Trade Deadline Primer: San Jose Sharks
With the 4 Nations Face-Off break now almost over, the trade deadline looms large and is less than three weeks away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the San Jose Sharks.
San Jose remains deep in a rebuild and is currently dead last in the NHL in points. As you would expect, they have already begun their trade deadline sell-off by moving out the likes of Mikael Granlund, Cody Ceci, and Mackenzie Blackwood. The Sharks are unlikely to make any big moves heading into the deadline since they’ve moved on from their more notable UFAs, though they do have a few depth pieces remaining on expiring contracts who could be of interest to buyers. One issue that could plague San Jose at the deadline is their inability to retain salary thanks to the trades of Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl. However, Sharks’ general manager Mike Grier has shown an ability to get creative when he needs to and will likely do more of the same as he tries to maximize the assets he does have.
Record
15-35-7, 8th in the Pacific
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$32.86MM on deadline day, 3/3 retention slots used, 46/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2025: SJS 1st, DAL 1st, SJS 2nd, COL 3rd, SJS 4th, WPG 4th, COL 5th, NJ 7th
2026: SJS 1st, SJS 2nd, COL 2nd, SJ 4th, SJS 7th,
Trade Chips
As mentioned, San Jose has been busy this year moving out some of their more desirable assets. However, they do have some remaining veterans on expiring deals who could help teams.
Luke Kunin is a depth center who has had poor possession numbers for much of his professional career. He is physical and can score in a fourth-line role, hitting double digits in goals five times in his career. The 27-year-old is overpaid at $2.75MM. However, the acquiring team would only need to fit him under the cap for the remainder of this season. Physical players are always in demand for the playoffs, so Kunin will likely find a new home before the deadline, though it’s unlikely that an acquiring team will give up more than a late-round draft pick. San Jose also can’t retain on any trades, so the team trading for Kunin would need to pick up the full freight of his contract.
Another depth forward the Sharks could dangle is Nico Sturm. The 29-year-old is also in the final year of his deal and is counting $2MM against the salary cap. Sturm is similar to Kunin in a lot of ways but is less physical, although he has a big body and probably has more utility. Sturm’s possession numbers aren’t terrible, and he does offer more of a two-way presence than Kunin. Sturm could thrive in a sheltered fourth-line role on a solid team but won’t break the bank for any team looking to acquire him. Much like Kunin, any team that does trade for Sturm will need to pick up the full tab on the remainder of his contract, which will limit suitors and the cost to acquire.
Jan Rutta was a salary dump by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Erik Karlsson trade and has struggled in San Jose. The 34-year-old is on pace to commit more turnovers this season than the past six years combined. Rutta was never the fleetest of foot, but he can thrive in a sheltered third pairing role with a mobile defensive partner. Rutta is a two-time Stanley Cup Champion with Tampa Bay and was good during those runs, but he did benefit greatly from playing with Victor Hedman. Rutta will have suitors because he is a right shot defenseman, but at $2.75MM for the rest of the season, it is hard to see teams giving up much more than a mid-round pick for him.
The final two trade chips that San Jose could dangle are goaltenders Vítek Vaněček and Alexandar Georgiev, both of whom are UFAs this summer. The difficulty with moving either man is that neither one is a starter at this point in their careers, and without retention, they would make for an expensive and possibly ineffective backup. Vaněček has posted a goals against north of 4.00 this season, and his goals saved above expected is -9.1, which is the seventh worst in the NHL. Georgiev has posted even worse numbers, tallying a goals saved above expected of -12.1, which is the second worst in the entire NHL (as per Money Puck).
Team Needs
1) Young Roster Players: The Sharks have the NHL’s best prospect pool, according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, and while they have an embarrassment of riches in the pipeline, they are going to need to start getting contributions at the NHL level sooner than later. The Sharks could be in line for another down year next season, and with that being said, the team will likely start to convert notable prospects and draft picks into roster players as they look to surround the young players already in the NHL with better talent. The Sharks can ill afford to leave their young NHL stars in a similar position to the one the Edmonton Oilers did with their top draft picks during the 2010s. Mike Grier has already started this process with the move for goaltender Yaroslav Askarov and could do so again as he pinpoints which part of the roster he is going to need to address.
