Winnipeg Jets Reassign Isaak Phillips, Danil Zhilkin
According to a team announcement, the Winnipeg Jets have reassigned defenseman Isaak Phillips and forward Danil Zhilkin to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. Each player was recalled relatively recently as injury insurance.
Unfortunately, it seems the transaction will not align with any positive updates regarding the injury situation. The Moose play tonight at home, allowing each player to play before being recalled for tomorrow’s contest against the Detroit Red Wings. Winnipeg remains without Haydn Fleury, Colin Miller, and Neal Pionk.
Phillips, 24, is in his second year with the Jets organization. Winnipeg acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks last season as he was passed over on the team’s depth chart. Unfortunately, he hasn’t found more playing time with the Jets.
Still, he’s having a much better year in the AHL. Split between Manitoba and the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs, Phillips finished with four goals and 16 points in 67 games with a -3 rating. He’s nearly matched that output already this year, registering three goals and 13 points in 33 games with a +3 rating.
Meanwhile, Zhilkin, 22, is in his third professional season. He hasn’t had much success so far, but got off to a moderately good start this season, scoring seven goals and 14 points in 30 games. He has not scored in four NHL appearances, averaging 8:14 of ice time.
Wild Reassign Hunter Haight, Ben Jones
The Minnesota Wild are expected to have a fully healthy forward core for their game tomorrow against the Florida Panthers. The Wild announced that they’ve reassigned forwards Hunter Haight and Ben Jones to the AHL’s Iowa Wild.
Reports indicate that the Wild are expected to activate Matt Boldy tomorrow. He was a full participant at the team’s practice yesterday, but was not eligible to play against the Detroit Red Wings. The news comes after Minnesota returned Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Johansson to the lineup yesterday.
Haight, 21, is in his second professional season. The former second-round pick was one of the few bright spots with AHL Iowa last season, scoring 20 goals and 34 points in 67 games. He’s again primarily played in the AHL this season, registering seven goals and 12 points through his first 26 contests.
Still, Haight hasn’t reached beyond an extra forward role for the Wild yet. He has been recalled five times this season for injury depth in Minnesota. Unfortunately, he has yet to register his first point, appearing in five games while averaging 9:41 of ice time.
Meanwhile, Jones, 26, has also been used as an extra forward for the Wild this season. However, unlike Haight, Minnesota has utilized him far more. Across 26 games this season, Jones has scored one goal and one assist with a -10 rating, averaging 8:36 of ice time. In the AHL, he has tallied three goals and six points in eight games with Iowa.
Latest On New York Rangers, Alexis Lafreniere
As soon as the New York Rangers announced a retool to finish out the 2025-26 campaign, all eyes turned toward Artemi Panarin as a trade candidate leading up to the March 6th deadline. Still, outside of Panarin, there is another winger that the Rangers may move on from by the end of the season.
According to a recent article by Peter Baugh in The Athletic, there are indications that General Manager Chris Drury does not consider Alexis Lafrenière to be part of the team’s core moving forward. In fact, reports last week suggested that Drury met one-on-one with each of the team’s core players. Lafrenière told reporters on Monday that Drury never met with him individually.
If the Rangers seriously entertain offers for Lafrenière, and there’s no indication that they won’t, the major hurdle in any negotiation will be his contract. Lafrenière signed a seven-year, $52.15MM extension with New York last season, which began this year. Still, he doesn’t have any trade protection until the 2027-28 campaign. Even then, it’ll only be an eight-team no-trade list.
Fortunately for New York, as Baugh points out, the team has a recent trade comparable to Lafrenière. Last season, at the trade deadline, the Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres traded Dylan Cozens for Joshua Norris, a swap that has seemingly benefited both sides, provided Norris can stay healthy.
At the time, each player had six years remaining on their respective contracts, with Cozens earning $7.1MM and Norris earning $7.9MM. Unfortunately, there aren’t many younger players earning similar amounts to Lafrenière that would make sense for a trade. Pavel Buchnevich of the St. Louis Blues ($8MM through 2030-31) and Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks ($7.25MM through 2031-32) make some sense as fellow struggling wingers. However, the Rangers would likely ask for more considering Lafrenière is a former first-overall pick.
Regardless, moving on from top-10 picks has become a trend for the Rangers in years past. Since the 2010 NHL Draft, New York has had five first-round picks fall within the top-10, and Lafrenière is the only one that remains.
