms of heat, but still recorded a high of 64°F (18°C) in February of 2024 which could make the ice conditions more unpleasant.

Al MacNeil Passes Away At Age 89

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A legendary member of the Calgary Flames organization, Al MacNeil, has passed away at the age of 89 as announced by the Flames.

Before starting his coaching and executive career in the National Hockey League, MacNeil spent 11 years as a player. He suited up for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, and Pittsburgh Penguins from 1955 to 1968 recording 17 goals and 92 points in 524 games with another four assists in 37 postseason contests.

After a brief hiatus in the CHL and AHL, MacNeil was named assistant coach for the Canadiens ahead of the 1970-71 season. After starting the season with an 11-8-4 record through 23 games, then-head coach Claude Ruel resigned leaving the keys to MacNeil for the remainder of the season.

Montreal rebounded immensely under MacNeil’s stewardship, finishing the regular season on a 31-15-9 tear with a +58 goal differential. After knocking off the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs, the Canadiens defeated the Minnesota North Stars and Chicago Blackhawks to win the organization’s 15th Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Despite coaching the team to a Stanley Cup championship, Montreal hired fifth-year head coach Scotty Bowman after leading the St. Louis Blues to three out of the last four Stanley Cup Finals. The Canadiens had no intentions of MacNeil leaving the organization, naming him head coach of the AHL’s Nova Scotia Voyageurs. He enjoyed success with the Voyageurs, winning three Calder Cup championships in six seasons behind the bench.

After finishing as Director of Player Personnel for the Canadiens in the 1978-79 season, MacNeil became the head coach of the NHL’s Atlanta Flames for the 1979-80 season. He would spend the next two decades with the Flames organization.

MacNeil became the last head coach for the Atlanta Flames while being the first head coach for the Calgary Flames. He finished with a record of 105-93-44 in 240 games but failed to coach the Flames beyond the Conference Finals.

He was promoted to Calgary’s front office after the 1981-82 campaign and became the team’s assistant general manager in 1985. Despite a brief 11-game return as the Flames’ head coach in 2002-03, MacNeil held the role of the assistant general manager until his retirement after the 2005-06 season. MacNeil won the fourth Stanley Cup ring of his career when Calgary dispatched his former employer, the Canadiens, in the 1989 Stanley Cup Final.

Although many will think of franchise icons such as Jarome Iginla, Theo Fleury, Al MacInnis, or Lanny McDonald when pondering the Flames’ success since moving to Alberta, MacNeil remains one of the most historical figures in franchise history. PHR extends our condolences to Al’s friends, family, and the organizations he’s been a part of for the last 70 years.

New York Rangers Claim Arthur Kaliyev Off Waivers

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Jan. 6: Kaliyev’s time in the Kings organization has officially ended. TSN’s Bruce Garrioch was the first to report that the New York Rangers have claimed Kaliyev off the waiver wire. The Rangers will add Kaliyev’s entire $825K salary leaving them just under $8MM in room. He’ll be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.

Jan. 5: The Los Angeles Kings have placed winger Arthur Kaliyev on waivers per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Kaliyev sustained a fractured clavicle in the pre-season, and wasn’t activated from season-opening injured reserve until December 28th. He was assigned to the AHL for a conditioning stint on December 10th, and scored two points in five games with the Ontario Reign. But being activated off of IR returns Kaliyev to waiver eligibility, and the Kings will now attempt to pass his through waivers to return him to the minor leagues.

Kaliyev played in his first minor league games since 2020-21 on his conditioning stint. He’s spent the years since fighting, and struggling, to earn a consistent role in the Kings’ lineup, under a very bright spotlight. Kaliyev has stood as one of Los Angeles’ top prospects since 2019, when the Kings drafted him with the first pick of the second round. He played through his rookie NHL season in 2021-22, scoring 14 goals and 27 points. Kaliyev began to improve on those numbers in year-two, but suffered an undisclosed injury in December that forced him out through mid-February, limiting him to just 56 games. Kaliyev managed 13 goals and 28 points, impressively rivaling his rookie scoring despite the injuries. But he couldn’t continue that improvement into last season, netting just 15 points in 51 games and falling into routine healthy scratches.