2) Young Defensemen: The Sharks have some solid defensive prospects such as Luca Cagnoni, as well as highly touted prospect Sam Dickinson. They also have youngster Jack Thompson at the pro level, who looks promising, and Shakir Mukhamadullin, who has played in 13 games this season. Both Thompson and Mukhamadullin look like NHL defensemen, but it remains to be seen what their ceiling will be. The Sharks’ prospect cupboard is forward-heavy, and at some point, they will need to be sure that they have NHL-caliber defensemen to play with their skilled forward group. Finding a right shot defensemen is especially hard in the NHL, and Grier might opt to make his swings at it now rather than later when the cost could be higher. San Jose likely won’t rush to make this move before the deadline, but they will be taking a hard look at what their best course of action is going forward. Given that they have a deep prospect pool and good draft capital, they could jump-start their rebuild with some young defensemen who can elevate their forwards and make life easier for the goaltender of the future, Askarov.
Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.
Legendary Penguins Broadcaster Mike Lange Has Passed Away
Pittsburgh Penguins Hall of Fame broadcaster Mike Lange has passed away at the age of 76 (Twitter Link). Lange was beloved in Pittsburgh and around the hockey community for his magical calls and inventive catchphrases. He called all five of the Penguins Stanley Cup Championships and brought authenticity and humor to every broadcast he worked on. He was even featured in the 1995 Jean-Claude Van Damme film Sudden Death.
Lange was a native of Sacramento, California, which was not exactly a hotbed for hockey during his childhood. He went to school at Sacramento State University before getting his first job as a hockey broadcaster doing radio for the Phoenix Roadrunners of the Western Hockey League back in 1970. He made a stop in San Diego, doing play-by-play for the Gulls of the AHL before being hired by the Penguins as their radio play-by-play man in 1974. Lange was with the Penguins for all but one season (1976) up until 2021.
During his 46 years with the Penguins, Lange worked in both television and radio and made the most iconic calls in franchise history. He, along with Mario Lemieux, also inspired a generation of young kids in Pittsburgh to get into hockey, including Jesse Marshall of The Athletic, who tweeted about his admiration of Lange.
Lange became known for his one-liners, such as “He’s smiling like a butcher’s dog,” but his ability to anticipate what was going to happen in a game was truly unique. Marshall notes one such occurrence where Lange warned the audience to keep their eyes on Lemieux in a game and to “be careful” with him. Lemieux went on to score eight points in the game.
Lange was the recipient of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Foster Hewitt Award in 2001 and was inducted into the broadcasters’ wing of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Lange called his final Pittsburgh game in 2021 before his retirement due to health issues.
We at Pro Hockey Rumors send our condolences to Lange’s family, friends, and peers.
Snapshots: Moser, Chychrun, Wennberg, Kraken
The Lightning will welcome back an important part of their defense corps on Sunday. Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times relays that J.J. Moser will be back in the lineup against Seattle after missing two-and-a-half months with a lower-body injury. The 24-year-old was an important part of the return for Tampa Bay in the Mikhail Sergachev trade from the draft and had 10 points in 27 games before the injury while averaging nearly 20 minutes per night of playing time. Moser was technically activated off IR before the break but the team elected to scratch him for their last game instead to give him more time to recover.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- While Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun made it known last month that he’s open to signing a contract extension with Washington, he told reporters including Sammi Silber of The Hockey News (Twitter link) that there haven’t been any extension discussions since before the break. The 26-year-old has been a great addition for Washington, already notching 14 goals and 21 assists through 50 games while logging 21 minutes a night. He’s well on his way to earning a sizable raise on his current $4.6MM price tag but it doesn’t appear a new deal is coming in the near future.
- San Jose will get a key veteran center back for their upcoming seven-game road trip as Alexander Wennberg told reporters including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link) that he’ll be ready to return on Sunday. The 30-year-old has 23 points in 52 games for the Sharks this season and suffered an upper-body injury late last month.
- The Kraken have changed up their backup goalie. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled Ales Stezka from AHL Coachella Valley and reassigned Victor Ostman to ECHL Kansas City, reversing the move made before the 4 Nations break. Stezka has been Seattle’s backup as of late after Philipp Grubauer was assigned to the Firebirds but has yet to make his NHL debut. He has a 2.99 GAA with a .902 SV% in 25 games this season. Ostman, meanwhile, is in his first full professional season after signing with Seattle as a college free agent last spring. He has played exclusively with the Mavericks, putting up a 2.44 GAA and a .905 SV% in 29 appearances.
Trade Deadline Primer: Pittsburgh Penguins
With the 4 Nations Face-Off break now almost over, the trade deadline looms large and is less than three weeks away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Things haven’t gone exactly as planned for the Penguins this season. After tweaking their roster, GM Kyle Dubas hoped that this group would be able to hang around the playoff picture. While they’re still within striking distance of a playoff spot, they’ve already dealt away their top rental, signaling that they will likely be subtracting from their roster once again at the deadline.
Record
23-25-9, 7th in the Metropolitan
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$9.88MM on deadline day, 2/3 retention slots used, 49/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2025: NYR 1st*, PIT 1st, MIN 3rd, OTT 3rd, PIT 3rd, PIT 4th, CHI 5th, NYR 5th, PIT 5th, PIT 6th, PIT 7th
2026: PIT 1st, PIT 2nd, STL 2nd, PIT 3rd, SJ 3rd, PIT 4th, NSH 6th, CHI 7th, PIT 7th
*-Top-13 protected; if it doesn’t convey this year, it becomes New York’s unprotected 2026 first-round selection.
Trade Chips
With Marcus Pettersson now in Vancouver from the trade at the beginning of the month, Pittsburgh’s top rental blueliner is long gone but Matt Grzelcyk is another who could draw interest. He struggled to start the season as he adjusted to his new team but he has played better in recent weeks leading up to the break. The 31-year-old has set a new career-high in points with 28 in 57 games, putting him second on the Penguins in points by a defenseman (behind Erik Karlsson but ahead of Kris Letang) while he’s logging over 20 minutes a night for the first time in his career. While Grzelcyk would likely be more of a third-pairing option on a contending team, his $2.75MM AAV is one that is reasonably affordable which should give Dubas some options if he wants to move out another rearguard.
Their other rental options are more of the depth variety. Anthony Beauvillier has a dozen goals in 56 games despite not even averaging 13 minutes a night and isn’t too pricey at $1.25MM. For a team looking for some low-cost scoring depth, he could be a viable option. When healthy, Matthew Nieto has been a capable checking winger. Staying healthy has been a challenge lately and he has struggled this year but at just $900K, it’s possible a team could flip a late-round pick to bring in some extra depth.
While Pittsburgh would undoubtedly want to get out of Tristan Jarry and Ryan Graves‘s contracts, that’s probably not happening. Nor is it likely that they’d move their older core group that they’re trying to build around. But even with that in mind, there are a few other possible trade options.
Rickard Rakell’s tenure with Pittsburgh has been a bit uneven but this has been one of the good years. He already has 25 goals this season, giving him a chance to surpass 30 for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign and sits second in team scoring behind Sidney Crosby while often playing with the captain on the top line. As far as trade value goes, it’s reasonably high, especially since he’s signed for three more years at $5MM. It doesn’t seem likely that the Penguins would embark on a larger-scale rebuild so he’s someone they’d probably prefer not to move so it will take a big offer to get him. That same sentence applies to winger Bryan Rust who is also in that price range.
Pittsburgh has a pair of bottom-six forwards who could attract some interest as well. Noel Acciari is a physical fourth-line center who has seven different seasons of playoff experience and had some success as a deadline pickup two years ago. He has one year left on his deal after this one at $2MM which is a salary that looks a bit more affordable with the big jump coming in the salary cap. The other is Blake Lizotte. He provides a bit more offense than Acciari and is capable of playing both center and the wing although he’s also undersized. He’s in Acciari’s price range with one year left on his deal as well at a $1.85MM price tag. Neither player would command a significant return but moving one of them would open up a roster spot to give one of their prospects in AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton an extended look.
Team Needs
1) Young Pros: Last year, we saw Dubas prioritize a nearer-future return in the Jake Guentzel trade, adding Vasiliy Ponomarev and Ville Koivunen as part of the package instead of picking up more draft picks. We also saw them add Rutger McGroarty, the more pro-ready piece, in a swap of first-round prospects with Winnipeg over the offseason. The emphasis is getting players who are closer to being NHL-ready who could still fit with the current veteran core. There’s no reason to think they won’t take a similar approach this time around.
2) Contract Flexibility: With only one open contract slot at the moment, that doesn’t give the Penguins much flexibility on that front, either in terms of adding more minor-pro players in a trade or even for the college free agent market if they need to burn a year now to entice a signing. Freeing up two or three slots would certainly help them on that front, especially when you keep in mind that contracts don’t expire until July 1st so having that extra wiggle room could also help them at draft time in trade discussions. It’s not a must-do but it would certainly be beneficial for them.
Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.
East Notes: Thompson, Pesce, Pacioretty, Pulock
Team USA has been given permission to bring Sabres center Tage Thompson and Devils defenseman Brett Pesce to Boston as standby players for Thursday’s 4 Nations Face-Off finale, reports Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. As was the case with Quinn Hughes who was initially intended as the reserve player, the only way Thompson or Pesce could suit up versus Canada is if Team USA drops below 12 healthy forwards or six healthy blueliners. Thompson was one of the more notable omissions from the initial roster and is averaging a point per game through 48 outings in Buffalo. Meanwhile, Pesce has been as advertised in his first season with New Jersey, logging nearly 21 minutes a night in a shutdown role in his 48 appearances.
More from the Eastern Conference:
- Maple Leafs winger Max Pacioretty left practice early today with head coach Craig Berube telling reporters including Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun that the veteran tweaked something when he took to the ice. Berube added the injury isn’t believed to be too serious at first glance. Pacioretty has dealt with injuries off and on throughout the season and has been limited to 37 outings where he has five goals and eight assists while logging just 13:30 per game, his lowest ATOI since his rookie year back in 2008-09.
- Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock took part in today’s practice in a non-contact jersey as he works his way back from an undisclosed injury sustained late last month. However, head coach Patrick Roy noted to reporters including Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News (Twitter link) that the blueliner’s availability for Sunday’s contest against Dallas remains uncertain. Pulock is logging nearly 22 minutes a night and has 16 points in 48 games and with the Isles just three points out of a share of the last playoff spot, getting him back soon would certainly help their fortunes.
Seth Jones, Blackhawks Discussing Trade Possibilities
Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones has been the focal point of trade rumors spanning the last few seasons, but it seems the chances of a move are heating up ahead of next month’s Trade Deadline. Jones told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he’d welcome a move if Chicago can find one, though he hasn’t yet formally requested a trade. Jones said, “If it happens, it happens. Obviously, while I’m here with the Blackhawks, they have my full effort [and] full attention.” He added that he’d hope a trade would give him a chance to join a playoff contender.
The Blackhawks have reportedly been contacted by multiple teams interested in acquiring Jones, but his lofty contract is a wedge in any negotiations. He’s in year three of an eight-year, $76MM contract signed on the same day he was traded to Chicago in July of 2021. His $9.5MM cap hit makes Jones the seventh-most expensive defender in the NHL, but his 26 points in 38 games this season ranks 14th in points-per-game among defensemen. Jones’ stat-line is rounded out with a minus-12, 16 penalty minutes, and 55 hits – continuing to paint him as a high-offense, low-defense puck-mover.
Jones has stood as Chicago’s number-one defenseman through each of the last four seasons, rivaling an average of 25 minutes of ice time in every year. He’s totaled 145 points in 255 games with the Hawks – the third-most of any Chicago defender since 2000, behind Blackhawks legends Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. Jones hasn’t led the team to the same heights as his company, but he has provided a consistent, veteran presence in front of a rebuilding Chicago lineup. The Hawks haven’t helped Jones along too much either. They’ve finished seventh or eighth in the Central Division and ranked in the bottom-four of NHL scoring in every year he’s spent with the club. Jones has been vocal about the emotional weight of that persistent losing in the past, telling Pope last season that the losing nature isn’t fun for anyone involved.
A timely trade to a playoff contender could go a long way towards spurring the 30-year-old Jones. He’s still a productive scorer capable of filling important roles at even-strength and on special teams. If a team can work around his hefty cap hit, Jones could be a quick way to boost the blue-line on a playoff hopeful. Chicago will likely need to retain part of his salary to make that happen, and may need convincing before they part ways with their clear-number-one. But top prospects like Artyom Levshunov and Sam Rinzel are both commanding more respect in Chicago’s pipeline, and could be apt replacements for Jones should his top-end role open up.
Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin To Return, Squashes Retirement And Trade Rumors
Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin has shared that he is planning to play when the team returns from break on Saturday, per Rob Rossi of The Athletic. Malkin has missed Pittsburgh’s last six games after suffering an injury in the team’s January 25th loss to Seattle. He sustained the injury roughly halfway through the first period, after the skate of Kraken forward Chandler Stephenson seemed to catch Malkin in the thigh. He attempted to return for a brief shift later in the first, but was ruled out before the game’s second period. Pittsburgh placed Malkin on injured reserve just two days later. He’ll need to be activated off of IR before Saturday’s game, which will force Pittsburgh to reassign a player like Vasiliy Ponomarev or Bokondji Imama.
The return of one of their lineup pillars will be great news in Pittsburgh. Malkin has continued to perform at a premier level this year, with his 34 points in 47 games ranked fifth on the team in total scoring. In even better news, Malkin went on to emphasize to Rossi that he has no intentions of retiring this summer or playing anywhere else. He told The Athletic, “[I’ll] retire with Pittsburgh. The Penguins are my team… When I retire, [it’ll be] here.” Malkin added that, despite speculation, he has no plans of playing anymore Russian hockey either – save for potentially a one-game send-off with his hometown Metallurg Magnitogorsk when all is said and done.
Malkin is signed through the end of the 2025-26 season, setting him up for at least one more full year in Pittsburgh’s black-and-gold. He’s squashed talks of a potential retirement this summer, which will naturally push attention back until his deal ends in 2026. But Malkin continues to hold down a strong, middle-six role for the Penguins, averaging north of 18 minutes of ice time each game this season. Fellow Penguins legend Sidney Crosby is signed through the end of the 2026-27 campaign, which could be enough to convince Malkin to find an extra gear and retire alongside his longtime partner-in-crime. Malkin entered the NHL in 2006-07, one year after Crosby’s debut. Crosby scored a career-high 120 points in his first year alongside Malkin, while the latter managed his career-high of 113 points in their second year together.
Few duos in hockey history have stood as tall as Crosby and Malkin. The two have led three Stanley Cup wins and recorded the sole assist on each the other’s 500th NHL goal. They’re a ubiquitous tandem, and Malkin’s imminent return from lower-body injury sets him up to continue his role second to Crosby on the depth chart.
Malkin’s return will likely push one of Ponomarev, Blake Lizotte, or Emil Bemstrom out of the lineup. Lizotte and Bemstrom have each scored one goal through their last 10 games, while Ponomarev is still searching for his first point after four NHL games this season. Should Ponomarev be the odd man out, he’ll likely head back to a red-hot minor-league season. Ponomarev ranks fourth on the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in scoring with 29 points in 34 games.
PHR Live Chat Transcript: 2/19/25
PHR’s Josh Erickson hosted his weekly live chat today at 2:00 pm Central. Use this link to view the transcript of the session.
Quinn Hughes Not Cleared For 4 Nations Championship
Feb. 19: Team USA has been informed that Hughes was not medically cleared to join the roster before Thursday, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. LeBrun shares that USA is looking into adding another defender to the lineup as an insurance option, given the illness circulating the 4-Nations tournament. Team USA would need to have less than six healthy defenseman to ice a player not currently on the roster.
Feb. 18: The United States may have reigning Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes available for Thursday’s 4 Nations Face-Off championship against Canada, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters Tuesday (including Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic). He’s traveling to meet the team in Boston in the wake of an upper-body injury to Charlie McAvoy, but NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed to Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic that Hughes won’t be able to practice or play unless the Americans sustain another injury on defense ahead of the championship.
After being named as one of the first six players on the team last offseason, Hughes was on the Americans’ roster for the tournament up until last week, when he was ruled out after missing the Canucks’ final four games before the break with an oblique injury. Initially replaced by Jake Sanderson, he’s evidently now healthy and will be available if needed as the United States goes for its first best-on-best title since the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.
Luckily for the United States, they’re unlikely to need any more injury replacements. Star sniper Auston Matthews is expected to play in the championship after serving as a late scratch in last night’s loss to Sweden because of upper-body soreness, Sullivan said (via Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet). He added both Brady Tkachuk and Matthew Tkachuk will likely play after the former left Monday’s loss and the latter left Saturday’s win over Canada.
The Americans’ roster situation mirrors that of Canada’s after they lost defenseman Shea Theodore to an upper-body injury in their opening game against Sweden. Thomas Harley was allowed to fly out and meet the team but couldn’t practice or play unless they were unable to ice six defensemen. When Cale Makar was ruled out of their game against the U.S. due to illness, only then was Harley eligible to enter the lineup. He was not dressed when Makar returned to play yesterday against Finland.
At the very least, it’s a strong sign the Canucks will have their captain back when they return to play in Vegas on Saturday. The 25-year-old Hughes has improved further on last season’s elite two-way showing, bumping his points per game up to 1.26 from 1.12 and has posted career-highs in even-strength CF% (57.8) and relative CF% (+15.7).
There are three clear-cut Norris nominees in him, Makar, and Team USA teammate Zach Werenski. If Hughes takes home the hardware, he’d be the first back-to-back winner since the Red Wings’ Nicklas Lidström won three straight from 2006 to 2008.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Flames Recall Yan Kuznetsov, Ilya Solovyov
The Flames announced Wednesday they’ve recalled defensemen Yan Kuznetsov and Ilya Solovyov from AHL Calgary. The pair gives the Flames 22 players – including nine defensemen – on their active roster, so further moves will be made before they return to action against the Sharks on Sunday.
Kuznetsov, 22, lands his first recall since being cut from the team’s training camp roster in October. The 2020 second-round pick made his NHL debut last season, posting a minus-one rating in 12 minutes of ice time against the Senators on Jan. 9, 2024, in his lone big-league showing.
A massive 6’5″, 220-lb lefty who specializes as a stay-at-home piece, Kuznetsov is enjoying a breakout campaign in the minors. He’s posted a respectable 3-11–14 scoring line through 49 games, and his pairing with Solovyov has been the best the club offers. Kuznetsov and Solovyov rank first and second on the team with +22 and +16 ratings, respectively, a +11 margin over third place among defenders.
Kuznetsov’s defensive awareness and physical game are intriguing, especially since he does so without taking a ton of penalties. He’s never topped 30 PIMs in an AHL season and has 22 this year. A rare USHL (2019 with the Sioux Falls Stampede) and Memorial Cup (2022 with the Saint John Sea Dogs) champion with a collegiate stint at UConn in between, he’s taken a winding road to NHL minutes and will now get another look on the roster with Kevin Bahl on injured reserve.
Solovyov’s recall is a paper move. Calgary recalled the 24-year-old Belarusian shortly before the 4 Nations break. He made his season debut against the Kraken on Feb. 8, skating over 19 minutes in his 11th career NHL appearance. The 2020 seventh-rounder has three assists with a minus-four rating in the NHL dating back to his debut last year, taking 12 shots on goal and averaging north of 16 minutes per game.
The latter plays the more offensively involved game of the two, relying more on his puckhandling ability and breakout passing to be effective. The lefty still has great size at 6’3″ and 209 lbs, though, and has posted a career-best 6-15–21 scoring line through 43 AHL appearances this season.