Islanders’ Dmitry Gamzin Signs Two-Year Extension In Russia
The Islanders will have to wait at least two more seasons for goaltending prospect Dmitry Gamzin to arrive in North America. The Kontinental Hockey League announced he’s signed a two-year extension with CSKA Moscow, keeping him in Russia through the 2027-28 campaign.
Most high-profile Russian goaltending prospects wait until their mid-20s before coming to the NHL, opting to complete the entirety of their development at home rather than seeing any AHL time. It appears Gamzin will be no exception. The 22-year-old was initially draft-eligible back in 2021 but went unselected for several years until the Islanders took a flyer on him in the fourth round in 2024.
So far, it looks like a wise decision. The 6’3″, 174-lb netminder has since emerged as the starter for one of the country’s most successful organizations and put NHL veteran Spencer Martin out of a job earlier this season.
Now, he’s on track to win KHL Goalie of the Year honors, leading the league in save percentage (.933) and goals against average (1.71) in 26 appearances. He’s done so behind an unusually weak CSKA roster that just traded away its leading point-getter in Daniel Sprong and no longer has a skater producing above 0.67 points per game.
All signs point to him having a legit shot as a high-end backup to countryman Ilya Sorokin in the last few years of his deal. Sorokin, who also emerged from the CSKA organization, came over at age 25.
As a player drafted out of a Russian league, the Islanders hold Gamzin’s signing rights indefinitely.
Five Key Stories: 1/5/26 – 1/11/26
The first full week of 2026 is in the books and it was a busy one across the hockey world with several extensions completed. Unfortunately, it also saw the passing of a pair of Hall of Famers. Here’s a rundown of the key stories of the week.
Blues Sign Two: Early in the week, St. Louis inked winger Alexey Toropchenko to a two-year, $5MM extension. The 26-year-old has been a valuable energy player over his five-year career and the move ensures the two sides won’t go to arbitration this summer. Then, on the weekend, GM Doug Armstrong took care of another pending RFA, reaching a six-year, $48MM extension with defenseman Philip Broberg. Acquired via offer sheet in 2024 from Edmonton, the 24-year-old has blossomed into an impactful defender and is averaging nearly 23 minutes per game this season. The deal buys out two RFA years plus an additional four years of team control while making him their highest-paid defender moving forward. Unfortunately for the Blues, Broberg suffered an upper-body injury on Saturday just hours after the deal was announced and didn’t make it through the game.
Sharks Swap: With the Sharks now squarely in the playoff battle (they sit third in the Pacific Division heading into today’s action), they’ve made a move to add some goaltending depth and a young defender. They acquired goalie Laurent Brossoit, defenseman Nolan Allan, and a 2028 seventh-round pick from Chicago for blueliner Jake Furlong, Ryan Ellis’ LTIR contract, and a 2028 fourth rounder. Brossoit, now healthy, gives San Jose another experienced option in the system while getting a look at Allan, a 2021 first-round pick who had been passed over on Chicago’s depth chart. They also free up more than $2.5MM in cap space by removing Ellis off their books to get them closer to exiting LTIR. The Blackhawks, meanwhile, upgrade a future draft pick and save considerable cash with the bulk of Ellis’ deal being covered by insurance.
Five For Dvorak: When Christian Dvorak signed a one-year, $5.4MM contract with the Flyers in the summer, it raised some eyebrows with Philadelphia seemingly overpaying to get a short-term agreement. But it has worked out rather well with the 29-year-old well on his way to a career year offensively. As a result, the team has rewarded him for his efforts, signing him to a five-year, $25.65MM extension, a small dip in the AAV ($5.15MM) in exchange for a long-term agreement. After being more of a middle-six player in Montreal (and Arizona before that), Dvorak has taken over the top center spot with the Flyers and is now set to be part of their long-term core group.
Hamilton Scratched: With the Devils getting defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic back from his season-long knee injury, someone had to sit. That player was veteran Dougie Hamilton. Soon after reports emerged that he’d be sitting, his agent J.P. Barry released a statement critical of the team, suggesting that his benching was business-related instead of performance-related amid reports that the team would like to move him. However, Hamilton has been quiet offensively this season with five goals and five assists in 40 games, not a great return on a $9MM price tag. Barry stated that Hamilton is willing to consider moving to teams that are on his no-trade list so we’ll see if this ultimately expedites the trade process.
