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Hurricanes, Eric Robinson Discussing Extension

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An extension for winger Eric Robinson with the Hurricanes “sounds like it will happen,” Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet wrote in his “32 Thoughts” blog Tuesday. The 29-year-old became eligible to sign one on Jan. 1 after inking a one-year, $950K pact with Carolina in free agency last summer.

Robinson’s decision to take a prove-it deal with the Canes has worked out quite well for both sides. Carolina gained some much-needed cost-effective forward depth after losing Jake Guentzel, Stefan Noesen and Teuvo Teräväinen to the open market. At the same time, Robinson thrived in a depth role and positioned himself to land a significant raise on his next contract.

The Hurricanes have some important UFAs-to-be again this season, namely Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov on the back end and another valuable depth scorer, Jack Roslovic, up front. It makes sense that general manager Eric Tulsky wants to get business done early with at least one of them.

Robinson is likely looking for stability after being traded from the Blue Jackets, where he started his career, to the Sabres last season and then landing with Carolina in free agency. He’s posted nine goals and 11 assists for 20 points through 41 games, on pace for a career-high 40 points while averaging 12 minutes per game.

Normally deployed as a checking winger with heavy defensive zone usage, Robinson’s offensive zone deployment under Rod Brind’Amour has skyrocketed. After starting over 60% of his 5-on-5 faceoffs in the defensive zone throughout his seven years in Columbus, he’s started 62.8% in the offensive end since arriving in Carolina. He’s also receiving semi-meaningful penalty kill minutes for the first time since the 2022-23 campaign.

His offensive pace likely puts his next contract in the $3MM neighborhood per season, with Dakota Joshua’s recent four-year, $3.25MM AAV extension with the Canucks likely serving as a blueprint. The New Jersey native has never earned an AAV of more than $1.6MM on any of his five NHL contracts.

Rangers Rumors: Zibanejad, Trocheck, Jones

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In the written edition of his “32 Thoughts” blog Tuesday night, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet expanded on a report yesterday from Josh Yohe of The Athletic that the Canucks turned down a one-for-one trade proposal from the Rangers that would have seen the clubs swap struggling top-six fixtures J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad.

Friedman “believe[s] he’s correct — with some semantics.” Those Miller-for-Zibanejad rumors, which started when the former took a brief leave of absence from Vancouver for personal reasons, were vehemently shut down by New York. At the same time, Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford quickly said that his team wasn’t interested in trading Miller, at least not while he was still on leave.

Fast forward to today, and all indications point to Miller and star pivot Elias Pettersson at least entering trade conversations amid speculative reports of a locker-room clash between the pair. But, as Friedman wrote, the Rangers didn’t quite come as close to landing their desired swap as it may have seemed at first glance.

Friedman doesn’t believe that Zibanejad, who has a no-move clause, “was ever approached” by Rangers management about accepting a move to Vancouver. There were likely other moving parts in the framework of the deal being discussed, namely up-and-coming Blueshirts defender Braden Schneider, that New York wasn’t willing to move to make happen. Friedman adds this is the second time the Rangers have rejected an attempt from the Canucks to acquire Schneider, now in his fourth NHL season after being selected 19th overall in 2020.

There’s more from Friedman on the Rangers’ trade plans leading up to the deadline:

  • Should they enter an aggressive sell-off mode, New York’s highest-value trade asset would be center Vincent Trocheck. He’s having a more productive season offensively than Zibanejad, albeit slightly, with a still-disappointing 27 points in 40 games. Like Zibanejad, he carries a no-movement clause but costs a far more affordable $5.625MM against the cap through 2029 than Zibanejad’s $8.5MM cap hit through 2030. Nonetheless, Rangers general manager Chris Drury won’t entertain the idea of trading him, Friedman reports, going so far as to suggest he could be Jacob Trouba’s successor to the captaincy after the latter was traded to the Ducks last month.
  • One player definitely on the block for the Rangers is defenseman Zac Jones, who Friedman reports the Rangers have permitted to speak to other teams about a longer-term fit. The pending restricted free agent was expected to land a more prominent role this season with Erik Gustafsson out the door in free agency, but he’s still been a healthy scratch for a good portion of the campaign – suiting up in 26 of the Blueshirts’ 40 games. Jones, 24, has a goal and seven assists for eight points with a plus-two rating, ranking second among Rangers defenders behind Schneider’s plus-six. He’s averaging a career-high 16:42 per game when dressed, seeing expanded power-play usage but posting mediocre possession numbers.

