Transaction Notes: Chrona, Makiniemi, Senyshyn
Nashville Predators AHL goalie Magnus Chrona will head overseas to the SHL next season, according to a report from Aftonbladet’s Simon Eld. Per the report, Chrona has signed a contract with Swedish club Brynäs, and will join the team starting in the 2026-27. The 25-year-old is currently playing out a one-year, two-way contract with Nashville, and is set to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent unless he plays in 19 NHL games this season. Getting into that many NHL games at this point appears to be almost impossible for Chrona, as veteran Matt Murray appears to be clearly ahead of him in terms of who would receive a recall to Nashville in the event of an injury to Juuse Saros or Justus Annunen.
An NCAA national champion and former NCHC Goalie of the Year, Chrona has had an up-and-down pro career to this point. He was forced into some difficult on-ice situations in his rookie season as a member of the Sharks, and was dealt to Nashville in the summer of 2024 as part of the trade that sent Yaroslav Askarov to San Jose. He’s been the No. 2 goalie for the AHL Milwaukee Admirals since the deal, playing behind Murray. He posted a .903 save percentage in 30 games last season, and has duplicated that mark in 13 AHL games this season. Looking ahead to next season, one wonders if either goalie playing for the Predators’ ECHL affiliate, the Atlanta Gladiators, might get a shot to earn a regular role in Milwaukee. 2019 fifth-rounder Ethan Haider has a .926 save percentage in 16 ECHL games this season, and won his lone AHL start of the year. 23-year-old T.J. Semptimphelter, a former Hobey Baker nominee, has a .942 save percentage through the first 18 games of his ECHL career. Both players are playing out one-year contracts this season.
Other notable recent transactions from around the hockey world:
- Another former Sharks netminder signed a contract this week, with Finland’s Eetu Makiniemi signing a one-year contract extension with his current club, Liiga’s TPS Turku. Makiniemi played in two NHL games for the Sharks in 2022-23 before playing through the 2024-25 season at the AHL level. He elected to leave the AHL after playing just five games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season, and has been solid for TPS. Playing in a tandem with 20-year-old Noa Vali, Makiniemi has a .903 save percentage in 22 games. He’s been the more reliable netminder in the tandem for TPS this season, as Vali has an .887 save percentage through 20 games this year.
- 2015 Boston Bruins first-round pick Zachary Senyshyn has agreed to a contract termination with his DEL club, the Schwenninger Wild Wings. Senyshyn was in the middle of a third consecutive DEL campaign with the club, where he has been a reliable top-six goal scorer. Senyshyn, who has over 300 games of AHL experience, left North America at the end of 2022-23 to sign in the DEL, and he has helped the Wild Wings reach at least the playoff qualifiers in both of his prior seasons in Germany. He’ll now look to continue his career elsewhere, and there is no word at this point as to where he might end up signing. He had 10 goals and 15 points in 31 DEL games this season.
Snapshots: Hughes, Zacha, Stanley
New Jersey Devils star and Team USA selection Jack Hughes left tonight’s game after the first period and did not return, shared by Amanda Stein, Team Reporter. He went down the tunnel early against Nashville, was able to return for another shift, only to leave again. After the overtime win, Stein followed up that it was a lower body injury, not believed to be serious, according to Head Coach Sheldon Keefe, however it will require further evaluation.
The night ended after just 2:27 on the ice. Hughes returned in late December after missing a month with an off-ice accident, requiring finger surgery. Since coming back, the 24-year-old has recorded 16 points in 18 games, including six in his last five contests. As New Jersey’s top center, Hughes leads all forwards in ice time and still ranks third in team scoring, despite missing 18 games.
Considering that Hughes was able to return momentarily, there was reason for optimism, and thankfully it appears he has avoided a serious injury. New Jersey returns to action on Saturday in Ottawa, with the Olympics two weeks away.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Boston Bruins forward and former Hughes teammate Pavel Zacha’s night ended early due to an upper-body injury, as confirmed by the team. The 28-year-old center has continued to be an effective producer, with 36 points in 53 games, ranking fourth on the team in that category. Zacha has missed just one contest so far in 2025-26. The Bruins’ depth down the middle is being tested, as Elias Lindholm is day-to-day, so the hope is that Zacha will be good to go by Sunday, as they travel to Tampa Bay.