More Issues For The Rangers: It was a rough first half of the season for the Rangers who have underachieved. Now, their push for the playoffs just got a lot more difficult with two of their top players being injured as goaltender Igor Shesterkin went on injured reserve with a non-contact lower-body injury while defenseman Adam Fox landed on LTIR with a lower-body issue of his own. Despite the team’s struggles, Shesterkin remains in the top ten in the league in save percentage and now veteran Jonathan Quick is tasked with keeping them afloat. Meanwhile, it’s Fox’s second stint on LTIR, taking their top offensive weapon from the back end out of the lineup for at least 10 games and 24 days, hardly ideal for one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league.
Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.
Lassi Thomson Linked To Swiss League
After spending last season in Sweden, the Senators elected to bring back defenseman Lassi Thomson for this season. The hope was that he might be able to play his way higher on Ottawa’s depth chart and perhaps see some NHL action.
However, that hasn’t been the case. Aside from a brief recall to the big club that didn’t result in NHL action, the 25-year-old has played exclusively with AHL Belleville in 2025-26. Through 33 games, Thomson has been reasonably productive with seven goals and six assists.
However, with his fate now seemingly solidified as a minor leaguer, Thomson appears to be pondering his next change of scenery. Expressen’s Johan Svensson reports that the blueliner is looking to play with HC Lugano in Switzerland next season, suggesting that a contract might already be in place.
Thomson’s team from last season, Malmö of the SHL, has also shown interest in bringing him back into the fold. While that doesn’t appear to be happening for next season, it could still happen for the stretch run. Svensson notes that Thomson is technically under contract there for this year (he exercised an NHL out clause to rejoin the Senators) and that the defenseman is amenable to return to Sweden this season. Speculatively, that would come in the form of a contract termination in order to clear his minor league salary off Ottawa’s books.
If such a move doesn’t materialize, Thomson will be eligible for Group Six unrestricted free agency next summer so Ottawa will be losing his rights anyway. A first-round pick (19th overall) in 2019, Thomson has just 18 NHL games under his belt, a number that doesn’t appear likely to increase for the foreseeable future with him having an eye on overseas opportunities once again.
Snapshots: Hamilton, Smith, Chychrun, Miller
With the Devils believed to be searching for a new team for veteran defenseman Dougie Hamilton after scratching him today, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in the latest Saturday Headlines segment (video link) that the blueliner turned down a trade over the summer. Friedman stated that the Sharks attempted to acquire the 32-year-old over the offseason but Hamilton used his trade protection to scuttle that. San Jose has since added Dmitry Orlov, John Klingberg, and Nick Leddy to their back end and given that they’ve been using LTIR all season, it stands to reason that they may not be interested in rekindling those discussions to see if Hamilton’s stance has changed. He has two years left on his contract after this one with a $9MM AAV, a price tag that will be difficult to move for value.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- Sharks forward Will Smith will accompany the team on their upcoming four-game road trip, relays Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. The sophomore has missed the last four weeks due to an upper-body injury and recently returned to practice, albeit in a non-contact jersey. The fact he’s set to travel with the team suggests that Smith should be able to return at some point on the trip. Through 33 games so far, Smith has been quite productive, collecting 12 goals and 17 assists while averaging just under 18 minutes per game of playing time.
- The Capitals announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Jakob Chychrun was scratched from tonight’s game against Nashville due to illness. The 27-year-old is in the middle of a breakout season, collecting 15 goals and 17 assists in 45 games. That puts him on pace to surpass his previous personal best in points (47) set last season. Washington has been carrying eight defensemen on their roster for most of the year so Chychrun’s absence didn’t necessitate a recall from the minors to fill his spot.
