Bruins Without Viktor Arvidsson, Jonathan Aspirot On Sunday
The Boston Bruins will be down a pair of players in today’s match against the Minnesota Wild. Winger Viktor Arvidsson (lower-body) and defenseman Jonathan Aspirot (upper-body) are both expected to sit out after sustaining injuries in Thursday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets. Both were absent from Saturday’s practice.
Arvidsson missed seven games with a lower-body injury in late November. It isn’t yet clear if that injury is connected to the one that forced him out early on Thursday. Boston would sorely miss Arvidsson should he be forced into another extended absence. The 32-year-old winger has seven goals and 14 points in 25 games this season. He’s offered reliable depth scoring, usually operating on the second or third line.
Aspirot exited Thursday’s game in the first period. It was just the 19th game of his NHL career, which kicked off with a debut on October 28th. Aspirot hadn’t managed any scoring, unti lhe scored his first career goal on December 2nd. That stands as his only point, to go with 28 shot blocks and 32 hits. He has served a bottom-pair role, but has been rotated up to top-line minutes when Boston needs to hold a lead. His responsible defense will be sorely missing from the lineup.
The Bruins clarified that no recalls will be made in light of these injuries. That means Boston will bring in winger Michael Eyssimont and defender Victor Söderström to fill their gaps. Eyssimont has 12 points and a minus-eight in 30 appearances this season. He has continued to serve as a well-rounded, bottom-line forward. Söderström is hoping to push into a full-time, NHL role for the first time since the 2022-23 season – when he played 30 games with the Arizona Coyotes. He has one assist and a plus-three in three appearances with the Bruins. He brings smooth puck-movement, which could boost Boston’s offense in place of the defense-focuse Aspirot.
Four-Time Cup Champion Bobby Rousseau Passes Away At Age 85
Former Montreal Canadiens forward Bobby Rousseau has passed away at the age of 85, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Rousseau was a part of the Canadiens’ push to two rounds of back-to-back Stanley Cup wins, in 1965 and 1966, then 1968, and 1969. He also won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s best rookie in 1962, after posting 21 goals and 45 points in 70 games.
Rousseau, born Joseph Jean-Paul Robert Rousseau, began his career in the QMJHL. He led the league in scoring as a rookie, with 85 points in 44 games. Montreal acquired his rights soon after, and loaned him to the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens of the Eastern Professional Hockey League for the 1960-61 season. That same year, Rousseau was also loaned to the Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen, who represented Team Canada at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley. He would take home a Silver Medal from that tourney, in a year where USA won Gold and the Soviet Union won Bronze.
All of that came before Rousseau’s NHL career, which kicked off in-full in the 1961-62 season. He took home the Calder that year, en route to planting his feet as a routine 20-goal, 50-point challenger in the Canadiens’ lineup. He held that role through his age-24 season in 1964-65, but broke out in the 1965-66 season with 30 goals and 78 points in 70 games – all career-highs. Rousseau bounced between 60 and 70 points for the next three seasons, before dipping back to 58 points in the 1969-70 campaign.
That was enough to turnover his position in the Canadiens’ lineup. Rousseau was traded to the Minnesota North Stars, where he spent one season before again being traded to the New York Rangers. He was technically a later-named future considerations in the latter trade, a move that would prove foolish after Rousseau posted 157 points in 236 games, and four seasons, with the Rangers. His career came to a gradual close in the 1973-74 season, and officially in 1975 – the same year that his Montreal Canadiens would kick off another spree of Stanley Cup wins.
Rousseau is remembered for his fast skating and hard shot. More than that, he’s remembered for taking over games with bouts of skill, and the dynamic option that skill offered Jean Béliveau and Henri Richard in some of their best years. Rousseau was a key winger for Montreal, alongside the links of Gilles Tremblay and Claude Provost.
