Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Team Canada

Evening Notes: Dickinson, Catton, O’Reilly, Maple Leafs

at CDT | by 13 Comments

The Team Canada World Juniors roster appears set, with two final dominos falling: San Jose will not loan defenseman Sam Dickinson, per Frank Seravalli, and Seattle won’t loan forward Berkly Catton either, also noted by Seravalli. 

Dickinson was a real candidate, as he would have brought key experience to Team Canada’s back end, as the only returning defenseman on the team. The 19-year-old has the distinction of being the only d-man under 20 to not be loaned out, other than Matthew Schaefer, which is to no surprise. Dickinson has not made quite the same impact as last summer’s first overall pick, as he has just three points in 27 games. Although helping lead Team Canada in a push for gold for a final time could have been a breath of fresh air for the exciting two-way defender, San Jose opts to hold onto Dickinson and not lose a true lineup contributor who continues to develop. 

Similar to Dickinson, Catton has not exactly had a Schaefer-like impact yet either, with five points in 21 games, all assists. However, as emphasized by Seravalli, Catton is set to return from injury soon, and with Mason Marchment traded to Columbus, he will have a larger role on the Kraken once healthy, enough to keep the skilled forward from a Team Canada return. 

Elsewhere across the league:

  • Despite rumblings, Predators forward Ryan O’Reilly is not open to being moved at this time, as shared by Pierre LeBrun in an article for The Athletic. The respected veteran center is a pending free agent on an affordable ($4.5MM) contract, so naturally the appeal is there. However, although he has no such trade protection, O’Reilly and Nashville have a mutual agreement to treat it as if so, and for now, the 34-year-old will stay put. O’Reilly has 28 points in 34 games, continuing to play at a high level on both ends. However, GM Barry Trotz brought him in prior to 2023-24, when the Predators appeared firmly in a rebuild, before their attempted revival. Therefore, while on paper it would be wise to bring in a haul, O’Reilly’s impact in the locker room was always a major focus. Things could be revisited closer to the Trade Deadline, but O’Reilly simply playing out the deal is a real possibility, especially as the Ontario native has already won a Stanley Cup. 
  • Ahead of tonight’s game, Maple Leafs Head Coach Craig Berube told reporters, including David Alter of The Hockey News, that Easton Cowan and Calle Jarnkrok would be scratched, while Max Domi and Steven Lorentz entered the lineup in Dallas. Cowan’s designation comes as a bit of a surprise as he was in the starting lineup on the first line last night in Nashville, notching 16:17 of ice time, with an assist. The 20-year-old has 11 points in 26 games, but according to Berube, a reset is needed. Jarnkrok has been a solid third liner for years, but at 34, he has just four goals on the season and his scratching is less of a surprise. Meanwhile, Domi jumps right into Cowan’s slot on the first line, eager to find his game in a bid to extend his Leafs tenure. Finally, Lorentz returns to a fourth line deployment, a role familiar for the 29-year-old. 

Penguins Activate Rickard Rakell, Loan Harrison Brunicke To Team Canada

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

As expected, the Pittsburgh Penguins have thinned out their defensive core in favor of their forward group. The Penguins announced that they’ve activated forward Rickard Rakell from the injured reserve and have loaned defenseman Harrison Brunicke to U20 Team Canada for the 2026 World Junior Championships.

Rakell returns after more than a month-long absence. The top-six winger broke his left hand in the Penguins’ October 25th matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets and was given a six-to eight-week recovery timeline after undergoing surgery. That recovery timeline was accurate, as Rakell will return having missed seven weeks.

Before exiting the lineup, Rakell played a large role in the Penguins’ 6-2-1 start to the 2025-26 campaign. Typically playing on a line next to Sidney Crosby, Rakell scored three goals and eight points in those nine contests, averaging 17:44 of ice time per night.

While remaining competitive in a tightly wound Eastern Conference, Pittsburgh has clearly suffered without its top winger. There have been several additional injuries, but the Penguins have managed an 8-6-6 record in the 20 games without Rakell, falling to the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Fortunately for Rakell, his return game will be against an organization with which he has had plenty of success throughout his career. Largely due to his time with the Anaheim Ducks earlier in his career, Rakell has scored 16 goals and 33 points in 39 games against the Sharks since the 2012-13 campaign. Additionally, Rakell has scored 13 goals and 28 points in 35 games against the Edmonton Oilers, who Pittsburgh plays on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Brunicke will officially join Team Canada for the World Junior Championships after spending the last few weeks with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins over the last few weeks. Brunicke, 19, tallied four assists in five games for the AHL Penguins with a +2 rating.