- Jets defenseman Colin Miller left today’s game against New Jersey due to a lower-body injury, notes Gordon Anderson of The Winnipeg Sun. The injury occurred in the first period, limiting him to just 4:14 of playing time. It has been a tough year for the 33-year-old who has been a frequent healthy scratch and has played in just 14 games so far, notching just one assist. That’s not a great showing in the final year of his contract, one that carries a $1.5MM cap charge.
Michael Misa To Remain With Sharks For The Remainder Of The Season
Over the first month or so of the season, there is often talk about which junior-eligible rookies will go past the 10-game mark, officially burning the first year of their entry-level contract. Sometimes, teams will scratch a player from time to time to push back the decision but within a couple of months, the call has been made.
It was a different situation this season for Sharks forward Michael Misa. The number two pick in June broke camp with San Jose but had his playing time managed early on. However, after seven games, he suffered an ankle injury that kept him out for around a month. From there, he was eligible for an AHL conditioning stint and then he was off to the World Juniors.
As a result, Misa still hasn’t officially started his entry-level contract and is eligible to be assigned back to junior. However, that won’t be the case as the youngster told reporters including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News that GM Mike Grier informed him that he’d remain with the Sharks for the rest of the season.
Despite that, it wouldn’t be too surprising if his ice time continues to be managed; he was a healthy scratch yesterday against Dallas but is in the lineup tonight. For starters, having been away from the team for so long, there is some value in getting him a bit of extra practice time first. Second, San Jose has quietly played its way into a playoff spot so the focus won’t entirely be on player development the longer that they stay in the race. That could result in the odd night off for Misa as well.
Once Misa eventually gets into his tenth NHL game, he’ll officially activate the first season of his contract. Considering that the Sharks are at the maximum of 50, his getting there would put them over the limit. Accordingly, the longer they wait to get Misa to that point, the more time Grier has to make a move.
From there, the next threshold to watch for is 40 games on the active roster which is when he’d accrue a season of service time toward UFA eligibility. For now, he’s a long way away from getting to that point so if management decides that they want to keep Misa below that threshold, there could be some finessing of his playing time as well. But while his minutes could still be limited, Misa at least has the peace of mind that he’ll be up in the NHL for the rest of the season.
Utah Mammoth Recall Kevin Rooney, Place Alexander Kerfoot On IR
The Utah Mammoth announced today that they have placed forward Alexander Kerfoot on injured reserve. He’s out with an upper-body injury on a week-to-week basis.
In a corresponding move, the club recalled forward Kevin Rooney from their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.
Kerfoot left Utah’s Friday game against the St. Louis Blues after suffering the injury. This isn’t Kerfoot’s first week-to-week absence of the season. He underwent core muscle surgery in October and it cost him the start of the season. He made his 2025-26 debut on Dec. 19.
Things weren’t quite right for Kerfoot even after his original activation off of IR. He only managed one goal for one point in nine games, and he only played 10:20 time on ice per game. Kerfoot averaged 15:15 time on ice per game in 2024-25.
A key penalty killer for the Mammoth, Kerfoot has typically been good for steady middle-six production over the course of his NHL career.
He scored 45 points in the final season of the Arizona Coyotes in 2023-24, but that production didn’t carry over to Utah as he took on a more defensive role.
Now slated to miss at least a few weeks, the Mammoth will turn to Rooney to fill Kerfoot’s vacated fourth-line spot in head coach Andre Tourigny’s lineup.
The 32-year-old is a veteran of over 300 NHL games and skated in 70 games for the Calgary Flames last season. He’s scored 10 points in 20 games at the AHL level this season and has a goal in his lone NHL contest of 2025-26.
Rooney is playing out a one-year, league-minimum two-way contract, one that carries a $325K AHL salary. If Rooney gets an extended look on the NHL roster as a result of Kerfoot’s absence, that run of NHL games would hold significant financial benefits for the veteran forward.
For Kerfoot, while these injuries are undoubtedly frustrating from an on-ice perspective, the financial implications of the injury are also unfortunate. Kerfoot is a pending UFA, and this injury will now set back his efforts to put together the kind of production fans grew accustomed to seeing from him in Arizona and Toronto.
