Oilers Recall Josh Samanski Under Emergency Conditions
The Edmonton Oilers have recalled forward Josh Samanski under emergency conditions. This call-up will not count against Edmonton’s remaining regular season recalls. Samanski was moved to the AHL ahead of the Trade Deadline to ensure his eligibility for the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs.
The Oilers could face a hole in their fourth-line center spot if Adam Henrique is ruled out of Sunday’s matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights. Henrique is a game-time decision due to an undisclosed injury per head coach Kris Knoblauch. The Oilers are already relying on trade acquisitions Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach to fill roles in their bottom-six and could now lean on another rookie to shore up their depth.
Samanski filled a fourth-line role in Edmonton’s March 3rd win over the Ottawa Senators but hasn’t had an extended tenure in the NHL since early-February. He played the first five games of his NHL career after a late-January call-up and scored two assists. Samanski has made a much bigger impact in a top-six center role with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, where he’s racked up 31 points in 45 games this season. He also represented Team Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics, scoring two points in five games.
Samanski is in his first professional season in North America after spending the last four seasons in Germany’s DEL. He totaled 40 goals and 93 points in 193 games at Germany’s top-level. That set a club record for U23 scoring with the Straubing Tigers, exceeding the previous record by 29 points. Samanski is still searching for his spark in the NHL but should still provide solid depth if Edmonton needs to call on him.
Big Hype Prospects: Morozov, Ignatavicius, Klepov, Henriquez, Hrenak
Welcome to PHR’s Big Hype Prospects series. Like the MLB Trade Rumors series of the same name, we’re taking a look at the performances of top prospects from across the hockey world. We’ll look at rising prospects for the upcoming draft who are worth keeping in mind.
Five Big Hype Prospects
Ilia Morozov, C, Miami University Red Hawks (NCHC)
35 GP, 8 G – 12 A – 20 TP, 27 PIM, +2
Among the many climbing into a spot in this year’s top 15, it may be bulky center Ilia Morozov who has most caught the eye of pro teams. He has played with an overwhelming layer of grit and energy to his game despite starting the year out as college hockey’s youngest player – a title that now belongs to Oscar Hemming, highlighted in our last Big Hype Prospects piece. Morozov’s hard work has translated to more ice time and success in the standings. Miami improved by 15 wins this season, the biggest jump of any Division I team this century excluding the Covid season per ESPN’s John Buccigross. That is in no small part thanks to Morozov, whose tenacity and two-way responsibility helped fortify Miami’s top-six. His game took a major stride from last season in the USHL and Morozov is still among the youngest players in the draft class. That added development time, and his six-foot-three, 205-pound frame, could be enough to convince teams to spend an early pick on the Russian power-forward.
Simas Ignatavicius, LW, Geneve-Servette (National League)
51 GP, 7 G – 8 A – 15 TP, 43 PIM, +6
Another major riser is winger Simas Ignatavicius, who is looking to become the first Lithuanian to be drafted into the NHL since Dainius Zubrus was selected in the 1996 first-round. Coincidentally, Zubrus has made his mark on Ignatavicius’ development path, and helped him elevate his game to a pro level very early on. Ignatavicius shines as a responsible and poised shooter, who knows how to fill his role on the forecheck and wait for the right moments to strike. He has an athletic, six-foot-three frame and smooth skating that come in handy on the forecheck. From there, Ignatavicius can work the cycle and connect with his teammates to create sustained offense. He has been a responsible, bottom-six forward in Switzerland’s top league – but recently boomed on a loan to the country’s second-tier pro league, with seven goals and 11 points in eight games. It was a nice reminder of the scoring upside that Ignatavicius can bring – and an even better reminder that Lithuania seems set to go three-for-three on draft prospects selected in the first round.