Even with minute intentions, this move stands as a major wedge in Kaliyev’s drive to earn an NHL role. He’s totaled 35 goals and 71 points in 188 career games, but never seemed to find a fit in the lineup, no matter how often the Kings changed up his role. He could be an interesting, high upside bet on the waiver wire – offering teams the chance to land an impactful middle-six scorer for no cost. Kaliyev is set to be a restricted free-agent with arbitration status this summer, and carries an affordable $825K cap hit.

Gary Bettman Meets With Group Regarding Arizona Expansion Franchise

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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman recently met with a newly formed committee of Maricopa County “political and business leaders” interested in pursuing an expansion franchise to bring the league back to the Arizona market, former Coyotes beat writer Craig Morgan reports.

The now-deactivated Coyotes franchise’s hopes of a revival, at least under former majority owner Alex Meruelo, ended in June when the Arizona State Land Department canceled an auction Meruelo intended to use to purchase a plot for a new arena and entertainment district because the organization failed to obtain the proper zoning permits. Shortly after, Meruelo informed Coyotes staff that he was relinquishing ownership of the franchise and officially returned the team’s branding and intellectual property to the league a few weeks later.

The situation ended a years-long saga in which multiple owners, Meruelo in particular, failed to stabilize the fledgling club on and off the ice. In the 2022 offseason, the team was effectively kicked out of its longtime, inconveniently located home in Glendale, forcing it to strike a deal with Arizona State University to share its new multipurpose Mullett Arena, which held fewer than 5,000 people for hockey. 

After two years in the temporary facility and no firm plan for a permanent home in sight, Meruelo struck a multi-part deal with the league to sell the franchise to Salt Lake City-based Smith Entertainment Group, birthing the Utah Hockey Club out of the Coyotes’ former hockey operations assets. Meruelo could reactivate the Coyotes franchise and trigger an expansion draft if specific timelines were met on a new arena. However, after the auction was canceled, that was no longer plausible.

So, while the potential of the Coyotes’ name and logo resurfacing in the coming years persists, it will be with a blank slate roster-wise and ownership-wise in a new arena. Maricopa County Board of Supervisors chairman Tom Galvin, who’s at the head of the advisory committee, told Morgan that he’s “had several meetings with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and he looks forward to working with us to identify an owner and the best location for a world-class building.”

There’s still much work to be done before Arizona can once again be seriously considered as an expansion destination, though. Not only does the advisory committee need to develop a pathway toward building a new NHL-caliber facility, but they also need to identify a stable ownership group willing to take on the project. That could come from NBA Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia, who told Barry M. Bloom of Sportico in July that he’s interested in acquiring an expansion franchise and has long-term plans to build a new arena in downtown Phoenix.

Ducks Sign Frank Vatrano To Three-Year Extension

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In an announcement from himself and his young daughter, Frank Vatrano is committing to Orange County for another three seasons. In a quick follow-up from TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, Vatrano’s three-year pact will pay him $18MM in total but carries an uncommon method of deferred salary.

LeBrun shares that Vatrano will earn a base salary of $3MM each year of the deal with $9MM deferred. From 2035, Vatrano will earn $900K annually from the Ducks until 2044. LeBrun asserts that Vatrano plans to live outside of California in retirement giving him the flexibility to earn his annual disbursement in a tax-free state. Additionally, the creativity of the deferred salary brings Vatrano’s cap hit down to $4.67MM (instead of $6MM) which provides cost-savings to Anaheim.

