Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Panthers Reassign Uvis Balinskis

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Panthers have assigned defenseman Uvis Balinskis to AHL Charlotte, per a team announcement. He’ll head back to the minors after being recalled last week for the first time since signing a two-year extension in January. Florida’s roster size drops to 25.

Balinskis, 27, is in his first NHL season after inking an entry-level contract with the Cats last summer. The Latvian blue-liner was coming off a breakout season in the Czech Extraliga, where he was named the league’s best defenseman after leading the league with 11 goals and 35 points in 50 games as a member of Bílí Tygři Liberec. He’s been a fixture of the Latvian national team since making his debut at the 2017 World Championship and was a member of last year’s bronze-medal winning squad at the tournament.

With stars Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour unavailable for the start of 2023-24 due to off-season shoulder surgeries, Balinskis got a look on the opening night roster and was a serviceable depth option. After posting a goal and an assist through his first 16 games, he was assigned to Charlotte shortly after Montour was cleared to return. He was recalled again a few weeks into December but only played three games, going without a point and averaging 12:34 per game before being returned to the minors. On this month’s recall, he added an assist in four games and played a season-high 20:19 in Saturday’s shootout loss to the Rangers.

Balinskis’ strong play in the minors, despite being yo-yoed up and down, has given the Panthers’ front office confidence in his abilities to contribute during their current window of championship contention, and rightfully so. His 21 points in 35 games with Charlotte is second in scoring among the team’s defenders behind star minor-league blue-liner Lucas Carlsson, who hasn’t played in nearly a month and is out for the season due to injury.

His reassignment could indicate that Ekblad, who’s been out since March 9 with a lower-body injury, is nearing a return. He was ruled out for at least two weeks after the injury, and with that benchmark passed, head coach Paul Maurice has signaled in recent days that the star blue-liner is feeling better. He’s unlikely for Thursday’s game against the Islanders but could be ready to go for Saturday’s matinee against the Red Wings.

Oskar Sundqvist To Undergo Knee Surgery, Out Six Months

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist will miss the rest of the 2023-24 season after sustaining a torn ACL in his right knee in Monday’s game against the Golden Knights, the team announced. The tear requires surgery, which carries a minimum recovery time of six months.

If his recovery timetable holds, Sundqvist won’t be ready when training camps begin ahead of the 2024-25 season in September. However, he hasn’t been ruled out for the beginning of the regular season.

Sundqvist sustained the injury midway through the second period of the eventual 2-1 overtime loss. After he cycled the puck behind the goal line in the Vegas zone, Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb attempted to cross-check him into the boards but approached Sundqvist at an indirect angle that caused both players to fall awkwardly. Sundqvist’s right leg buckled during the fall, and he could not get up without assistance from Blues Head Athletic Trainer Ray Barile. Officials did not assess McNabb a penalty on the play.

The 30-year-old had a middling season after returning to the Blues in free agency for his second stint with the club. He appeared in 71 of St. Louis’ 72 games, posting six goals, 15 assists, and 21 points while averaging 13:15 per game. It was his worst offensive showing on a per-game basis since 2017-18. After breaking into an everyday top-nine role the following season, Sundqvist recorded 48 goals, 66 assists and 114 points in 285 games for the Blues, Red Wings and Wild from 2018-19 to 2022-23.

He was never a particularly strong possession player at even strength but often did good work on the penalty kill for the Blues, whose 80.9% success rate with the man disadvantage was 10th in the league, with Sundqvist averaging regular minutes there across four seasons. A fan favorite who posted nine points in 25 playoff games en route to St. Louis’ first Stanley Cup in 2019, the Blues traded Sundqvist to the Red Wings at the 2022 deadline as part of the package that landed them defenseman Nick Leddy. He was traded again at last season’s deadline as a pending UFA with Detroit out of the playoff picture, heading to Minnesota for a fourth-round pick.

Despite Sundqvist’s decline in both the points and possession departments this season, Blues GM Doug Armstrong decided earlier this month that he wanted to keep him around through their pending retool, inking him to a two-year, $3MM extension. The Blues hope he can recover from surgery in time to start that $1.5MM AAV deal off on a high note next fall. He’ll be a UFA in 2026 after the extension expires.