Nikita Klepov, RW, Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
61 GP, 35 G – 52 A – 87 TP, 35 PIM, +7
Very few 2026 draft prospects have seen as much of a breakout this season as winger Nikita Klepov. He is hunting down the rare 100-point mark in his first OHL season. If he hits it, Klepov will become the first rookie to reach the century mark since Patrick Kane – though Kane had the benefit of two years with the U.S. National Team Development Program, while Klepov is only one season removed from playing 16U AAA. In between youth hockey and the CHL, he scored 31 points in 59 USHL games, after going completely undrafted in the league. Klepov has had a propensity for living above the moment – and shown off the toolkit to make it possible. He is explosive on the puck, capable of turning slow-moving breakouts into fast-moving offense that generates multiple scoring chances. Better yet, the 6-foot Klepov has shown no fear in crashing through opponents to force play in the slot. He has not caught the eye of every scout – but holds a big spot in the minds of those who favor him. Klepov will be one of many upside buys in this year’s draft, which could place him all over the board.
Roberto Leonardo Henriquez, G, Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
29 GP, 17 W – 0.925 Sv% – 2.06 GAA, 2 SO, 1 A
The recent rise in goalie goals and goalie fights have opened the door to more ‘Goalie Gordie Howe Hat-Tricks’ – when a netminder records a goal, assist, and fight all in one season. Even then, the feat is hockey’s immaculate inning, maybe occurring once per season and always carrying a special air behind them (though, immaculate innings have become more popular as well). Roberto Leonardo Henriquez will have that rare feat on his resume as he enters the 2026 draft, to go along with the highest save percentage and lowest goals-against average in the USHL. He has been phenomenal after putting together a standout season in the NAHL that unfortunately did not result in a draft selection last season. The six-foot-two, Slovakia/Dominican Republic dual citizen, and University of New Hampshire commit has put together a year that should demand a draft selection in a quiet year for goalies.
Samuel Hrenak, G, Fargo Force (USHL)
4 GP, 3 W – 0.942 Sv% – 1.71 GAA, 0G, 1 SO, 0 A
There is a new challenger for Henriquez’s spot on top of USHL goaltending. Copatriot Samuel Hrenak has been stellar since joining the Fargo Force in February. He has allowed only seven goals through 13 periods of action, after posting a commendable .912 Sv% in 23 games in Slovakia’s U20 league to start the season. Hrenak also filled the dismal role of starting goalie for Team Slovakia’s U18 club, who compete in a handful of exhibition games in Slovakia’s second-tier pro league. That deployment meant a tough start to the year for Hrenak but he is now proving just how impactful he can be in games against his peers. He was ranked in the top-10 of European goalies in the NHL Central Scouting Service’s most recent update and should climb their final list if his dominant USHL start continues. He will be eyeing a mid-round pick, and an NCAA commitment, as the summer roles around – and should be a major addition wherever he ends up.
Flames Recall Matvei Gridin, Hunter Brzustewicz
Two top prospects will bolster the Calgary Flames roster after shaking up their lineup at the Trade Deadline. Winger Matvei Gridin and defenseman Hunter Brzustewicz have both been recalled per a team announcement. The duo will support the Flames as they embark on a five-game road trip beginning on Monday.
Gridin was returned to the minor leagues after a five-game stint in the NHL that stretched from late February to the NHL Trade Deadline. His assignment ensures that Gridin will be eligible for the Calder Cup Playoffs, though the Calgary Wranglers currently sit second-to-last in the AHL’s Pacific Division. Gridin has been a major part of their offense any time he is in the minor leagues. He has 29 points in 37 games this season, good for the sixth-highest points-per-game average on the Wranglers.
The dynamic scorer has has ups-and-downs in his trek to bring that scoring to the top flight. Gridin has a stout seven points in the first 18 games of his NHL career. More than half of those points – five – came during a nine-game stretch from mid-January to early-February, before he was returned to the AHL. It took four games for Gridin to get back onto an NHL scoresheet after he was called back up in late-February. That has been the hot-and-cold streak that Calgary’s top wing prospect has ridden through his first pro season.
It was Brzustewicz who stepped up in the Wranglers’ latest action, netting an assist on Saturday night to snap a nine-game scoring drought. That streak began one game after Brzustewicz was reassigned to the minor leagues, after he recorded an assist in his first game back. He too has ridden an up-and-down year, marked by two points in 18 NHL games and 14 points in 34 AHL games. The puck-moving defenseman has honed his ability to make plays in either end of the ice, while spotlighting his ability to move pucks through the neutral zone – the bread-and-butter of Brzustewicz’s game.