Rousseau’s older brother, Roland, also won the Memorial Cup. The family completed the Memorial Cup hat-trick when Rousseau’s grandson, William Rousseau, won the 2023 Cup with the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts. William went on to win the QMJHL’s ‘Goaltender of the Year’ award in 2024 and now plays professionally with the ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders.
Bobby Rousseau will forever be rememebred as one of 119 players to have their name on the Stanley Cup four different times. He leaves behind his wife, Huguette, as well as eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. His name is among Montreal’s true greats. Pro Hockey Rumors sends our condolences to Rousseau’s family, friends, and the Montreal faithful. For more insights and quotes, visit NHL.com’s story remembering the Canadiens legend.
Latest On Olympic Rink Construction
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly met with the media to share the latest on the ice rink construction for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, with updates summarized by ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. Daly confirmed that the rink will finish construction on February 2nd, just three days before the women’s tournament is scheduled to begin. The men’s tournament is set to start on February 11th. Daly added that the NHL has sent their own ice technicians and experts to Milano Cortina to support the construction, saying:
We’re basically moving everybody there to try to help get this done in a way that’s acceptable for NHL athletes. And I’m cautiously optimistic it will be fruitful.
The NHL is hearing positive updates, per Daly, and doesn’t view the construction challenges as an insurmountable barrier. At the same time, Daly said the NHL won’t send players if the ice conditions are deemed unsafe to play on. The ice sheet itself is set to be a standard international size – 196.85 feet by 85.3 feet (60 meters by 26 meters). That was the sized used in past Olympic events, but goes against an agreement made this summer between the NHL and IIHF. The NHL found out about the improper sizing last week. They okayed the it for 2026 but will expect proper dimensions for the 2030 Winter Olympics, per Daly.
The NHL is set to pause play for two weeks for the Winter Olympics. With an insistance that there is no contingency plan – Olympic hockey will only play at this newly-constructed arena next year – the NHL could find themselves in a true all-or-nothing situation. Daly spoke to the league’s optimism but also acknowledged that they may need to come up with an emergency solution, if faced with worst case scenario. What that solution would look like will be up to little more than speculation. The NHL set history with the 4-Nations Face-Off – an international, best-on-best tournament hosted by the NHL – last February. That could be a framework that let’s jettisoned Olypmians get back on the ice, while not disturbing the vacation plans of those not headed to Italy.
Patrice Bergeron, Niklas Kronwall Among 2026 IIHF Hall Of Fame Inductees
The International Ice Hockey Federation have announced their 2026 inductions into the IIHF Hall of Fame. The class includes six players – Austria’s Thomas Vanek, Switzerland’s Florence Schelling and Andres Ambuhl, Sweden’s Niklas Kronwall, and Canada’s Patrice Bergeron and Cassie Campbell-Pascall. The IIHF will also induct Ralph Krueger, once a longtime coach for Switzerland, as a builder.
This class is undoubtedly headlined by Bergeron and Kronwall, who each earned entry into the coveted Triple Gold Club, having won Gold Medals at the Olympic Games and World Championships, and a Stanley Cup. Bergeron achieved entry at the young age of 26. He won Gold at the 2004 World Championship, at the age of 19, then joined Team Canada for a historic Gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He capped off the feat by leading the Boston Bruins to the 2011 Stanley Cup.
Kronwall won Gold in both the Olympics and World Championship in the same year – 2006, when he was 25. It took him two more years to earn a Stanley Cup, as part of a 2008 Detroit Red Wings club that was laden with Hall-of-Fame talent. Both Bergeron and Kronwall were revered NHL skaters – with Bergeron reaching the pinnacle of defensive-forwards while Kronwall was known as one of the hardest-hitting defenders of the 2000’s.
