Craig Smith Announces Retirement
As expected, forward Craig Smith has hung up his skates after 14 years in the NHL. The Magnuson Hockey Agency, which represented Smith, announced the retirement.
Smith’s professional career began back in 2009, when he was selected with the 98th overall pick by the Nashville Predators. He spent two years following the draft playing for the NCAA’s University of Wisconsin, scoring 27 goals and 76 points in 82 games while being named the program’s captain in his second season.
Impressively, after a standout performance for Team USA at the 2011 IIHF World Championships, Smith jumped right to the NHL in the 2011-12 season with the Predators. He finished 12th in Calder Trophy voting that year, scoring 14 goals and 36 points in 72 games — good for eighth in scoring on the team.
Due to some injury troubles, Smith skated in four games for the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, which would serve as the only AHL playing time Smith had throughout his career. Over the next eight years, Smith scored 148 goals and 294 points in 589 games with Nashville, averaging 14:57 of ice time in a middle-six role. He had a far lesser track record of success in the postseason, tallying seven goals and 16 points in 52 games from 2012 to 2020.
After his five-year, $21.25MM extension with Nashville concluded after the 2019-20 season, Smith reached free agency for the first time at 33 years old. Due to the pause caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Smith had to wait until mid-October to sign his next contract, which became a three-year, $9.3MM deal with the Boston Bruins.
He enjoyed a pair of relatively productive seasons with the Bruins before transitioning to a bottom-six role in his final season. In the last year of his deal, Smith was traded to the Washington Capitals in the trade that sent Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway to New England.
The Madison, WI native would only sign two more NHL contracts after that trade — one with the Dallas Stars, and another with the Chicago Blackhawks before ultimately ending his career with the Detroit Red Wings. Smith finished his career with 220 goals and 452 points in 987 games, becoming the fifth-highest scoring Wisconsin-born player behind Joe Pavelski, Phil Kessel, Gary Suter, and Ryan Suter.
We at PHR congratulate Smith on a solid career and wish him the best in his next chapter.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports.
Mammoth’s Logan Cooley Out With Lower-Body Injury
Dec. 8th: The Mammoth confirmed that Cooley will miss his second straight game with his lower-body injury, and could be out much longer. Utah shared that Cooley would be out indefinitely, though they didn’t confirm whether or not they would place him on the injured reserve.
Dec. 6th: The Utah Mammoth have announced that star center Logan Cooley will miss Saturday night’s game against the Calgary Flames due to a lower-body injury. He will be re-evaluated when Utah returns home on Monday. Cooley crashed hard into the net-posts late in Friday night’s win over the Vancouver Canucks. He was able to finish the game and it is not clear if that was the incident that led to this new injury.
Cooley’s timeline isn’t yet clear, but even one game without him will be too much. He leads the Mammoth with 14 goals, and also has 23 points, 13 shot blocks, and 34 hits in 29 games. He’s also served a key role on Utah’s top power-play unit. It’s a breakout year for the 21-year-old centerman, who seems capable of leading a next generation of Utah hockey alongside youngsters Dylan Guenther and JJ Peterka.
Barrett Hayton will return to the lineup for the first time since December 1st in Cooley’s absence. It has been a down year for Hayton, who only has five points in 24 games so far. He has struggled to click with a reshaped Utah top-six and doesn’t offer the strength away from his skill to fit above Jack McBain or Kevin Stenlund in the bottom-six. That made Hayton a difficult asset to manage for the Mammoth. He’ll look to curb the slow streak in between rookie winger Daniil But and star Guenther on Saturday.
Calgary Flames Recall Hunter Brzustewicz
According to a team announcement, the Calgary Flames have recalled defenseman Hunter Brzustewicz from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers. Calgary had one open spot on their roster, so no corresponding roster move was necessary.
Brzustewicz, 21, was selected with the 75th overall pick by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2023 NHL Draft. He didn’t spend much time as a prospect for the Canucks. The following season, the Washington, MI native was traded to the Flames in the deal that sent Elias Lindholm to British Columbia.
His prospect value had increased significantly by that time. After scoring six goals and 57 points in 68 games for the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers during his draft season, Brzustewicz put up 13 goals and 92 points in 67 games the following season, leading the OHL in assists.
Since then, despite featuring in one game for the Flames last season, Brzustewicz has spent much of his time with the Wranglers. He didn’t crack the All-Rookie team last year, but he’s managed a respectable nine goals and 44 points in 93 games with a -8 rating.
It’ll be interesting to see how Calgary uses Brzustewicz throughout this recall. He’s a natural fit on the right side of the defensive core, though the Flames already have MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson as their top two options. Calgary may slot Brzustewicz into the team’s bottom-pairing, or pair him with Weegar, who is one of the best in the league at playing on his off-side.
Canada Announces Roster For 2026 World Juniors
Team Canada has become the latest to announce their preliminary roster for the 2025-26 World Junior Championships. Team USA and Team Sweden were the other two nations to announce their rosters earlier this month. Hockey Canada currently has 27 names on their list, meaning two players will eventually be on the outside looking in before the tournament kicks off on December 26th.
F Carter Bear (Red Wings, 2025, 1-13)
F Cole Beaudoin (Mammoth, 2024, 1-24)
F Braeden Cootes (Canucks, 2025, 1-15)
F Caleb Desnoyers (Mammoth, 2025, 1-4)
F Liam Greentree (Kings, 2024, 1-26)
F Michael Hage (Canadiens, 2024, 1-21)
F Tij Iginla (Mammoth, 2024, 1-6)
F Jett Luchanko (Flyers, 2024, 1-13)
F Brady Martin (Predators, 2025, 1-5)
F Porter Martone (Flyers, 2025, 1-6)
F Gavin McKenna (2026 draft eligible)
F Michael Misa (Sharks, 2025, 1-2)
F Jake O’Brien (Kraken, 2025, 1-8)
F Sam O’Reilly (Lightning, 2024, 1-32)
F Cole Reschny (Flames, 2025, 1-18)
D Kashawn Aitcheson (Islanders, 2025, 1-17)
D Harrison Brunicke (Penguins, 2024, 2-44)
D Carson Carels (2026 draft eligible)
D Ben Danford (Maple Leafs, 2024, 1-31)
D Ethan Mackenzie (undrafted in 2024, 2025)
D Zayne Parekh (Flames, 2024, 1-9)
D Cameron Reid (Predators, 2025, 1-21)
D Jackson Smith (Blue Jackets, 2025, 1-14)
D Keaton Verhoeff (2026 draft eligible)
G Carter George (Kings, 2024, 2-57)
G Jack Ivankovic (Predators, 2025, 2-58)
G Joshua Ravensbergen (Sharks, 2025, 1-30)
Outside of having 20 former first-round selections on their roster and a trio that are projected, Team Canada boasts 42 games of NHL experience. Comparatively, the reigning back-to-back champions from the United States don’t have any.
The firepower that Canada has on offense may be insurmountable for opposing teams. Every forward on the roster was drafted in the first round of their respective draft years, with McKenna being the presumptive first overall pick in next year’s draft. Hage, at the University of Michigan, is currently in a four-way tie for the NCAA’s league lead in points, while Martone is following closely behind at Michigan State University. Meanwhile, O’Brien and Beaudoin are pacing the CHL with 45 points and 41 points, respectively.
On defense, the roster is again composed of mostly first-round talents, with Brunicke and Mackenzie being the exceptions. Although Brunicke didn’t have the honor of being selected in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft, he’s already competed in nine games with the Pittsburgh Penguins this season and has 15 games of AHL experience from the last two seasons. Verhoeff, who is the most prominent challenger to McKenna’s billing as next summer’s first overall pick, has scored four goals and 11 points in 16 games at the University of North Dakota this season.
Lastly, Canada will bring two of the hottest goaltenders in their respective leagues to this year’s World Junior Championship. Ravensbergen has compiled a 16-6-0 record with a .921 SV% and 2.50 GAA in 22 games for the WHL’s Prince George Cougars, whereas Ivankovic has collected 16 wins in 20 games at the University of Michigan with a .927 SV% and 1.90 GAA.
Outside of a few eligible players that are remaining with their respective NHL organizations the rest of the way, the biggest surprise exclusion from Team Canada’s roster is undoubtedly defenseman Landon Dupont. Dupont, 16, is the odds-on favorite to be the first overall selection of the 2027 NHL Draft, scoring 20 goals and 79 points in 88 games over the last two years with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips with a +45 rating. He was likely left off this year’s roster due to some mild injury concerns he has had throughout the season.
Kings Exploring Change-Of-Scenery Options With Phillip Danault
On today’s rendition of 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Los Angeles Kings are exploring a change-of-scenery trade with center Phillip Danault. Additionally, Friedman suggested that Danault would be open to the idea of playing for a different organization.
There’s no question that the Kings have gotten a different version of Danault this year. In the four years following the summer of 2021, when the middle-six center signed a six-year, $33MM contract with Los Angeles, Danault had scored 70 goals and 195 points in 319 games wearing the black and silver while averaging approximately 18 minutes a night.
Additionally, Danault has managed a solid 53.0% success rate in the faceoff dot while starting most of his shifts in the defensive zone, and has held his own on the defensive side of the puck. He has been one of the Kings’ best playoff performers, despite failing to reach beyond the first round throughout his tenure, scoring seven goals and 19 points in 24 contests.
This season, by contrast, Danault has offered little to no offensive value. Through 28 games, the 32-year-old middleman has registered only five assists while averaging 16:27 of ice time. He has remained valuable on the defensive side of the puck, but it appears frustration is growing on both sides of the relationship, particularly due to the lack of offense.
Given his lack of offense, even for a change-of-scenery swap, it may prove difficult to move Danault. He’s signed through next season at a $5.5MM cap hit, and has a 10-team no-trade clause, though he may be willing to completely waive that if he’s committed to a new opportunity.
It’s unlikely that the Kings would want to move him for futures, either. Unless they acquire capital for a separate trade, Los Angeles doesn’t have many internal candidates that could replace Danault down the middle of the team’s third line.
That means that for any trade involving Danault, the Kings would likely look for another center who has had a similarly disappointing year. Peyton Krebs of the Buffalo Sabres, Jason Dickinson of the Chicago Blackhawks, Kent Johnson of the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Scott Laughton of the Toronto Maple Leafs all come to mind as potential options.
Canucks, Red Wings Have Reportedly Spoken About Quinn Hughes
Following up on his report from Saturday Headlines, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has reported on another team that has spoken to the Vancouver Canucks regarding a potential trade for star defenseman Quinn Hughes. In today’s rendition of 32 Thoughts, Friedman shares that the Detroit Red Wings have inquired about Hughes’ availability.
Like his update linking Hughes to the New Jersey Devils, it doesn’t appear anything is imminent with the Red Wings, either. About New Jersey, Friedman said, “I do not believe there is anything imminent. I don’t even know that they’re anywhere far along. But I do believe that a conversation was had about where things stand and where they might be going.” It appears similar conversations have been had with Detroit.
This isn’t the first report linking the Red Wings to Hughes, although it is the first confirming that the interest is legitimate. A week and a half ago, Jeff Marek of The Sheet reported that Detroit was a team to watch if the Canucks were open to moving Hughes, citing defenseman Simon Edvinsson as a potential headliner that could head back to Vancouver.
Additionally, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period suggested that Lucas Raymond would be of the most interest to the Canucks. For what it’s worth, although he didn’t mention a specific name, Friedman believes that if they were to move Hughes, Vancouver would only trade him unless a prominent center was coming back, which would make Edvinsson or Raymond a non-starter. There’s no indication the Red Wings would have any interest in moving either, even if they were able to acquire a defenseman of Hughes’ caliber.
Although the Red Wings don’t have the benefit of rostering Hughes’ brothers, the family’s connection to Detroit runs deep. Before debuting in the NHL, Hughes spent nearly four years in southeast Michigan, playing for the United States National Team Development Program before playing for the University of Michigan Wolverines.
Notably, during the 2018 NHL Draft, Detroit surprisingly selected Filip Zadina, who’s now playing for the NL’s HC Davos, while Hughes was still on the table. The Canucks selected Hughes one pick later with the seventh overall pick.
Much like it would be for any team, acquiring a consistent Norris Trophy candidate such as Hughes would be a franchise-altering move for the Red Wings. The team already has a top-pairing defenseman in Moritz Seider, though he doesn’t offer the same offensive profile as Hughes.
Regardless, whether it be with Detroit or New Jersey, it doesn’t appear that the Canucks are close to trading Hughes or even firmly entertaining the idea. However, with their position in the standings and the fact that Hughes is expected to become an unrestricted free agent after next season, teams from around the league are beginning to gain confidence that the Canucks could end up moving him now rather than lose him for nothing after next year.
Avalance Reassign Trent Miner, Scott Wedgewood Expected To Return
Wild Reassign Hunter Haight
Sabres Recall Zach Metsa, Reassign Noah Ostlund
The Buffalo Sabres have recalled defenseman Zach Metsa from the AHL’s Rochester Americans. Metsa was reassigned last Monday. He played in three games with Rochester last week and recorded two points, one penalty, and a plus-two.
Metsa played in the first four NHL games of his career earlier this season. He hasn’t found a scoresheet yet, other than one penalty, but has recorded a plus-three. Metsa has been a much more electric piece for Rochester. He has 13 points in 14 games with the Americans, good for second on the blue-line in scoring behind Zac Jones’ 20 points in 20 games.
Metsa, 27, is emerging as a potential NHL option after two strong AHL seasons to start his career. He joined Rochester as an undrafted free agent in 2022-23, after five years at Quinnipiac University, where he won one NCAA National Championship. Metsa had a quiet first year – with just 28 points in his first 72 AHL games. That preluded a true breakout last season. He recorded 49 points in 77 games, including playoffs, last season. That led Rochester’s defense in scoring and ranked third on the team overall. He has kept up the hot scoring through this season, helping to cement his spot on top of Buffalo’s call-up sheet over the more experienced Jones.
To make room for Metsa’s recall, Buffalo has also loaned center Noah Ostlund back to the AHL. The second-year pro has been Metsa’s counterpart on offense, bouncing between the NHL and AHL lineup for much of the year. He has seven points in six AHL games and six poinst in 20 NHL games. It’s the first scoring of his NHL career, after he failed to produce in the first eight games of his career last season. Ostlund will look to rediscover his offensive production with a return to the Americans, after only posting one assist in his last nine games with Buffalo.
Blues’ Jordan Kyrou Out Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury
12/7: Blues head coach Jim Montgomery designated Kyrou as day-to-day, and said he was “doing OK”, in an update on Sunday. It seems St. Louis has dodged the worst-case scenario, after losing a main lineup fixture early into Saturday night’s win.
12/6: The St. Louis Blues lost star winger Jordan Kyrou during Saturday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators. He went down the tunnel three minutes into the game after receiving a hit against the boards from Ottawa Senators rookie Stephen Halliday. Kyrou was favoring his left leg on his way off the ice.
Kyrou has been on a heater as of late. He has three points, a plus-two, and eight shots on net over his last four games. Those numbers have propped Kyrou up to 16 points, a minus-nine, and 69 shots on goal in 27 games this season. He ranks second on the team in scoring behind Robert Thomas‘ 17 points in 24 games. Kyrou hasn’t filled his usual stapled top-line role under head coach Jim Montgomery, but he’s snapped back to routine scoring after a four-game drought in early November.
Kyrou has been an electric scorer for the Blues dating back to the 2021-22 season. That was his breakout year in the NHL, marked by 27 goals and 75 points in 74 games. He has followed that with three consecutive 30-goal seasons and two more 70-point years. He’s up to 348 points in 443 games through eight years in the NHL. That scoring will make him an invaluable asset in any potential moves, and a hard lineup piece to replace should this injury force him out of more games.