Being primarily used in Major League Baseball, this is the most creative use of deferred salary in recent memory in the National Hockey League and may be a sign of things to come. There are increasing concerns that teams within states without an income tax have a competitive advantage over other teams, particularly in comparison to the Canadian market in recent years. The use of deferred salary by Anaheim may be a way to show players, particularly unrestricted free agents, that there are creative ways to dodge financial impediments.

For Vatrano’s part, it’s a healthy raise on his modest $3.65MM salary for the last three years. After a disappointing year with the New York Rangers, the Ducks signed Vatrano to a three-year, $10.95MM contract as an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2022.

Subsequently, he’s enjoyed the two most productive seasons of his career. Vatrano scored 22 goals and 41 points in 81 games for Anaheim during the 2022-23 season finishing tied for third on the team in goal-scoring. Vatrano followed up that performance with the best season of his career scoring 37 goals and 60 points in 82 games last year shattering his previous record of 24 goals in 2018-19 with the Florida Panthers.

Vatrano’s goal-scoring output has dissipated slightly this year with nine goals and 20 points in 37 games but he’s still proving to be a physical, offensive threat in the Ducks’ top-six. Unsurprisingly, the defensive side of Vatrano’s game is improving under head coach Greg Cronin’s hard-nosed system, with the veteran sniper managing the best 5-on-5 on-ice save percentage since his time with the Panthers.

The extension reflects Vatrano’s earnest commitment to a rebuilding organization. It also removes an important trade candidate from consideration as the deadline approaches. Vatrano’s style of play would be an asset to almost any contending team’s middle-six, but they will now have to seek such an advantage elsewhere.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Senators’ Linus Ullmark, Travis Hamonic Out Week-To-Week

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Ottawa Senators head coach Travis Green issued a laundry list of injury updates on Sunday, captured by TSN’s Bruce Garrioch. Most notably, starting goaltender Linus Ullmark was designated as week-to-week with a back injury. Ullmark hasn’t skated since leaving the team’s December 22nd match against Edmonton early after his back tightened up. He’s missed five games since, and will now continue to sit out through the bulk of January.

Losing their star netminder has been a tough blow for Ottawa to bear. They’ve turned to a mix of Anton Forsberg and Leevi Merilainen in his absence, but totaled a bleak 1-4-0 record and 3.20 goals-against per-game. Ullmark has been far more successful in net, ranking 16th in the league wins (12) and seventh in save percentage (.915). He’s everything Ottawa was hoping for when they traded two players and a first-round pick for him this summer. But with him on the shelf for the foreseeable future, the Senators are once again faced with a lack of goaltending depth.

Forsberg should continue his role of de facto starter, giving him a chance to improve on his .885 Sv% in 12 games this year. But Merilainen will receive the biggest opportunity with this news. He’s spent the season moving back-and-forth between the major and minor rosters, in the mix posting a team-best .901 Sv% in 13 games for the Belleville Senators. The 22-year-old has also set a 2-2-0 record and .884 in his NHL appearances this season, and could earn a big role if he proves to be the piece the pulls Ottawa out of their lump.

Green also shared that defenseman Travis Hamonic will miss two-to-four weeks with a lower-body injury. Hamonic played down to the final minute of Ottawa’s Friday loss to St. Louis, and didn’t seem noticeably limited in his final shift. But he’ll now be out for the long-term, likely opening the door for Jacob Bernard-Docker to step back into the lineup. Bernard-Docker has four points in 25 games this season, continuing his scoring slump after he scored just 14 points in 72 games last season. If he proves a shaky addition, the Senators could also turn towards Nikolas Matinpalo, who has only played one NHL game this season but has scored seven points in 24 AHL games.

In brighter news, forwards David Perron and Michael Amadio have both returned to skating. Both are recovering from upper-body injuries. Perron has been injured for much of the season, only appearing in nine games and not yet scoring for his new club. Amadio has been a bit more impactful, scoring 10 points in 33 games in the mix of Ottawa’s bottom-six. Placing Hamonic and Ullmark on injured reserve would clear the space for Ottawa to activate both forwards.

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