Brzustewicz could have the easier path to a lineup role after Zach Whitecloud left Saturday’s win over the Carolina Hurricanes in the first period. That injury should bump Zayne Parekh and Brayden Pachal up a lineup spot, opening room for Brzustewicz to play in his first NHL game since January from the bottom pair. Gridin will have to compete with newcomers Ryan Strome and Victor Olofsson for minutes in Calgary’s bottom-six. The rookie could be the odd-man-out as the Flames look to shore up their center depth. If he sits, Gridin will offer a nice bit of offensive upside from the press box, and could potentially replace bruisers Adam Klapka or Ryan Lomberg on the fourth-line.
Avalanche’s Gabriel Landeskog Out Week-To-Week
The Colorado Avalanche will be without a second-line winger for the short future. Captain Gabriel Landeskog has been designated as out week-to-week with a lower-body injury after taking a shot from Cale Makar to the groin per Corey Masisak of The Denver Post. Landeskog had a puck-sized dent in his athletic cup after the game, adds Masisak.
Landeskog has already missed 14 games to various injuries this season. Luckily, none of them have been connected to the knee injuries that held Landeskog out of three regular seasons, from 2022 to 2025. He made a brief return for the playoffs in 2022 and 2025 – combining for 26 points in 25 games. That momentum set Landeskog up for a major, and important, return this season. Through some bouts with injury, he has found a way to match the bill, netting 29 points in 47 games and returning to his clear-cut role as Colorado’s second-line left-wing.
Landeskog’s playmaking has helped spark veteran center Brock Nelson in his first full season with the club. Nelson has a tremendous 30 goals and 53 points in 61 games, helped along by a 21.1 shooting percentage. When he’s not playing off of Nelson, Landeskog has been deployed on Colorado’s top line, next to high-tempo scorers Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas. He has matched that duo’s pace and outscored opponents 15-to-three in his top-line minutes.
It is that layer of versatile scoring that Colorado will now have to replace. They’ll, luckily, find the perfect source of offense in Trade Deadline pickup Nazem Kadri. Kadri reached his career-high in scoring – 87 points – in Colorado’s Cup-winning 2021-22 season. He has spent the last four years in a clear #1 role on a middling Calgary Flames offense. The jolt of rejoining a red-hot Avalanche club could be enough to spark Kadri’s scoring once again. He will assume Landeskog’s role on the second-line wing, at least until the Avalanche’s captain is back to full health.
Colorado sits comfortably on top of the Western Conference, with seven more points and a game in hand over the second-place Dallas Stars. Even better, they have a fairly light schedule through the next few weeks, with multiple matchups against the Winnipeg Jets, Pittsburgh Penguins, and St. Louis Blues. Those games are intercut with tough tests against the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars but Colorado should have plenty of runway to find a spark headed into those games. They will lean on Kadri to adjust quick and keep the offense firing, while envisioning what their lineup could look like at full health, when Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen are in their proper spots.
Poll: Which Deadline Day Pickup Will Make The Biggest Impact?
The 2026 Trade Deadline was stalled before it had a chance to launch thanks to a rare December blockbuster that sent Quinn Hughes across the Western Conference. Hughes has since scored 39 points in 31 games with the Minnesota Wild, putting together an impact with his new team that no player in the league could hope to match. Through a quiet Deadline, a few moving pieces could bring enough of a boost to bolster their new team’s chances of making the playoffs or contending for the Stanley Cup.
The top candidate to make a big splash is center Nazem Kadri, who rejoins the Colorado Avalanche after averaging 27 goals and 64 points per 82 games played with the Calgary Flames, across four seasons. Kadri was a constant source of offense on a Flames deep who saw their supplies diminish as the years went on. Then again, he reached his career-high in scoring with an 87-point season in 2021-22, his final year in Colorado. Kadri earned his first Stanley Cup ring that year and now rejoins the Avalanche in the middle of their best season since. He will hold an important, middle-six role either in relief of Brock Nelson‘s second-line role or in bringing a power-punch to Colorado’s depth. Leaving behind a #1 role in Calgary could kneecap Kadri’s offense but joining a team like Colorado could be enough to bring it back up.