- In an article published by Kyle Morton of The Fourth Period, Winnipeg Jets defenseman Logan Stanley was mentioned as a likely trade candidate as a “rental”, as was discussed on Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff Live, featuring Tyler Yaremchuk, Carter Hutton, and David Pagnotta. Winnipeg has started to get back into the win column, but their early 2026 struggles may have sunk their season for good. Stanley, a former first round pick who is now a pending unrestricted free agent holds a friendly cap hit of just $1.25MM. The 6’7″ lefty has become more noticeable this season, with eight goals in 51 games after a career high of just one in each of his first five NHL seasons. Besides the sudden offense, Stanley has leaned fully into an enforcing role, with 95 penalty minutes, a career-most with many games to spare. As is the case with comparable defenders, Stanley has his weaknesses, currently holding a 46.5% Corsi For at even strength, but still holds traits always favored by contenders. No teams have necessarily been listed as suitors at this point, but the Red Wings stand out as one option in need of a bottom pairing upgrade, in which Stanley could play in a lighter role built for his strengths.
Patrick Kane Becomes All-Time U.S. Born NHL Points Leader
History was made tonight in Detroit as Red Wings forward Patrick Kane broke Mike Modano’s record for most points by a United States born player, as he reached 1,375, seen in a clip shared by the NHL.
The milestone was reached on a secondary assist as Ben Chiarot teed off on a one-timer, beating Washington Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren, and tying the game 1-1.
As it was naturally a focus for the team to get their future Hall of Famer the record tonight on home ice, Kane seemingly broke it in the first few minutes of the game. He fed Alex DeBrincat for a tally in a signature play, but it was called back for offside. Nonetheless, Kane found the scoresheet midway through the second period for good.
The Buffalo, New York native takes the crown after the legendary Modano held the record for over 18 years. It was last broken by Modano on November 7, 2007 in a Dallas Stars win over San Jose, as he surpassed legendary defenseman and former Sabres Head Coach Phil Housley.
Detroit shared a video of Modano, who also donned the Winged Wheel in the twilight of his career, congratulating Kane on the accomplishment.
Kane, 37, has naturally started to slow down with age and dealing with injuries, as his 31 points in 38 games so far seems to be the new norm. However, he and DeBrincat remain as dangerous together as always, and he is still an elite power play set up man, with an 89.1% Corsi For on the man advantage.
The icon is an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, but in all likelihood, Detroit will snap their nine year postseason drought, and Kane continues to be a big part of the Wings’ revival, certainly enjoying his tenure on his third Original Six franchise.
In terms of active United States born players who could challenge the record into the future, Auston Matthews stands as the second-highest active player with 772 points in 676 games. If able to stay healthy and play into his late 30s as Kane has, with his 1,341 games so far, Matthews is right on track to reach the record.
Perhaps one day the Arizona-born sniper could take the honors, but for now, it’s proudly in the hands of Kane, who sits fourth in points among active players, behind just Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, and Evgeni Malkin. Kane is expected to eclipse the 1,400 mark by the end of the season, as he’s hovering around 10 points behind the 39-year-old Malkin, who also continues to produce despite his age.
Although Team USA is set to take on the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics without Kane, indicative of a new era, the 2007 first overall pick has made an indelible impact on the game, not only for United States hockey, but the National Hockey League in its entirety. Tonight proves to be another unforgettable achievement in Kane’s remarkable career.
Image Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Injury Notes: Turcotte, Roy, Nylander
Los Angeles Kings Head Coach Jim Hiller told reporters, including Zach Dooley, Manager of Editorial Content, that Alex Turcotte is out for the remainder of the road trip due to an upper-body injury.
Having returned home, the forward is ruled out until at least next Wednesday, as the Kings will take on Seattle back in Los Angeles.
Set to turn 25 next month, the former fifth overall pick has just 12 points in 49 games, but he still brings versatility to the Kings’ middle six. Turcotte has won 55.7% of draws this season, a career best, to go with a standout 57.2% Corsi For at even strength. The Illinois native may not pan out as a high offensive producer as initially expected, but he is still a valuable third line center for now, who will be missed for the rest of the week.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Washington Capitals defenseman Matt Roy is absent tonight against Detroit, noted by Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. Both he and Rasmus Sandin were listed as questionable, the latter able to return to action. Meanwhile, Roy will miss his second game of the campaign, the first coming last Tuesday, due to an apparent lower-body injury. The 30-year-old has 14 points in 53 games on the season, serving as a steady shutdown righty averaging 20:46 a night, good for third on the team. Roy could return by Saturday, as his Capitals host Carolina. Until then, Declan Chisholm remains in the lineup.
- Toronto Maple Leafs star William Nylander practiced today but still won’t play in Seattle tonight, per Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, who did say that there is a “good chance” he returns Saturday in Vancouver. The forward is dealing with a lingering groin ailment which sidelined him for six games earlier in the year. Without their leading point-getter, who has 48 in just 37 games, the Leafs have gone 1-4-1 and lacking a regulation win, in a time they desperately need points to try and reach the postseason.