As one of several projected players with NHL experience, it’s nearly a given that Brunicke will remain with Team Canada after they cut their roster down. Cracking the Penguins’ roster out of training camp this season, Brunicke has scored one goal in nine games, averaging 15:43 of ice time per game. He’s two years removed from playing with Team Canada’s U18 team, scoring one goal and four points in seven tournament contests.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images. 

Patrice Bergeron, Niklas Kronwall Among 2026 IIHF Hall Of Fame Inductees

at CDT | by 5 Comments

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.

Snapshots: Zegras, Penguins Trade Plans, Team Canada

at CDT | by 9 Comments

Going into the 2025-26 campaign, one of the central questions surrounding the Philadelphia Flyers was the matter of whether 24-year-old Trevor Zegras, once seen as one of the game’s bright young star forwards, would be able to rediscover the level of play he’d once achieved – and then lost – as a member of the Anaheim Ducks. The early returns for Zegras and Flyers have been exceptional. Zegras leads Philadelphia in scoring with 16 points in 15 games, and has looked exactly like the creative, dynamic playmaker he was at times as a Duck.

As a result of Zegras’ strong start to his time in Philadelphia, increased attention has been paid to the fact that the player is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights. Although he’s looked great as a Flyer, Zegras is still a player with a track record of inconsistency, and he has struggled with injuries over the last two years. But even considering those factors, it appears the Flyers are looking to get Zegras locked into an extension that will keep him in Philadelphia moving forward. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts Podcast said “I think” Zegras and the Flyers “are talking about an extension.” While he didn’t offer concrete details on what a Zegras extension could look like, it’s fair to say his early form has greatly increased the chances he earns a raise from the $5.75MM AAV he’s currently making.

Other notes from around the NHL:

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins were expected by most to be one of the NHL’s weaker teams in 2025-26, but so far they’ve flipped the script on those observers to start this season. First-year head coach Dan Muse has his Penguins sitting seventh place in the NHL standings with a 9-5-1 record. Their strong play threatens to alter the team’s calculus when it comes to deciding whether to trade their key veteran contributors. The Athletic’s Josh Yohe wrote today that “As long as the Penguins keep playing like they have been, I don’t see [Bryan Rust, Erik Karlsson, or Rickard Rakell] being traded.” That’s a big deal for the Penguins, who regardless of their struggles in past years, are likely to want to give the core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang the chance to make one last run for a Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh.
  • As Hockey Canada continues to plan for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, they’re reportedly relying on past leaders to guide their current management group. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported today that Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong has cut their long list of considered players to a set of 35–40 names. In addition, LeBrun noted that Canada’s management invited Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman, who built Canada’s gold-winning teams for 2010 Vancouver and 2014 Sochi, to speak to the current management team to offer his guidance. If Canada can manage to build a team anything like the ones they brought to Sochi and Vancouver, they’ll be an incredibly difficult team to beat.

Evening Notes: Murphy, Josi, Team Canada

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote today on Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy and his falling role with the club. Murphy is the longest-tenured Blackhawk, whose timeline overlapped with the likes of Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Patrick Sharp in 2017-18. A steady presence throughout Chicago’s tougher times, it appears the 32-year-old is on the outside looking in. His ice time has fallen dramatically this season, some of the lowest of his entire career. 

The veteran has handled it professionally, saying he understands the decision, as mentioned by Pope. Injuries have not been a factor either, as it seems that Murphy’s seat has simply been taken by the younger 6’8″ Louis Crevier, and fellow veteran Matt Grzelcyk, who offers more mobility in new Head Coach Jeff Blashill’s system.

It is not ideal for a player in his ninth season with the Blackhawks, with the team finally showing progress, to only now lose his role. However, Murphy could have interest from teams looking for a veteran rental on the back-end. His $4.4MM cap hit may need retention for a deal to work, however Chicago has the room to retain. One way or the other, GM Kyle Davidson will surely do the veteran right, considering his contributions over the years. 

Elsewhere across the league:

  • Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Hockey shared earlier today Predators GM Barry Trotz’s update on Roman Josi. The Preds’ captain is still a few weeks away from a return. Josi was listed late last month as week-to-week with an upper-body injury. In his absence, Nashville remains above bottom-feeder status, an improvement from last year, but their play has not evoked much confidence of contention either. The Swiss defenseman’s presence is critical for the group, but at 35, it is hard to imagine Josi can sustain his usual workload into 2026 and beyond. If he can stay healthy for 30 more games this year, Josi will reach the esteemed 1,000 game mark. 
  • Marco D’Amico of RG Media shared that Don Sweeney, Bruins GM, and Doug Armstrong, Blues GM, are both in attendance for tonight’s game between the Canadiens and Flyers. While this may raise some eyebrows, both are with Team Canada ahead of the 2026 Olympic Games in Italy, set to start next February. The matchup features a wealth of players to scout for Team Canada; and D’Amico mentioned Nick Suzuki, Noah Dobson, Sam Montembeault, Travis Konecny, and Travis Sanheim as all possibilities.

Hockey Canada Announces Coaching Staff For 2026 Winter Olympics

at CDT | by 7 Comments

Unsurprisingly, there will be no changes coming to Team Canada’s bench for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. According to a public announcement, Team Canada will have an identical coaching staff to that of the 4 Nations Face-Off this past February, sharing that Bruce Cassidy (Vegas Golden Knights), Peter DeBoer, Rick Tocchet (Philadelphia Flyers), and Misha Donskov will be assistant coaches for Team Canada behind head coach Jon Cooper (Tampa Bay Lightning).

The 4 Nations Face-Off proved to be a positive litmus test for Team Canada, as the United States has become a more potent competitor in recent years. Still, despite suffering a Round Robin loss to Team USA, Canada won the tournament, defeating their North American counterpart in overtime of the championship on a goal from Connor McDavid. There could be some mild changes coming to the roster for the upcoming Olympic tournament, but Canada will likely have the fewest tweaks.

Like their eventual roster, Canada has a star-studded coaching staff. Even without factoring in the playing careers of those who played in the NHL, Team Canada’s coaching staff has six Stanley Cups, three IIHF World Championship gold medals, and two Jack Adams awards.

All four assistant coaches have extensive international hockey experience, including their work in the NHL and the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, although none have previously coached in the Olympic Games. Cassidy and Tocchet are more recognized for their international ice hockey careers, while DeBoer and Donskov, former coaches of the Dallas Stars, have achieved significant success in the World Junior Championships.

Snapshots: Sorokin, Blue Jackets, Hunter, Lord

at CDT | by 5 Comments

Throughout the past few days, there have been several unconfirmed rumors that New York Islanders’ netminder Ilya Sorokin could be in play, particularly for the Edmonton Oilers. Those rumors were squashed earlier today when Sorokin’s agent, Dan Milstein, bluntly said that Sorokin hasn’t been involved in trade discussions and wouldn’t waive his no-movement clause.

Such is the way for this time of the NHL calendar when ideas for good fits sometimes become unsubstantiated rumors. There’s little argument against Sorokin being an objective improvement in the crease for most teams in the NHL, but it doesn’t appear that he’ll be moved this summer.

Still, he may be a goaltender to keep on the radar. He’s been one of the game’s best goalies over the last four years, managing a 112-83-33 record in 227 starts with a .916 SV% and 2.62 GAA, including 19 shutouts. Sorokin will have a full no-movement clause through the 2027-28 season before transitioning to a 16-team no-trade list ahead of the 2028-29 campaign.

More snapshots:

  • An impressive development camp may have led to a pair of entry-level contracts for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Although the team hasn’t confirmed the news, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reported earlier that the Blue Jackets are working on an entry-level contract with defenseman Will Bishop and forward Nicholas Sima. Columbus drafted neither player, as they were invited to the team’s development camp from the OHL.
  • Team Canada’s World Junior team is expected to have a new look at the top of their coaching staff. According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, Hockey Canada will announce Dale Hunter as the head coach of Team Canada’s U20 team. The successful, longtime head coach of the OHL’s London Knights will replace Dave Cameron as the team’s head coach in Canada’s attempt to return to the gold medal game for the first time since 2023.
  • After Marco Sturm departed to become the new head coach of the Boston Bruins, the AHL’s Ontario Reign began seeking a new bench boss. According to a new report from Anthony Collazo of The Mayor’s Manor, the Reign are expected to name Andrew Lord as the team’s new head coach. If he’s eventually named Ontario’s new head coach, it would be Lord’s first coaching role in the AHL after serving as the head coach of the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits for four years and the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads’ head coach last season.

Islanders’ Bo Horvat Suffers Lower-Body Injury

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

According to an announcement from the New York Islanders, forward Bo Horvat sustained a lower-body injury for Team Canada during the IIHF World Championships. The team stated that Horvat is returning to New York for evaluation from the team’s doctors.

Horvat wraps up his first international tournament in seven years with four goals and eight points in six games for Team Canada. Canada will enter the playoff round as the highest-ranked seed from the ’Group A’ Division.

While the Islanders were vague about Horvat’s injury, the team remains hopeful he can begin training camp on time. He’s been remarkably healthy since moving from Vancouver to Long Island during the 2022-23 season, appearing in 162 regular-season contests for the Islanders over the past two years.

In a separate announcement, Hockey Canada shared that they have already found Horvat’s replacement for the remainder of the tournament. Top prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft, Porter Martone, has joined Team Canada’s roster.

Martone is considered a safe top-five selection in this summer’s draft, and could even find his way into the top-three. He recently concluded his junior season with the Brampton Steelheads, recording 37 goals and 98 points in 57 games, along with an additional four goals and nine points in six postseason contests.

He’s no stranger to international hockey, either. Martone is only a year removed from an impressive showing at the U18 World Junior Championships for Team Canada, scoring five goals and 17 points in seven tournament games.

Canadiens Notes: Anderson, Laine, Montembeault, Worlds, Savard

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

As expected, several injuries for the Montreal Canadiens were revealed in today’s end-of-season presser. Forwards Josh Anderson and Patrik Laine, along with netminder Sam Montembeault, shared insights into their struggles with injuries during Montreal’s playoff run.

Vaguely, Anderson told Eric Engels of Sportsnet that he was dealing with lower- and upper-body injuries throughout the regular season, and that he likely wouldn’t have played if the Canadiens weren’t in a position to qualify for the postseason. Still, Anderson impressively tallied 15 goals on the year and played in the highest number of games since the 2018-19 season.

Meanwhile, Laine shared with Marco D’Amico of RG the specifics of the hand injury that kept him out of Games 3, 4, and 5. D’Amico quoted Laine saying, “I broke my finger in the second game. I couldn’t really hold my stick, and shooting is what I do. I was disappointed.”

Lastly, Engels reported that the Canadiens were without their starting netminder for the series’ last two games because of a torn groin. Thankfully, Montembeault won’t require surgery, meaning a full off-season with rehab should have him ready to start the 2025-26 season on time for Montreal.

Other Canadiens notes:

  • Now that their playoff run has concluded, the Canadiens will have at least one player participating in the 2025 IIHF World Championships and could have a few more. Montreal announced that defenseman Mike Matheson will suit up for Team Canada, while Engels reported Cole Caufield (Tweet Link) and Lane Hutson (Tweet Link) are undecided on playing for Team USA. Unfortunately, Team Slovakia will be without one of their top young players as Engels shared Juraj Slafkovsky won’t play in this summer’s international competition.
  • Now retired following the Canadiens’ elimination at the hands of the Capitals, David Savard would like to continue his work career with the Canadiens in a different capacity (Tweet Link). He didn’t allude to which path, as in coaching or a front office position, but he did say he would like to work with the team’s defensemen in some fashion.

Evening Notes: Utah, Samoskevich, Morrissey, Harley

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The 4-Nations Face-Off championship has full grip of the hockey world’s attention, but there’s still plenty of buzz circling the NHL. The updates start with the Utah Hockey Club, who will be somewhere between buyers and sellers at this year’s Trade Deadline per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports.  Armstrong added that the team would be interested in adding, but many of their weaknesses are addressed by recent additions like Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino, Kevin Stenlund, and Nick DeSimone. That certainly paints the picture of a team eyeing defensive depth, but the return of top-four defender Sean Durzi could mitigate any insecurities.

Durzi has been out of the lineup since October 14th with a shoulder injury that required surgery. He played four games in a top-pair role before falling to injury – recording two points, a plus-two, and over 21 minutes in average ice time. The 26-year-old emerged as a legit top defender in the Los Angeles Kings’ 2022-23 season. He scored 38 points in 72 games and averaged roughly 20 minutes that year – his second NHL season. Durzi continued to improve with the Arizona Coyotes last year, improving to 41 points in 76 games and over 22 minutes of ice time. This year seemed to be a chance to continue growing before it was derailed by injury. How he returns from the prolonged absence, and what impact it has on the Utah blue-line, could go a long way towards determining the Hockey Club’s deadline approach.

Across the NHL, Florida Panthers youngster Mackie Samoskevich has shared he’ll be clear to play when the team returns on Saturday, per NHL.com’s Jameson Olive. Samoskevich was injured on February 6th – his first game back from a three-game absence due to illness. He missed an additional two games with the injury, but found his way back to full health during the 4-Nations break. The 22-year-old Samoskevich has 17 points in 48 games this season – marking the first scoring of his NHL career.

In other news, Team Canada was forced to scratch Josh Morrissey in the 4-Nations championship due to illness. He was replaced by injury fill-in Thomas Harley, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Harley was eligible to play despite not being on the initial lineup as Morrissey’s illness, and Shea Theodore’s upper-body injury left the team without six healthy defenders. Harley scored his first point of the tournament in the finals after playing in both matchups against Team USA. Morrissey also didn’t post any scoring during three tournament games – though he does have an impressive 46 points in 56 NHL games this season.

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

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top