Vanek never won a Gold Medal or Stanley Cup – but his international track record still became revered. He is among Austria’s greats, earning a top-five selection in the 2003 NHL Draft and seeing the country through multiple climbs in the international standings over the course of a 14-year pro career. He helped earn Austria a promotion to the top flight of the World Junior Championships in 2003, after scoring 13 goals and 24 points across just 10 games at the Division-1 level, at the ages of 16 and 17. That scoring earned him the captaincy when Austria returned to the World Juniors in 2003, where Vanek put up four points and 37 penalty minutes in six games. He made his debut at the World Championship in 2004 and the Olympic Game Qualifiers in 2005, though he wouldn’t officially go to the Olympics until 2014. All throughout, Vanek managed 17 points in 19 games at the World Championship and two points in seven games in Olympic events.
Campbell-Pascall was also a routine captain during her international career, though she managed to stock her trophy cabinet quite a bit more. By the end of her career, Campbell-Pascall had earned six Gold Medals and one Silver Medal at the World Championship, as well as two Gold Medals and one Silver Medal at the Olympics. She was a core piece of Canada’s women’s team through the turn of the centruy, offering enough dynamic speed and heads-up instinct to make plays at either the forward or defense positions. Campbell-Pascal captained Canada at two World Championships and two Olympic Games. She scored five points in five games during three of those tournaments – en route to 11 total points in 16 games at the Olympic Games and 31 points in 35 games at the World Championship.
The class closes with a trio of popular names in Switzerland. Ambuhl has long been a cornerstone of Swiss pros, in addition to his international impact. He captained Switzerland’s HC Davos from 2014 to 2024 – and led the club through appearances at the Spengler Cup in every season, as well as routine trips to the Deutschland Cup and Champions Hockey League. Ambuhl also joined Switzerland at the World Championship and Olympics in every year the country attended during his career. He scored 70 points in 151 games, and 20 appearances, at the World Championships; and eight points in 22 games during Olympic events.
Krueger oversaw many of Ambuhl’s first international tournaments. The Canadian-born head coach began his coaching career in Germany’s second league, after a long career in German pros. He then moved to a highly-successful career in Austria that earned him Switzerland’s head coaching role in 1998. Krueger stuck with Switzerland through their next 12 appearances at the World Championshpis and four appearances at the Olympic Games. He never medaled with Switzerland, but did earn a Gold Medal as a team consultant for Team Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Krueger became a naturalized Swiss citizen in 2019. He was often a vocal advocate for growing relationships between the IIHF and NHL, and helped reshape international tournaments like the Champions Hockey League.
Finally, Schelling was among the most prolific goaltenders in hockey during her 13-year international career that began with an appearance at the World Championship in 2004, when Schelling was only 15. She excelled despite playing older competition, posting a .955 save percentage in four games. Schelling quickly became a fixture of Switzerland’s international lineup after that. She attended Northeastern University in 2008 – with four appearances at the World Championship and two appearances in Olympic Game events already behind her.
Everywhere she went, Schelling challenged lofty save percentages. She posted a .926, .932, and .918 Sv% at the World Championships in 2011, 2012, and 2013 respectively. Those numbers were quickly muted by the .941, .932, .941, and .931 Sv% she managed between appearances at the World Championships and Olympics in 2015, 2016, and 2017. She was a great goalie all the way down to the fundamentals, and was often used as a great example for developing goaltenders around the world. Schelling briefly served as a head coach for Switzerland’s U18 National Team, and served as general manager of SC Bern in 2020.
Photo courtesy of Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports.
Penguins Issue Multiple Injury Updates
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas issued a long list of injury updates in his latest GM Show. Most notably, winger Rickard Rakell remains approximately three-to-four weeks away from a hand injury sustained on October 25th. He was forced to undergo surgery for the injury and was desginated as out six-to-eight weeks at the time. He remains on track with that original designation with this update.
Forwards Justin Brazeau and Noel Acciari are seven-to-10 days from making their own returns, per Dubas. Both players are currently on injured reserve with upper-body injuries and were cleared for contact at Wednesday’s practice per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports. Anthony Mantha (maintenance day) and Joona Koppanen (illness) missed practice.