Stars Will Host Golden Knights In 2027 Stadium Series
All the outdoor games for next season are now in place. The league had previously announced the Stars as the host of the 2027 Stadium Series at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. Today, they confirmed it’ll be the Golden Knights heading to the Lone Star State to face Dallas on Feb. 20, 2027.
Also on the schedule next season is the infrequent Heritage Classic, which the Jets will host against the Canadiens in late October. The Mammoth were also recently announced as the host of the 2027 Winter Classic for that franchise’s first outdoor game against the cross-border rival Avalanche.
It will be just the second time outdoors for the Stars. Despite their southern location, it’s also their second time hosting. They were home one of the more memorable outdoor contests in league history as the 2020 Winter Classic at the Cotton Bowl, which they won against the Predators and was the second-most attended game in league history at 85,630 spectators.
Meanwhile, it’s the third outdoor showing in a decade of existence for Vegas, all coming in the last six years. It’ll also be their third time on the road after heading to Lake Tahoe for the special edition COVID-year games in 2021 and playing in Seattle against the Kraken for the 2024 Winter Classic.
Blues Place Dylan Holloway On Injured Reserve
3:00 p.m.: According to regional reporter Lou Korac, the Blues have already returned Luff and McGing to AHL Springfield from their emergency call-ups. Korac hinted that this likely means either Jordan Kyrou or Jake Neighbours would return to the lineup tonight.
10:30 a.m.: Dylan Holloway‘s return from a high ankle sprain will be short-lived. According to a team announcement, the St. Louis Blues have placed Holloway back on the injured reserve and recalled Matt Luff and Hugh McGing under emergency conditions.
After suffering a high ankle sprain in his right foot against the Chicago Blackhawks on December 12th, Holloway missed a month of action. He returned against the Edmonton Oilers on January 18th, but has missed the Blues’ last four games. Combined, since mid-December, Holloway has missed 19 games, and that absence is expected to grow.
Technically speaking, Holloway is eligible to return this upcoming Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, given his injury struggles of late, it’s far likelier that St. Louis will hold him out through the Olympic break, giving him ample time to recover fully.
Regardless, it’s been a difficult follow-up campaign for Holloway’s breakout last season. In his first year with the Blues during the 2024-25 season, Holloway scored 26 goals and 63 points in 77 games, helping the team qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Due to the multiple injuries, Holloway has been limited to 34 appearances this year, registering eight goals and 17 points.
Meanwhile, St. Louis has recalled a pair of relatively older options from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds to fill out the rest of their forward core as they conclude their four-game homestand. The pair have combined for eight games with the Blues this season, scoring two goals and three points.
In Springfield, however, the difference between the two is clear. Luff is leading the team in scoring by a healthy margin, putting up 13 goals and 33 points in 33 games. McGing, on the other hand, has provided more tertiary scoring, providing four goals and 12 points in 35 games.
Lightning To Activate Ryan McDonagh
The long-awaited return of defenseman Ryan McDonagh has come to pass. According to team insider Erik Erlendsson, the Tampa Bay Lightning are expected to activate McDonagh ahead of tonight’s game against the Winnipeg Jets.
Much has already been made of McDonagh’s 2025-26 campaign. The 16-year veteran has suffered multiple injuries, missing nearly two months of action altogether. In the year, McDonagh has only appeared in 18 games for the Bolts, scoring four goals and eight points with a +1 rating, averaging 20 minutes of ice time per game.
Still, even without one of their top four defenseman, the team hasn’t blinked. During McDonagh’s first absence from November 12th to December 15th, Tampa Bay earned a record of 10-7-1 in 18 games. Since December 22nd, during McDonagh’s second absence, the Lightning have managed a 13-1-1 record in 15 games. Their outlook for the year should improve if McDonagh shows consistency in the lineup for the rest of the season.
Given that Tampa Bay’s defensive core has played so well this year without multiple names, it would be in the team’s best interest to slow-play McDonagh’s return as much as they can. He has been consistently reliable over the past few years, participating in 70 or more games each season since the 2021-22 campaign. However, especially since he’s the oldest player on the team, the Lightning can’t afford for injuries to become a theme for McDonagh.
It’s important to note that the Lightning signed McDonagh to a three-year, $12.3MM extension toward the beginning of December. The contract will take him through the 2028-29 campaign, his age-39 season. Given that Tampa Bay typically operates fairly close to the salary cap’s upper limit, they’ll need McDonagh in the lineup more often than not, making his recovery process one of the most important on the team.
Hurricanes Reassign Noah Philp, Joel Nystrom
Jan. 29th: Carolina indirectly confirmed that Philp cleared waivers, announcing that they’ve reassigned him and defenseman Joel Nystrom to AHL Chicago. Nystrom’s demotion was expected, given that the team shared that Shayne Gostisbehere would return tonight after a five-game absence due to a lower-body injury. Nystrom scored one goal in four games during his recall, averaging 11:25 of ice time per game.