Now 31 years old, Kerfoot has a chance to be one of the better center-capable players on this summer’s open market. This injury is certainly a setback, but he should still have a chance to return to the ice and string together some quality games to end his platform season on as high a note as possible.
Photos courtesy of Brad Penner-Imagn Images
San Jose Sharks Activate John Klingberg
The San Jose Sharks announced today that defenseman John Klingberg has been activated off of injured reserve.
Klingberg missed four consecutive games with a lower-body injury. The 33-year-old has been one of the Sharks’ most heavily-used defensemen this season, tied for first among blueliners in ice time with 21:37 per game. When healthy, he’s also quarterbacked the Sharks’ top power play unit, averaging 3:25 power play time on ice per game.
After two consecutive injury-riddled seasons, this year has been a bounce-back year for Klingberg from a production standpoint. He’s scored nine goals and 16 points in 31 games, which is a 24-goal, 42-point 82-game pace.
Klingberg had scored just 42 points in the three seasons following his 47-point 2021-22 campaign, which was his final year in Dallas.
Although returns in terms of Klingberg’s defensive value have been more mixed, that’s not entirely detached from what was expected of Klingberg even in the best years of his career.
Now back to full health, Klingberg will get the chance to continue to build on his momentum this season with an eye to the summer. His one-year, $4MM contract is set to expire this summer, making him a pending unrestricted free agent.
Central Notes: Eriksson Ek, Hartman, Miller
Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek suffered a lower-body injury against the Seattle Kraken on Jan. 8, and missed his team’s game Saturday against the New York Islanders. Per The Athletic’s Joe Smith, Eriksson Ek’s injury is “considered minor,” and the team will likely have an update on his status on Monday. He’s currently out on a day-to-day timeline, and it appears unlikely that will change.
From the Wild’s perspective, they are likely counting themselves lucky that Eriksson Ek is only facing a minor absence. The 28-year-old is the Wild’s best center, a status made all the more important due to the team’s trade of Marco Rossi to the Vancouver Canucks. The trade of Rossi, who scored 60 points last season, has left the Wild somewhat thin down the middle, though the continued growth of Danila Yurov has helped. Eriksson Ek has scored 32 points in 45 games this season and leads all Wild forwards in short-handed time on ice per game.
Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- Dodging a significant injury to Eriksson Ek isn’t the only good fortune the Wild have received in recent days. Veteran forward Ryan Hartman temporarily left yesterday’s game against the Islanders after blocking a shot on his left ankle, but he ultimately was able to return to the game, and Wild head coach John Hynes told the media, per Smith, that Hartman “seemed okay.” Hartman ranks No. 6 among Wild forwards in time on ice per game this season, and has 11 goals, 18 points this season. The 31-year-old is under contract at a $4MM AAV through 2026-27.
- The Winnipeg Jets announced that defenseman Colin Miller left the team’s comeback victory over the New Jersey Devils with a lower-body injury. While no further update on Miller’s status has been provided to this point, it appears the 33-year-old blueliner could be set to miss some time if his injury proves to be more than a minor setback. Miller has had a healthy 2025-26 to this point, but has been in and out of the lineup as a frequent healthy scratch. Through 14 games played in 2025-26, Miller has one assist and is averaging 14:26 time on ice per game. Miller’s two-year, $1.5MM AAV contract expires at the end of the season, making him a pending UFA.
New York Rangers Reassign Anton Blidh, Recall Brennan Othmann
4:15 p.m.: The Rangers have indeed recalled Othmann to their NHL roster, according to a team announcement.
The move returns the Rangers’ 2021 first-round pick back to their NHL roster for the first time in 2026. Othmann was a healthy scratch for his final two games on the NHL roster in December, but could draw back into head coach Mike Sullivan’s lineup at some point in the near future.
It’s an extremely important season for the 23-year-old’s future in the Rangers organization. He’s a pending restricted free agent and has thus far failed to make an impact at the NHL level.
Considered a top prospect coming out of the OHL thanks to the coveted combination of offensive skill and sandpaper in his game, Othmann has had an up-and-down time in the pro ranks. He’s been a strong contributor at the AHL level.