The updates represent a long list of injuries that Pittsburgh has been forced to work around. Multiple absences at the forward position has put pressure on the Penguins’ rookies. Benjamin Kindel has taken on a carved-out role on the team’s third-line, and has been joined by wingers Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen. Pittsburgh also recalled Tristan Broz for his NHL debut last week. The shakeup hasn’t worked in the Penguins’ favor, marked by a lowly 5-5-3 record in November. But they’ve seen plenty of reason for optimism, with Kindel posting six points in 11 games to go with Pittsburgh’s list of young prospects rotating into the lineup.
Pittsburgh has managed to cling onto an Eastern Conference Wild Card spot despite their quiet month. That perserverance could pay off when they begin returning veterans to the lineup. Rakell is a top-line winger on the Penguins. He has eight points in nine games this year, and posted a career-year last season with 35 goals and 70 points, both personal-bests. His chemistry with Bryan Rust and Sidney Crosby is outstanding, and gives Pittsburgh a top-line to fear when all three are at full health.
Brazeau was another one of Pittsburgh’s hottest scorers to start the season. He managed six goals and 12 points in Pittsburgh’s first 12 games, marks that still rank him sixth on the team in scoring despite the fact that Brazeau has missed more games (13) than he’s played. He’ll face a tough task returning to that scoring – and a 27.3 shooting percentage – but should be a major addition to Pittsburgh’s middle-six. Acciari, despite his up-and-down play, should also push for third-line minutes. The two will bring size, grit, and veteran experience to the parts of Pittsburgh’s lineup that have had to lean on rookies the most.
Pittsburgh could be a few weeks away from upgrading a lineup that’s already in the playoff discussion. The Eastern Conference has proven extremely competitive this season, but a .911 save percentage in 11 games from Tristan Jarry has proven enough to platoon the Penguins’ record while they wait for their offensive firepower to get back to full health. How Pittsburgh is able to respond to a long list of injuries, and if they can maintain this pace, will become central stories as the NHL approaches 2026.
Afternoon Notes: Formenton, Merkulov, Penguins
The Ottawa Senators have until Monday to re-sign or trade former winger Alex Formenton. If they wait beyond then, Formenton will become an unrestricted free agent. A few days out, it appears that will be exactly what happens, per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. Formenton was one of five players accused in the high-profile sexual assault trial that reached a verdict earlier this year. Formenton briefly retired from professional hockey to work in construction full-time during 2024 and 2025, while awaiting his trial date.
He returned to hockey this season, re-signing with Ambri-Piotta of Switzerland’s National League, where he spent the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. Formenton has nine points and a minus-10 in 20 games this season. That mark is far below the 29 points he posted in 46 games in his prior two seasons in Switzerland.
Ottawa will lose Formenton’s rights in the coming days with this update. He will continue to find his footing in Switzerland’s top league, and seems far away from any hope of returning to an NHL contract.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Boston Bruins have reassigned Georgii Merkulov to the AHL’s Providence Bruins per Ty Anderson of Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub. He did not appear in the NHL lineup on his latest call-up, which only lasted a few days. Merkulov did play one NHL game earlier this season and posted no scoring and a minus-one. He has been a far larger presence in the minor leagues, where he’s scored 14 points in 17 games. The AHL Bruins are in the midst of a three-game win-streak, during which they’ve outscored opponents 17-8. Now, they’ll get a major piece of their offense back from the NHL club ahead of three games this week.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins could soon be forced to lean on their young rookies per Josh Yohe of The Athletic. Yohe points out the struggles of Pittsburgh’s bottom-six forwards, including Joona Koppanen, who has just one assist in 10 games this season. Pittsburgh could be much better off relying on prospects Rutger McGroarty and Tristan Broz, who have looked sharp for the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. McGroarty leads the team in points-per-game with seven points in five games. Broz has 13 points in 18 games of his own, good for third on the team in total scoring. Now, they could be asked to bring their high-skill offense to a Penguins squad that’s struggled to score with their superstars off of the ice. McGroarty recorded three points in his first eight NHL games last season, while Broz went scoreless in his NHL debut last week.
