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Sidney Crosby, Mikko Rantanen Healthy For 4 Nations Face-Off

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Team Canada is celebrating after just one practice for the 4 Nations Face-Off, following news that international superstar Sidney Crosby will be good to go when Canada kicks off the tournament on Thursday, per Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic. This news comes after Crosby missed the Pittsburgh Penguins’ last two games with an upper-body injury. He practiced in full at Canada’s Monday skate, serving on the team’s second line and filling the net-front role on the top power-play unit. Crosby also serves as Canada’s captain, as he has at the country’s last three international events with NHL talent.

Team Canada will be at relatively full strength with news of Crosby’s health. The team has no shortage of superstar talent – boasting Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Cale Makar, arguably the three top players in the NHL. But the Canadian crest doesn’t shine the same without Crosby being part of the group. His international highlights are enough to satisfy an entire career. Crosby famously scored Canada’s “Golden Goal” at the 2010 Winter Olympics to pull the country ahead of Team USA in the Gold Medal game. He had seven points in seven games in that tournament and added three more in six games of the 2014 Olympics, where Canada repeated their Gold Medal win with a team led in scoring by Shea Weber and Drew Doughty. Crosby has only appeared in two international events since that second gold, netting 11 points in nine games of the 2014 World Championship and scoring 10 points in six games of the 2016 World Cup. His presence and international track record will make Canada the country to beat early in this year’s tournament.

The shorthanded Team Finland has received similarly bright news, with Finnish coach Antti Pennanen sharing that Mikko Rantanen will join the team for their first game against Team USA per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. That’s a key bit of news with defensemen Miro Heiskanen, Jani Hakanpää, and Rasmus Ristolainen ruled out for the event due to injuries, leaving them with names like Nikolas Matinpalo and Urho Vaakanainen on their blue line.

Rantanen has represented Finland at every step of his pro hockey career. He appeared in two World Juniors with Finland in 2015 and 2016, totaling nine points in 12 games and captaining the team in the latter tournament. Rantanen also represented Finland at the 2016 World Championship, marking the first of four appearances at the international tourney. He’s totaled 31 points in 31 World Championship games and stands as potentially Finland’s biggest scoring threat at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Rantanen’s role in the lineup isn’t yet clear, but he will likely support the team’s top line and top power-play unit next to Aleksander Barkov and one of Sebastian Aho, Mikael Granlund, or Artturi Lehkonen.

Blackhawks Receiving Trade Interest In Pat Maroon

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Amid another season near the bottom of the standings, the Chicago Blackhawks seem to be on a clear path to selling off veteran talents at this year’s trade deadline. Recent reports suggest that productive center Ryan Donato, previously thought to be one of the team’s top trade candidates, could still sign an extension with the Blackhawks. That change has pushed 36-year-old winger Pat Maroon into the spotlight on Chicago’s trade block. Multiple teams are circling the waters on the tough veteran, per Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek, who adds that the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning could both be strong fits.

Maroon previously spent four seasons with the Lightning, starting in their Stanley Cup-winning season of 2019-20. He set his standard of play quickly in Tampa Bay, recording 23 points and 61 PIMs across 64 games in his first season. He continued the bruiser role into the shortened 2020-21 season, then ramped it up in 2021-22 by posting 27 points and 134 PIMs in 81 games. The Lightning returned to the Stanley Cup Final at the end of that year and, after losing to the Avalanche in six games, the burly Maroon decided to add yet another layer to his enforcer role in 2022-23. He scored just 14 points that season – a career-low up to that point – but managed a career-high and league-leading 150 PIMs in 80 games. The performance made Maroon one of just 44 players to eclipse 150 PIMs since 2010, and his 14 points tied for the 20th-highest among that bunch.

Maroon signed a two-year extension with Tampa Bay in February 2023, but the Lightning opted to send him to the Minnesota Wild for a sixth-round pick on the second day of free agency the following summer to clear cap space. Maroon found slightly more of a scoring touch in Minnesota with 16 points in 49 games, prompting the Wild to bank on his trade value at the 2024 Trade Deadline. They dealt him to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Luke Toporowski and a sixth-round pick. Maroon would go on to play just two regular season games and 13 playoff games in Boston before moving to Chicago on a one-year deal this summer.

Now, the league’s 12th-oldest forward could be headed for another move. He’s recorded 13 points and 71 PIMs in 49 games for the Blackhawks this season – an 82-game pace of 21 points and 119 PIMs. He may be in his golden years, but Maroon eclipsed 25 goals and 40 points at his career-best eight years ago. He’s amassed three Stanley Cup rings in his 14 years and 829 games in the NHL and eclipsed 1,000 career PIMs earlier this season. His tough, physical role and ability to control the net front haven’t diminished in his late 30s. Those traits could prove desirable for teams hoping for long playoff runs, though a trade likely won’t net Chicago a very lofty return.

Kraken’s Mitchell Stephens Clears Waivers, Victor Ostman Recalled

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2/10: Kraken forawrd Mitchell Stephens has cleared waivers, per a team report.

2/9: The Seattle Kraken announced a trio of roster moves on Sunday. Most notably, the team has placed forward Mitchell Stephens on waivers for the purpose of assigning him to the minor leagues. Stephens has appeared in Seattle’s  last 16 games. He contributed two points, six penalty minutes, and a minus-four while averaging just north of nine minutes in ice time. Seattle also reassigned defenseman Cale Fleury and goaltender Ales Stezka to the AHL, and recalled goaltender Victor Ostman from the ECHL’s Kansas City Mavericks.

Seattle does not play again until February 22nd, likely indicating that the moves of Stephens, Fleury, and Stezka are headed for AHL playing time during the 4-Nations Face-Off break. Ostman has been recalled to keep the team roster-compliant, and could be in store for an impromptu vacation while the team takes the next two weeks off. Ostman is playing in his rookie professional season this year, after spending the last four seasons vying for the starting role at the University of Maine. He’s performed well in his first pro games, already winning out the Mavericks’ starting role with an impressive 18-7-4 record and .905 save percentage in 29 games played. Ostman is playing in front of seasoned pro Jack LaFontaine, who has a 10-4-1 record and .904 Sv% in 16 games.

While Ostman questions what warm destination he’ll spend the next two weeks in, the Kraken will hold their breath to see if Stephens stays with the club while passing through waivers. He’s been a career depth-forward, alternating between the NHL and AHL lineups over the last six seasons. That stretch started in the 2019-20 season when Stephens made his NHL debut with the Tampa Bay Lightning, then had his name etched into the Stanley Cup just a few months later. He recorded six points, 10 penalty minutes, and a minus-nine in 38 games as an NHL rookie – with all four stats still standing as career-highs. Stephens has played in 82 NHL games in parts of four seasons since then, but only managed 13 points. He’s been far more productive in the minors, totaling 92 points in 139 AHL games since the start of the 2020-21 season. Stephens will get a chance to return to his AHL productivity, should he pass through waivers unclaimed.

Jesse Puljujarvi Signs PTO With Charlotte Checkers

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It appears the end of Jesse Puljujarvi’s contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins won’t yet mark the end of his stay in North America. The former fourth-overall draft pick has signed a professional try-out contract with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, per the AHL transactions log, joining the Panthers organization. Puljujarvi has been added to the Charlotte lineup, with Florida 2022 sixth-round pick Josh Davies headed to ECHL Savannah in a corresponding transaction

Puljujarvi agreed with the Penguins to mutually terminate his contract on Feb. 9th after he passed through unconditional waivers. The decision came on the heels of Puljujarvi’s second assignment to the minors on Feb. 7. He played his first AHL games of the season in January, recording three points across three games. But Puljujarvi couldn’t match that scoring at the NHL level, with just nine points in 26 NHL games this season. The performance was a continuation of Puljuarjvi’s struggles to score at the top flight. He has totaled a measly 29 points over his last 123 NHL games, spanning the last three seasons and four different clubs. Over that time, Puljujarvi has shot at just 5.7 percent and struggled to maintain roles in his teams’ top six.

Many expected Puljujarvi to follow his contract termination with a return to his home country of Finland, where he performed far better as a member of the Liiga’s Karpat. Puljujarvi made his Liiga debut in 2014-15, at the age of just 16 years old. He caught fire right away, netting 11 points in his first 21 Liiga games and backing it with 13 points in 15 Mestis games, Finland’s second-tier pro league. Puljujarvi followed that performance with a potent 28 points in 50 games the following year, which proved enough to earn him a top-five selection in a loaded 2016 draft class.

Puljujarvi moved to the North American pros immediately after being drafted by the Oilers. He immediately fell into the trap of high-end AHL scoring but snakebitten NHL play. He notched 28 points in 39 games in his first minor-league showing but was limited to 20 points in 65 appearances in his sophomore NHL campaign. Puljujarvi fought to buck the trend in the Edmonton Oilers lineup and, when he couldn’t, opted to return to the Liiga for the 2019-20 and part of the 2020-21 season after reaching restricted free agency. He instantly returned to productivity, with 65 points in 72 games across the season-and-a-half stay.

That proved a small spark, and Puljujarvi took advantage with 51 points in 120 NHL games in the two seasons after he returned. But those numbers couldn’t stick, and now it seems the once highly-touted Finn will opt to try and reinvigorate them by earning a chance in the minors rather than immediately returning to Finland. That could be the landing spot should he not find a match in Charlotte, though – a storyline that both the Florida Panthers organization and the hockey world will surely monitor closely.

Trade Deadline Primer: Detroit Red Wings

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With the 4 Nations Face-Off break upon us, 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 Detroit Red Wings.

It’s been a tale of two seasons for Detroit. The playoff-hopeful Red Wings started the 2024-25 campaign with a 13-17-4 record, nearly falling to last place in the Eastern Conference. Since relieving former head coach Derek Lalonde of his duties and replacing him with veteran bench boss Todd McLellan, the Red Wings have vaulted themselves back into the playoff conversation. Detroit is holding down the final wild-card spot in the East heading into the 4 Nations Face-Off thanks to a 15-5-1 record under McLellan. The recent hot streak has likely changed Detroit’s trade deadline strategy.

Record

28-22-5, 5th in the Atlantic

Deadline Status

Conservative Buyer/Conservative Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$12,626,183 on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2025: DET 1st, DET 2nd, NYR 3rd, DET 3rd, DET 5th, DET 6th, STL 7th, DET 7th
2026: DET 1st, DET 2nd, DET 3rd, DET 4th, DET 5th, DET 6th, DET 7th

Trade Chips

The Red Wings are in a position to buy leading up to the trade deadline now that they’re back in the playoff conversation. Still, general manager Steve Yzerman has been known to trade expiring assets even with his eyes set on the playoffs.

Detroit doesn’t have many valuable rental pieces. Patrick Kane’s no-trade clause and looming $1MM performance bonuses (should the acquiring team make the playoffs) will likely drive away most interested parties. Defenseman Jeff Petry’s recent surgery could keep him out of action until a handful of games remain in the regular season, although his $2.34MM salary is more than palatable. Lastly, netminder Alex Lyon may be the most valuable rental asset, but the goalie market and the Red Wings’ desire to win should preclude his name from any trade conversations.

The one established player recently mentioned in trade rumors is winger Vladimir Tarasenko. In last week’s ’Saturday Headlines,’ Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman notes that Tarasenko is a player to monitor, even with his entire no-trade clause in effect this season. The former 40-goal scorer is enthralled in one of the worst statistical seasons of his career, scoring seven goals and 22 points in 53 games in the first year of a two-year, $9.5MM contract signed with Detroit last offseason. Reasonably, assuming the relationship hasn’t proven beneficial for either side, Detroit may work with Tarasenko to send him to a more favorable destination.

If the Red Wings aim to make a strong playoff push this season, they must actively engage with other teams about their prospects. Detroit has not historically been motivated to move their prospects, especially under Yzerman’s regime. Defensive prospects such as Axel Sandin-Pellikka, William Wallinder, and Shai Buium are likely out of the question, given the lack of long-term contracts on the blue line on the NHL roster. Still, the Red Wings could dangle forward prospects such as Nate Danielson, Carter Mazur, or Amadeus Lombardi should the right player become available.

Team Needs

1)  A Right-Handed Defenseman: Although rookie defenseman Albert Johansson has filled in nicely next to Simon Edvinsson on the second-pairing after Petry succumbed to his injury, Detroit would be better served having a more experienced talent on the right side. Moritz Seider and Sandin-Pellikka are assuredly the long-term answers on the right side of the defense, so it may be an opportune time to enter the rental market. Now that Cody Ceci has already joined the Dallas Stars for the rest of the season, Montreal Canadiens’ David Savard and Buffalo Sabres’ Henri Jokiharju may be the remaining options.

2)  A Second Line Center: Despite signing Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher in back-to-back offseasons, the Red Wings have yet to figure out their long-term answer behind Dylan Larkin. Yzerman might believe Marco Kasper will fulfill that role as his game develops, but it’s challenging to rely on that now in his career. Detroit has already been linked to Buffalo’s Dylan Cozens and Vancouver Canucks’ Elias Pettersson. Still, the latter may have already been pulled from the trade block, given their recent trade activity. Casey Mittelstadt of the Colorado Avalanche and Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks have also been floated as trade candidates this year. At any rate, it might be time for the Red Wings to take a shot.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Blackhawks Haven’t Ruled Out Attempting To Extend Ryan Donato

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The Blackhawks trading pending unrestricted free agent forward Ryan Donato ahead of the March 7 deadline remains the likeliest outcome. It’s not a foregone conclusion, however, as Scott Powers of The Athletic writes Monday.

General manager Kyle Davidson isn’t as sold as moving on from Donato as he was from veteran Taylor Hall, who they sent to the Hurricanes for their own 2025 third-rounder in last month’s three-way Mikko Rantanen deal, Powers reports.

Suppose that’s the best offer they get for Donato. In that case, Powers said, there’s a strong chance they’ll opt to reap instead the benefits of him sticking around as a support player for the rest of the season to avoid overtaxing younger players’ development before engaging in extension talks.

But a first or second-round pick, whether in 2025 or 2026, likely makes it a more prudent move for Davidson to part ways with the winger. As Powers writes, the prospect of Donato sticking around in Chicago is murky. Now 28 and amid a career year, Donato has played for five clubs since entering the league in 2017 and will likely prioritize security on the open market this summer. The Blackhawks, cautious of overcommitting term to veterans outside of a potential big-fish splash in free agency, would rather keep a long-term slot open for one of their developing players rather than give Donato a four- or five-year commitment. If he’s willing to accept a short-term, higher-AAV deal, an approach Chicago has taken multiple times recently with players like Andreas Athanasiou and Jason Dickinson, that fits their short-term outlook.

Donato has already set career highs in goals (19) and points (37) and tied a career-high in assists (18) through 53 games. He’s also spent far more time down the middle than in the past, taking 335 faceoffs with a 46% win rate. The 6’0″ forward also has utility on either wing and plays a more physical game than his reputation begets, ranking third on the team with 89 hits.

Since Mikael Granlund and Marcus Pettersson have already fetched first-rounders on the rental market this year, there’s strong reason to believe Chicago could fetch a second for Donato. A first remains unlikely – Pettersson is arguably a top-10 shutdown defenseman in the league and subsequently agreed to a six-year extension in Vancouver. At the same time, Granlund has produced at a 72-point clip over the past two seasons on a profoundly flawed Sharks roster.

Even then, it’s questionable whether Chicago needs the draft capital more than quality talent to continue supporting players like Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar down the stretch. The Hawks have two second-rounders in this year’s draft and three in 2026. An already-drafted prospect would likely be more enticing to Davidson, but it’s unclear if any Donato suitors would be willing to part ways with one.

Predators Claim Andreas Englund

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The Predators have claimed defenseman Andreas Englund off waivers from the Kings, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. No corresponding transaction is necessary after Nashville opened multiple roster spots yesterday with reassignments ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Englund, 29, was a second-round pick by the Senators back in 2014 and has skated in parts of seven NHL seasons since making his debut in Seattle in 2016-17. He’s only recently emerged as a roster fixture, though, factoring in solely as a bottom-pair enforcer. He played in all 82 games for Los Angeles last year after signing a two-year, $2MM contract, leading the club with 81 PIMs and 189 hits while averaging 13:13 per game. His career 2-16–18 scoring line with a -17 rating in 173 NHL games doesn’t inspire confidence that he’ll ever be anything else, and as such, he lost his regular spot with the Kings in 2024-25 and has only factored into 11 games, including an active run of 13 consecutive scratches leading into the break.

The move marks Englund’s third stint in the Central Division. He skated in 47 games split between the Avalanche and Blackhawks in 2022-23, his first year back in the NHL after spending two years buried in the minors.

His claim doesn’t spell good news for injured defender Jeremy Lauzon, who Alex Daugherty of the Tennessean now suspects could sit out the remainder of the season with the lower-body injury that’s kept him out of the lineup since New Year’s Eve. The 6’4″ Englund is an apt replacement for the heavy hitter, who led the league with 386 last season. A pending UFA, Englund will likely serve in a support role down the stretch while names like Nick Blankenburg and Adam Wilsby, the latter of which just signed a two-year extension, see routine deployment.

Lightning Reassign Dylan Duke, Gage Goncalves, Brandon Halverson

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The Lightning reassigned forwards Dylan Duke, Gage Goncalves, and goaltender Brandon Halverson to AHL Syracuse on Monday, per a team announcement. Tampa Bay was one of four teams on the schedule yesterday, the final day of game action prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off, explaining why these paper moves didn’t take place amid yesterday’s flurry.

The trio of Duke, Goncalves and Halverson join the many other players headed to the minors over the break to get more playing time. In all likelihood, Goncalves will be the only one back on the roster when their schedule resumes on Feb. 23 versus the Kraken. Duke had only entered the lineup recently, making his NHL debut in the Bolts’ final two games before the break. Halverson was up from Syracuse as the replacement for injured backup Jonas Johansson. Johansson enters the break with a day-to-day designation due to a lower-body injury, so he should be ready when Tampa returns to action in nearly two weeks.

Duke, 21, got on the box score in his first NHL try. The Ohio native and University of Michigan alum scored in his debut against the Red Wings on Saturday on his lone shot attempt across both games. Besides that, his performance was hard to judge with minimal usage. Duke skated just 15:43 total across the two contests, during which time the Bolts were out-attempted 14-7. However, Tampa was out-chanced heavily in both wins, so his Corsi share wasn’t too far south of the team average.

The Bolts selected Duke in the fourth round of the 2021 draft, and he’s looking like a good depth pick. The 5’10” winger/center plays a physical game and has transitioned well to professional hockey, leading Syracuse with 13 goals in 36 games in his rookie season. This likely won’t be his last recall of the season as he pushes for a full-time promotion to the active roster sometime over the next couple of seasons.

Goncalves has spent most of the season in the NHL, albeit with underwhelming results. The 24-year-old pivot has 1-6–7 through 33 games and cleared waivers last month, so the Bolts will extend his 30-day clock by ferrying him to the AHL over the break. He should go back to logging heavy minutes in Syracuse, with whom he’s torched the league for 4-10–14 in only 11 showings so far in 2024-25. He’s coming off a spectacular 45-assist, 58-point showing in 69 games last year, although the 2020 second-rounder is still learning how to transition his offensive upside to the NHL.

Halverson only recently signed a two-way deal with the Bolts, a necessity with Johansson banged up and Matt Tomkins standing as the only other goaltender under contract in the organization. The 6’5″ 28-year-old backed up Andrei Vasilevskiy on multiple occasions but failed to enter a game for the first time since the 2017-18 season. He has a .918 SV%, 2.20 GAA, four shutouts, and a 12-7-7 record in 26 games this year.

Friedman: Islanders Not Making Noah Dobson Widely Available

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Contrary to a report late last week, the Islanders are not actively making defenseman Noah Dobson available for trade, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on Monday’s 32 Thoughts podcast.

I don’t think he’s generally been out there. There’s too many teams that hadn’t heard it, so I’ll say this. If Dobson was discussed, he was discussed in a specific case or two or however many it was. There was one specific team or one specific player that the Islanders were looking at, and if they had gone down the road on that trade, then Dobson might have been included. I think that’s the fairest way to look at all of this.

Most would suppose the Canucks were the club Friedman’s referring to – including Friedman, who said Vancouver would be “very logical” but couldn’t report with certainty. He assumedly would have been part of the return for Elias Pettersson should a trade have crossed the finish line. Stefen Rosner of NHL.com and The Hockey News reported multiple times over the past few months, including as recently as last week, that the Isles have maintained interest in Pettersson since his name re-emerged in trade rumors earlier this season.

While it’s feasible the Islanders could offer up Dobson again as part of a return for a similarly valued asset, Friedman makes it clear they won’t be selling the 25-year-old as the centerpiece of a deal for futures. The 6’4″ righty is one year removed from a 60-assist, 70-point campaign that earned him an eighth-place finish in Norris Trophy voting. He hasn’t been as dominant offensively this season, mainly due to the club’s power play woes, but his 0.52 points per game still lead the Isles’ blue line, and his 143 shots on goal rank fourth on the team.

Of course, his season came to a halt nearly three weeks ago when he fell awkwardly on his right leg while attempting a check, landing him on long-term injured reserve. He’s listed as week-to-week and didn’t require surgery, and Newsday’s Andrew Gross reported at the beginning of the month that he’s expected to return to the ice during the 4 Nations break. There’s a chance he gets back into game action before the trade deadline as the Islanders, also hamstrung by injuries to Mathew Barzal and Ryan Pulock, among others, enter the break only four points back of a playoff spot.

The Islanders picked up a trio of puck-movers to help them out in Dobson’s and Pulock’s absences, but none of Adam Boqvist, Tony DeAngelo or Scott Perunovich are signed past this season. Neither is Dobson, a pending restricted free agent set to at least double his current $4MM AAV. The Isles have nearly $29MM in cap space for 2025-26 but also need new deals for notable RFAs Alexander Romanov and Maxim Tsyplakov as they continue extension talks with Brock Nelson.

Yet Dobson is the youngest and most established top-four player out of any of those names. He’s sticking around for the long haul unless, as mentioned, he’s leveraged for an elite forward who can jumpstart an Islanders’ offense that’s ranked in the bottom ten every season since 2017-18.

Trade Deadline Primer: Dallas Stars

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With the 4 Nations Face-Off break upon us, 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 Dallas Stars.

The Stars have barely missed a beat following an offseason that raised more questions than it answered. Questions arose about their defensive depth for the first time in a while, but they’ve managed to keep their two-way system alive and remain a legitimate championship contender. After making two notable adds last month in Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci from the Sharks, could there be more for Dallas to do to improve their roster in the wake of injuries to key players?

Record

35-18-2, 2nd in the Central

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$5.52MM on deadline day + $12.3MM LTIR pool, 0/3 retention slots used, 46/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2025: DAL 3rd, NJD 5th, DAL 5th, DAL 6th, DAL 7th
2026: DAL 1st, DAL 2nd, DAL 3rd, DAL 5th, DAL 6th, TOR 7th, DAL 7th

Trade Chips

While Dallas may have already made their big splash, they’ve got plenty of financial flexibility to make another with Nils Lundkvist and Tyler Seguin on long-term injured reserve, and both are expected to remain out through the regular season. None of their top trade chips from last year’s deadline are available – Lundkvist was one of them, as were then-AHLers Mavrik Bourque and Logan Stankoven, who are now top-nine forwards on the NHL roster and won’t be going anywhere. If general manager Jim Nill still wants to make a big splash for a defenseman, he could make 2022 first-rounder Lian Bichsel available. Still, even he’s working his way into a third-pairing role on the Stars’ defense with injuries to Lundkvist and star Miro Heiskanen.

Their prospect pool is thinner than in years past (for a good reason; they’re reaping the rewards), but they still have a recent first-rounder in winger Emil Hemming to leverage if they’re able to swing a significant upgrade for a thin right side on the blue line. The 18-year-old was the 29th overall pick last year and jumped to North America from his native Finland. He’s suiting up for the Ontario Hockey League’s Barrie Colts and has done reasonably well amid a deep forward group there, posting 14-22–36 through 44 games. He also scored once and added three assists in seven games for the Finns en route to a silver medal at last month’s World Junior Championship. The 6’2″ sniper likely checks in as a B-tier prospect in terms of his trade value, though – too valuable to leverage for a lower-level rental stopgap but not valuable enough on his own to land a big fish.

Regarding roster players who could move out, they likely don’t need to do any salary-matching in any other acquisitions they make, given their vast in-season flexibility. But they have a substantial free-agent crop this summer, including Jamie Benn, Matt Duchene and Wyatt Johnston. They’ll likely be tight fits even with the salary cap increasing to $95.5MM, so if there’s an opportunity for the Stars to send out a contract with term in a swap, they may take it. Dealing from a position of need may be puzzling, but 30-year-old Mathew Dumba has underperformed in the first year of his two-year, $3.75MM AAV deal. If he has any positive trade value left (or even if he doesn’t and the Stars need to attach a draft pick with him), it wouldn’t be surprising to see him head out the door to make room for a more dynamic player on the right side.

Outside of Hemming, another prospect who could draw interest is forward Antonio Stranges. The 23-year-old was in the ECHL as recently as two seasons ago but has exploded in the AHL this season, leading the Texas Stars in scoring with 17-22–39 through 41 games. The 5’11”, 185-lb left-winger was a fourth-round pick in 2020, and while his development may have been a bit of a slow burn thus far, his breakout indicates he still has fringe top-six potential.

Other Potential Trade Chips: F Matěj Blümel, F Justin Hryckowian, D Christian Kyrou

Team Needs

1) Right-Shot D Upgrade: Ceci’s acquisition gives them a serviceable second- or third-pairing stopgap (and is a Dumba upgrade if they can move him), but they’re missing a secondary offensive presence behind Thomas Harley in Heiskanen’s and Lundkvist’s absence. Even when healthy, Lundkvist had emerged as arguably their top right-shot option – not a particularly strong one for a championship contender. Even without Heiskanen, the left side is set in the interim, with Harley and Esa Lindell anchoring the top four. Rasmus Ristolainen and David Savard are some of the top options available, but don’t put up the point totals of the archetype they need. Could they be among the few teams making sense for a Seth Jones trade?

2) Cheap Forward Depth: Scoring isn’t what the Stars need – they’re a top-10 offense that’s already added Granlund. Their AHL call-up options are high-ceiling, but they’ve been given minimal ice time when dressed. A more experienced fourth-line piece/13th forward could be more desirable for head coach Peter DeBoer to rotate in along with Oskar Back, Colin Blackwell and Sam Steel.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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