He was an All-Star in 2023-24, his rookie season as a pro, and 83 points in 117 games. But in his 31 games at the NHL level, he’s been unable to make quite the same impact. He’s managed just two assists as an NHLer, and is still waiting on his first NHL goal.
This recall gives Othmann another chance to prove himself at the NHL level, and prove he has what it takes to remain in New York’s long-term plans moving forward.
The Athletic’s Chris Johnston included Othmann in the No. 34 slot of his trade board last week, writing that while the Rangers are “not in a position at which they feel they have to move” Othmann, they’d nonetheless consider offers for him.
2:25 p.m.: The New York Rangers announced today that veteran forward Anton Blidh has been reassigned to the club’s AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.
The move leaves the Rangers without a healthy extra forward on their roster, but Colin Stephenson of Newsday reported that Brennan Othmann could be recalled to the Rangers at some point in the near future.
Blidh was recalled at the start of the New Year as part of the Rangers’ response to several injuries up front, most notably one suffered by captain J.T. Miller. In his recall, which lasted a little over 10 days, Blidh was dressed twice and served as a healthy scratch for three contests, including yesterday’s deflating 10-2 loss to the Boston Bruins.
In his two NHL games, Blidh averaged 7:45 time on ice. He didn’t land on the scoresheet, but tallied four hits in each contest. The 30-year-old veteran hasn’t been at the top of the list of priority call-up options since arriving in the Rangers organization in 2023, but he’s nonetheless found a way to stick around and earn a small number of call-ups.
While this most recent call-up represents two of his three total games played as a Ranger, he’s been a healthy scratch on other occasions. His physicality and work rate, as well as over 80 games of NHL experience, make him someone who the Rangers trust to fill in as a fourth liner when injuries call for it. Last April, New York signed Blidh to a two-year contract extension, one that runs through 2026-27. The deal carries a two-way structure, league-minimum NHL salary, and $385K guarantee across both years.
Reassigned today, Blidh will return to Hartford where he’s struggled to score at the same rate he put up last season. Blidh managed 19 goals, 36 points in 71 games last year, but has just seven points in 28 games this season. The Wolf Pack have struggled, as a whole, to put pucks in the net, ranking near the bottom of the AHL in goals scored in 2025-26.
Metro Notes: Konecny, Grundstrom, Wilson
Philadelphia Flyers winger Travis Konecny missed the team’s game Saturday as the result of an upper-body injury he suffered Jan. 8 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Earlier today, he was on the ice for practice, a development that was, temporarily, a good sign for his availability moving forward. But the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jackie Spiegel reported shortly afterward that Konecny left practice with an injury, and added that he “seemed to have trouble walking to the room.”
While there’s no official update from the Flyers on Konecny’s status, this reporting from their practice does cast into doubt Konecny’s likelihood of being available for the team’s game tomorrow against the Lightning. Any significant injury to Konecny would deal a massive blow to the Flyers’ competitive hopes. The 28-year-old’s 38 points in 42 games ranks second on the team behind Trevor Zegras, and his efforts have helped the Flyers amass a 22-13-8 record a little over halfway through the season. The hope, obviously, will be that Konecny’s injury scare today ends up being only something minor.
Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- The Flyers told reporters today that winger Carl Grundstrom missed practice with an illness, and that his availability for tomorrow’s game is questionable. Grundstrom has had a hot start to his time in Philadelphia, scoring seven goals and eight points in 17 games. Acquired as part of the trade involving Ryan Ellis’ contract in early October, Grundstrom worked his way onto the Flyers’ NHL roster with strong AHL performances and looks to have a firm grip on an NHL lineup spot thanks to his goal-scoring streak. A pending UFA making $1.8MM this season, Grundstrom has likely aided his upcoming free agent fortunes considerably in his brief stint so far with the Flyers.
- Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson, who remains out with a lower-body injury, skated in the team’s practice today with a non-contact jersey, per Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post. Consequently, Wilson is not expected to be available for Washington’s game against the Predators tonight. Wilson hasn’t played since Jan. 5 due to his injury, missing three games. The 31-year-old has 42 points in 41 games this season.