Rangers Face Uphill Battle With Adam Fox On LTIR
The New York Rangers were riding a three-game win-streak into Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was tied for their longest win-streak of the year, and their second three-game streak in November. But on the back of that fortune, the Rangers have been dealt a major lineup blow. Star defenseman Adam Fox sustained an upper-body injury that has landed him on long-term injured reserve. The Rangers avoided worst-case-scenario, with Fox expected to return before the end of the year. Even then, New York will face their toughest challenge of the season with at least 10 games without Fox.
Fox fills a clear #1 role for the Rangers. He has averaged 23:50 in ice time through 27 games this season, his highest usage since the 2022-23 season. He’s scored 26 points in those appaerances, tied for most on the team with Artemi Panarin. Fox also leads the defense with 51 shots on goal and ranks in the top-three with 31 blocked shots. He is a focal piece of play in all three zones when he’s on the ice, and now leaves a hole that will take multiple Rangers to fill.
New York has proven capable of filling the void in the past. They posted a 3-2-3 record in eight games without Fox last season, and a 7-2-1 record in 10 games without him in 2023-24. It was Erik Gustafsson who stepped up for Fox in 2023. He posted 11 points and averaged 20 minutes of ice time in those 10 games, while Jacob Trouba and K’Andre Miller averaged 24 minutes in a more defense-oriented role. The offense was a bit more spread in Fox’s absence last year – with Miller netting four points, while William Borgen and Zachary Jones each scored three, in eight games.
The Rangers have turned over the bulk of those difference-makers over the last two seasons, but did just gain Borgen back from an extended injury of his own. He was leaned on heaivly following Fox’s departure from Saturday’s game, and should continue to fill an important all-zones role in the short-term. New York will also have Vladislav Gavrikov, who has looked sharp on both sides of the puck as of late. He has nine points and a plus-four in 15 games this month, and 11 points in 27 games on the full season.
Filling Fox’s absence has proven to be a job for two or three players. The Rangers will have to wait and see who can step up to support Borgen and Gavrikov. Carson Soucy has four points and a plus-five in 23 games this season and Braden Schneider has five points in 27 games. Both play a physical and responsible game, and have shown an ability to stand up to tough minutes when called upon.
But if they can pillar the Rangers through the next month is yet to be seen. New York has had a positive month – posting an 8-7-0 record and +2 goal-differential. They’ve avoided the depths of the league that they landed in last season, but still need another push to stand out in a crowded Eastern Conference. Now, they will have to make that heave without one of their most impactful players. The team has proven up to the test before, and aren’t doomed to struggles just yet, but this will be the toughest test that head coach Mike Sullivan has faced yet in his first year with the Rangers.
Photo courtesy of Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports.
Senators Looking To Add But Won’t Go “Big Game Hunting”
The Ottawa Senators have been on a gradual climb since being taken over by owner Michael Andlauer and general manager Steve Staios. That ascension helped justify their acquisition of center Dylan Cozens and winger Fabian Zetterlund at the 2025 Trade Deadline. Those additions helped push the Senators to their first playoff appearance since 2017 – but the team’s rise isn’t over yet. Ottawa ranks second in the Atlantic Division through the early season and is now hoping to land a forward and defenseman on the trade market, per TSN’s Darren Dreger and Jamie Duthie in their intermission segment during Friday’s loss to the St. Louis Blues and captured by Julian McKenzie of The Athletic.
Dreger added that he doesn’t expect the Senators to be “big game hunters” and that top prospect Carter Yakemchuk would be off the table in trade negotiations. Yakemchuk is playing through his first professional season and currently has 14 points and a minus-11 in 20 games with the AHL’s Belleville Senators. He’s a hard-hitting, offensive-defenseman who seems well equipped to bring his flashy offense to Ottawa sooner rather than later.