Now in his sixth season, Lafrenière has not lived up to his draft billing. During the 2023-24 campaign, he appeared to be breaking out, scoring 28 goals and 57 points in 82 games, averaging 17:16 of ice time per night. He’s never been much of a defensive stalwart, though his possession metrics are typically above average.
Unfortunately, he hasn’t come close to reaching those totals. His output dropped to 17 goals and 45 points in 82 games last season, and he’s again pacing toward 45 points this year. The only thing that Lafrenière really has going for him is that he’s remained remarkably healthy throughout his career. At the time of writing, he has only missed four regular-season contests for the Rangers.
Still, if they don’t receive a beneficial offer for Lafrenière, the Rangers aren’t really in any rush. He won’t have trade protection in his contract next season, either, which could allow New York to push serious trade negotiations to the summer. Lafrenière projects as an asset that may be a later domino to fall in the Rangers’ retool.
Kraken Recall Jacob Melanson, Place Ben Meyers On IR
The Seattle Kraken will be down a hot hand for the final two games of their current homestand. Depth forward Ben Meyers has been placed on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury that has him out week-to-week. Meyers scored three points in his last two games. The Kraken have responded to his injury by recalling forward Jacob Melanson in a corresponding move.
It isn’t entirely clear when Meyers sustained his injury. He played through the final minute of action in Wednesday night’s win over the New York Islanders and recorded one point and one shot in the contest. Meyers didn’t appear to be nursing an injury in his final shift but will now land on the shelf for a minimum of one week and three games. He will be eligible to return on January 29th, when the Krkaen host the Toronto Maple Leafs to close out a six-game homestand.
Meyers has chipped his way up to Seattle’s third-line with a strong, two-way effort as of late. He ranks third on the offense in hits (15) and second in penalty-kill ice time (20:41) since the start of 2026. On the year, Meyers has recorded 11 points, 36 hits, and 40 shots on goal in 31 games. He’s proven to be a responsible veteran near the bottom of Seattle’s lineup, a role that could be hard to replace with an AHL call-up.
Melanson has been a responsible piece of the Coachella Valley Firebirds’ lineup this year, with 16 points and 28 penalty minutes in 26 games. He has carved out a top-six role and ranks third among Firebirds forwards in plus-minus with a plus-seven. That diligence hasn’t quite translated to the top flight, with Melanson boasting only four points and a minus-two in 15 NHL games this season. They are the first NHL games of his career, except for his NHL debut, which he made at the end of last season.
That inexperience could be a motivator as Melanson looks to make himself comfortable in a bottom-six role in place of the toolsy Meyers. He will compete with Tye Kartye for a spot in the lineup. Kartye has recorded seven points and a minus-seven in 37 games this season.
Pittsburgh Penguins Activate Erik Karlsson
According to a team announcement, the Pittsburgh Penguins have activated defenseman Erik Karlsson from the injured reserve. In a corresponding roster move, the Penguins have placed defenseman Ryan Graves on the injured reserve.
Pittsburgh will have their highest-scoring defenseman back in the lineup tonight against the Edmonton Oilers. Karlsson, 35, has been sidelined the last nine days with an undisclosed injury and has returned somewhat earlier than expected.
In a resurgent year, the former Norris Trophy winner has registered four goals and 33 points in 44 games for the Penguins this season. He’s led all defensemen in Pittsburgh in ATOI with a 23:46 mark.
He has played a crucial role in the Penguins’ surprising return to contention this season. Not only is Karlsson 20 points away from matching his point totals from last season, but he’s managed a robust 54.3% CorsiFor% at even strength. Despite his 88.6% on-ice SV% being below what most teams would expect from their top defenseman, it’s an improvement from where Karlsson was at as recently as last year.
It couldn’t have come at a better time for the player or team, either. Being the subject of trade speculation throughout Pittsburgh’s retool, a resurgent year from Karlsson has put the Penguins in a better spot regarding his future. The team may be more comfortable retaining Karlsson, given his strong play this season, or have better luck trading him now that interested parties may be more inclined to acquire him.
Meanwhile, Graves will head to the injured reserve after initially being recalled to replace Karlsson’s spot on the active roster. Assuming the rest of the defensive core can remain healthy, Graves will likely be reassigned to the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins upon his activation. He cleared waivers at the end of December and hasn’t met the requirements to need waivers again.
Infamously signed through the 2028-29 season at a $4.5MM cap hit, Graves has been scarcely used by the Penguins this season. Serving in a depth role, he’s registered one goal in 19 games while averaging 15:29 of ice time per game. Playing in the AHL for the first time since the 2018-19 season, Graves has recorded two goals and nine points in 13 contests.