Canucks Recall Arshdeep Bains

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Canucks recalled winger Arshdeep Bains from AHL Abbotsford on Wednesday, GM Patrik Allvin said. To create the cap space required to add Bains’ $816.7K cap hit, the team moved goaltender Thatcher Demko to long-term injured reserve, retroactive to when he sustained a knee injury against the Jets on March 9. Bains’ recall is an emergency loan, per CapFriendly, suggesting another forward aside from Elias Lindholm (undisclosed, day-to-day) may be absent for Thursday’s game against the Stars.

This is Bains’ second recall of the season. The 23-year-old was first summoned in mid-February and made his NHL debut in Colorado three days later. He made another four appearances but was held without a point and managed only three shots on goal while averaging 12:57 per game. Bains was then returned to Abbotsford on March 1, one week before the trade deadline.

An undrafted free agent pickup out of WHL Red Deer in 2022, Bains’ signing is looking like one of Allvin’s shrewder moves at the helm of the Canucks. The Surrey, British Columbia native adjusted well to the pros, putting up 38 points in 66 games in a middle-six role after leading the WHL in scoring during his overage season. Bains has taken things up a notch this year, breaking out as a first-line talent with Abbotsford and leading the team with 35 assists and 49 points in 53 games.

Bains didn’t look entirely out of place under the eye test in his call-up last month, but the stats weren’t kind. He was used in a checking role by head coach Rick Tocchet and struggled to control shot attempts, logging a 45.5 CF% at even strength that was a staggering 13.9% worse than the Canucks’ overall CF% when Bains was off the ice over his five-game stint. Keeping his head above water in terms of possession quality was even more of a struggle, logging a 33.3 xGF%.

Nonetheless, he’ll get a second chance to inject some energy into their bottom six. He was quite good in the minors after being returned to Abbotsford a few weeks ago, scoring five goals and adding five assists for 10 points in 11 games. He still has another season left on his entry-level contract and remains waiver-exempt.

As for Demko, the LTIR placement indicates the star starter will be out until at least April 6 against the Kings, meaning he’ll miss at least Vancouver’s next four games. The likely Vezina Trophy candidate remains out on a week-to-week basis but is expected back before the end of the regular season. Casey DeSmith has been the Canucks’ crease’s sole occupant since Demko got hurt, posting a 3-2-1 record and .903 SV% since replacing him against the Jets.

ECHL Newfoundland, Trois-Rivières May Not Finish Season

at CDT | by 9 Comments

The ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers and Trois-Rivières Lions are at risk of folding before the 2023-24 regular season draws to a close, per a report from Matthew Vachon and Paule Vermot-Desroches of Le Nouvelliste. The clubs, which are the second-tier affiliates of the Maple Leafs and the Canadiens, respectively, are majority-owned by Deacon Sports and Entertainment, which is nearing bankruptcy and owes the city of Trois-Rivière more than $600K.

According to Vachon and Vermot-Desroches, the ECHL has set a deadline for DSE to sell the clubs by April 2. However, the sale of both franchises is unexpected to happen in time. The ECHL’s board of governors, led by commissioner Ryan Crelin, will meet Tuesday to decide whether to allow them to play out the season. Regardless, the league will absorb ownership of the two franchises after the April 2 deadline.

Both teams have 10 or fewer games remaining on their regular-season schedule. The Growlers and Lions are both in the league’s North Division and are part of a tight race to claim the final two playoff spots available with Maine, Reading, and Worcester – all five clubs are within five points of each other. As Vachon points out, it’s worth noting that each team will have a representative at the board of governors meeting that will decide the Growlers’ and Lions’ fate, and it’s fair to assume those in the playoff hunt could help swing a vote toward not allowing the clubs to finish the season.

The Growlers have been one of the league’s most successful teams since their inception in 2018-19, winning the Kelly Cup in their inaugural campaign and making it to the Eastern Conference Final in 2022 and 2023. The Lions are only in their third year of existence and their lone playoff appearance, coming in their inaugural season, was cut short in the first round at the hands of Newfoundland.

No players under contract with the Canadiens are currently on assignment to Trois-Rivières, but they hold the exclusive signing rights of three players on the squad: forward Jakov Novak, a 2018 seventh-round pick of the Senators whom they acquired last offseason; defenseman Miguël Tourigny, a 2022 seventh-round pick; and goaltender Joe Vrbetic, a 2021 seventh-round pick.

