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Russia, Belarus Remain Expelled From 2025-26 IIHF Competition, Olympic Participation Undecided

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The IIHF announced Tuesday that the Russian and Belarusian national teams will remain barred from competition for at least another year. The International Olympic Committee still has to decide whether to include the former in the 2026 Winter Olympics.

However, that means the clubs won’t be able to field squads for the 2026 World Championship or the 2026 World Juniors, among other competitions. This marks the fourth straight competition season without the two countries. “As the current security conditions do not allow the necessary requirements for the organization of tournaments guaranteeing the safety of all, the IIHF must maintain the current status quo until further notice,” the international governing body said in a statement.

The IIHF initially suspended all Russian and Belarusian national teams and clubs in February 2022 following the former country’s illegal invasion of Ukraine with Belarusian support. By May 2026, they will determine whether it’s “safe to reincorporate” the two countries into international play for the 2026-27 season.

Belarus was already disqualified from next year’s Olympics because it was barred from participating in the required qualification tournament. Russia, whose world ranking is high enough that it doesn’t need a qualification tournament to get in, could still field a team for the tournament if the IOC allows it. No Russian or Belarusian teams were allowed to participate in any sport at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Still, some individuals from both countries participated under an Individual Neutral Athletes banner.

“One of the IIHF’s arguments for not permitting Russia to compete in its tournaments is the issue of safety,” ex-NHLer and Russian Hockey Federation representative Pavel Bure told Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff. “In our opinion, this argument does not hold enough strength. More than 50 Russians play in the NHL. Russian swimmers, chess players and representatives of other sports are participating in international competitions without any incidents being recorded. One of our suggestions was to finance additional security for Russia, in order to allow fans across the planet to watch one of the world’s best teams in action again.“

Lightning Reassign Conor Geekie

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The Lightning reassigned top prospect Conor Geekie to AHL Syracuse on Tuesday, per a team announcement. The team now has two open spots on the active roster.

While the move indicates Geekie won’t miss any time after leaving Saturday’s overtime loss to the Islanders with an apparent arm injury, he won’t be in the lineup tonight against the Senators. He heads to the minors for the first time this season after posting no points and a minus-five rating in his last nine games, posting a 43.4 CF% in that span. He hasn’t been on the ice for an even-strength goal since his most recent point, a tally against the Bruins on Jan. 14.

The Bolts’ front office has determined that Geekie needs more development time due to his lack of individual offensive output and recent drag on the team’s possession play. Acquired from Utah in last summer’s Mikhail Sergachev trade, the 2022 11th overall pick was the only Lightning prospect listed in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s offseason league-wide top 100 ranking, which ranked him No. 74.

Entering the season, the 6’4″, 207-lb 20-year-old had just two games of professional experience, both coming with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners in last year’s Calder Cup Playoffs. He’s yet to see regular-season action in the minors, making the Lightning roster out of camp following a 43-goal, 99-point showing in the Western Hockey League in 2023-24 with the Wenatchee Wild and Swift Current Broncos.

Projecting as a top-six, two-way center with strong physical tools, Geekie has understandably spent most of his rookie season on the wing since Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli, Nick Paul, and Luke Glendening were already locked in down the middle. He’s gotten plenty of looks in second-line minutes alongside Cirelli and Brandon Hagel, but it hasn’t led to much individual production. He has 12 points (6 G, 6 A) through 49 games and a minus-three rating while averaging 12:09 per game, none of which has come on the penalty kill and less than a minute of which has come on the power play. His even-strength production pales to that of his most common linemates, the latter of which ranks second on the team behind Nikita Kucherov with 20 EVG and 21 EVA.

The Lightning haven’t gotten much secondary scoring outside of their top five forwards and Paul, but an electric 26.4% power play and point-per-game seasons from Kucherov, Point, Hagel, and Jake Guentzel still means they have the league’s fourth-best offense. They’re still likely looking for another piece to complement Hagel and Cirelli on the second line, though, and since Geekie’s failed to lock down that spot, they’ll see what he can do in heavy usage in the minors.

