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Snapshots: Edstrom, Lauko, Cristall, McCue

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In an appearance on 102.5 The Game (audio link), Predators GM Barry Trotz indicated that he has been getting calls about prospect center David Edstrom.  One of the key pieces coming to Nashville in the Yaroslav Askarov trade, Edstrom is coming off a strong showing for Sweden at the World Juniors that saw him pick up six points in seven games while he has 13 points in 22 games with SHL Frolunda as well.  One of their better prospects, it’d be difficult to see them flipping Edstrom so soon unless the Preds drastically turn their fortunes around in the coming weeks to become buyers at the trade deadline.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • The Wild announced (Twitter link) that they have placed winger Jakub Lauko on LTIR retroactive to December 14th. The move comes just one day after they exited LTIR with the activation of Jacob Middleton.  PuckPedia notes (Twitter link) that today’s recall of David Jiricek allowed them to get his bonuses into their LTIR pool which could be useful if Lauko’s stint on LTIR is a lengthy one.  The bonuses would stay in their pool even if Jiricek is subsequently reassigned to the minors again.  Lauko has four points and 48 hits in 24 games while averaging ten minutes a night of playing time.
  • With the trade deadlines fast approaching in the CHL, there have been some notable moves made in recent days. The latest of those saw WHL Spokane acquire Capitals prospect Andrew Cristall, per a team release in exchange for a prospect and five draft picks including a pair of first-round selections.  The 19-year-old was rated by some as a first-round pick in 2023 although he ultimately slipped to 40th overall.  After putting up an impressive 111 points last season, Cristall is on pace to beat that this year with 26 goals and 34 assists in just 28 outings.  Already signed to his entry-level deal, Cristall will be playing professionally next season.
  • Maple Leafs prospect Sam McCue is on the move in the OHL as Flint announced that they’ve acquired the winger from Owen Sound. The 19-year-old was a seventh-round pick last year, going 216th overall in his second year of eligibility and will be eligible to play in the minors next season.  McCue has 18 goals and 13 assists in 35 games so far this season.

Injury Updates: Monahan, Zetterlund, Walman, Faksa

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The Blue Jackets will be without Sean Monahan for a little while.  Speaking with Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek (video link), team President and GM Don Waddell indicated that the veteran is dealing with a wrist injury, one that will keep him out for “some time, hopefully not a long time.”  Monahan was expected to get a bone scan today to help determine how much time he’ll be out for.  The 30-year-old has fit in quite well with Columbus this season, notching 14 goals and 27 assists in 41 games while logging 19:27 per night, his highest ATOI since his sophomore year a decade ago.  In doing so, he has given them a legitimate number one center, a spot they’ve been looking to fill for quite some time although they’ll be looking to fill that role with someone else for the time being.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Sharks winger Fabian Zetterlund is dealing with a lower-body issue but should still be able to play on Friday versus Utah, mentions Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). The injury hasn’t resulted in him missing any time yet although he hasn’t taken part in several practices due to it.  After a strong first year in San Jose, Zetterlund is producing at a slightly better rate this year despite the lingering injury, posting 11 goals and 16 assists through the first 43 games of the season.
  • Still with the Sharks, defenseman Jake Walman is also hoping to be available for Friday’s game against Utah, notes Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link). Walman has yet to play since the holiday break due to a lower-body issue of his own.  He has been one of the breakout performers of the season after coming over in an offseason move from Detroit and has five goals and 20 assists in 31 appearances so far while logging nearly 23 minutes a game, numbers that lead San Jose’s blueliners.
  • Blues center Radek Faksa is nearing a return to the lineup and could be an option to suit up on Thursday, relays Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic (Twitter link). The soon-to-be 31-year-old is dealing with a lower-body injury and has played just once in the last four weeks.  In his first season with St. Louis, Faksa hasn’t been a big offensive contributor thus far, carrying that over from his time in Dallas.  He has two goals and five assists through his first 30 outings and if the Blues wind up selling before the March 7th trade deadline, he could be on the move with several teams undoubtedly looking to add center depth in the coming weeks.

Red Wings Recall Ville Husso, Place Jeff Petry On IR

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After Alex Lyon left last night’s game against Ottawa after one period due to an upper-body injury, it appears his availability for Friday’s contest versus Chicago is in some question.  The team announced (Twitter links) that goaltender Ville Husso has been recalled from AHL Grand Rapids.  To make room on the roster, defenseman Jeff Petry has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to January 2nd.

Husso is up with Detroit for the fifth time already this season after he cleared waivers back at the start of the season.  The 29-year-old has played in eight games with the Red Wings so far in 2024-25, putting up a 3.47 GAA and a .877 SV%, numbers that don’t come close to justifying his $4.75MM price tag on a contract that expires at the end of the season.

However, he has fared quite better in his limited action with the Griffins.  In eight appearances with them, Husso has a 1.86 GAA with a .935 SV% in his first taste of longer-term AHL time since the 2018-19 season.  He is very close to reaching 30 days on the NHL roster and when that threshold is reached (or if he plays in two more games in Detroit), he’ll need to pass through waivers again before he can be returned to Grand Rapids.

