Metro Notes: Panarin, Gostisbehere, Hamilton
The New York Rangers had a difficult first month of the 2025-26 season, and the primary reason has been the team’s inability to consistently put the puck in the net. They rank last in the NHL in goals scored per game with just 2.21, and a notable reason for their struggles has been the performance of star winger Artemi Panarin. Panarin is usually the Rangers’ offensive engine, but he has just seven points in 14 games this season, with four of them coming in a single game. The Athletic’s Vince Z. Mercogliano reported on Panarin’s struggles in more detail, with Panarin telling the reporter his struggles have “really kind of snowballed.” He said “I missed training camp, had a couple (injury) issues. I wasn’t feeling right from a conditioning standpoint in the first couple games. I started getting frustrated right away, and then it kind of goes into the contract and all that stuff in my head.”
As Panarin himself noted, his contract status as a pending unrestricted free agent looms large over his 2025-26 season. Mercogliano reported that “there have been brief negotiations” between Panarin’s camp, led by Paul Theofanous, and the Rangers, but that those talks have “stalled” lately. It’s been reported previously that the Rangers are “in no rush” to make a commitment to Panarin, who at 34 years old is staring down the possibility that this could be the last big contract of his NHL career. In order for him to maximize that deal, he’ll need to step up his production. Panarin ended the 2023-24 season with 120 points, so he’s shown recently that he can be among the top scorers in the NHL. For him to position himself best for his next contract, he’ll need to find a way to rediscover that form.
Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- The Carolina Hurricanes announced today that defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere has been placed on injured reserve, and that the IR placement is retroactive to Oct. 28. Gostisbehere was injured in the team’s Oct. 28 game against the Vegas Golden Knights, and hasn’t played since. The veteran was off to a strong start to the season before his injury, scoring seven points in six games. There remains no firm timeline for Gostisbehere to return, and without Gostisbehere to run the team’s top power-play unit, the team has had to rely on veteran Sean Walker, who has five points through 13 games.
- New Jersey Devils star blueliner Dougie Hamilton left last night’s victory over the Montreal Canadiens with an injury, and no further update on Hamilton’s status was provided. Today, Devils team reporter Amanda Stein relayed word from head coach Sheldon Keefe that Hamilton remains under evaluation today, and there is at this point no additional detail on the player’s status. Hamilton is a key contributor to what has been a strong Devils team so far this season. He ranks No. 2 among Devils defensemen in ice time, just behind Luke Hughes, and is tied with Hughes for second on the team in defensive scoring with seven points in 14 games. The 32-year-old is playing out a $9MM AAV contract that runs through the 2027-28 season.
Injury Notes: Chatfield, Beecher, Hamilton
Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield will not return to tonight’s game, per the team, after sustaining a brutal hit to the head from Wild forward Tyler Pitlick. Chatfield was helped off the ice and left the game immediately, while Pitlick received a match penalty from the game, which carries an automatic suspension pending review from the league. It stands as the first match penalty of the 2025-26 NHL season.
Already missing Jaccob Slavin and Shayne Gostisbehere, the Canes can seldom afford to lose another defenseman. They have already called upon Joel Nystrom, who is getting his first NHL action this season after coming over from Sweden, being drafted by the club in the seventh round back in 2021. Meanwhile, Chatfield was signed to a rather unassuming two-way deal in 2021, but since then has become a highly reliable and steady presence for the Hurricanes on the backend, not playing in less than 72 games in the past three seasons.
Pitlick, 34, has never been known as an overly aggressive player, but since making it back to the NHL this season with his hometown Minnesota Wild, the veteran has tried to bring physicality, and unfortunately, crossed the line in doing so. Pitlick has yet to record a point in nine games with the Wild, having last played in the NHL with the Rangers in 2023-24, splitting time between New York and the AHL in that season. Now, eyes will be on any further discipline on the journeyman forward.
Elsewhere across the league:
- The Boston Bruins confirmed mid-game that forward John Beecher will not return due to an upper-body injury. Beecher, 24, went down hard and appeared to be favoring his shoulder. The 24-year-old former first-round pick is still working to find his offense, with 26 points in 78 games last season, and one goal in five games so far in 2025-26. Yet even when not appearing on the scoresheet, Beecher brings imposing size in the bottom six at 6’3”.
- Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton left during the second period against Montreal, and has not returned, as confirmed by Amanda Stein, Devils team reporter. Hamilton, 32, has unfortunately only one injury-free season in five as a Devil, his major breakout 74-points in 82 games campaign in 2022-23. New Jersey already placed fellow standout defender Brett Pesce on IR earlier today. The team has not disclosed further details on Hamilton at this time.
Devils Notes: Markstrom, Hamilton, Glass
It’s been an active day for the New Jersey Devils, as they’ve not only made a few roster moves, but the team’s general manager, Tom Fitzgerald, spoke on a variety of topics with The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun. One of those topics was the status of starting netminder Jacob Markstrom, who is currently out with an injury. Fitzgerald expressed confidence that Markstrom would eventually return from his injury this season, stating “Marky is on the ice. He’s skating,” while adding that the team “won’t rush him back.” LeBrun noted that the team’s “hope is to extend Markstrom,” who is playing out the final year of a $6MM AAV deal.
Fitzgerald said that Markstrom’s agent, Newport’s Pat Morris, and he “have been talking for a long time,” and will have another talk this week. LeBrun noted that “term will be the most delicate part of that negotiation” of Markstrom’s next deal, as he is set to turn 36 before next season. Markstrom has certainly lined himself upfor a healthy next contract over the course of his most recent deal. He was the runner-up for the Vezina Trophy as a member of the Calgary Flames and helped the Devils reach the playoffs last season. Markstrom has made 51 starts in his Devils career, going 28-17-6 with a 2.56 goals-against average and .898 save percentage.
Other notes from Newark:
- LeBrun’s interview also covered the status of top blueliner Dougie Hamilton, who is now one of two Devils blueliners making $9MM per year thanks to the recent signing of Luke Hughes. LeBrun noted that “there are certainly other NHL front offices keeping a close eye” on Hamilton’s status now that Hughes has signed, “in the event Hamilton becomes available at some point.” Fitzgerald downplayed the impact of Hughes’ signing on Hamilton’s future in New Jersey, though. The Devils’ GM indicated that the team feels having each defenseman capable of quarterbacking a power play is an asset, not an inefficiency in need of correction.
- The Devils announced today that center Cody Glass will miss their game against the Minnesota Wild as he manages an upper-body injury. Glass lined up as the Devils’ third-line center yesterday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and head coach Sheldon Keefe re-structured his team’s lines to account for Glass’ absence. Dawson Mercer moved down from the second-line right wing spot next to Nico Hischier to center the third line and was replaced by rookie Arseni Gritsyuk, whose own third-line spot was filled by Paul Cotter. Cotter was elevated from the fourth-line and replaced by Stefan Noesen, who will make his 2025-26 debut tonight. Glass, who has dealt with persistent injury troubles throughout his NHL career, got off to a decent start to the season in New Jersey, scoring two goals in six games.
Snapshots: Cooley, Davidson, Dubois, Wood, Didier
While the Flames didn’t claim any goaltenders off waivers this fall, it appears they’re not completely sold on Devin Cooley being the backup. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that Calgary has been talking to teams to see what other options might be out there. However, they plan to give Cooley a look between the pipes, potentially on Wednesday, in the hopes that he can play his way into securing this position. If the Flames were to trade for (or sign) another netminder, that would give them four on one-way contracts, typically not an ideal situation to be in. Friedman added that as Calgary searches for another goaltending option, teams are asking for an incentive to take on one of those extra one-way goalies, something they’re resisting. If Cooley does well and earns the trust to be the full-time backup, this will work out okay but if he struggles, expect to see them looking around the market some more in the coming days.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- It has been nearly four years since the Blackhawks promoted Kyle Davidson to GM with the team posting a 107-187-35 record with him at the helm. Despite their struggles, team owner Danny Wirtz gave Davidson a vote of confidence in an interview with Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, saying that “Everything Kyle set out to do, he continues to deliver on”. Chicago has been stockpiling draft picks and prospects for several years now in the hope that a contender can emerge from this group and it appears Davidson will have a long leash from ownership to see if that will happen down the road.