Geekie still has two seasons remaining on his entry-level contract, which carries a cap hit of $867K.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Evening Notes: Evangelista, Rakell, Brodin, Johansson

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Nashville Predators forward Luke Evangelista did not dress tonight against the Ottawa Senators and is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Evangelista only recently returned from an eight-game absence and left Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins for a brief period before he returned to the bench. The extended absence was due to a lower-body injury, and it is not yet known if the two injuries are related. Vinnie Hinostroza suited up for the Predators in place of Evangelista and joined Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg on the second line.

The 22-year-old Evangelista has dressed in 31 games this season, tallying five goals and ten assists while averaging just shy of 13 minutes of ice time per game. The Toronto, Ontario native garnered some Calder Trophy consideration last season for the top rookie after a solid campaign that saw him post 16 goals and 23 assists in 80 games.

In other evening notes:

  • Pittsburgh Penguins forward Rickard Rakell will replace Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson on Team Sweden at the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off (as per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff). Rakell is having a nice bounce-back season, registering 23 goals and 22 assists in 53 games, and he will have an opportunity to add to a solid international career that has seen him capture gold medals in the 2012 World Juniors as well as the 2018 IIHF World Championship. Karlsson, on the other hand, has been sidelined for the last six games due to a lower-body injury and will unfortunately miss out on the opportunity to represent his home country.
  • The Minnesota Wild will be without the services of Ryan Hartman for the next few weeks but will likely be getting Jonas Brodin and Marcus Johansson back tomorrow night (as per Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune). Brodin hasn’t played since January 7th, missing 12 consecutive games with a lower-body injury. The timing of the injury was unfortunate as the 31-year-old was heating up at the time with seven points in his past seven games. Johansson’s return would come after an eight-game absence, and he could slide into the lineup in place of Hartman. Johansson has struggled offensively this season, posting just five goals and 11 assists in 44 games.

Ryan Hartman Suspended Ten Games By NHL Department Of Player Safety

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The NHL’s Department of Player Safety has suspended Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman for ten games for roughing Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stützle. Hartman was a repeat offender and as a result of his suspension will forfeit $487,804.88 in salary. The money from the fine will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

The incident occurred in a 6-0 blowout on Saturday night that saw Ottawa dominate Minnesota. Near the end of the second period of the game, Hartman took a faceoff against Stützle and immediately jumped on Stützle after the puck hit the ice and drove him straight down, face-first into the ice. Stützle suffered a facial injury on the play and was bleeding from a cut above his eye when he left the ice. Hartman was given a match penalty on the play for attempting to injure Stützle, which put the play under automatic review. He was offered an in-person hearing earlier today.

The suspension is the fifth of Hartman’s career, which certainly played into the length of the suspension. He has also been fined an additional seven times. The DOPS described Hartman’s actions on the play as intentional, inherently dangerous and unacceptable. Hartman and Stützle had an incident earlier in the game when Stützle was given a two-minute penalty for slashing Hartman, which may or may not have played into Hartman’s actions.

Hartman’s last suspension occurred last April against the Vegas Golden Knights when he threw his stick on the ice from the bench toward an official after an overtime loss against the Vegas Golden Knights. Overall, Hartman has received four suspensions in less than two years.

Hartman now will have 48 hours to decide if he wants to appeal the suspension. His first appeal would be to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. The second appeal would be to an independent arbitrator.

Maple Leafs Recall Dakota Mermis, Assign Fraser Minten To AHL

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced a pair of moves recalling defenseman Dakota Mermis from the Toronto Marlies of the AHL while also sending forward Fraser Minten back to the Marlies. The move likely comes as a response to Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s lower-body injury that he suffered at some point in Saturday night’s game against Edmonton. Ekman-Larsson has been listed as day-to-day and the Maple Leafs are expected to provide an update on him tomorrow.

Mermis was plucked off waivers from Utah last month after he was waived by Toronto back in December and claimed by Utah. The 31-year-old has dressed in just one NHL game this season (with Utah) and hasn’t seen much AHL action either, suiting up for just a dozen AHL games and posting three assists with the Marlies.