If Yakemchuk is off the table, Ottawa is likely to exclude any of their top prospects in negotiations. That could include University of Wisconsin defender Logan Hensler who the team acquired after trading back in this year’s draft, and winger Stephen Halliday who scored his first NHL point last week. That could leave Ottawa in a bit of a bind. Their acquisition of Zetterlund revolved around a package of future assets, and the Senators sit in the top-half of oldest rosters in the NHL.
That could make draft capital their shiniest asset headed into the trade season. The Senators are without their first and second round picks in the 2026 draft, but have all of their top picks in the drafts beyond that. They also have Buffalo’s second-round pick in 2026, which could be valuable if the Sabres stay near the bottom of the league. A couple of high-value draft picks should be enough to land Ottawa a few difference-makers on the open market, especially if they’re willing to package them with a prospect like Blake Montgomery or Gabriel Eliasson.
Who Ottawa could go after will be a tough question. Calgary Flames assets Nazem Kadri and Rasmus Andersson are both #1’s at their position, and likely represent that big game hunting Dreger mentioned. Instead, Ottawa could find a match pursuing St. Louis Blues veterans Brayden Schenn and Justin Faulk. Or maybe they could benefit from the Nashville Predators continued struggles and acquire winger Jonathan Marchessault or Michael Bunting. Ottawa could even find a package deal from the San Jose Sharks, who are bound to be offering center Alexander Wennberg and defender Mario Ferraro on the open market.
The range of price could vary widely, and change significantly before the Trade Deadline in March. But there’s no doubt that Ottawa will be a welcome addition to a buyer’s market. There are plenty of former Stanley Cup champions and hopefuls available for trade, and landing one or two could go far in boosting Ottawa’s offense to Conference Final aspirations. The Senators are projected to have $13.68MM in cap space at the Trade Deadline and $22.57MM by next off-season, per PuckPedia. That should be more than enough room to squeeze one or two more players into the top of the Senators lineup. As proven last year, those mid-season additions could take Ottawa far.
Sabres, Alexandar Georgiev Terminate Contract
Nov. 24: Georgiev cleared unconditional waivers, per Friedman, meaning he’s had his contract with Buffalo terminated and is free to sign with Spartak.
Nov. 23: Insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet shared this afternoon that Sabres goaltender Alexander Georgiev has been waived with the intent of contract termination. Georgiev is set to move on to Russia and join Spartak of the KHL.
Georgiev was waived last month, then cleared and joined the AHL’s Rochester Americans. There, the Sabres affiliate had a wealth of goaltending, arguably at a legitimate NHL level, with Devon Levi alongside Georgiev, as well as prospect Topias Leinonen. Before the season, Buffalo had significant question marks in net with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen banged up, and the respectable but not exactly standout Alex Lyon tasked with holding things down.
As it has turned out, Lyon has performed steadily, and waiver pickup Colten Ellis has also exceeded expectations. There was no real path forward for Georgiev in the organization. The Bulgarian native played in two games for Rochester, both ending in losses with a 3.57 GAA. He now seems to be in greener pastures, joining a solid Spartak club, which has needed help in net, where he will be a star at the KHL level.
Originally undrafted out of the Finnish Liiga, an unusual path for most Russian players, Georgiev made an impression with the Rangers, who signed him in 2017. Making his NHL debut in 2018, Georgiev has the distinction of serving as backup for franchise icon Hendrik Lundqvist in his final season as a Ranger, gradually taking a higher workload. With the emergence of star Igor Shesterkin, though, Georgiev’s future in New York became uncertain.
After the 2021-22 season, Georgiev was dealt to the freshly minted Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche for draft picks in order to replace Darcy Kuemper. Georgiev emerged as a low-stakes, affordable option for a team strong enough up front to make up for any shortcomings in net. Sure enough, Georgiev posted his best season as a pro, leading the NHL with 40 wins and becoming an NHL All-Star.
Unfortunately for Georgiev, despite twice leading the league in wins, all while still remaining under 30 years old, Colorado quickly pulled the plug in 2024-25 amidst his shaky play. While unusual for a team to do so with a former All-Star, it appeared the success was largely driven due to the team in front of him. Georgiev was dealt to the hardcore rebuilding San Jose Sharks, where Colorado brought back Mackenzie Blackwood in return.