Canucks To Activate Filip Chytil
According to Jeff Paterson of Canucks Army, the Vancouver Canucks are expected to activate forward Filip Chytil for tomorrow’s contest against the New Jersey Devils. Nobody from the Canucks has confirmed the news, though head coach Adam Foote indicated that there’s a good chance he’ll return against New Jersey.
Chytil, 26, will return after missing more than three months of action. He has resumed skating over the last few days, with reports from a few days ago revealing that he was a full participant at Vancouver’s practice.
Still, there’s unfortunately no guarantee that he’ll remain healthy throughout the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign or beyond. In fact, it may be time to start asking whether or not Chytil should continue his NHL career for the sake of his long-term future.
By the time that Chytil had reached his sixth season as a full-time player for the New York Rangers, he had already suffered four concussions. The last one was endured during the 2023-24 campaign, when the former 21st overall pick was limited to 10 games. He returned for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, registering zero points in six appearances.
Heading into the 2024-25 campaign as healthy as he could be, Chytil had already lost his future with the Rangers. New York traded him to Vancouver later that season in the deal that brought J.T. Miller back to the Big Apple.
Unfortunately, his move to British Columbia didn’t alleviate any of his proclivity toward concussions. In a game against the Chicago Blackhawks in mid-March, Chytil suffered another concussion and missed the remainder of the regular season for the Canucks.
Finally looking to gain some consistency with his new organization, Chytil scored three goals in six games to begin the 2025-26 campaign. Once again, this time against the Washington Capitals, Chytil suffered another concussion, which has cost him over half the season. Despite being on the Canucks for nearly a year, Chytil has registered only four goals and nine points in 21 games.
San Jose Sharks Reassign Igor Chernyshov
According to a team announcement, the San Jose Sharks have reassigned forward Igor Chernyshov to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. The transaction proactively opens a roster spot with Shakir Mukhamadullin or the recent acquisition, Kiefer Sherwood, expected to return from injury soon.
Chernyshov, 20, will wrap up his first stint in the NHL. The native of Penza, Russia, was selected by the Sharks with the 33rd overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. At the time, Chernyshov’s draft selection received high marks for being projected as a mid-to-low first-round talent.
He’s proven that since coming to North America last season. Chernyshov spent the 2024-25 campaign with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit (with fellow rookie Michael Misa), scoring 19 goals and 55 points in only 23 games. Unfortunately, despite the high scoring totals, there was some cause for concern with Chernyshov missing a significant amount of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
Chernyshov quickly put those concerns to bed this season. Through his first 25 games of the year with AHL San Jose, Chernyshov scored 11 goals and 23 points with a +5 rating. Despite being in the NHL for the last month, he remains fourth on the team in scoring.
Once the Sharks ran into injury trouble with their forward core, the team recalled Chernyshov for his NHL debut in mid-December. In an impressive start to his career, he scored in more games than he didn’t, finishing his first stint with three goals and 11 points in 15 games, averaging 15:47 of ice time per game.
Still, Chernyshov was relatively sheltered next to phenom Macklin Celebrini throughout his debut. Of his 11 points, Celebrini either assisted or scored in seven of them. Regardless, given the quick chemistry the two developed, San Jose must feel confident that Chernyshov will have a long-term home with the club.
Sabres Sign Josh Doan To Seven-Year Extension
According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, the Buffalo Sabres are nearing a contract extension with forward Josh Doan. A few moments later, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that it’ll be a seven-year, $48.65MM ($6.95MM AAV) deal. The Sabres have confirmed the contract.
PuckPedia provided the year-by-year breakdown of Doan’s extension:
- 2026-28: $3.45MM salary, $3.5M signing bonus
- 2028-29: $6.95MM salary
- 2029-33: $6.95MM salary, seven-team no-trade clause
General Manager Jarmo Kekäläinen makes his first major move as the new leader of Buffalo’s front office. Doan’s next extension will keep the forward in upstate New York through the 2032-33 NHL season, when he’ll be 31 years old.
Few would have predicted a mammoth extension for Doan just six months ago. Over the summer, the Sabres acquired Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring from the Utah Mammoth for JJ Peterka. At the time, Doan was believed to be a long-term fit in the middle six of Buffalo’s forward core.