For the 20-year-old Minten, his demotion likely means an opportunity to play bigger minutes which should aid in his development. The Maple Leafs’ second-round pick in 2022 (38th overall) has played 15 NHL games this season, tallying two goals and two assists while averaging just over 12 minutes a night of ice time. In the AHL, Minten has had an opportunity to play more of an offensive role and his numbers reflect that as he has five goals and five assists in 16 games with the Marlies.

Given Toronto’s roster moves today it seems likely that defenseman Philippe Myers could be inserted into the lineup for tomorrow night’s game against the Calgary Flames. Myers last played on Wednesday night against the Minnesota Wild.

Kraken Reassign Gustav Olofsson, Ryker Evans Skating

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The Seattle Kraken announced that they’ve reassigned defenseman Gustav Olofsson to the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the AHL. The 30-year-old was recalled Saturday under emergency conditions but served as a healthy scratch last night and did not see any NHL action during his brief recall.

Olofsson has not dressed in any NHL games this season and has played just four NHL contents since joining the Kraken organization back in August 2021. The Boras, Sweden native is having one of his better seasons as a professional in the AHL, posting two goals and nine assists in 34 games while continuing to operate effectively in a shutdown role for the Firebirds.

Olofsson was recalled in response to fellow defenseman Ryker Evans falling victim to an upper-body injury that sidelined him day-to-day. Evans skated today in a non-contact jersey and his status remains the same (as per Mike Benton of the Kraken Audio Network).

Given that he is skating in a no-contact jersey it seems likely that Evans will miss Seattle’s game tomorrow night against the Detroit Red Wings, which would mark three consecutive games out of the lineup for the 23-year-old. The sophomore is having a good offensive season, tallying five goals and 16 assists in 50 games. He’s also put up some good defensive numbers with 80 hits and 77 blocked shots, however, turnovers remain a cause for concern as he’s committed 48 of them this season.

Cale Fleury appears likely to assume Evans’s role in the lineup in the interim but probably won’t log the same kind of minutes, as evidenced by the 8:33 he played in last night’s loss to the Calgary Flames.

Sharks Recall Collin Graf, Shakir Mukhamadullin

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The San Jose Sharks have recalled a pair of top prospects in forward Collin Graf and defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin. Graf could have a clear path to minutes with Alexander Wennberg designated as out, and both Ty Dellandrea and Tyler Toffoli designated as game-time decisions, when San Jose hosts the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. Defenseman Jan Rutta is also out with injury, and isn’t expected to return until after the 4-Nations break. That could open the door for Mukhamadullin to return to the lineup as well, though he’ll face competition for a role from Henry Thrun and Marc-Eduouard Vlasic.

Graf was with the NHL roster through much of January. He played in 10 games and recorded two assists, no penalties, and a minus-four – perfectly matching his stat-line through seven NHL games last season. He was reassigned on January 22nd, but has quickly taken to proving the Sharks wrong with four points and 12 shots on net in four AHL games over the last two weekends. A wave of nagging injuries in the Sharks lineup could provide Graf a chance to bring that hot streak back to the NHL, and hopefully find his first NHL goal along the way.

Mukhamadullin has also played in 10 NHL games this season, but has just one assist to show for it. He’s performed a bit better in the minor leagues, with nine assists in 21 games this season – but his scoring has been inconsistent all year long. Mukhamadullin is still finding his way through North American pros, and a shot at the lineup in San Jose’s final games before break could be a great chance to find his footing.

Hurricanes Recall Scott Morrow, Reassign Riley Stillman

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The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled top defense prospect Scott Morrow to the NHL. It’s the first recall of Morrow’s NHL career, though he did play two games with the Hurricanes at the end of last season. To make room for the move, Carolina has assigned defender Riley Stillman to the minor leagues. This is the third time Stillman has been sent to the AHL this week.

Morrow has been red-hot as of late. He has 10 points, 17 penalty minutes, and 22 shots on net over his last eight AHL games. The hot streak has helped Morrow earn the AHL’s title of highest-scoring rookie defenseman with 29 points in 41 games – just two more than San Jose Sharks prospect Luca Cagnoni’s 27 points in 39 games. Carolina has made the move to recognize Morrow’s strong play, and could quickly reward him with his season debut per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. That might require the Hurricanes to run 11 forwards and seven defensemen in their three remaining games before the 4-Nations break. They could be set up nicely to do that with top winger Andrei Svechnikov day-to-day with an upper-body injury, though the Russian winger did return to practice in full on Monday morning.

The Hurricanes can afford to be a bit relaxed in the days before break. They’ve set a 6-2-2 record over their last 10 games and rank second in the Metropolitan Division with a 32-17-4 record and 68 points. This could be a golden chance to see how Morrow holds up to NHL competition, which will be helpful information with both Dmitry Orlov and Brent Burns headed for unrestricted free agency this summer. Morrow’s minor league performances have more than shown his long-term upside, and strong play over the next few days could earn him a longer NHL stay soon.

Avalanche Activate Oliver Kylington, Place Valeri Nichushkin On IR

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The Colorado Avalanche have activated defenseman Oliver Kylington off of injured reserve. He’s missed the last two months and 31 games due to an upper-body injury suffered in the team’s November 27th win over the Vegas Golden Knights. In a corresponding move, Colorado has also placed winger Valeri Nichushkin on injured reserve retroactive to his last game on December 31st. Nichushkin is working through a lower-body injury and suffered a setback in his recovery in mid-January. He isn’t expected to return until after the upcoming break for the 4-Nations Face-Off.

The lineup implications of these moves are hard to gauge. Kylington has played in just eight games this season. He was a routine healthy scratch prior to injury and has only managed two points, four penalty minutes, and a minus-two in his appearances. Calvin de Haan has planted his feet as Colorado’s extra defender in Kylington’s absence, which could leave the latter exposed to waivers when Nichushkin works his way back to full health. The winger has contributed far more to the lineup this year, immediately returning to productivity in both ends after missing the first month of the season. Nichushkin has 17 points in 25 games this season, a mark that still ranks ninth on the Avalanche in scoring even though he hasn’t played in over a month. He’s scored 73 points over his last 82 regular season games collectively, but that span dates all the way back to April, 2023. Nichushkin’s last fluctuated on the same wave – with spans of high-impact play being marred by extended absences to injury or personal leave. His return after the 4-Nations Face-Off will be an exciting chance to break that spell, and help support a playoff push for an Avalanche roster now sans Mikko Rantanen.

Utah Acquires Sammy Walker From Wild

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Utah acquired depth forward Sammy Walker from the Wild on Monday in exchange for future considerations, both teams announced. Walker, who had been on assignment to AHL Iowa, will report to Utah’s affiliate in Tucson.

Walker, an undersized but speedy center, is in his third season of professional hockey. The 25-year-old was a seventh-round pick of the Lightning back in 2017, but after a fruitful four-year tenure at the University of Minnesota, they opted not to sign him. He hit free agency and signed with his hometown Wild in the 2022 offseason.

The 5’10” pivot earned a handful of call-ups across his first two campaigns, getting into 13 games with Minnesota while recording a goal and an assist. He posted a minus-four rating during that time and averaged 10:13 per game, struggling to control play with a 43.2 CF% at even strength.

Most of his time has been spent on the farm in AHL Iowa, where he’s steadily regressed since an All-Star rookie season. He led Iowa with 27 goals and had 48 points in 56 games, even earning a spot on the United States’ roster for the 2023 World Championship. His offensive output dropped to 14 goals and 45 points in 70 AHL games last year, though, and has completely fallen off a cliff to the tune of two goals and 11 points through 30 games in 2024-25.

As such, Walker was tracking for his first campaign without an NHL recall. He’ll now get the chance to rediscover his game in the Utah organization, joining a marginally stronger Tucson roster, while the Wild open a fourth contract slot in advance of the trade deadline.

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