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Utah To Activate Sean Durzi From Injured Reserve

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Utah is set to activate right-shot defender Sean Durzi from injured reserve before Saturday’s game against the Kings, head coach André Tourigny told reporters (including Brogan Houston of Deseret News) yesterday evening. Utah’s active roster currently has a maximum of 23 players, so they must make a corresponding move before activating him.

Durzi, 26, made it four games into the 2024-25 season before requiring right shoulder surgery in October. He was fresh off a career-best 32-assist, 41-point year with the Coyotes that led to a four-year, $24MM extension from Utah one day before he was set to reach restricted free agency last offseason.

He’ll return to the lineup after a four-month absence against his former team. Durzi skated his first two NHL seasons in Los Angeles, who acquired his signing rights from the Maple Leafs in the 2019 Jake Muzzin trade. He immediately solidified himself as a top-four option after making his NHL debut in 2021, averaging 19:42 over 136 games with the Kings and recording a 12-53–65 scoring line with a -21 rating. While he was already their secondary power-play option behind Drew Doughty and still had room to grow, younger names in the pool, like Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence, made him expendable. Halfway through a two-year, $3.4MM bridge deal with the Kings, L.A. traded him to Arizona in the 2023 offseason for a second-round pick.

It was a prudent move for the now-Utah-based franchise. Durzi was the Coyotes’ bona fide No. 1 defenseman in his lone season in the desert, leading skaters in average ice time with 22:43 and notching 41 points in 76 games. His defensive impacts exploded, too. His +3.1 expected rating led the team, and his 52.2 CF% at even strength finished second among qualified skaters behind Barrett Hayton. Established as a genuine top-pairing threat, Utah general manager Bill Armstrong got him some help on the trade market last offseason by picking up top-four stalwarts Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino.

Utah will have all three of those names in the lineup for the first time this season on Saturday. Marino didn’t make his season debut until mid-January after undergoing back surgery at the same time as Durzi. The former will hold down top-pairing duties alongside Sergachev. At the same time, Durzi will be eased back into the lineup in a third-pairing role alongside presumably Olli Määttä, Houston relayed from yesterday’s practice.

Durzi had two assists and a plus-two rating through his first four games in Utah before a hit from Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler put his season on pause. Utah is six points behind the Canucks for a wild-card spot and stands as a conservative seller on deadline day as things stand. Still, a fully healthy defense with another offensive weapon in Durzi could fuel a hot streak to put them back in the postseason conversation. The Western Conference’s mediocre depth means Utah only has Vancouver and the Flames to jump for a wild card spot, so their playoff chances still check in at 15.8%, according to MoneyPuck. Those could jump to north of 20% with a regulation win against Los Angeles.

Canucks Sign Drew O’Connor To Two-Year Extension

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Feb. 19: O’Connor’s extension actually does carry some trade protection – a modified 12-team no-trade clause in both seasons, per PuckPedia.

Feb. 18: The Canucks have agreed to terms on a two-year, $5MM extension with winger Drew O’Connor, per a team announcement. He’ll carry a cap hit of $2.5MM in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 campaigns. His deal carries a $775K salary with a $2.075MM signing bonus in Year 1, followed by a $2.15MM salary with no bonuses in Year 2, PuckPedia reports.

O’Connor, 27 in June, was set for unrestricted free agency this summer after Vancouver acquired him along with defenseman Marcus Pettersson from the Penguins at the beginning of the month. After extending Pettersson on a six-year, $33MM deal a few days later, they’ve ensured both acquisitions will remain with the club past the stretch run.

While an afterthought in the deal compared to Pettersson, O’Connor has two goals on 10 shots in four games since the trade, including a penalty shot winner in overtime against the Sharks on Feb. 6. He has a plus-one rating, and the Canucks have controlled shot attempts 58-53 when he’s on the ice at even strength. He’s spent most of his time in the top six with Brock Boeser and Filip Chytil, helping the trio control 59.3% of expected goals through 28 minutes, per MoneyPuck. It’s a small sample, but he’s been a good fit in Vancouver early on.

O’Connor is no stranger to playing a complementary top-six role. He’s spent most of the last two years in Pittsburgh getting reps on Sidney Crosby’s wing, including his breakout 2023-24 campaign that saw him net 16-17–33 in 79 games. The New Jersey native’s production had dipped this year before the trade, limited to 6-10–16 in 53 games with the Pens, but he’s tracking to rediscover more reliable top-nine production with the Canucks.

Over his 214-game career, the undrafted free agent signing out of Dartmouth has 32-36–68 with a minus-five rating. That averages out to 12 goals and 26 points per 82 games, and while that looks more like fringe third-line production, he’s tracking upward. Considering he’s demonstrated top-six utility, betting on his value to replicate or eclipse a $2.5MM cap hit amid a rising upper limit is a prudent move from Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin, especially on a short-term deal with no trade protection.

O’Connor will now have to wait until 2027 to test unrestricted free agency for the first time. Meanwhile, the Canucks now have $75.87MM committed to 15 players for the 2025-26 campaign, per PuckPedia. With the salary cap increasing from $88MM to $92.5MM, they have $19.63MM in projected space to fill eight roster spots, a good chunk of which is earmarked for extension negotiations with pending UFAs. Brock Boeser and Kevin Lankinen.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Islanders Working On Extension For Maxim Tsyplakov

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The Islanders have offered an extension worth around $3MM per season to pending restricted free agent right-winger Maxim Tsyplakov, agent Alexander Chernykh told Russian outlet Sport-Express (translated by Stefen Rosner and Matthew Page of The Hockey News). It’s unclear what length of contract the two sides are discussing at this point.

It would hardly be a surprise to see New York hammer out a deal with Tsyplakov before the trade deadline on March 7. The club has rocketed up the standings to a 25-23-7 record, 11 points out of a divisional berth in the Metropolitan but only four points out of a wild card spot. That bump in playoff odds to 32.5% (according to MoneyPuck) means a deadline retool is more likely than a complete selloff, meaning additional cost certainty for the 2025-26 campaign will come at a higher priority for general manager Lou Lamoriello.

Tsyplakov, 26, is one of the club’s more intriguing players and would have commanded a decent return if they decided to sell him off with one season left under team control. Undrafted, he was never on NHL teams’ radars throughout his professional career. That changed last summer on the heels of a massive 31-goal, 47-point breakout in 65 games for Spartak Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League, ranking fourth in the KHL in goals. He generated interest from multiple teams on the international free agent, including the Canadiens and Maple Leafs, before landing a one-year entry-level deal with the Isles in mid-May.

Early in the 2024-25 campaign, Tsyplakov proved he could hang as not only a middle-six presence in the NHL but a top-six one. He scored a goal and logged a whopping 20:46 of ice time in his NHL debut against Utah, an overtime loss, and has remained a second-line option with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri for most of the season. His offensive production is decent – 7-18–25 through 51 games – and he boasts a plus-nine rating with a team-high 33 PIMs. He doesn’t shoot the puck with aplomb, scoring on 10% of his 70 shots on goal, but he averages nearly 16 minutes per game and is tied for second on the club with 108 hits.

Tsyplakov doesn’t see any penalty kill usage but has taken reps on the second power-play unit, pairing the special-teams deployment with good possession impacts at even strength. His 51.9 CF% ranks seventh among Islanders skaters with 10 or more games played, and his +3.3 expected rating ranks fifth.

If not for a three-game suspension in January for a hit to the head of Flyers center Ryan Poehling and a lone healthy scratch following the discipline, Tsyplakov would be on pace to play in all 82 games with an 11-29–40 scoring line. Paired with his physicality and solid defensive play, that’s good enough production to lock him in as a complementary second-line piece. A long-term commitment to a player on the wrong side of 25 with a limited track record as a true impact player professionally seems unlikely, but a bridge deal in the $2.5MM-$3.5MM range per season as outlined by Chernykh stands as a potentially high-value deal for the Isles over the next few years.

Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy Out Week-To-Week

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Feb. 19: McAvoy is out week-to-week for Boston after undergoing a procedure to remove an infection stemming from his upper-body injury, sources told Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff on Tuesday evening. He’s likely bound for injured reserve to make room for the multiple recalls the Bruins made yesterday. Boston head team physician Dr. Peter Asnis confirmed Seravalli’s report, issuing the following statement on McAvoy’s health:

Charlie McAvoy sustained an injury to his right shoulder acromioclavicular joint in Team USA’s 4 Nations Face-Off game against Finland on February 13. He underwent treatment, which was administered by Team USA’s medical staff. Upon returning to Boston, he developed increasing pain, for which he was evaluated by the Boston Bruins’ medical staff. After undergoing X-rays, MRIs, and bloodwork, he was diagnosed as having an infection in his right shoulder, as well as a significant injury to his AC joint. He underwent an irrigation and debridement procedure at Massachusetts General Hospital on February 18. He remains in the hospital, where he is being treated with IV antibiotics, and his condition is improving.

Feb. 18: According to a statement from the Bruins, McAvoy has been ruled out of the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game on Thursday. Boston shared he’s undergoing testing at Massachusetts General Hospital for an upper-body injury and the team will pass along additional information as it becomes available.

Feb. 17: It’s already been confirmed through multiple reports this morning that Team USA would be resting defenseman Charlie McAvoy for tonight’s matchup against Team Sweden. Unfortunately, there appears to be another layer of context for McAvoy’s absence as Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub reports McAvoy is out with an upper-body injury and is questionable to play in Thursday’s championship game.

McAvoy would be a major missing piece for the Americans should he not be available for Thursday’s re-match against Team Canada. Although he went scoreless in the first North American rivalry contest, the Boston Bruins’ blue-liner landed five hits in 19:27 of ice time, including a momentum-altering body check against Connor McDavid.

Team USA has a more than capable in-house replacement in Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson but they’ll have a slight abundance of left-handed shots on the blue line. Sanderson, nor any other member of the United States defensive core, is as physical as McAvoy, but he can hold his own on the offensive side of the puck.

Aside from his immediate availability for the United States to close out the 4 Nations Face-Off, there’s no telling if McAvoy’s injury will affect his availability with the Bruins. Anderson didn’t offer a timeline for McAvoy’s recovery but it could be somewhat serious if he’ll miss an entire week of hockey.

Boston will emerge from the 4 Nations Face-Off break exactly one point back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, with two additional games played compared to the Detroit Red Wings. Time is abundant for the Bruins to recapture a playoff spot but their probability will shrink without their top defenseman. Again, there’s no confirmation McAvoy will miss any time with the Bruins although it’ll be a situation to monitor.

Trade Deadline Primer: Philadelphia Flyers

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With the 4 Nations Face-Off break here, the trade deadline looms large and is less than a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Philadelphia Flyers.

The standings won’t be a focus in the Flyers’ deadline plans. They entered the two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off on the heels of a 3-6-1 record in their last 10 games while being outscored 31-16. The Flyers’ positives have been elsewhere, namely with rookie Matvei Michkov. He’s earned Calder Trophy attention with 16 goals and 36 points in 55 games and seems to be heeding the wisdom of tenured head coach John Tortorella. He leads a suite of prospects performing well, joined by Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, and Emil Andrae in the NHL and Samu Tuomaala, Jacob Gaucher, and Alexis Gendron in the minors. Their success, and a heaping seven picks in the first two rounds of this year’s draft, will train Philadelphia’s sights firmly on the future for the rest of the year.

Record

24-26-7, 8th in the Metropolitan Division

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$8.43MM on deadline day, 1/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2025: PHI 1st, COL 1st, EDM 1st, PHI 2nd, ANA 2nd, CGY 2nd, CBJ 2nd, PHI 3rd, PHI 4th, PHI 5th, CAR 5th, PHI 6th, PHI 7th
2026: PHI 1st, PHI 2nd, PHI 3rd, PHI 4th, PHI 6th, PHI 7th

Trade Chips

Philadelphia telegraphed their deadline approach in late January when they sent Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee to the Calgary Flames for Andrei Kuzmenko, prospect Jakob Pelletier, and two draft picks. In the wake of the deal, general manager Daniel Brière emphasized the team’s long-term thinking, even painting Kuzmenko’s acquisition as a test run for free agency. They’ll continue trimming veterans for future assets into March, playing with a hand of frequent trade candidates.

Center Scott Laughton is once again standing tallest on Philadelphia’s trade block. He continues to serve a diligent center role in Philadelphia’s middle-six, stepping up as the hard-nosed drive behind the Flyers’ top scorers. Teams have long commended Laughton’s ability to lead a locker room, but his trade price has been rumored to be as high as a first-round pick in years past. Laughton has scored a commendable 11 goals and 26 points this year and carries a modest $3MM cap hit through this season and next.

However, his third-line role would make a high price hard to nab. Laughton’s veteran presence would almost certainly garner plenty of attention from playoff hopefuls on the open market. Still, the Flyers may need to come down on their price to make something happen. His move could open the necessary lineup space to reward Gaucher’s hot AHL season or create room for OHL prospect Jett Luchanko next season after he made the Flyers out of training camp this year.

Defender Rasmus Ristolainen has also been featured on the Flyers’ block for a long time. The 30-year-old Finn has rounded his game out in Philadelphia, becoming more of a physical defensive presence than in his early years. Ristolainen has just 15 points in 54 games this season, but he’s also recorded the first positive rating of his career with a plus-three. He’s diligently served the Flyers’ slot and could be a cheap acquisition for playoff teams needing any support on right defense, like the Stars. Ristolainen carries a lofty $5.1MM cap hit through the end of next season, which may force Philadelphia to concede quite a bit of ground if they want to make a move happen – something they’re unwilling to do given he’s not yet a pending UFA. Helge Grans would likely stand as the biggest benefactor of Ristolainen’s move. The 22-year-old made his NHL debut earlier this year, netting one point in six games, and has 18 points in 44 AHL games.

Outside of the veteran pair, the Flyers don’t seem to have many alluring assets. Depth forward Noah Cates offers a physical, two-way presence and may be entering his prime too early for the Flyers’ timeline. He could be a cheap acquisition for teams looking to shore up their bottom six. The same can be said for bruising veteran Garnet Hathaway, who ranks second among NHL forwards with 205 hits in 57 games. Both forwards check in with cap hits under $2.65MM but likely wouldn’t command lofty returns.

Philadelphia also has an excess in goal. Russian tandem Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov have struggled to find their footing in the NHL. They both boast save percentages in the .870s while splitting time as the backup behind Samuel Ersson. Shipping off either goalie could land Philadelphia a simple return. Fedotov, who is five years Kolosov’s senior, seems the more likely to move of the two.

Team Needs

1) Defense Prospects – The Flyers have built hardy prospect groups on offense, but the lackluster acquisition of Jamie Drysdale has left them a bit vacant on defense. Cameron York has caught enough momentum to lead Philadelphia’s blue line into the future, but he needs strong support. One of their aforementioned packages could be enough to net Christian Kyrou away from Dallas or Elias Salomonsson away from the Winnipeg Jets. Both players are right-shot, former second-rounders currently performing up to par in the AHL with 13 points in 28 games and 15 points in 26 games, respectively. Any incoming right-defender will join Grans as the future bets on a shallow right side and could stand as modest ways to round out a prospect pool.

2) Depth Goaltending – Goaltending has been the sore spot throughout the Flyers organization this year. Ersson has done enough to claim the starting role, posting a 16-10-3 record and a .896 save percentage, but nearly every role behind him is unclear. The AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms have utilized five different goaltenders this year, and only one – Parker Gahagen (.907) – has posted a save percentage above .900 in substantial minutes. Finding a netminder that can stand above the rest would be a welcome silver lining as Philadelphia builds out next year. The Toronto Maple Leafs could be swayed to part with 22-year-old Dennis Hildeby for the right price, with 26-year-old Joseph Woll boasting a .909 in 30 NHL games.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Oilers Expected To Recall Matthew Savoie, Derek Ryan

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The Edmonton Oilers are expected to recall forwards Matthew Savoie and Derek Ryan after the pair joined Edmonton for their Tuesday practice, per Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic. Nugent-Bowman added that Savoie is also expected to join Edmonton on their upcoming five-game road trip to the East coast.

Savoie has yet to make his Oilers debut, but he’s been red hot in the AHL as of late. The Oilers top prospect has 10 points in his last 10 games and 37 points in 43 games on the year. His scoring ranks second on the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors and leads all U21 players in the AHL. The Oilers have to be excited about Savoie’s early showings, after acquiring him for Ryan McLeod last summer. It was a shocking trade, moving Savoie on from the Buffalo Sabres just over two years after they drafted him ninth overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. Savoie played in seven pro games with the Sabres organization. He didn’t score in his sole NHL appearance, but did manage five points in six AHL games.

Savoie returned to the WHL after his short stint with the Buffalo organization, but his hot AHL scoring has carried into his formal rookie season this year. He’ll be a high upside bet for an Oilers offense with all of the firepower to lift him up – though there have been concerns about how his five-foot-nine, 180-pound frame will translate to the top flight.

Edmonton could get a chance to test those concerns this weekend. If Savoie struggles, they’ll turn quickly towards veteran depth forward Derek Ryan. Ryan played in 33 games with the Oilers earlier this year, recording one goal, five points, and 12 penalty minutes. He’s also scored two points in three AHL games – the first minor-league appearances Ryan has made since the 2016-17 campaign. He’s been a perennial fourth-line forward ever since, spanning tenures with the Carolina Hurricanes, Calgary Flames, and now Edmonton. Now 38, Ryan won’t rival the upside and energy that Savoie could bring to the lineup – but he will bring hardy veteran depth behind a shifting Oilers’ bottom-six.

Devils Place Jacob Markstrom, Jonas Siegenthaler On IR

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The New Jersey Devils have made a flurry of move with the hockey world’s attention turning back towards NHL rosters. Most notably, the team has placed starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom (knee) and top-four defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler (lower-body) on injured reserve. Markstrom has missed New Jersey’s last seven games after suffering an MCL sprain in New Jersey’s win over Boston on January 22nd. He was announced as out four-to-six weeks at the time of his injury. Markstrom has posted a dazzling 21-9-5 record and .912 save percentage in 36 appearances this year. His starting role has been filled by veteran Jake Allen, who also has a .912 save percentage but just a 9-11-1 record in 21 games.

Siegenthaler’s injury is less clear. He left New Jersey’s February 7th game against the Pittsburgh Penguins after taking an awkward hit from Anthony Beauvillier. Siegenthaler missed New Jersey’s last two games. He is expected to miss an additional two-to-three weeks after undergoing a procedure to address his injury during the 4-Nations break, per head coach Sheldon Keefe. Siegenthaler has been one of New Jersey’s top defenders this season. He has just nine points in 55 games, but formed a strong pairing with Johnathan Kovacevic.

In corresponding moves, New Jersey also recalled defensemen Simon Nemec and Seamus Casey, and goaltender Tyler Brennan, to join the team’s Tuesday practice. The pair of defenders stand as perhaps New Jersey’s top two prospects. Nemec and Casey lead the Utica Comets’ blue-line in scoring, with 23 points in 34 games and 15 points in 22 games respectively. Meanwhile, Brennan has spent his last two seasons with the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder. He’s begun vying for the starting role this year, leading all Thunder netminders with 22 games played and posting a 6-14-2 record and .870 save percentage. Brennan likely won’t stick with the roster when games start back up, but one of Casey or Nemec could hold onto a spot depending on how long Siegenthaler misses.

New Jersey has utilized 22 of 23 roster slots with both defense prospects up. That final roster spot could soon be taken up by captain Nico Hischier’s return. Keefe told NHL.com that Hischier didn’t seem to be dealing with any sort of discomfort in New Jersey’s first day back, though he’ll need to be approved by doctors before he can return. Hischier added that he felt like his break, and Tuesday’s practice, both went well. The top Swiss has missed New Jersey’s last six games with an oblique injury after taking a cross-check to the ribs in the Devils’ January 25th win over the Boston Bruins. He’s been one of New Jersey’s top forwards when healthy, with 24 goals and 43 points in 51 games. Hischier will immediately return to a top-line role, should he be healthy enough to play this weekend.

Minor Transactions: 2/18/25

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The transaction wire is active again today, with many teams hosting their first practices in over a week. The regular season schedule after the 4 Nations Face-Off resumes this weekend, so the players who teams reassigned to the minors over the break to continue playing will be added back to rosters today and tomorrow to make them eligible to practice with their NHL teammates. Here are all of today’s moves that largely constituted reversals of pre-break demotions.

  • The Hurricanes announced they’ve promoted defenseman Riley Stillman from AHL Chicago. While he’d been off the roster for a few days already prior to the break, he’s been a frequent traveler between Carolina and Chicago this season. He was last rostered for a game on Jan. 28 against the Rangers – his season debut, in which he recorded a fight and a shot on goal in 7:40 of ice time. A routine healthy scratch/extra defenseman, Stillman is close to requiring waivers again to head to the minors after clearing them in November. The 26-year-old has 2-3–5 with 41 PIMs and a minus-three rating in 20 AHL contests this year.
  • The Stars announced they’ve recalled defenseman Lian Bichsel from AHL Texas. He was quietly shuttled down on Feb. 8 after making eight straight appearances for Dallas leading into the break. The 2022 first-rounder has 2-3–5 and a plus-six rating through his first 16 career NHL games, all coming this season, and will continue in a regular role for the time being with Miro Heiskanen and Nils Lundkvist on the shelf.
  • The Canucks announced they’ve promoted all of center Nils Åman, forward Arshdeep Bains, and defenseman Elias Pettersson from AHL Abbotsford. They also added goalie Arturs Silovs from the Baby Canucks on an emergency loan and will have Nikita Tolopilo around as a practice goaltender until Kevin Lankinen is ready to return from representing Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off, although the latter won’t take up a roster spot. Åman and Pettersson were sent to Abbotsford on Feb. 8, but this is Bains’ first recall since late November. The 24-year-old winger had one goal and a minus-four rating in 11 games earlier this season but has remained a near point-per-game threat in the minors, posting 7-20–27 in 32 AHL games. He’ll now get another crack at NHL minutes in the final season of his entry-level contract. Silovs, who’s struggled to the tune of a 1-4-1 record and .847 SV% in seven NHL appearances this season, will come up to serve as Lankinen’s No. 2 with Thatcher Demko still dealing with the undisclosed injury that caused him to leave Vancouver’s last pre-break game against the Maple Leafs. Tolopilo’s stay will be brief, and the 24-year-old will return to Abbotsford as soon as Lankinen is available.
  • The Penguins called up winger Emil Bemström and goalie Joel Blomqvist from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and returned netminder Tristan Jarry to the minors in a corresponding transaction, the team announced. It’s a pure reversal of the moves Pittsburgh made after their last game on Feb. 8. Bemström has no points and two shots in two games since being recalled for the first time this season on Feb. 7, while Blomqvist has a 3-8-0 record with a .896 SV% and 3.54 GAA in 11 appearances on the year. The 23-year-old has struggled since taking over for Jarry on the roster, posting a .868 SV% in three starts since the veteran was waived in mid-January. The 29-year-old Jarry will continue to bide his time in the minors as he awaits another NHL chance, knocking on the door with a .924 SV% and 2.11 GAA in nine games.
  • The Rangers announced they’ve recalled goaltender Dylan Garand from AHL Hartford. The 22-year-old comes up to serve as Jonathan Quick’s backup with Igor Shesterkin not ready to return from the upper-body injury that kept him out of New York’s final game before the break. He’s sporting a .914 SV%, 2.73 GAA, three shutouts, and a 13-7-5 record in 25 showings with Hartford this year.
  • The Blackhawks summoned defenseman Ethan Del Mastro from AHL Rockford, a team announcement states. Chicago sent the 22-year-old down at the beginning of the break for additional playing time in the minors, where he posted three shots and a plus-one rating in four games over the past couple of weeks. He has one assist in six NHL games since first being called up in late January and will continue competing for bottom-pairing minutes while Louis Crevier is on injured reserve with a concussion.
  • The Bruins recalled defenseman Michael Callahan, center Matthew Poitras, and left-winger Riley Tufte from AHL Providence – the latter coming up under emergency conditions, per the team. Goaltender Michael DiPietro will also practice with the team while Jeremy Swayman remains with Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off but won’t count against the active roster. Callahan’s and Poitras’ recalls are reversals of pre-break assignments, with the former’s recall serving as confirmation that Hampus Lindholm won’t be ready to come off LTIR before Saturday’s game against the Ducks. Tufte’s recall is his first since November, and his inclusion is a solid indication that Charlie McAvoy will be IR-bound after sustaining an upper-body injury and subsequent infection at the 4 Nations.
  • The Jets announced they’ve recalled Kaapo Kähkönen from AHL Manitoba to serve as a practice player with Connor Hellebuyck slated to start for the Americans in Thursday’s 4 Nations championship. He’s played one NHL game since signing a one-year, $1MM deal in Winnipeg last offseason – although it was for the Avalanche, who claimed him off waivers in October but lost him back to the Jets on the wire the following month. The 28-year-old has taken a tumble in Manitoba with a .885 SV% in 20 games – a worse save percentage than he posted on last year’s league-worst Sharks.
  • The Sharks announced they’ve recalled forward Collin Graf and defenseman Jack Thompson from AHL San Jose. They were both assigned to the minors after their final pre-break game, although notably, veteran Andrew Poturalski remains in the minors after being demoted along with Graf and Thompson. The rookies are both likely to play next Sunday against the Flames.
  • Utah announced they’d recalled winger Josh Doan from AHL Tucson after the previously reported summons of goaltender Jaxson Stauber. His reinstatement to the roster suggests Logan Cooley won’t be quite ready to return from his lower-body injury this weekend against the Kings, but general manager Bill Armstrong said yesterday he’s not expected out for much longer. Doan has 4-5–9 in 25 NHL games and 11-15–26 in 28 AHL games this year.
  • The Blues will have goaltender Will Cranley join them for practice while Jordan Binnington remains with Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, the club announced. Cranley, 22, was a sixth-round pick of 2020 and is in his second season of pro hockey. He’s spent almost all of his time in the ECHL, where he has a .911 SV% and 2.28 GAA in 16 appearances with the Florida Everblades this year.
  • The Predators recalled goalie Matt Murray to join them as a practice player while Juuse Saros returns from repping the Fins at the 4 Nations, Emma Lingan of The Hockey News reports. Murray has yet to appear in a game for Nashville after spending the past few years in the Stars organization but has been recalled a few times as injury insurance this season. The 27-year-old has a sparkling .930 SV%, 2.17 GAA, two shutouts, and a 17-7-6 record for Milwaukee.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forwards Gage Goncalves and Gabriel Fortier to join as practice players. Goncalves has served as Tampa Bay’s extra forward for much of the year. His NHL career is still young, and his one goal and seven points in 33 games with the Lightning marks the first scoring of his career. Goncalves has also scored 18 points in 14 AHL games this year. Fortier has spent his whole season in the minors and scored 10 goals and 17 points in 37 games. He ranks third on the Syracuse Crunch in goals and seventh in points.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Canucks’ Thatcher Demko Out Week-To-Week

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Vancouver Canucks starting goaltender Thatcher Demko won’t join the team for their upcoming five-game road trip, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic. Demko suffered a lower-body injury just 10 minutes into Vancouver’s 2-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 8th – the team’s last game before the 4-Nations Face-Off break. Drance added that Demko has been designated as out week-to-week and that Demko’s injury isn’t connected to the knee injury that held him out of multiple weeks at the end of last season.

The Canucks turned to backup Kevin Lankinen to replace Demko after his injury. Lankinen posted 21 saves on 22 shots to lead Vancouver to a win, bringing his season-long record up to 19-8-7 in 34 appearances. Lankinen has also leads all Canucks goaltenders with a .905 save percentage and 2.53 goals-against-average. He’ll be the assumed starter when the Canucks return from break, but their upcoming road-trip features two sets of back-to-back games. That tight schedule will likely open the door for Arturs Silovs to make his own spot start.

Silovs hasn’t played since late-November, after appearing in seven of Vancouver’s first 22 games. The 23-year-old Latvian posted a 1-4-1 record, .847 Sv%, and 4.11 GAA in those appearances, prompting a quick return to the minor leagues. He found more stable footing in Abbotsford, posting a 10-4-0 record and .906 Sv%. Silovs upheld those numbers through multiple trips to serve as Lankinen’s backup when Demko missed time in January. He could now be rewarded for waiting with game time – but isn’t likely to claw above the pair of veterans ahead of him on the depth chart in what should be a minimal role.

Lankinen should be a stout fill-in on the heels of his strong season, but Vancouver will still surely miss Demko. The oft-injured starter was finally finding his groove before the Canucks went on break, marked by a 3-1-0 record and .952 Sv% in his last four healthy games. That streak was a welcome turnaround for Demko after he started his season with a dismal 3-5-3 record and .867 Sv% in 12 games. He seemed to need an extended runway as he worked his way back from a long-term ailment – and now lands in a similar and untimely situation. The Canucks will return from their extended road trip on March 5th, then quickly face four games across a six-day stretch.

List Of NHL-Affiliated Prospects In The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League

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The Canadian Hockey League trade deadlines are in the rearview mirror. That makes it a good time to take stock of where NHL teams have their prospect pool skating ahead of the big league deadline. We’re taking a look at how many prospects each team has in the world’s top junior association, moving onto the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. You can find the list of Ontario Hockey League players here.

Anaheim Ducks

F Alexandre Blais (Rimouski Océanic)
F Maxim Massé (Chicoutimi Saguenéens)

Boston Bruins

D Loke Johansson (Moncton Wildcats)

Buffalo Sabres

D Simon-Pier Brunet (Drummondville Voltigeurs)

Calgary Flames

F Matvei Gridin (Shawinigan Cataractes)
D Étienne Morin (Moncton Wildcats)

Carolina Hurricanes

F Justin Poirier (Baie-Comeau Drakkar)

Columbus Blue Jackets

F Tyler Peddle (Saint John Sea Dogs)

Detroit Red Wings

G Rudy Guimond (Moncton Wildcats)

Florida Panthers

D Luke Coughlin (Rimouski Océanic)

Montreal Canadiens

G Mikus Vecvanags (Acadie-Bathurst Titan)

Nashville Predators

D Dylan MacKinnon (Moncton Wildcats)
G Jakub Milota (Cape Breton Eagles)

New Jersey Devils

F Matyas Melovsky (Baie-Comeau Drakkar)
F Cam Squires (Cape Breton Eagles)

New York Rangers

F Raoul Boilard (Baie-Comeau Drakkar)

Philadelphia Flyers

D Spencer Gill (Rimouski Océanic)
D Matteo Mann (Saint John Sea Dogs)

Seattle Kraken

D Alexis Bernier (Baie-Comeau Drakkar)

St. Louis Blues

F Antoine Dorion (Québec Remparts)
F Juraj Pekarcik (Moncton Wildcats)

Tampa Bay Lightning

F Ethan Gauthier (Drummondville Voltigeurs)
D Dyllan Gill (Moncton Wildcats)
D Jan Golicic (Gatineau Olympiques)

Utah Hockey Club

D Tomas Lavoie (Cape Breton Eagles)
F Gabe Smith (Moncton Wildcats)

Vancouver Canucks

D Basile Sansonnens (Rimouski Océanic)

Vegas Golden Knights

F Mathieu Cataford (Rimouski Océanic)

Washington Capitals

F Eriks Mateiko (Rimouski Océanic)

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