Another easy choice is Anaheim’s acquisition of career-Washington Capital defenseman John Carlson. The deal was finalized just after 1 AM ET on March 6th, when much of the hockey world, and Carlson himself, were asleep. In the quiet of the night, Anaheim pulled off a monumental move to bring in one of the league’s top offensive-defensemen. Even in his age-36 season, Carlson has racked up 10 goals and 46 points in 55 games with the Capitals. He has proven to still be an effective scorer even into his sunset seasons, though got bumped out of Washington’s top-defender role by the emergence of Jakob Chychrun. Instead, he will head to the West coast to challenge Jacob Trouba for the role of top-right defense on the Pacific Division’s top team. He is currently nursing a day-to-day, lower-body injury but Carlson could really click with Anaheim’s fast-moving, hard-working offense when he steps into the lineup.
A pair of St. Louis Blues will look to do enough to join this list as they head to the Eastern Conference. Defenseman Justin Faulk was acquired by the Detroit Red Wings for an expensive package. The Red Wings will need to pipe him into a key role to justify their pricey buy. Luckily, they’re in need of a high-motor, third-string defender who can bring oomph behind the top pair of Simon Edvinsson and Moritz Seider. Faulk stood as St. Louis’ top defenseman, and main play-driver from the blue-line, even as his overall performances began to slip. In competition with Ben Chiarot and Axel Sandin Pellikka, it should be easy for Faulk to emerge as the caterer of offense away from Detroit’s top pair.
Meanwhile, Brayden Schenn will hope for improved minutes as he joins a playoff-contending New York Islanders club. Schenn’s role in St. Louis dwindled to a support presence in his final years, usually spent platooning the center role with one of the Blues’ young prospects. He hit an offensive wall this season as a result – just 28 points in 62 games – but is only one year removed from scoring 18 goals and 50 points, with a positive plus-minus. Schenn has slowed substantially in his mid-30s, but he remains a dangerous shooter and effective playmaker. If the Islanders can help him find some pseudo-tempo, he could be a candidate for a streak of shooting luck.
Who do you think will leave the biggest mark for his new club? Use the 2025-26 In-Season Trade Tracker to see the list of Trade Deadline day moves and vote below!
Which NHL Trade Deadline Pickup Will Make The Biggest Impact?
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COL - Nazem Kadri, C 39% (337)
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ANA - John Carlson, D 25% (216)
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DET - Justin Faulk, D 17% (142)
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NYI - Brayden Schenn, C 12% (104)
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Other (Comment Below!) 7% (58)
Total votes: 857
Photo courtesy of Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports.
Stars Recall Arttu Hyry
The Stars announced they’ve recalled forward Arttu Hyry from AHL Texas. He was sent down last week to make room for Michael Bunting on the active roster after his acquisition from the Predators. With the roster limit no longer in effect, he can come back up as Dallas still has $1.96MM of cap space left in their LTIR pool.
Unless there’s another forward who’s questionable for tonight’s game against the Blackhawks, Hyry’s recall doesn’t fall under emergency conditions and will take up the first of five allotted post-deadline recalls in Dallas. The Stars do have 13 forwards on the active roster, but only 12 are available after news that top center Roope Hintz is week-to-week with the lower-body injury he sustained Friday night against the Avalanche. Now, Dallas has an extra one on hand to rotate in at will.
Hyry, 24, had spent the entire season in the AHL until being recalled at the end of February, also due to a period of unavailability from Hintz (that time due to illness). The undrafted free agent is in his second year in the organization, which signed him to an entry-level contract out of Kärpät in Finland’s top division, Liiga, in 2024.
The 6’3″, 211-lb forward can play both center and right wing and has appeared in nine games for Dallas over the past two seasons, recording an assist and a +1 rating in 10:17 of average ice time. He’s been exceptional on draws as a stopgap fourth-line piece, winning 65.5% of his faceoffs – including going 25-for-39 in a larger sample this year.
He’s also been nearly an All-Star-level threat in the AHL. Some injuries and his stints on the NHL roster have limited him to 27 appearances this season, but he’s scored nine goals and 19 points with a -1 rating in 27 games when in the lineup. That’s on the heels of a 24-goal, 49-point showing as a rookie in 67 games last year. A pending restricted free agent, he’s been a highly valuable depth piece so far and is almost guaranteed to receive a qualifying offer.
Post-Deadline Transaction Restrictions
While the trade deadline has come and gone, there will still be quite a few transactions made between now and the end of the season. However, many of those have new restrictions imposed on them, as follows.
Waivers
Teams can still waive players after the trade deadline. However, if they’re claimed, the player is automatically ineligible to play for the remainder of the season. We will likely still see some waiver activity closer to the end of the year if a player on recall and AHL playoff-eligible needs to clear waivers to return to the minors.
Trades
While the term ‘trade deadline’ would imply a hard cap on trades now, that’s not the case. However, similar to players claimed on waivers post-deadline, those players are ineligible to play down the stretch. Over the next week, we will likely see a player or two traded for future considerations to add someone for their AHL team; their trade deadline is exactly one week after the NHL deadline on March 14. Rights to unsigned players will also likely be moved in the coming weeks.
Signings
A player not on an NHL reserve list who signs can play down the stretch during the regular season, but is ineligible to play in the playoffs. We typically see this with college free-agent signings who get into a game or two for the stretch run, but technically, a player on an AHL contract can sign an NHL deal and play with that team until the playoffs.
AHL Eligibility
For a player to be assigned to the minors, that player must have been on an AHL roster at the trade deadline. Otherwise, even if the player is waiver-exempt, he is ineligible to play in the minors. An exception can be made for a player needing a conditioning loan due to a long-term injury. This rule is why there were so many ‘paper transactions’, moves to put a player in the minors before the deadline to keep them eligible to play there down the stretch.
Recalls
This is the one that comes into play the most after the deadline. Teams are limited to five non-emergency recalls between now and the end of the season. That’s a rule change from last summer’s CBA extension; the previous limit was four. Players recalled from deadline-day paper transactions count against the five, so several teams will have fewer than five to work with immediately.
An emergency situation is created when a team has fewer than 12 healthy forwards, six healthy defensemen, or two healthy goaltenders available. In those cases, a player can be recalled under emergency conditions if the team has cap space available. However, when that team gets the injured player(s) back, the recalled player must return to the minors. Otherwise, his recall is converted from an emergency one to a regular one and would count against the limit of four.
Pretty much every team will still be involved in transactions of some sort over the next few weeks, but they’ll need to be mindful of these restrictions when making them.
Red Wings Recall John Leonard
The Red Wings announced today that they’ve recalled winger John Leonard from AHL Grand Rapids under emergency conditions. That stipulation means Detroit retains all five of its post-trade deadline standard recalls. With fellow wingman Michael Brandsegg-Nygard already up on an emergency recall in connection with Dylan Larkin‘s injury, this means the Wings are anticipating that another forward could be unavailable for the start of their four-game road trip tonight in New Jersey.
Leonard, 27, began his professional career as an undrafted free agent signed by the Sharks out of UMass in 2020 and was essentially a full-time NHL piece in the following COVID-shortened season, playing 44 out of 56 games. That was the last time he’s seen anywhere near that kind of deployment. He made just 14 appearances in 2021-22 and was then traded to the Predators, kicking off a span of four teams in four seasons (Nashville, Arizona, AHL Charlotte, Detroit) that culminated in him signing a one-way, league minimum pact with the Wings last summer.
The 5’11” lefty’s standout performance on a minor-league contract in the Panthers organization last year, tying for second in the league in goals (36) and 10th in points (61), meant he bypassed a two-way deal entirely and was expected to compete for a roster spot in training camp in Detroit. While that didn’t hold true, he’s having the best season of his minor-league career and has logged his most NHL time in four years thanks to some call-ups along the way.