Mason Marchment Has Surgery, Ilya Lyubushkin Leaves Game With Injury

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Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment required surgery after taking a puck in the face in a game against the Minnesota Wild on December 27th (as per Owen Newkirk of DLLS Sports). Marchment did not travel with the Stars on the five-game road trip that takes them to the East Coast and is still considered week-to-week.

Doctors had to wait for over a week to decide on how to proceed with Marchment because of how severe the swelling to his face was. Ultimately, they went with a surgical procedure, which likely means that the 29-year-old will be out for a few more weeks.

The Stars have several good young players they can call on to replace Marchment. However, it will be tough as he has been on a tear this season, posting 12 goals and 15 assists in 33 games, which ranks fourth in team scoring.

The Stars tweeted tonight that defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin would be doubtful to return to tonight’s game against the New York Rangers due to an upper-body injury. Nothing has been confirmed about the 30-year-old’s injury, but it likely occurred in the middle of the second period when Lyubushkin fumbled the puck in the corner of the Stars’ defensive zone and then took a hard hit into the boards from Rangers forward Sam Carrick.  Lyubushkin fell awkwardly and was slow to get to his feet, he did not come out with his teammates for the start of the third period.

Predators Reassign Two Players To The AHL

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The Nashville Predators announced ahead of their game tonight against Winnipeg that they’ve reassigned forward Ozzy Wiesblatt and defenseman Kevin Gravel to the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League. The news could mean that forward Tommy Novak and defenseman Adam Wilsby are ready to return to the lineup after missing several games due to injury.

Gravel heads back to the AHL after he was recalled yesterday, the Admirals captain has had two recalls this season with his other stint coming from December 12th through December 17th. In three games with Nashville this season, the 32-year-old has a single assist while averaging 18:19 of ice time per game. Down in the AHL, Gravel has a goal and four assists in 25 games with Milwaukee.

Wiesblatt is just a week removed from getting his first NHL call-up, which resulted in him dressing in two games with the Predators. The 22-year-old made his NHL debut on Friday against Vancouver and played again on Saturday night against Calgary. Neither game went particularly well for the former first-round pick as Wiesblatt was held pointless and was dramatically overmatched against NHL competition. Wiesblatt averaged 10:12 of ice time over the two contests and posted four hits with a blocked shot, however, his underlying numbers were ugly as Nashville controlled possession just 20.6% of the time he was on the ice.

As bad as Wiesblatt’s CF% was, it was a small sample size of just two games, and his deployment was complicated as he started just 7.1% of his shifts in the offensive zone.

Evgeni Malkin Out Day-To-Day

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The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that star center Evgeni Malkin is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The news came out unexpectedly just minutes before the Penguins were set to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets this evening. In Malkin’s absence, Cody Glass will center the Penguins second line tonight, and forward Jesse Puljujarvi will draw back into the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the last month.

Malkin has been surprisingly healthy in the latter stages of his career, having played 82 games in each of the last two seasons. The 38-year-old isn’t having one of his better offensive seasons, but he remains a capable second-line center for Pittsburgh and the drop-off with him out of the lineup will be substantial. Pittsburgh has been fortunate to have both Malkin and Sidney Crosby dress in every game over the past two and a half seasons, but it hasn’t helped them in the standings as the team has missed the playoffs for two straight years and is in a dog fight to make it this season.

Malkin skated with the Penguins today, so its isn’t exactly clear what the issue is or when it occurred. He last played on Sunday against Carolina and was held without a point in 17:44 of ice time.

The former second-overall pick has eight goals and 24 assists in 41 games this season and has been better defensively for Pittsburgh than in previous years. Despite more attention to his defensive game, Malkin has struggled with turnovers as he no longer has the footspeed to create open ice for himself and has tried to force a lot of plays that result in giveaways.

Pittsburgh enters tonight tied for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference and will need to beat teams like Columbus if they hope to break their two-year playoff drought.

Kraken Activate Joey Daccord, Recall Mitchell Stephens

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The Seattle Kraken have activated starting goaltender Joey Daccord off of injured reserve. Daccord has missed Seattle’s last five games with an upper-body injury sustained in the team’s December 22nd matchup against Colorado. Seattle has also recalled forward Mitchell Stephens from, and assigned goaltender Ales Stezka and defenseman Cale Fleury to, the minor leagues in corresponding moves.

Daccord has stood as one of the best goalies in the league when healthy. He’s rivaled the top of multiple star categories – ranking 14th in both save percentage (.912) and goals-against-average (2.51). Daccord also ranked 13th in wins (12) and 14th in games played (23) at the time of his injury. He’s in the midst of another strong year after setting a 19-18-11 record and .916 Sv% in 50 games last season – Daccord’s first as a full-time starter in the NHL. He ascended to the role after years if string performances in the minor leagues, collectively recording a 60-27-7 record and .918 through 98 games, and four seasons, in the AHL.

Meanwhile, Stephens will return to his role as Seattle’s depth forward with Yanni Gourde on injured reserve. Stephens has been back and forth between the NHL and AHL lineup this season, most recently being assigned to the minors in mid-December. He’s scored four points in six games since, bringing his season total up to eight points in 18 games. He’s added one assist in nine NHL games. Stephens is likely to hang in the press box for the short-term, but could fight for fourth-line minutes above Tye Kartye.

Wild Activate Jacob Middleton, Assign Three

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The Minnesota Wild snuck one more transaction in before today’s roster deadline, activating defenseman Jacob Middleton off of long-term injured reserve just a few minutes before their freeze per Michael Russo of The Athletic. Middleton will return to the lineup in tonight’s matchup against St. Louis. In a corresponding move, the Wild have also reversed their roster call-ups from yesterday – assigning forwards Travis Boyd and Brendan Gaunce, and defenseman Carson Lambos, to the minor leagues.

Middleton has been out of the lineup since December 12th, when he sustained a hand injury in a match against the Edmonton Oilers. He was placed on long-term injured reserve one day later. His injury forced him out of Minnesota’s last 11 games. It was a noticeable absence for the Wild, who are also bearing with injuries to team captain Jared Spurgeon and superstar Kirill Kaprizov. Middleton has continued to serve as a big body on the Wild’s second pair. He scored five goals and 13 points in Minnesota’s first 29 games, putting him on pace to blow his career-high of 25 points out of the water. He’s also posted a +22 and 15 penalty minutes – both career-bests for the physical defenders.

Middleton is making good use of the final year of his three-year contract with the Wild. He’s surpassed 20 minutes of average ice time for the first time in his seven-year NHL career this season, and served as a crucial lineup piece as top defenders Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin recovered from injuries of their own. Middleton should benefit from Spurgeon’s absence once again upon returning, likely to challenge Brodin for the role of top left-defender next to Brock Faber.

The AHL’s Iowa Wild will get back three routine lineup pieces with this move, and they could stick with Minnesota finally getting injured players back. Boyd and Gaunce lead Iowa in scoring with 20 and 17 points in 22 games respectively. Lambos hasn’t found the same production, with just five points in 27 games, but should get a chance to earn a routine lineup role once more with Middleton back.

Jets’ Colin Miller Out Week-To-Week With Fractured Larynx

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Winnipeg Jets defenseman Colin Miller has suffered a fractured larynx and will miss at least two weeks of action, per Murat Ates of The Athletic. Miller left Winnipeg’s Saturday matchup against Detroit at the end of the first period, after getting hit in the neck by an Albert Johansson dump-in. He played just nine shifts and 5:27 of ice time in the match. A two-week absence will force Miller out of at least seven games, assuming he returns before the team’s January 22nd match against Colorado.

Miller has served as a depth defenders for the Jets this season, rotating into 34 of the team’s 41 games and averaging 14 minutes of ice time but routinely serving as a healthy scratch. He’s recorded eight points and 22 penalty minutes on the year. Miller’s 0.24 points-per-game ranks low on the Jets’ scoring leaderboard, but actually marks a slight bump in production compared to the 0.2 points-per-game that Miller averaged in each of the last three seasons. That boost is likely thanks to Miller finally finding some stability after playing for four teams between the 2021-22 and 2023-24 seasons.

The veteran defender signed a two-year, $3.7MM deal with the Dallas Stars in the summer of 2022, ending his three-year tenure with the Buffalo Sabres – the longest Miller has spent with one club in his 10-year career. He scored 21 points in 79 games with Dallas, and added one point in 10 postseason games, but the team chose to part with him after one year. Miller was traded to the New Jersey Devils on July 1st, 2023 – and then flipped to Winnipeg at the 2023-24 Trade Deadline. His production stalled through the series of moves and nagging injuries, but Miller seems to be finding his footing once again.

The Jets are likely to turn to Dylan Coghlan in Miller’s absence. Coghlan has served as Winnipeg’s extra defender, so far playing in just three NHL games and two AHL games this season.  He has one point – an AHL goal – between the five matchups. It’s Coghlan’s first year in the Jets’ organization after spending the last two seasons in Carolina, where he totaled three points in 18 NHL games.

Jets head coach Scott Arniel also told Ates that Dylan Samberg is very close to a return. Samberg suffered a broken foot on November 23rd. He was placed on injured reserve a day later, and hasn’t played since. He’s been productive when healthy, netting six points – split evenly – in 21 games this season. The Jets will need to clear a roster space to activate Samberg.

Senators’ Jacob Bernard-Docker Out Long-Term With High Ankle Sprain

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Senators defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker will miss an extended period while recovering from a high ankle sprain, head coach Travis Green told TSN 1200 Ottawa on Tuesday.

Bernard-Docker, 24, sustained the injury in practice on Monday after taking an awkward spill into the boards. He immediately left the session for evaluation, and it was clear he would miss time when Ottawa recalled Max Guenette from AHL Belleville earlier today. Bernard-Docker is likely headed for IR to accommodate Guenette’s recall.

The Sens’ second of two first-round picks in 2018 after Brady Tkachuk, Bernard-Docker has established himself as a roster fixture but not much more than that. He’s made 25 appearances this season and spent a good bit of time in the press box, posting a goal and three assists for four points and a plus-two rating when healthy.

Bernard-Docker has averaged 13:06 of ice time per game, down from last season’s 15:42 mark and no longer receiving fringe penalty kill deployment. That’s despite the Alberta native putting up better possession metrics at even strength, controlling 50.6% of shot attempts.

His usual pairing with Tyler Kleven has been on the ice for 10 goals, second on the team behind the Thomas Chabot–Nick Jensen pairing’s 33, per MoneyPuck. When dressed, he’s been an effective third-pairing piece, one the Sens will miss for the next few weeks despite the limited minutes he’s vacating.

Recovery from a high ankle sprain usually lasts around six weeks, meaning JBD should be back in action in mid-to-late-February if all goes well.

Cody Ceci Interested In Extension With Sharks

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Pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Cody Ceci hopes to begin talks on a contract extension with the Sharks later this month, he told Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News on Wednesday.

San Jose general manager Mike Grier acquired Ceci from the Oilers and a 2025 third-round pick in exchange for depth defender Ty Emberson in August. Ceci is in the final season of a four-year deal with a $3.25MM cap hit, which ended up being a tad too rich for incoming Edmonton GM Stan Bowman’s blood as he looked to retool the roster for another run to the Stanley Cup Final.

The trade has worked out reasonably well for both sides. The Oilers gained over $2MM in cap space and have gotten serviceable minutes out of Emberson, who has five assists and a minus-four rating in 37 appearances. San Jose gained a veteran presence who can log heavier minutes in Ceci, who’s averaging 22:02 per game this season – second on the team behind Jake Walman.

The 31-year-old Ceci has 11 points through 42 games, roughly in line with the offensive totals many have come to expect from the 2012 first-round pick. He leads the team with 73 blocked shots, but that’s also indicative of a lack of possession control. His 43.1 CF% at even-strength is fifth-worst among Sharks with at least 10 games played this season, and his -13.8 expected rating, while exaggerated slightly due to his heavy minutes, is the worst on the club.

That said, he’s been given difficult usage on one of the league’s thinnest blue lines. Ceci averages 18:43 per game just at even strength, leading second-place Mario Ferraro by more than a minute, and is the only Shark averaging more than three minutes per contest on the penalty kill.

All told, he’s putting up similar results to his numbers in a complementary role in Edmonton the past few years while receiving arguably the most challenging minutes of his 12-year NHL career. Whether there’s mutual interest in a commitment past this season remains to be seen. However, it would make sense for the Sharks to retain at least one of Ceci or Jan Rutta – both veteran pending UFAs – as short-term stop gaps until more defense prospects like Sam Dickinson and Shakir Mukhamadullin are ready for top-four minutes.

From Ceci’s point of view, he likely wouldn’t receive more playing time – or money – anywhere else. San Jose projects to have $37.9MM in cap space next season, assuming an upper limit increase to $92MM, with just seven roster spots to fill. He’d likely earn a bit of a premium, at least on his average annual value on a two- or three-year extension, compared to other destinations on the open market.

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