- Capitals forward Pierre-Luc Dubois left Sunday’s game with an undisclosed injury, notes Bailey Johnson of the Washington Post (Twitter link). An update on his status is expected on Tuesday. The 27-year-old had a career year last season in his first year with Washington, notching 20 goals and 46 assists in 82 games during the regular season. He was off to a slower start before this injury though, being held off the scoresheet in his first three appearances in 2025-26.
- Blue Jackets winger Miles Wood left tonight’s game against New Jersey with an upper-body injury, the team announced (Twitter link). He took a high stick from Dougie Hamilton in the first period and did not return. Wood is in his first season with Columbus after being acquired from Colorado in the offseason and scored in his second game of the campaign.
- Veteran defenseman Josiah Didier has signed a PTO deal with AHL Laval, the team announced (Twitter link). The 32-year-old was drafted by Montreal (who is Laval’s parent team) back in 2011 but he didn’t sign with them. Didier has spent parts of 12 seasons in the AHL, totaling 496 games overall where he has 83 points and 530 penalty minutes. With his experience, he’ll count towards their veteran limit whenever he suits up.
Metropolitan Notes: Penguins, Chatfield, Quapp, Devils
While some head coaching searches may soon be wrapping up, don’t expect that to be the case for the Penguins. Speaking with The Athletic’s Josh Yohe (subscription link), GM Kyle Dubas indicated that he plans to do a second interview in-person with the final few candidates for the role in the final week of May when he returns from Sweden where he’s in charge of Canada’s entry at the Worlds. From there, the hope is to have the new hire in place by June 1st before Dubas leaves for the Draft Combine a few days later. The new coach will be taking over for Mike Sullivan, who was one of the longest-tenured bench bosses in the league before parting ways with him earlier this month.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield did not take part in practice today in advance of Tuesday’s Eastern Conference Final opener, relays Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal (Twitter link). Head coach Rod Brind’Amour noted over the weekend that he was hopeful that the 29-year-old would be ready for the opener after missing the last game against Washington with an undisclosed injury but that may be in some question now. Today, the bench boss noted that Chatfield will likely need to be a full participant in tomorrow’s game-day skate to have a shot at suiting up.
- Still with the Hurricanes, goaltending prospect Nikita Quapp has signed a one-year deal with Eispiraten Crimmitschau in Germany’s second division, per a team release. Carolina drafted the 22-year-old back in the sixth round in 2021 but he has struggled. After spending most of 2023-24 in the second division, Quapp moved up to the DEL this year but only got into nine games with Dusseldorfer where he posted a 4.08 GAA and a .870 SV%. Carolina holds Quapp’s rights through June 1st and considering his struggles and this contract, it’s fair to say they will be letting those rights go in a couple of weeks.
- James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now highlights a trio of Devils players whose trade protection decreases at the beginning of July. Center Erik Haula goes from a full no-trade clause to a six-team no-trade clause while winger Ondrej Palat and defenseman Dougie Hamilton go from a full no-trade to a 10-team no-trade (while retaining no-move rights for waiver purposes). GM Tom Fitzgerald vowed to be active this summer following an early exit in the playoffs so having a few more potential trade options could certainly help in that regard.
Devils Dougie Hamilton Returns From Injury
The Devils Dougie Hamilton is in the lineup tonight against the Detroit Red Wings, per a team announcement. The defender has missed the past 18 games due to a lower body injury he sustained on March 4th against the Dallas Stars. He has recovered quicker than expected after it was originally thought he would miss the remainer of the regular season.
According to an NHL release, Hamilton has been skating on his own the past three weeks and participated in warmups prior to Sunday’s game against the Islanders. Tonight, he has slotted right back into the team’s top pairing alongside Brenden Dillon.
On the season, the offensive-minded defender has put up 9 goals, 31 assists and 40 points in 63 games. He has added 81 blocked shots, 74 hits, a plus-nine rating, and has averaged 19:48 of total ice time per game on the year. In his career, the 31-year-old has scored 501 points in 834 career games.
Prior to the game, Devils coach Sheldon Keefe noted how hard Hamilton has worked to get ahead of schedule and back into the lineup. He added that Hamilton was, “Excited to go.”