Today marks Leonard’s third recall of the season after coming up for over two weeks in December and a five-day stint on the roster in January. In nine spot starts across the pair of call-ups, he’s been quite efficient with four points (two goals, two assists) and 26 shot attempts while averaging 12:01 per game, finishing at a 22.2% clip along the way. That’s come amid Leonard starring for Grand Rapids in the minor-league club’s historic season, set to march to an AHL title with a 43-9-4 record. With a 27-14–41 scoring line in 34 games there, his 1.21 points per game currently sit second in the league (min. 15 games played).
Evening Notes: Larkin, Fabbro, Faksa
The Detroit Red Wings got quite the scare yesterday evening when captain Dylan Larkin exited the game prematurely from what appeared to be a non-contact injury. Fortunately, Detroit has avoided the worst-case scenario, as they announced Larkin was only expected to miss the next few days.
In Larkin’s absence, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press shared that the Red Wings are expected to recall a forward before tomorrow’s contest against the New Jersey Devils. Detroit already recalled forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygard earlier today while the team waits for recent acquisition David Perron to return from sports hernia surgery.
Given that the team could now use additional depth down the middle, it would make sense for Detroit to recall Sheldon Dries or Nate Danielson in Larkin’s absence. The latter has already registered 28 games with the Red Wings this season, scoring two goals and seven points with a 37.7% faceoff percentage.
Other notes from this evening:
- The Columbus Blue Jackets don’t expect to be without defenseman Dante Fabbro for much longer. According to team reporter Jeff Svoboda, the Blue Jackets are expecting Fabbro to return in the next game or two, although he didn’t play tonight. There’s not much information on what’s ailing Fabbro, but he’s missed Columbus’s last two games. He has scored four goals and nine points in 54 games this season, averaging 15:59 of ice time per game.
- Exiting the Olympics, it was believed that the Dallas Stars would have Radek Faksa back relatively soon. Regrettably, that has not been true, and there won’t be any changes in the near future. According to radio analyst Bruce LeVine, Faksa suffered a significant setback during his rehabilitation process, and the Stars aren’t expecting him back until the postseason. He will likely finish the 2025-26 regular season with two goals and 17 points in 56 contests.
Pacific Notes: Granlund, Carlson, Golden Knights, Sharks
There is a growing expectation that the Anaheim Ducks will return forward Mikael Granlund to the lineup tomorrow. According to Derek Lee of The Hockey News, Granlund was a full participant at practice this morning and centered the team’s second line.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean the Ducks will have a complete lineup. In a separate report from Lee, he indicated that recent acquisition John Carlson remains working his way back from a lower-body injury and isn’t expected to debut tomorrow.
At any rate, it’ll be a decent boost for Anaheim to get Granlund back into the lineup. He has been oft-injured this year, appearing in only 38 games, scoring 12 goals and 27 points. Still, the Ducks will need all the depth they can as they continue their playoff push.
Additional notes from the Pacific Division:
- Per Jason R. Pothier and Ken Boehlke of SinBin, General Manager Kelly McCrimmon provided a few updates on several key injuries to the Vegas Golden Knights. Regarding the forward corps, McCrimmon said the team only expects captain Mark Stone to miss the next few days. Additionally, the Golden Knights haven’t placed forward William Karlsson on season-ending long-term injured reserve, but will have to make it to the semifinals if they want to see him again this season. Lastly, McCrimmon added that netminder Carter Hart is still a few weeks away from returning.
- The San Jose Sharks retained their numerous pending unrestricted free agents through the deadline as their own rentals, rewarding the team’s performance so far. Speaking with Curtis Pashelka of Mercury News, General Manager Mike Grier said, “So it kind of felt like it was the best thing to do, in all fairness to them, to kind of keep the group together and see how the rest of the season goes.” Regardless, that didn’t stop teams from making calls, specifically regarding Mario Ferraro and John Klingberg.