However, two NHL-signed players are on assignment to Newfoundland. Maple Leafs 2021 sixth-round pick Vyacheslav Peksa is the team’s current backup netminder, posting an .890 SV% and a 5-10-1 record in his first season in North America. Panthers defense prospect Nathan Staios was loaned to the club late last month.

Sabres To Activate Jack Quinn From Injured Reserve

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Sabres will activate winger Jack Quinn from injured reserve ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Senators, head coach Don Granato said. The 22-year-old is expected to draw in after a two-month absence due to a lower-body injury.

Quinn looks to end a difficult 2023-24 campaign on a high note. The 2020 eighth-overall pick has been severely limited by injuries dating back to an Achilles injury sustained during training last offseason. Recovery from that surgery landed him on IR to start the season and kept him out until mid-December, costing him the first 32 games of the season. This lower-body injury, which he sustained against the Sharks on Jan. 27, sidelined him for an additional 24.

When in the lineup, he looked like he hadn’t missed a beat from last year’s strong rookie campaign. The Ottawa native notched five goals, seven assists, and 12 points in 17 games between injuries, tied with JJ Peterka for sixth on the team in scoring during that time. He averaged 15:58 per game, up drastically from last season’s 13:51, and saw his points per game increase from 0.49 to 0.71. Along with improved possession numbers – his 53.1 CF% at even strength is fifth among active Sabres – his short stint in the lineup went a long way toward bookmarking him a spot in the team’s top six going forward.

A continued strong showing through the last 10 games of the season would surely secure a sustained increased role in 2024-25. After COVID and injuries cost him most of his post-draft campaign, Quinn has done nothing but score, posting 26 goals and 61 points as a rookie in 45 games with AHL Rochester in 2021-22. Unsurprisingly, he captured the league’s Rookie of the Year award as a result and cracked the Sabres’ opening night roster the following October.

Line rushes indicate Quinn will slot on a quite youthful second line alongside the 22-year-old Peterka and 23-year-old Dylan Cozens tonight against the Sens. He spent 123 minutes with that trio over 15 of his 17 games this year, controlling 56.2% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck. That’s the second-highest mark of any Sabres forward line with over 100 minutes together, trailing Zach Benson, Jordan Greenway, and Casey Mittelstadt (61.5%), the latter of whom was traded to the Avalanche earlier this month for defenseman Bowen Byram.

It may be a wasted season for the Sabres to sneak value out of Quinn’s entry-level contract, but he does have one season remaining at a cap hit of $863.3K. He’ll be due a sizable raise before his deal expires in 2025, and a strong finish this season could also sway Sabres GM Kevyn Adams to kick off extension talks sooner rather than later.

Atlantic Notes: Ratzlaff, Bruins, Hedman, Point

at CDT | by 1 Comment

One of the Sabres’ goaltending prospects has taken an intermediate step toward joining the organization. 2023 fifth-round pick Scott Ratzlaff signed an ATO with their AHL affiliate in Rochester on Wednesday and could make his professional debut before the 2023-24 season draws to a close. The Sabres still have until June 1, 2025, to sign him to an entry-level contract before losing his exclusive signing rights, though, and the 19-year-old still has one season of major junior eligibility remaining. As such, the Alberta native will return to WHL Seattle for a fourth season in 2024-25. He took over the starting role for the first time this season, but his numbers dived along with the team in front of him, which lost multiple high-caliber talents to NHL clubs after capturing the WHL championship last year. He still managed a respectable .905 SV% and 3.33 GAA in 52 games – decent numbers for that level of hockey – and posted a 21-26-1 record with one shutout. The 6’1″, left-catching netminder was part of Canada’s contingent at this year’s World Junior Championship but didn’t see any playing time.

More notes out of the Atlantic Division:

  • The Bruins can become the second team to clinch a spot in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs tonight by avoiding a regulation loss against the Lightning, per the league. Still in contention for the Atlantic title and the President’s Trophy, the franchise is poised to earn a postseason berth for the eighth consecutive season and for the 15th time in the last 17 years. While not on last season’s record-breaking tear, the retirements of team legends Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí haven’t thrown the ever-consistent Bruins into complete turmoil, and a 9-0-1 start to the season back in October has helped buoy them throughout the ups and downs of the campaign. A second-place finish behind the Panthers still seems likely, but after coming from behind late last night to defeat Florida 4-3 in regulation, a third division title in the last five years isn’t out of the question. Boston has not missed the playoffs for more than two seasons in a row since the Original Six era.
  • Lightning stars Victor Hedman and Brayden Point were on the ice for Tampa’s morning skate on Wednesday and are likely to suit up against Boston tonight, per Chris Krenn of the team’s official site. Both players carry day-to-day injury designations and missed Sunday’s 3-2 overtime win over the Ducks with lower-body ailments. The team is certainly ecstatic to have their second and third-leading scorers back in the lineup in what could be a key two points for playoff positioning, potentially helping them leapfrog the Maple Leafs for third place in the Atlantic down the stretch. After Toronto lost to the Devils on Tuesday night, Tampa is four points back with no games in hand.

Pacific Notes: Zadorov, Labanc, Gudas, Carrier

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Nikita Zadorov is one of the more intriguing pending unrestricted free agent defensemen and it appears he’s poised to land a fair-sized raise on his current contract.  In an appearance on Sekeres and Price (Twitter video link), Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli suggests that Calgary felt that Zadorov’s asking price was likely to be in the $5MM range on a multi-year contract which helped facilitate his trade to the Canucks.  Zadorov has 18 points in 66 games between the two teams so far while averaging a little under 18 minutes a night.  He’s currently on a $3.75MM price tag but with his size and the fact that the salary cap is going to go up next season, the 28-year-old has a strong case for a raise, one that could ultimately price him out of Vancouver.

More from the Pacific:

  • Speaking with reporters including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News, Sharks winger Kevin Labanc acknowledged that he knows he’s in his final days with the organization and that there hasn’t been much communication with the coaching staff. The 28-year-old had a respectable 33 points in 72 games last season but he has been a frequent healthy scratch this year, notching just nine points in 41 appearances when he has played.  It’s fair to say that he won’t come close to getting his current $4.875MM AAV on the open market this summer but he could be an intriguing buy-low candidate if a team feels that he can get back to his old offensive levels in a new environment.
  • Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas did not accompany the team on their road trip to Seattle, relays Derek Lee of The Sporting Tribune (Twitter link). The 33-year-old has been out for the last week and a half with an upper-body injury.  Gudas has played a big role on Anaheim’s second pairing this season, notching 16 points, 124 penalty minutes, 142 blocks, and 213 hits in 60 games; he sits in the top ten league-wide in PIMS and hits.
  • Golden Knights winger William Carrier is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, the team announced (Twitter link). The 29-year-old has battled injury issues this season, being limited to just 39 appearances so far.  Carrier has six goals and two assists in those games along with 90 hits in the final year of his contract; he’ll be UFA-eligible for the first time this summer.

East Notes: Devils, Rousek, Wennberg, Ponomarev

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

While the season isn’t over yet for the Devils, GM Tom Fitzgerald has already identified an area outside the crease that he’d like to address for 2024-25.  In an interview with The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun (subscription link), Fitzgerald indicated that he’d like his team “get harder on the wing” for next season.  New Jersey has been hovering around the top ten for offense this year despite missing several key players due to injuries so it appears their preference would be to add some grit to help complement their skilled forwards.  As things stand, New Jersey has around $21MM in cap space for next season, per CapFriendly, giving Fitzgerald ample wiggle room to work with to reshape parts of his roster.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • Sabres winger Lukas Rousek left today’s practice early after taking a stick to the face. Head coach Don Granato told reporters including Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News that Rousek’s status for tomorrow’s game is unknown as he was undergoing medical evaluation.  The 24-year-old has two assists in nine games so far with Buffalo after a strong showing with AHL Rochester where he notched 10 goals and 28 assists in 48 contests.
  • The Rangers announced (Twitter link) that center Alexander Wennberg was unavailable to play tonight for personal reasons. He and his wife are expecting a child in the coming days.  The 29-year-old was acquired from Seattle earlier this month and he has fared relatively well in the early going with his new team, picking up four points in nine games so far.  However, his playing time is down by nearly four minutes a night as he’s averaging 15:01 with his new team.
  • Penguins prospect Vasiliy Ponomarev suffered a lower-body injury late last week with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, relays Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 22-year-old was a key piece in the Jake Guentzel trade and was speculated to be a strong recall candidate for the stretch run.  However, Ponomarev is now listed as out week-to-week which will put those plans on hold if not squash them altogether.

West Notes: Hronek, Vilardi, Tourigny, Bardakov

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

In an appearance on Sekeres and Price (video link), Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli discusses the importance of the Canucks avoiding salary arbitration with pending RFA defenseman Filip Hronek.  The team may view Quinn Hughes’ $7.85MM cap hit as a ceiling they don’t want to surpass when it comes to spending on their defensemen.  However, Hronek has already set career highs in assists (40) and points (45) this season while logging over 23 minutes a night.  Arbitration-eligible for the first time this summer, the two sides going to a hearing could push Hronek’s award past the $7MM mark.  Accordingly, settling before it gets to that point should be high on Vancouver’s priority list this offseason.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Jets center Gabriel Vilardi returned to practice today as he works his way back from an enlarged spleen. Murat Ates of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that the 24-year-old is expected to skate with the team every day this week as he works on getting back into playing condition.  When healthy, Vilardi has been a key producer for Winnipeg this season, notching 16 goals and 14 assists in just 38 games so far.
  • Coyotes head coach Andre Tourigny is expected to serve as Canada’s head coach at the upcoming World Championship although it’s not yet official, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports. Tourigny served in that role last year, helping lead Canada to the gold medal.
  • Avalanche prospect Zakhar Bardakov intends to sign with Colorado and play in North America after next season, his agent Shumi Babaev told Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now. The 23-year-old was picked up from New Jersey in the Kurtis MacDermid trade and had a dozen points in 51 games with SKA St. Petersburg this season.  Bardakov’s KHL deal is expiring and Babaev noted that Bardakov intends to play next season in that league; it remains to be seen if that will be with SKA or another organization.

Snapshots: Seguin, Felcman, Panthers, Escrow

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Top Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin will be held out of the team’s Tuesday night game, per an interview between NHL.com’s Mike Heika and head coach Pete DeBoer (Twitter link). DeBoer added that Seguin hasn’t faced a setback and that this move is simply a rest day out of caution. Seguin made his return from an 11-game absence on March 20th, after bearing with a lower-body injury that held him out for a month. He’s scored four points in three games since returning, including a three-point performance on Sunday in 17-and-a-half minutes of ice time – the most he’s played since mid-January. The performance must have taken a toll on Seguin, who will now be held out of the lineup despite 22 goals and 49 points in 61 games this season.

Ty Dellandrea is expected to fill in for Seguin in the Stars lineup, set to play in his 41st game of the season. He has two goals and nine points on the year so far, a big step down from the 28 points he recorded in 82 games last season. This is Dellandrea’s second season in a full-time NHL role, though he’s retreated to being a healthy scratch after playing in every game last season.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Chicago Blackhawks have signed 2023 third-round draft pick Jiri Felcman to an AHL amateur try-out for the remainder of the season, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link). Felcman is moving to North American pros after spending much of the season in Switzerland’s U20 league, where he’s managed 23 points in 26 games. The 18-year-old centerman has also scored four points in 13 Swiss League games – Switzerland’s second-tier league – and one assist in five National League games – Switzerland’s top league. His move to North America will void his previous commitment to Langnau of the National League for next season.
  • The Florida Panthers welcomed both Aleksander Barkov and Gustav Forsling back to the lineup on Tuesday per a team announcement (Twitter link). Barkov has missed the team’s last three games with an undisclosed injury, while Forsling is returning after missing two games with illness. These returns will likely bump Kyle Okposo and Uvis Balinskis out of the lineup.
  • Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that players are expected to receive around half of the 6% escrow they paid this season if the NHL’s revenue projections hold.  That’s particularly notable as it suggests that the potential exists for future salary caps to go up quicker than anticipated.  As it stands, there is a maximum 5% escalator on the cap for next season as dictated by the CBA but that can be waived if both the NHL and NHLPA agree.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top