As for Petry, he has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury.  The 37-year-old has had a quiet season offensively, notching just one goal and five assists in his first 37 outings although he’s still averaging over 19 minutes a night of playing time.  The retroactive placement means he’ll have missed seven days before Friday’s matchup, meaning that he’ll be eligible to be activated as early as that game if he’s cleared to return.

Anaheim Ducks Recall Sam Colangelo

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Sam Colangelo is receiving another opportunity to prove his worth at the NHL level. The Anaheim Ducks announced they’ve recalled Colangelo from their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.

Colangelo has already accrued eight games with Anaheim this season thanks to a lengthier call-up in mid-November. He was given a consistent role in the team’s bottom six and picked up 14 hits and 10 shots on goal but failed to find the scoresheet.

The Ducks organization isn’t viewing Colangelo’s lack of production in the NHL as an indication of his talent level. The former 36th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft has been flat-out electric at the AHL level scoring 13 goals and 22 points in 24 games during his rookie campaign and is leading the Gulls in scoring.

While Colangelo may not be a top contender for the Dudley “Red” Garrett Memorial Award, which is given annually to the AHL’s most outstanding rookie, he is certainly in the running and could potentially earn a spot on the All-Rookie Team by the end of the season.

Unfortunately for Colangelo, unless another roster move is made before the team’s upcoming matchup against the St. Louis Blues tomorrow night, it’s unlikely he’ll crack the lineup given he’s the 14th forward on the active roster. Still, should Anaheim desire more offense in their bottom six, they could swap out Ross Johnston or Jansen Harkins on the team’s fourth line.

Columbus Blue Jackets Recall Luca Del Bel Belluz

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The American Hockey League’s highest-scoring player is headed to the NHL. The Columbus Blue Jackets announced they’ve recalled Luca Del Bel Belluz from their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters.

Del Bel Belluz is 34 games through the second professional season of his career and is becoming quite the prospect in the Blue Jackets organization. He’s scored 17 goals and 20 assists in those games and although he doesn’t lead the AHL in either category he is leading in total production.

It’s a significant step forward for the 21-year-old drafted 44th overall by the Blue Jackets in the 2022 NHL Draft. Del Bel Belluz has already blown past the final production of his rookie campaign last year when he scored nine goals and 31 points in 58 contests.

Given that AHL Cleveland only has a +8 goal differential through the first 34 games, it’s a testament to Del Bel Belluz’s development on the defensive side of the puck that he’s managed a +9 rating through this point in the regular season. He’ll likely play in the second game of his career with Columbus tomorrow night should Sean Monahan’s upper-body injury keep him out of the lineup.

Another bonus for Del Bel Belluz this year is that he’ll compete for a playoff spot no matter where he’s at. The Monsters are only one point back of the North Division-leading Rochester Americans while the Blue Jackets are holding on to the final wild-card spot in the tightly wound Eastern Conference.

Ottawa Senators Reassign Jan Jeník

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After playing in his first game since last April, and first with the Ottawa Senators, forward Jan Jeník is headed back to the American Hockey League. The Senators organization announced they’ve reassigned Jenik to their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators.

Jeník is best known for his time as a higher-end prospect in the Arizona Coyotes organization. The Coyotes drafted him with the 65th overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft and he was quickly loaned to the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs. He was a point-per-game player in his first year with the Bulldogs and wrapped up his OHL career with a 22-goal, 56-point performance in 27 games during the 2019-20 season.

He transitioned to professional hockey in 2020-21, when he first played for the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. Jeník became an above-average scorer at the AHL level for the next four years but never seemed to find his next level in the NHL. He collected 46 goals and 120 points in 165 games for the Roadrunners from 2020 to 2024 but only had four goals and six points in 22 games for the Coyotes over the same timeline.

Since his future in Arizona was seemingly closing shut, he was traded to the Senators organization this past summer for Egor Sokolov. Jeník quickly signed a one-year, $775K contract with his new team but failed to crack the NHL roster out of training camp.

Due to injuries, he’s been limited to only 13 games with the AHL Senators this season. Still, when healthy, Jeník has been a quietly productive forward scoring four goals and seven points good for 14th on the team in scoring.

Canucks Assign Filip Hronek To AHL On Conditioning Loan

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The Vancouver Canucks announced they’ve loaned defenseman Filip Hronek to their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, on a conditioning loan. Should he suit up in Abbotsford’s next contest on January 10th, it’ll be Hronek’s first game since suffering a lower-body injury on November 27th.

Since Hronek has been on the long-term injured reserve the transaction won’t have the same requirements as the standard 14-day conditioning loan. Hronek’s loan will last for six days or three games, with an opportunity to extend the loan for another two games. His contract remains on LTIR until he’s activated and placed on the NHL roster.

Given that AHL Abbotsford has three games, with the final coming on January 14th, Hronek will trigger the eligibility requirements on the same day. Vancouver has the option of activating Hronek at any point during the conditioning loan meaning he could feature at any point during the Canucks’ upcoming road trip.