New Jersey will finish third in the Metropolitan Division and will play the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round. Hamilton’s return and ability to shake off a little rust tonight, should support the Devils’ efforts in the playoffs. In 66 career playoff games, Hamilton has posted 29 points.
Metropolitan Notes: Thompson, Protas, Hamilton, Carrier, Gostisbehere
Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson began on-ice recovery today as he nears a return from an upper-body injury, Emily Kaplan of ESPN said on today’s broadcast of Washington’s loss in Columbus (via Tom Gulitti of NHL.com). He skated today along with the NHL’s new all-time goals leader, Alex Ovechkin, who stayed home to rest with the Caps’ place atop the Eastern Conference clinched. The presumptive Vezina Trophy finalist has missed the last four games with an upper-body injury and remains questionable for the beginning of Washington’s first-round playoff series against whichever team ends up in the second wild-card spot. Backup Charlie Lindgren hasn’t been particularly inspiring in his absence, posting a .866 SV% since taking over for Thompson when the latter left an April 2 loss to the Hurricanes. Lindgren was not in the crease today for the Caps’ 7-0 defeat; third-stringer Hunter Shepard was. Winger Aliaksei Protas is also expected to skate Monday for the first time since sustaining a laceration from a skate on his left foot on April 4, Kaplan said. “There is some concern about how the location of the skate cut (under skate tongue) will impact the rest of Protas’ foot, but they’re hopeful he’ll be ready for the start of the playoffs,” Gulitti relayed. The 24-year-old remains an invaluable part of the Caps’ league-best offense, erupting for a career-best 30-36–66 scoring line in 76 showings.
Elsewhere in the Metro:
- Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton continues to inch closer to a return but won’t play tomorrow against the Islanders, head coach Sheldon Keefe told the team’s Amanda Stein. Initially expected to be out until the second round of the playoffs after sustaining a lower-body injury in early March, he’s been upgraded to day-to-day. He will almost certainly be an option to begin their first-round series against the Hurricanes. He’s a key return amid a blue line missing Jonas Siegenthaler and a forward group missing star center Jack Hughes. Hamilton’s 40 points in 63 games rank seventh on the Devils and second among rearguards behind Luke Hughes‘ 42.
- The Hurricanes had winger William Carrier in the lineup against the Rangers today for the first time since he underwent lower-body surgery in January. An important depth add to their bottom six ahead of the postseason, the 30-year-old had an assist, four hits, and a plus-one rating in 10:48 of ice time in his return. They were without top backend point-producer Shayne Gostisbehere, though, who Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal relays is dealing with a lower back injury. It’s his second straight absence. The 31-year-old has 44 points in 68 showings this year, his fourth straight season above 40 points. He ranks fifth on Carolina in scoring while averaging 18:29 per game. He remains day-to-day and should be back for Game 1 against New Jersey.
Metro Notes: Hamilton, Hurricanes, Penguins
Heading into the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, the New Jersey Devils will be without their top forward and defenseman. However, it may not be long before the latter returns. Earlier today, Peter Baugh of The Athletic relayed a note from the Devils’ head coach, Sheldon Keefe, indicating Dougie Hamilton could return for Round One.
Originally, Hamilton had been ruled out for the regular season in mid-March, with a projected return date of Round Two of the postseason. A week ago, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that Hamilton was recovering faster than expected, with the likelihood of a Round One return increasing exponentially now that he’s returned to skating.
There’s no question the Devils could use him. Hamilton scored nine goals and 40 points in 63 games for New Jersey this season, with 15 coming on the team’s powerplay. The Devils have slowed down since Hamilton and forward Jack Hughes exited the lineup, while their projected Round One opponent, the Carolina Hurricanes, have managed a 9-4-0 record since the trade deadline, meaning New Jersey will need every advantage available.
Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- Speaking of Carolina, the Hurricanes are expected to welcome forwards Jordan Staal and Andrei Svechnikov back to the lineup for tonight’s contest against the Buffalo Sabres. Staal and Svechnikov had missed a handful of games for Carolina over the past week. Unfortunately, in the report from Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer, the Hurricanes are expected to be without center Jesperi Kotkaniemi for the next week. Still, Alexander did reiterate a sentiment from head coach Rod Brind’Amour indicating it’s not a serious ailment for Kotkaniemi.
- Earlier today, Seth Rorabaugh of The Tribune Review contextualized Matthew Nieto‘s emergency recall last night. Rorabaugh reports that forward Philip Tomasino has been diagnosed with a concussion, and forward Blake Lizotte is considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Unfortunately, the concussion will likely result in the end of Tomasino’s 2024-25 season. Still, he’s had a promising run with the Penguins since being acquired from the Predators earlier in the year, scoring 10 goals and 20 points in 48 contests with the new organization.
Devils’ Dougie Hamilton Recovering Faster Than Expected
Dougie Hamilton could return to the Devils lineup sooner than previously thought. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports today there’s an outside chance of their top defenseman returning during the regular season, with a return during the first round of the playoffs looking more likely. Hamilton started skating last week after general manager Tom Fitzgerald said they weren’t expecting him back until a possible second-round series.
The 2021 All-Star has been out since sustaining a lower-body injury on March 4. New Jersey has gone 7-5-1 in 13 games without him, enough to tighten their grip on third place in the Metropolitan Division despite also missing top-four defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler and star center Jack Hughes, the latter of whom won’t be returning this year no matter how deep of a playoff run the Devils can make. He underwent surgery on his right shoulder on March 5 and is done for the year.
This is the second year in a row that Hamilton, in year four of a seven-year deal carrying a $9MM AAV, has missed significant time. Luckily for the Devils and Hamilton, the two ailments are unrelated. A torn pectoral muscle ended his 2023-24 season in November.
Aside from his injury troubles, it hasn’t been a notable season for Hamilton. After New Jersey added Brenden Dillon and Brett Pesce in free agency last summer and traded for Johnathan Kovacevic, they’ve opted to spread out their rearguards’ usage and no longer have a clear No. 1. Hamilton’s average time on ice has dropped below 20 minutes per game for the first time since 2018-19 as a result, and his production has suffered in kind. 9-31–40 through 63 games is still a strong scoring line, on pace for 52 points and the fifth-highest points-per-game rate of his career, but it’s still disappointing after he put up 90 points in 102 games across the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.
The buck continues to fall on 21-year-old Luke Hughes to be Jersey’s top offensive producer from the blue line in the interim. He’s holding up his end of the bargain, on pace to slightly better last year’s totals that earned him third place in Calder Trophy voting. He’s also clicking at over a point per game (2-11–13 in 12 GP) since Hamilton went down. Nonetheless, having both of their standard power-play weapons back on the blue line in a nearly locked-in first-round matchup against the Hurricanes will be key.
Dougie Hamilton To Miss The Rest Of The Regular Season
New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald told the Krackin’ Canuckleheads podcast that defenseman Dougie Hamilton’s regular season is over, and the team isn’t expecting to get him back until the second round of the playoffs. Fitzgerald added that he would have to double-check his math on that, but the team had no plans for him to return in the regular season. Fitzgerald spoke in a press conference after the NHL Trade Deadline last week and said that the 31-year-old would miss, “an extended period of time,” after he suffered a lower body injury back on March 4th against the Dallas Stars. With Fitzgerald’s comments yesterday, it does appear that the team has some clarity on just how much time his recovery will take.
Hamilton is dealing with an undisclosed injury that looks to be a leg injury given the nature in which he left the ice against the Stars. Hamilton collided with Stars forward Mason Marchment and limped his way back to the bench. He remained on New Jersey’s bench for a bit, but eventually headed back to the locker room and did not return.
It’s the second year in a row that Hamilton will miss an extended length of time after he missed most of last season due to injury. Hamilton played just 20 games a season ago and was in the midst of a bounce back year, registering nine goals and 31 assists in 63 games this season, while playing nearly 20 minutes per game.
New Jersey is going through it right now when it comes to injuries. The team has already lost forward Jack Hughes as well as defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler for the rest of the regular season. It pales in comparison to last year’s injury bug, but it is more devastating given that New Jersey was one of the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference.
The team did make some additions at the Trade Deadline, in hopes of patching the holes opened up by injury, acquiring forward Cody Glass as well as defenseman Brian Dumoulin. However, they did not come close to replacing the offense lost with Hamilton and Hughes now on the shelf.