Jan. 28th: The Hurricanes have placed center Noah Philp on waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. He had been on injured reserve with a concussion; now that he’s healthy, he won’t be back with Carolina. He’ll either be headed to AHL Chicago or another NHL club if he’s claimed off the wire.
Philp, 27, was claimed off waivers from the Oilers just last month. If Edmonton submits a claim for him and is the only team to do so, they could send him directly to their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield without having to waive him again.
The Alberta-born pivot sustained the concussion in just his second appearance for Carolina on Jan. 6 against the Stars. He logged just 18:26 of total ice time across the pair of contests in a Canes sweater, notching two shots on goal and six hits while going 11-for-21 (52.4%) on draws. Including a 15-game run with the Oilers earlier in the year, he has a 2-1–3 scoring line with a -7 rating in 17 showings in his second NHL season.
There are red flags in Philp’s possession game. Even accounting for his deployment as a shutdown center at even strength, his 41.6 CF% at 5-on-5 is ghastly for a center who played in two extremely favorable possession environments in Carolina and Edmonton. He had a 54.8 CF% in 15 games with the Oilers last year, but in far more sheltered usage. There’s been some intrigue in the 6’3″, 200-lb frame he brings to the table, but it will be hard to continue justifying deploying him in a grinder role at the bottom of the lineup if he continues to be a significant drag on his team’s ability to control play.
Signed as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Alberta in 2022, Philp does have a nice 38-34–72 scoring line with a +13 rating in 130 career AHL games, all with Bakersfield. That includes a 35-point effort in only 55 games last year after he took a leave of absence for the entire 2023-24 campaign. The Oilers are likely hoping they’re the lone interested party in retaining him, either for familiar fourth-line depth or an AHL needle-mover.
Atlantic Notes: Luukkonen, Panarin, Lindholm
The red-hot Buffalo Sabres are going to be down a netminder for the next little while. According to Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio, the Sabres expect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to miss the next week with a lower-body injury.
Since the calendar turned to December, Buffalo has a 20-6-1 record in their last 27 games, carrying a team SV% of .906. Luukkonen has played an integral role in stabilizing the crease, earning a 9-4-1 record in 14 games with a .908 SV%. The team will now have to rely on the combination of Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis, likely up until the upcoming Olympic break.
Fortunately, the Sabres are likely comfortable with that. Since the hot streak began in December, not only has Lyon been a boon to the team, but he’s been one of the league’s best over that stretch. The 33-year-old netminder has won nine out of 10 games with a .928 SV% since December 1st.
Other notes from the Atlantic Division:
- The jury is still out on which team will ultimately acquire Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers. On today’s episode of Insider Trading, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun indicated that Panarin’s camp has contacted the Florida Panthers (among others) about potentially facilitating a trade. Still, LeBrun poured some cold water on that idea, indicating that it would be nearly impossible for the Panthers to afford an extension, and Panarin has reportedly made that a requirement.
- The Boston Bruins will be without their first-line center tonight. According to Steve Conroy of The Boston Herald, forward Elias Lindholm is considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. However, Conroy hinted that Lindholm’s recovery timeline could extend beyond that, given that he’s meeting with team doctors today.
Nashville Predators Reassign Fedor Svechkov
The Nashville Predators announced that they’ve reassigned forward Fedor Svechkov to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Nashville has a full roster after the transaction, though they’ll likely make another recall, particularly to their forward core, before their current road trip concludes.
Svechkov’s demotion is a clear-cut case of a younger player needing a reset. The former 19th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft has struggled this season, scoring two goals and nine points in 49 games while averaging 12:03 of ice time per game. His last point came via a goal against the St. Louis Blues on December 27th.
Simply put, his production has been cut in half compared to last season’s results. That’s not something the Predators can afford for an up-and-coming 22-year-old forward at this stage of their retooling efforts. Last year, Svechkov played in 52 games with Nashville, scoring eight goals and 17 points with a -17 rating.
Still, he has shown mild improvements in his possession and defensive metrics. During his rookie campaign, Svechkov finished with a 50.0% CorsiFor and 87.5% on-ice SV% at even strength. This season, he’s improved those to 53.5% and 88.8%, respectively.
He’ll return to a familiar environment where he’s already experienced some success. Although he hasn’t played in the AHL this season, Svechkov has recorded 21 goals and 51 points in 70 games for the Admirals. Additionally, he’s been a beneficial playoff performer, scoring 10 goals and 20 points in 25 games during the Calder Cup playoffs.
There’s no indication that the Predators plan to keep Svechkov in the AHL for the remainder of the season. Still, the Admirals are trending toward the playoffs again, allowing Svechkov to be in a competitive environment where he can excel.