Ultimately, he’ll likely return to game action on January 16th against the Los Angeles Kings should he not suffer any setbacks during the loan. His return to the lineup will help alleviate many of Vancouver’s defensive woes over the last few weeks.

Although the Canucks have the luxury of deploying Quinn Hughes on most nights the team has looked completely different during Hronek’s absence. Vancouver has managed an 11-7-3 record with Hronek in the lineup this year but has struggled through a 7-5-6 run after he suffered the injury.

Hronek should reprise his role on the team’s top-pairing next to Hughes and look to build upon his one goal and nine points already scored this season. He’s coming off a career-year last season in which he scored five goals and 48 points in 81 games and will look to near that 0.60 point-per-game average upon his return.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Deferred Payments In Jeopardy In Upcoming CBA Discussions

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The NHL and NHLPA are expected to discuss removing the option for teams and players to structure contracts with deferred payments when they begin negotiating a new Collective Bargaining Agreement next month, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported Tuesday.

Deferring part of a contract’s total value until after its expiry to earn a discount on a player’s cap hit has been legal since the 2004-05 lockout, which signaled the beginning of the salary cap era. However, it was used incredibly rarely until the past few months. Four players—the Hurricanes’ Jaccob Slavin and Seth Jarvis, the Maple Leafs’ Jake McCabe, and the Ducks’ Frank Vatrano—have accepted deferred compensation as part of new contracts or extensions since July 1.

Vatrano’s extension, a three-year, $18MM commitment that carries just a $4.57MM cap hit compared to $6MM without deferred compensation, has taken the most advantage of the rule. It’s the first of the four to defer base salary, not just signing bonus money, and he’ll only earn half of the money over the contract’s life. The other $9MM will be paid out in 10 yearly checks of $900K from 2035 onward. During that time, Vatrano anticipates retiring in Florida and will not pay California state income tax on the money.

However, as LeBrun relayed, most player agents aren’t suggesting this strategy for their clients. Octagon’s Allan Walsh put up a brief explainer of why it’s not always a tax-saving measure in the long run, although LeBrun countered with the supposition that Vatrano wouldn’t have earned as much total cash by not using deferred compensation.

The league determined that Vatrano’s deal was compliant with the deferred compensation rule as written, but “that shouldn’t be interpreted as the league being a big fan of it or deferred payments in general,” LeBrun said. He adds the NHLPA has historically opposed deferred payments – the value of money paid later is almost always lower than money earned in the present due to inflation – creating an environment for both parties to close the door on that contract structure when the next CBA goes into effect for the 2026-27 season.

Wild Sign, Waive Dylan Ferguson

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Jan. 8: Ferguson cleared waivers on Wednesday and will be assigned to Iowa, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Jan. 7: The Wild signed goaltender Dylan Ferguson to a two-way contract for the remainder of the 2024-25 season on Tuesday, according to a team release. Minnesota subsequently placed him on waivers for assignment to AHL Iowa.

Ferguson, 26, signed a one-year deal with Iowa in September after a failed PTO with the Canucks. He’ll earn a prorated salary of $130K while in the minors on his new two-way deal, the team said, presumably a raise over what he was making on his minor-league-only contract.

Signing Ferguson makes him eligible for a recall to the NHL roster for the remainder of the season, assuming he clears waivers. He’ll be able to stick on the active roster if necessary for up to 30 days or play 10 games before he needs waivers again to return to Iowa.

The British Columbia native has made seven appearances for Iowa this season while backing up Wild prospects Jesper Wallstedt and Samuel Hlavaj, posting the best numbers out of the trio with a .900 SV% and a 3-4-0 record. He also had a shutout in his lone ECHL appearance for the Iowa Heartlanders earlier this season.

Ferguson has three NHL games under his belt, the first most memorably coming with the Golden Knights in relief during their inaugural season. Ferguson, 19 at the time and freshly acquired from the Stars in an offseason trade, was fifth on Vegas’ goaltending depth chart and on assignment to his major junior team in Kamloops but needed to enter a game against the Oilers in November with Marc-André Fleury, Malcolm Subban, Oscar Dansk and Maxime Lagace all injured.

He didn’t see NHL ice again until the 2022-23 campaign, starting two games for the Senators at the tail end of the season and allowing five goals on 83 shots. All told, Ferguson has a strong .929 SV% and 2.81 GAA in his very limited NHL track record, also posting a formidable .911 mark in 36 career AHL games in parts of five seasons.

After struggling with injuries and failing to land much playing time wherever he signed, the journeyman Ferguson headed to Belarus in 2023-24 and signed a one-year deal with Dinamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League. He posted a .904 SV% in 23 games against some top-flight overseas competition, logging a 2.51 GAA and a 9-9-0 record.

His return to North America last summer has now gone well enough to land him an NHL deal. While his age would normally stipulate Ferguson becoming a restricted free agent upon expiry of this contract, he’ll be a Group VI unrestricted free agent instead because he’s played in fewer than 28 NHL games while accumulating at least three professional seasons.

Since the Wild signed and waived Ferguson within the same day, he won’t count against their active roster while on waivers.

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