In the thick of an aggressive rebuild, getting heavily outshot most nights, Georgiev naturally did not have as much success in San Jose in a role that is especially tough on any goaltender. GM Mike Grier let his contract expire after 2024-25.
Georgiev was signed in September by Buffalo, with an opportunity to re-establish himself as an NHLer; however, with the emergence of other netminders in the organization, doors shut quickly. Still just 29, it is not impossible he could make an NHL return, but for now, Georgiev will likely be eager to return closer to home as a major standout player in the KHL.
Kraken Looking To Add Impact Winger, Re-Sign Jaden Schwartz
The Seattle Kraken are searching for a balance between bolstering the lineup and not breaking the budget as the season goes on. Adding a top-six winger will be a top priority, but Seattle is taking a cautious approach with seven players headed for free agency, per David Pangotta of The Fourth Period on the latest episode of DFO Rundown. Of their free agents, re-signing winger Jaden Schwartz could be the fisrt to get something done, with Pagnotta adding that the two sides have already begun discussions that could ramp up in the Spring.
It is no surprise that re-signing Schwartz sits high on Seattle’s to-do list. The 33-year-old is a core piece of a young Seattle lineup. He has averaged over 17 minutes of ice time through 20 games this season and filled roles on both the power-play and penalty-kill. He’s recorded 15 points, 23 hits, and 40 shots on goal in the key role.
Schwartz’s performance is well in-line with what he’s offered Seattle through the last four seasons. He has challenged 40-point scoring pace in every year, and peaked with 26 goals and 49 points last season, his highest-scoring year since the 2019-20 season. He has held his role in Seattle’s lineup since he was selected by the club in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Before then, Schwartz filled a similar locked-in role through 10 seasons with the St. Louis Blues. His career-year came in 2014-15, when he scored 28 goals and 63 points in 75 games, though Schwartz scored more than 50 points in half of his years with the Blues. He was also a key part of the 2019 Stanley Cup winning Blues, scoring 20 points in 26 playoff games that year.
His veteran presence offers major support to the Kraken’s young forwards, especially with ramped-up scoring this year. But while his next contract could carry him through the 169 games he has left to reach 1,000, it will also likely be Schwartz’s last.
That will ramp up Seattle’s need for another heavy imapct in the top-six. The team has plenty of value in their prospect pool to afford some major additions on the trade market. They promoted Tyson Jugnauth, Carson Rehkopf, Kaden Hammell, Caden Price, and Lukas Dragicevic to the AHL this season – while 21-year-old Jagger Firkus ranks third in the AHL with 18 points in 15 games. Many of those players are destined to support Seattle’s next era, but they could clear the overstock in a buyer’s market next year.
The trade market features strong veterans like Nazem Kadri and Boone Jenner, or youngsters like Brad Lambert and Nicholas Robertson. With the model set by vets like Schwartz and Jordan Eberle, a 10-5-5 record this season, and plenty of buying power – the Kraken could be a perfect candidate to make one of the year’s biggest deals.
Then again, they could opt to wait until free agency when they have roughly $35MM in cap space to make a big purchase, per Pagnotta. The 2026 free agency market has dried up with a wave of key extensions but high-impact forwards Alex Tuch, Nick Schmaltz, and Evgeni Malkin still remain on the market. The trio will each challenge a salary north of $9MM should they make a team-change, but an exodus of unrestricted free agents will give Seattle enough turnover to build a new star into the lineup.
The Kraken seem set on taking their time with a big move, but a big move seems a matter of when and not if. Seattle has allowed the fourth-fewest goals in the NHL this season, but ranks third-to-last in goals scored. They’re in desperate need of another spark, even amid a 4-1 record over their last five games. That will set them up to be major buyers as the Trade Deadline and free agency roll around.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports.