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Sidney Crosby Out Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury

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Feb. 7: Crosby is day-to-day and won’t play against the Blueshirts, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters, including the team’s Josh Getzoff. However, his availability for the 4 Nations Face-Off is still uncertain and would certainly be feasible given his short-term designation.

Feb. 6: Crosby skated before practice Thursday but was not a full participant, Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. It’s still unclear if he’ll play in tomorrow’s game against the Rangers.

Feb. 5: Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is still being evaluated for the upper-body injury he sustained in yesterday’s shootout loss to the Devils, head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed to reporters Wednesday.

Crosby got shaken up midway through the third period of the contest when he was caught between New Jersey skaters Erik Haula and Luke Hughes shortly after disposing of the puck. He didn’t leave the game but wasn’t available to practice today, Sullivan said.

An absence of any length ends Pittsburgh’s increasingly slim playoff hopes, which dropped to 0.9% after the shootout loss. They’re 4-5-1 in their last 10 games and seven points back of a playoff spot but have played three more games than the eight-place Lightning. They’ve been buoyed by their offense amid below-average defense and bottom-five goaltending, and the 37-year-old Crosby leads the pack as their only point-per-game player with 58 in 55 appearances.

Crosby continues to serve as the team’s undoubted MVP, averaging north of 20 minutes per game and winning 56.1% of his draws. He may have a -15 actual rating, but his possession numbers rank among the team’s best at even strength with a 53.4 CF% and +2.6 expected rating. Cody Glass is the only Penguin to post better numbers in both stats.

He hasn’t missed a game due to injury since a concussion kept him out of Game 6 of their 2022 first-round series against the Rangers. The Pens are also without No. 2 mainstay Evgeni Malkin, leaving Glass and Kevin Hayes as their projected top-six centers against the Blueshirts on Friday if Crosby can’t go.

The three-time Stanley Cup winner was also recently named captain for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, which begins next week. He’d leave a huge hole on the Canadian squad, whose captaincy would presumably be filled by Connor McDavid if he can’t participate in the tournament.

Flyers Reassign Jacob Gaucher

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The Flyers have reassigned forward Jacob Gaucher to AHL Lehigh Valley, per a team announcement. Doing so opens one of the two roster spots they’ll need to activate Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier from the non-roster list ahead of their Philly debuts tomorrow against the Penguins, which was delayed due to visa issues after their acquisition from the Flames last week.

Gaucher, 23, was signed to a two-year entry-level contract in December after spending parts of three seasons on minor-league deals with Lehigh Valley. He’d spent time in the ECHL as recently as last season but landed a fringe depth role with the Phantoms, posting 8-8–16 with a -7 rating in 59 AHL contests in 2023-24. It was a significant step forward for the 6’3″ pivot, who was still finding his footing in the pros after finishing off his junior career with a 68-point campaign for the QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar in 2021-22.

This year, Gaucher had a strong camp with Philly on a tryout and returned to the Phantoms rejuvenated. He’s operating at over double last season’s point-per-game pace, and his plus-one rating is tied for ninth on the team. He totaled 14-13–27 in 44 games before receiving his first NHL call-up last Saturday.

Gaucher served as the Flyers’ fourth-line center for their last three contests, going without a point but managing three shots on goal and winning nine out of 13 faceoffs. He averaged 7:30 per game, all at even strength, and posted strong possession numbers in limited minutes with a 53.3 CF% and a +0.1 expected rating.

His reassignment also comes as Ryan Poehling, the Flyers’ usual fourth-line pivot, returned to practice today in a non-contact jersey, per Jackie Spiegel of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Poehling, who’s on injured reserve, has been out with Jan. 16 with an upper-body injury and has missed 10 games. He’ll presumably miss tomorrow’s game against Pittsburgh but should be good to go when the team resumes its schedule after the 4 Nations Face-Off later this month. His return indicates that recent call-ups Rodrigo Abols and Anthony Richard will likely join Gaucher on the road back to Lehigh Valley over the break.

Blues Reassign Mackenzie MacEachern

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Feb. 7: As expected, the Blues returned MacEachern to Springfield on Friday, according to a team announcement. He was scratched from last night’s loss to the Panthers, as Joseph was available to play.

Feb. 5: The St. Louis Blues have recalled depth forward Mackenzie MacEachern to the NHL. The Blues have two games remaining before going on a two-week break for the 4-Nations Face-Off. MacEachern will be insurance for bottom-six forward Mathieu Joseph, who missed the Blues’ Wednesday practice due to illness. Defenseman Tyler Tucker also missed the skate with an upper-body injury.

MacEachern has had a productive 2024-25 campaign, even despite missing nearly two months of action between late October and the end of December. He didn’t play routine minutes until the start of January and has been red-hot ever since. MacEachern has 14 points in 12 games since the calendar turned over, and six points in his last five games. Those numbers have helped him climb to 15 points in 17 games this season, good for the third-highest point-per-game scoring on the Springfield Thunderbirds. He’s also recorded 36 penalty minutes and a plus-nine this season.

Those are stout numbers for the career depth forward, and he’ll now get a chance to support the Blues amid more absences. MacEachern is no stranger to the role of injury fill-in. He’s operated as the top forward on St. Louis’ call-up chart since the 2018-19 season and played in 51 NHL games during the 2019-20 season. He’s often filled the role of fourth-line bruiser at the top level and has just 20 points in 123 career NHL games as a result. But his impact is consistent enough to stay in favor of the Blues’ top brass. That trust, and his recent scoring streak, could land MacEachern his NHL season debut before the 4-Nations break, should Joseph need to miss time.

Lightning Reassign Conor Sheary

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Feb. 7: Sheary is back in the minors this morning, the Bolts announced. He skated 11:18 in yesterday’s 5-1 win over Ottawa but failed to record a point, hit, or a shot on goal.

Feb. 6: The Lightning announced Thursday they’ve recalled left-winger Conor Sheary from AHL Syracuse. He joined the team for this morning’s practice and could draw into the lineup in place of Anthony Cirelli, according to Benjamin Pierce of NHL.com. The latter may be dealing with the undisclosed injury that made him a game-time decision for last Saturday’s game against the Islanders. The Lightning’s active roster now stands at 22 players.

Tampa Bay signed Sheary to a three-year, $6MM contract in free agency in 2023. Things haven’t gone well for the two-time Stanley Cup champion, who scored a career-low four goals in 57 games last year and ended up on waivers early in 2024-25 after going pointless through three games. He’s played once since then, skating a season-high 12:18 against the Maple Leafs on Nov. 30 during a brief recall.

The 32-year-old Sheary has been good but not dominant in the AHL, where he ranks second on the Crunch in scoring with 9-15–24 through 31 games. It’s his first action outside the NHL since the 2015-16 campaign when he notched over a point per game with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and earned a mid-season call-up to Pittsburgh that kept him in the league for a decade. The undrafted free agent signing out of UMass has been a serviceable complementary winger throughout much of his career despite his 5’8″, 182-lb frame, notching 124-143–267 in 592 career appearances.

It could be an interesting look for the Bolts tonight against the Senators if they’re down a center without Cirelli. Sheary won’t be shifting to the middle – that task will be going to former Penguins teammate Jake Guentzel, who will anchor a line between Gage Goncalves and Brandon Hagel while veteran Cam Atkinson takes his spot on the top line alongside Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point.

Penguins Recall Emil Bemström

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The Penguins’ bottom-six forward group continues to see turnover. After reassigning Jesse Puljujärvi to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Wednesday, Pittsburgh has recalled winger Emil Bemström to take his place on the active roster ahead of Friday’s game against the Rangers, per a team announcement.

Bemström returns to the NHL for the first time since April 2024. The 2017 fourth-rounder posted 3-2–5 in 24 games with an even rating, a 48.9 CF%, and 34 SOG after being acquired from the Blue Jackets before last year’s trade deadline and failed to make the team out of camp last October. He cleared waivers and began the most extended AHL assignment of his career, leading the Baby Pens in scoring with 19-22–41 in 37 games.

The 25-year-old Bemström was an inconsistent but sometimes effective depth scorer in Columbus. He appeared in 56 games for the Jackets in 2019-20 after coming over from Sweden and recorded 20 points, on pace for 30 over an entire season, averaging just over 12 minutes per game. His points-per-game rates varied wildly over the next few years, though. He never topped 10 goals in a single NHL season again and settled in as a fringe bottom-six offensive winger, lighting up the minors when reassigned but failing to produce in NHL minutes consistently.

Bemström now steps in to help a Pittsburgh forward group that is missing its franchise pillars, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, due to injuries. Potential trade chip Rickard Rakell has shifted over to center to help out, but that’s caused a domino effect and shifted depth players like fresh acquisition Danton Heinen into a top-six role. He offers more offensive upside than fellow AHL call-up Bokondji Imama can dole out in a fourth-line role and will likely draw in to aid an offense that’s been limited to 11 goals in its last six games.

The Penguins have a bevy of other forward options producing well in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton who are waiting for a call-up. Among them are prospects Ville Koivunen and Vasiliy Ponomarev, who are both within shouting distance of a point per game. But the more established and experienced Bemström will get the call for now, as the Pens are all but set to miss the playoffs for three straight seasons for the first time since 2002-2006.

Seeking Writers For Pro Hockey Rumors

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PHR is looking to hire a part-time writer with strong evening and weekend availability. The position pays on an hourly basis, with workload ranging from 10 to 15 hours per week.

Applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

  • Exceptional knowledge of all 32 NHL teams, with no discernible bias.
  • Knowledge of the salary cap, CBA, and transaction-related concepts.
  • At least some college education.
  • Extensive writing experience, with professional experience and a background in journalism both strongly preferred.
  • Keen understanding of journalistic principles, ethics, and procedures. Completion of basic college-level journalism classes is strongly preferred.
  • Attention to detail — absolutely no spelling errors, especially for player and journalist names.
  • Ability to follow the site’s style and tone.
  • Ability to analyze articles and craft intelligent, well-written posts summing up the news in a few paragraphs. We need someone who can balance quick copy with thoughtful analysis. You must be able to add value to breaking news with your own insight, numbers, or links to other relevant articles.
  • Familiarity with Twitter/X, X Pro, and other relevant platforms. In general, you must be able to multitask.
  • Flexibility. You must be available to work on short notice.

If you’re interested, email prohockeyrumorshelp@gmail.com by Sunday, February 9, and in a few paragraphs, explain why you qualify. Be sure to attach your resume to the email.

We understand that many of those who read this have applied in the past. If you have previously submitted an application for PHR and are still interested, please submit it again. Many will apply, so unfortunately, we cannot respond to every applicant.

Blues Believed To Be Gauging The Market For Brayden Schenn

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This is the time of year when many contending teams will be looking to augment their depth down the middle.  At a minimum, many will look to add at least a bottom-six middleman to help on the penalty kill, win faceoffs, or generally just serve as extra insurance if injuries arise.

But not all contenders are set a little higher up the lineup.  Some will be looking to add more of a second-line option, either to boost their current second line or to give them a deeper third line.  While depth centers are generally acquirable at this time of year, more impactful ones are generally harder to come by and when they do move, they typically command a strong return.

To that end, it appears the Blues may be testing the market for one of their better pivots.  TSN’s Darren Dreger reported in the latest Insider Trading segment that St. Louis might be gauging the market to see what type of interest teams would have in veteran center Brayden Schenn.

The 33-year-old has been a strong two-way player for the bulk of his career, one that is just six games away from reaching 1,000.  While he isn’t as much of a scoring threat as he was earlier on, he still has 11 goals and 19 assists in 54 games this season heading into tonight’s action.  And with three straight years of 20 or more goals before 2024-25, there’s still a recent enough stretch of goal production for a contending team to think he can come in and still be an impact contributor.

Of course, Schenn’s physicality also will endear him to potential suitors.  He’s averaging just over 2.5 hits per game this season and while he’s not deployed shorthanded quite as much as he used to, he’s still capable of taking a turn on the penalty kill as well.  Those elements will also be endearing to teams looking to make a bigger splash down the middle.

Schenn is signed at a $6.5MM price tag through the 2027-28 season so his acquisition would certainly be a lot different from the rental moves we typically see made at this time of year.  With a big jump coming for the next three seasons in the salary cap, absorbing the higher cap charge will become a little more palatable than it might have seemed a few weeks ago.  It’s worth noting that Schenn’s salary drops to $4.3MM in 2026-27 and $4MM in 2027-28 which could make him a bit more appealing to any buyers that are operating under more of a stricter budget.

That said, it would be surprising if St. Louis was willing to retain a part of Schenn’s salary as that would cost them one of their three annual retention slots for three-plus seasons.  While a few teams have taken on a multi-year retention charge, it’s still pretty uncommon.  If they don’t want to do so here, then it will be harder for a lot of contenders to take on the full freight of the contract without sending a player or two the other way to offset some of the money.  Not all teams will be willing to move what would likely be an impact piece for fear of disrupting chemistry late in the season but some would undoubtedly take that chance.

Even if the Blues were to find a suitable trade, Schenn holds plenty of control here.  He currently holds a full no-trade clause which gives him full veto power if he doesn’t want to go to the team St. Louis works out a swap with.  That said, his trade protection drops this July down to a 15-team no-trade clause so the Blues would potentially have more options to move him at that time.

Presumably, it would take a substantial return for St. Louis to seriously consider moving Schenn.  But this is the time of year when teams might get a bit more desperate which could play into their favor.  With the deadline now just four weeks away, GM Doug Armstrong has some time to assess if this is the right time to cash in on Schenn or whether they’re better off holding onto him for at least a little while longer.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Buffalo Sabres

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t often see struggles and front office changes.

PHR is looking at every NHL team and giving a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2024-25 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia.  We’re currently covering the Atlantic Division, next up is the Sabres.

Buffalo Sabres

Current Cap Hit: $82,494,010 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Zach Benson (two years, $950K)
F Jiri Kulich (three years, $886.7K)
F JJ Peterka (one year, $855.8K)
F Jack Quinn (one year, $863.3K)

Potential Bonuses
Benson: $650K
Quinn: $850K
Total: $1.5MM

Benson had a solid rookie season last year after somewhat surprisingly making the team out of training camp.  However, his per-game output has actually dipped this season which isn’t ideal and has him on pace to miss his ‘A’ bonuses.  At this point, it would be surprising to see the Sabres prioritizing a long-term deal on his next contract; a bridge pact with an AAV around the $3MM mark is the likelier outcome.  Kulich is just starting out in the NHL which makes his next agreement difficult to forecast.  Based on his early production though, he’d be trending toward a bridge deal as well.

Quinn is someone who Buffalo likely hoped would be a candidate for a long-term pact but injuries last year didn’t help in that regard, nor have his struggles this year.  A bridge contract could still land around the $4MM mark, however, and with there still being some uncertainty about him, it makes sense for both sides to lean that way.  In the meantime, he’ll need to pick up the pace offensively to have a shot at any of his ‘A’ bonuses.  Peterka is someone who should get consideration for a long-term deal, however.  After putting up 50 points last year, he’s on pace to beat that this season and has established himself as a legitimate top-six winger.  With another big increase in the salary cap coming, there’s a chance Peterka could become their highest-paid forward, surpassing the $7.15MM mark on a long-term agreement.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

F Nicolas Aube-Kubel ($1.5MM, UFA)
D Jacob Bryson ($900K, UFA)
D Bowen Byram ($3.85MM, RFA)
D Dennis Gilbert ($825K, UFA)
F Jordan Greenway ($3MM, UFA)
D Henri Jokiharju ($3.1MM, UFA)
F Ryan McLeod ($2.1MM, RFA)
G James Reimer ($1MM, UFA)
F Jason Zucker ($5MM, UFA)

Zucker has been a very nice pickup in his second straight year of playing on a one-year pillow contract in the hopes of restoring his market value.  The last one didn’t go so well but this one has as he’s playing at an offensive pace close to his career year back in 2017-18.  That should help his chances of securing at least a multi-year agreement this time around.  However, because of his age (33) and his inconsistency with other teams in recent years, Zucker may be hard-pressed to command top dollar on that multi-year deal.  Instead, that deal might not cost a whole lot more than what he’s getting now if teams have any doubts about his ability to fit in with them based on what happened elsewhere.

Greenway has shown flashes of being an impact player since being acquired two years ago but staying healthy has been a concern.  Nonetheless, a 6’6 power forward is going to garner plenty of interest on the open market.  Missing more than half the season so far with injuries won’t help his cause but even with that, a small increase in pay and another multi-year agreement should be coming his way.

McLeod has fared well in his first season since coming over from Edmonton and is nearing his career highs offensively from last year.  Assuming he reaches those thresholds, the improved production and arbitration eligibility could push him closer to the $3.5MM range on a contract that buys a year or two of team control.  Aube-Kubel has had some success as a fourth liner in the past but that hasn’t happened yet this year.  He had enough of a market to garner more than expected last summer but recently cleared waivers and was sent to the minors where he still partially counts against the cap.  As a result, his next deal seems likely to come in close to the minimum salary.

Byram is the headliner among the defensemen.  He’s on pace to shatter his personal bests offensively, plays in all situations, and has stayed healthy which is notable for someone with his concussion history.  While the Sabres could opt for another short-term deal, the likelier outcome is a long-term agreement.  With his output this season and arbitration rights, that could push his price tag into the $7MM range.  Can they afford that long-term with two big deals already on the books on the back end?  That’s a decision they’ll have to make.

Jokiharju has seen his stock fall sharply.  He’s no longer in Buffalo’s top four on the back end and his level of play has suffered for it, hardly ideal heading into his first trip through unrestricted free agency.  Still, he’s going to be a rare 26-year-old UFA (thanks to reaching seven years of service time) and is a right-shot player who has logged 20 minutes a game in the past.  Accordingly, even with his decline in performance, he could still come in pretty close to this price tag in July.  Bryson took a greater than 50% pay cut to stay with Buffalo in the summer and has had a very limited role thus far.  With that in mind, he’ll likely stay around this price point as will Gilbert who has played even less.

Reimer was originally signed to be the veteran third-string option but after being reacquired on waivers early in the season, the plan changed and he stayed in Buffalo while Devon Levi went to the minors to play more minutes.  (While Levi has gotten a spot start here and there since then, he’s not on the verge of meeting any bonuses which is why he wasn’t mentioned with the entry-level players.)  Reimer has played limited minutes and is more of a lower-end backup or third-string option so he could wind up coming closer to the league minimum of $775K next time out.

Signed Through 2025-26

D Connor Clifton ($3.33MM, UFA)
F Peyton Krebs ($1.45MM, RFA)
F Sam Lafferty ($2MM, UFA)
F Beck Malenstyn ($1.35MM, UFA)
F Alex Tuch ($4.75MM, UFA)

Tuch was a legitimate top-line point-per-game player in 2022-23 but hasn’t been able to produce at the same level since then and his numbers are down again this year.  Even so, he’s still an all-situations player in a prominent role while making second-line money.  Even with the drop in scoring, he’d likely pass the $7MM mark if he hit the open market today, a number that would only go up if he gets back to his level of production from a couple of years ago.  Lafferty was brought in as part of the revamp on the fourth line and hasn’t been as impactful as the team expected.  If that continues into next season, a small cut in pay seems likely though his overall track record is good enough to prevent him from facing any sort of steep drop.

Krebs hasn’t been able to become an impactful producer just yet at the NHL level.  One of the key pieces of the Jack Eichel trade, he has been more of a depth middleman than a top-six center of the future.  He’s at least doing better than last season which should buy him more rope from a development perspective but it’s hard to see him landing a long-term agreement on his next deal if this continues.  But with arbitration rights, doubling his current price tag is doable.  Malenstyn was the other player brought in to change up the fourth line and has fit in well in that role while playing less than he was in his career year with Washington last season.  If he remains a prominent hitter, he could push past $2MM in 2026.

Clifton’s contract was a bit of a headscratcher at the time and it hasn’t panned out thus far.  Being a right-shot defender certainly helps his value but being limited to third-pairing duty doesn’t.  Assuming he stays in this role moving forward, he might land closer to $2.5MM next time out, even with a higher salary cap by then.

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Metropolitan Notes: Tippett, Kuzmenko, Pelletier, Fabbro, Crosby

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Flyers winger Owen Tippett has been ruled out of Philadelphia’s final two games before the 4 Nations Face-Off, notes Jackie Spiegel of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  The 25-year-old suffered an upper-body injury last Wednesday against New Jersey and hasn’t played since.  After setting new career highs last season offensively with 28 goals and 25 assists, Tippett has been a bit quieter this season with 14 goals and 20 helpers through 52 games although his 30 points still put him third on the team in scoring.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Also from Spiegel’s column, the Flyers are hoping that newcomers Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier will be available for Saturday’s contest versus Pittsburgh. The two were acquired from Calgary last Friday but are still in the process of securing a work visa.  Neither player is presently on their 23-man roster so once they get clearance to suit up, Philadelphia will need to open up two roster spots before they can be activated.  Moving Tippett to IR retroactively is one way they can free up one of the spots.
  • The Blue Jackets will look into signing defenseman Dante Fabbro to a contract extension, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his latest 32 Thoughts column. The 26-year-old has fit in quite nicely since being claimed off waivers in November, putting up 13 points in 37 games with Columbus while logging over 21 minutes a night.  Fabbro will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and with how well he has played with the Blue Jackets, he could be in line for a small raise on his current $2.5MM price tag.
  • Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters including Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that more information about Sidney Crosby’s status should be known on Friday. He was injured on Tuesday versus New Jersey.  Crosby is over the point-per-game mark for the 20th straight season and is set to be Canada’s captain at the 4 Nations Face-Off if the injury doesn’t force him to withdraw from the tournament.

Islanders Activate Hudson Fasching

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The New York Islanders have activated forward Hudson Fasching off of injured reserve per Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. Fasching has missed the Islanders’ last 13 games with an upper-body injury in the team’s January 5th game against the Boston Bruins.

He was designated as day-to-day in the immediate wake of the injury, but was quickly downgraded to week-to-week, then earned an injured reserve placement on January 17th. He was assigned to a minor league conditioning stint at the start of February and appeared in two games with the Bridgeport Islanders. The Islanders recalled Fasching on Tuesday and are expected to bring him on their upcoming two-game road trip. Defenseman Scott Mayfield won’t be going on the road trip, per Rosner, as he continues to sit out day-to-day with a lower-body injury, and has been placed on IR to make room on the roster.

Fasching has been a fourth-line forward for the Islanders all year long. He’s appeared in 199 games but is still searching for his first point of the season. One penalty and a minus-six stand as his only notable stat changes. Fasching has been a bit more productive in the minors, with two points in seven games – but he’s still far off from the 14 points he posted in 45 NHL games last year. He moved to the Islanders organization ahead of the 2022-23 season, after spending four years as a top depth forward for the Arizona Coyotes. Fasching proved to be a productive minor leaguer with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, netting 106 points across 174 games and serving as the team’s captain in 2021-22. This return will place him back in the competition for bottom-line minutes in New York, pitted against Pierre Engvall and Marc Gatcomb.

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