That’s largely what he showed with his last organization. Throughout the first two years of his career, Doan registered 12 goals and 28 points in 62 games split between the Arizona Coyotes and Utah Hockey Club, averaging 13:18 of ice time with a +4 rating. He had relatively impactful possession and defensive metrics, though nothing would indicate he would break out as he has with the Sabres.
In Buffalo, he’s already surpassed his previous career totals. Throughout 49 games this year, Doan has scored 15 goals and 35 points, averaging 16:04 of ice time per game. That production is good for third on the team in goal-scoring and fourth in total scoring. He isn’t showing any signs of slowing down, either.
Not only has Doan alleviated the concerns of trading a player of Peterka’s offensive caliber, but he actually has three more points than Peterka this season in the same number of games played. According to MoneyPuck, the line of Peyton Krebs, Tage Thompson, and Doan has averaged a 55.1% xGoals% in all situations, which is the 20th best in the league for forward units that have played in 150 or more minutes together.
Additionally, his on-ice Goals% (60.4%) is the highest on the team by a healthy margin, arguably making him the most productive forward on the team this season. He has shown some new shortcomings on the defensive side of the puck, though Buffalo is likely willing to overlook that as long as he keeps tearing it up in the other direction.
Photo courtesy of Eric Hartline-Imagn Images.
Injury Notes: Wild, McDonagh, Huberdeau
The Minnesota Wild could have a few reinforcements for their upcoming game tonight against the Detroit Red Wings. According to NHL reporter Jessi Pierce, Zach Bogosian, Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Marcus Johansson all took part in Minnesota’s practice this morning.
Pierce went on to indicate that both Eriksson Ek and Johansson could return to the lineup tonight. Unfortunately, Bogosian and Boldy will remain on the sidelines. In the latter’s defense, given the stipulations of putting a player on the injured reserve, Boldy would be ineligible for tonight’s contest regardless of how he feels.
The Wild could certainly use the help. After having an outstanding record through November and December, Minnesota has stalled of late, managing a 4-4-2 record in January. If Eriksson Ek and Johansson return tonight, the Wild would have two of their top four scorers back in the lineup.
Additional injury notes:
- The long-awaited return of Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh is on the horizon. According to team insider Erik Erlendsson, McDonagh’s recovery timeline has been upgraded to day-to-day, and head coach Jon Cooper guaranteed that he would play before the upcoming Olympic break. Due to varying injuries, the Lightning have been without McDonagh for most of the 2025-26 campaign. The 16-year veteran has registered four goals and eight points in 18 games on the year, averaging 20 minutes of ice time per game.
- According to Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg, winger Jonathan Huberdeau will return to the lineup tomorrow night for the Calgary Flames. The former Calder Trophy winner missed the Flames’ most recent game due to a lower-body injury.
Chicago Blackhawks Activate Frank Nazar
Jan. 22nd: As expected, the Blackhawks have officially activated Nazar, per a team announcement. Chicago did not make a corresponding roster move.
Jan. 21st: The Chicago Blackhawks are on the precipice of having a fully healthy forward core. According to The Athletic’s Scott Powers, the Blackhawks expected youngster Frank Nazar to return to the lineup tomorrow, meaning he’ll be activated from the injured reserve.
Chicago has an open roster spot, so they won’t need to make a corresponding roster move. Still, they already have 14 forwards, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Blackhawks swap a depth forward for a defenseman in the AHL.
Nazar, 22, has been absent from the Blackhawks’ roster for a month. After taking a puck to the face, he broke his jaw in Chicago’s December 20th matchup against the Ottawa Senators. He has been skating for the last few days and will make his official return tomorrow against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Before the injury, Nazar was having a solid junior campaign. Registering six goals and 21 points in 33 games, Nazar remains only five points away from matching last year’s totals, which took 53 games to reach. Being one of the best offensive forwards on the team, he’s earned a huge bump in ATOI this season, going from 15:52 last season to 18:15 this year.
Still, Nazar was clearly slowing down in the lead-up to the injury. The Detroit, MI native had scored five goals and 13 points in his first 17 games of the year. In the next 16 games, in which the Blackhawks had recorded a 3-11-2 record, Nazar had only registered one goal and eight points. Since he exited the lineup in late December, Chicago has improved, managing a 7-6-1 record in his absence.
Regardless, despite missing a month of action, Nazar remains tied for fourth on the team in scoring. He’s largely considered the highest-upside forward option for the Blackhawks behind Connor Bedard, and the team will hope that he can maintain his health through the conclusion of the 2025-26 campaign.