Bruins Sign Alex Steeves To Two-Year Extension
The Boston Bruins are keeping around one of their bottom-six forwards for the next few years. According to a team announcement, the Bruins have signed Alex Steeves to a two-year, $3.25MM ($1.625MM AAV) extension.
Steeves, 26, has been a success story for Boston this season. Still, he had a longer path to the NHL than expected after failing to garner much consideration when he was with the Toronto Maple Leafs. After a strong collegiate career at the University of Notre Dame, Steeves signed with the Maple Leafs as an undrafted talent ahead of the 2021-22 season.
Despite having a relatively deep forward core the past few years, it became puzzling that Toronto didn’t give Steeves more of an opportunity. Considering that some of their issues stemmed from a lack of impact in the team’s bottom six, Steeves was always seen as a positive and inexpensive option.
There’s no question that he earned himself an opportunity. Throughout four years with the Maple Leafs organization, Steeves spent much of his time with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. Over that duration, the Bedford, NH native scored 105 goals and 216 points in 247 games. Nonetheless, he only appeared in 14 games for the Maple Leafs, registering one goal and three points while averaging 9:04 of ice time per game.
Becoming an unrestricted free agent last summer after being non-tendered by Toronto, the Bruins moved quickly, signing Steeves to a one-year deal on the opening day of free agency. By no means was he projected to be a top-six option for Boston, but the team knew he had some upside they could tap into.
After another strong start in the AHL, the Bruins recalled Steeves on November 8th, and neither player nor team has looked back. He’s already matched his output across four years in Toronto, scoring eight goals and 14 points in 33 games for Boston. Additionally, his 91.0% on-ice SV% at even strength shows that Steeves can hold his own on the defensive side of the puck, as well.
Despite being the highest cap hit of his career, Steeves only projects to be the ninth-highest paid forward on the Bruins next season. Furthermore, it will only account for approximately 1.5% of the salary cap, which is more than justifiable after his solid campaign.
Boston Bruins Reassign Billy Sweezey
Jan. 21st: The Bruins announced today that Sweezey’s emergency recall has concluded, and he’s been reassigned back to AHL Providence. During his recall, Sweezey served as a healthy scratch for Boston’s 6-2 loss to the Dallas Stars.
Jan. 18th: The Bruins announced Sunday they’ve recalled defenseman Billy Sweezey from AHL Providence under emergency conditions and designated Henri Jokiharju as a non-roster player due to a family matter. Their active roster count remains at 23.
Sweezey was sent down just yesterday to make room for fellow rearguard Hampus Lindholm as he came off injured reserve. That was only a one-day recall, coming after a Friday emergency summons due to concerns about Andrew Peeke‘s availability.
Sweezey did not play in yesterday’s 5-2 win over the Blackhawks, only because Lindholm was able to re-enter the lineup after a six-game absence. Now, with Peeke still listed as day-to-day with his lower-body injury and Jokiharju being essentially confirmed unavailable for Tuesday’s game against the Stars, Sweezey has a legitimate shot at making his Boston debut this week.
The B’s signed the 29-year-old righty to a two-year, two-way contract in free agency in 2024. The undrafted Yale grad had spent the majority of his professional career in the Blue Jackets organization prior to arriving in Boston, including several call-ups late in the 2022-23 campaign that resulted in him making his NHL debut.
In nine games for Columbus that season, he recorded an assist and a -3 rating while averaging 17:07 of ice time per game. The defensive-minded 6’1″, 202-lb depth man then spent all of 2023-24 on assignment to the AHL before reaching unrestricted free agency and landing with his hometown Bruins.
After spending the totality of last season in Providence after clearing waivers, Sweezey now has a shot at his first NHL game in nearly three years. He’s having a career year for the P-Bruins, tying his career high in AHL points (11) in just 34 games. His +22 rating not only leads Providence blue liners but is also tied for third in the league overall behind teammate Patrick Brown and the Red Wings’ William Lagesson, who share a +23.
He’ll be relieving Jokiharju, who’s been a fine addition to Boston’s blue line since being acquired from the Sabres at last year’s trade deadline. The shutdown-minded righty has nine assists and a +3 rating in 32 outings this season, averaging 17:53 per game with strong possession numbers – a 50.7 CF% and 52.0 xGF% – at even strength.
Panthers’ Jack Studnicka Clears Waivers, Reassigned To AHL
Jan. 21st: Although it’s come a day later than expected, the Panthers officially reassigned Studnicka to AHL Charlotte today.
Jan. 20th: As expected, Studnicka has made it through waivers unscathed per Friedman. The Panthers are expected to assign Studnicka to AHL Charlotte at some point today.
Jan. 19th: Now that Matthew Tkachuk is back in action for the Florida Panthers, the team was likely to clear a forward from their active roster. They have done just that, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that they’ve placed Jack Studnicka on waivers.
Studnicka, 26, has been on the Panthers roster since December 1st. He’s been in an extremely isolated role since, going scoreless in 18 games with a -6 rating, averaging 7:04 of ice time. Furthermore, given his 46.3% CorsiFor% and 85.2% on-ice SV% at even strength, Studnicka provided little to no value to Florida’s lineup even when he was playing.
Still, there wasn’t much indication that the Panthers needed much more from Studnicka, anyway. He signed a one-year, league minimum deal with the organization last summer, meaning it was always likely he would exclusively serve as an injury replacement. Given how many injuries the Panthers have dealt with this year, Studnicka got a longer stay on the NHL roster than he may have expected.
Despite offering little production at the NHL level, the same can’t be said for his play in the AHL. Last season, while playing for the AHL’s Ontario Reign, Studnicka scored 16 goals and totaled 45 points in 72 games, finishing with a +4 rating. Before being recalled by the Panthers this year, he scored one goal and six points in eight games for the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.
Nashville Predators Activate Ozzy Wiesblatt From Injured Reserve
Ahead of tonight’s game against Buffalo, the Nashville Predators announced that Ozzy Wiesblatt has been activated off injured reserve. The forward had missed the team’s last 21 games due to an upper-body injury. As they reassigned Reid Schaefer to AHL Milwaukee earlier today, no corresponding transaction is required.
A first round selection of San Jose in 2020 (31st overall), Wiesblatt returns to the lineup with the Predators unexpectedly back into the playoff hunt, having found their game in the last month. With it becoming apparent that his offensive upside was not panning out with the San Jose Barracuda, Wiesblatt was loaned to the Predators’ affiliate in Milwaukee, where he caught their attention, and was subsequently traded to Nashville in exchange for Egor Afanaseyev in June 2024.
After his best season as a pro in 2024-25, where he recorded 40 points in 64 AHL contests, Wiesblatt broke through with the Predators. Since then, he’s brought energy to the team’s fourth line, a nice fit alongside tall grinders Cole Smith and Michael McCarron. Wiesblatt was actually injured by his own center in McCarron, as they collided against Florida on December 4, costing him action for the last month and a half.
Before going down, Wiesblatt notched four points in 24 games, output actually surpassed by Schaefer in his absence, but the smaller winger offers more speed and skill, while Schaefer goes back down for now.
Signed through next season, the 23-year-old could be a mainstay on the Preds’ bottom six for years to come. Despite their success without him, the Alberta native is back into the lineup tonight as the Predators continue to push for Wild Card territory.
Bruins Place Vladislav Kolyachonok On Waivers
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet shared earlier today that the Boston Bruins have waived Vladislav Kolyachonok. The defenseman finds himself back on the wire after being claimed by the Bruins from Dallas in mid-December.
A second-round selection of the Panthers in 2019, Kolyachonok was picked up due to an abundance of injuries to Boston defenders last month, not seeming to be in the long-term plans. The 24-year-old managed to get into two games in late December, deployed on the third pairing alongside Mason Lohrei. Kolyachonok, facing the challenge of playing in his off side on a new team, averaged just over 12 minutes between the two, and was a -1. Boston dropped both contests, and were outscored 10-3.
Since then, the team has reeled off a six game winning streak, and with Hampus Lindholm activated three days ago, Kolyachonok finds himself the odd man out again. The young Belarus native is no stranger to transactions, a part of trades involving notable names in Anton Strålman and Mathew Dumba in prior years, along with another waiver claim last February, taking him from Utah to Pittsburgh.
Kolyachonok offers a stay-at-home game, to this point hampered by a lack of offense to stick in the highest level consistently. In his 87 career NHL appearances across four organizations, he has 17 points. Kolyachonok had solid production in 11 games for Dallas to start the season, but was passed over in favor of veteran Kyle Capobianco, the team hoping he’d clear before Boston took a flyer.
If unclaimed, the 6’2″ lefty would be a welcome addition to the Providence Bruins, who are currently ranked third in the AHL. However, with limited opportunities in Boston moving forward, he could favor an opportunity elsewhere.
Lost by Dallas after they’d sought him out in the Dumba deal, Kolyachonok could find himself back where he’d started the campaign. If the Stars would be the only team to submit a claim, they could assign him to the AHL immediately, the 26th-ranked Texas Stars in need of help on the blueline. Besides other teams who could show interest ahead of them, the Stars have an intriguing chance to take him back, which would end a short stop in Boston.
Kolyachonok is a pending restricted free agent this season, and still offering untapped potential as a bottom pairing option, he figures to garner attention from other teams in the next 24 hours.
Avalanche, Penguins Swap Ilya Solovyov, Valtteri Puustinen
The Colorado Avalanche and Pittsburgh Penguins have rearranged some of their depth pieces. According to an announcement from the Penguins, the Avalanche have traded defenseman Ilya Solovyov to Pittsburgh for forward Valtteri Puustinen and a 2026 seventh-round pick.
Solovyov, 26, will see his tenure in Colorado end after half a season. He was claimed off waivers before the regular season from the Calgary Flames to serve as the team’s seventh defenseman. The Mogilev, Belarus native was coming off a promising season in the AHL, scoring six goals and 28 points in 59 games for the Calgary Wranglers.
As the team’s seventh defenseman, and without any significant injuries to Colorado’s defensive core, Solovyov didn’t earn much playing time through his first few months with the team. At the end of November, Solovyov had only appeared in nine games for the Avalanche, going scoreless with a -4 rating while averaging 12:33 of ice time.
The Avalanche briefly sent Solovyov back to the AHL on a conditioning loan, simply to allow him more ice time. Since the calendar flipped to 2026, and likely to showcase his playing style to interested teams, Solovyov played in seven games with Colorado, scoring one goal and three points, with a +3 rating.
Meanwhile, Puustinen will move to Colorado after nearly five years with the Penguins organization. He, like Solovyov, was drafted in the seventh round of the NHL Draft, albeit a year earlier. He’s been a remarkably consistent scorer at the AHL level, tallying 72 goals and 175 points in 252 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Unlike Solovyov, Puustinen has already had a fairly promising NHL campaign under his belt. During the 2023-24 season, Puustinen earned an extended look in the sport’s highest league, scoring five goals and 20 points in 52 games with the Penguins, averaging 11:45 of ice time per game. Additionally, his possession metrics were solid, finishing with a 52.3% CorsiFor% and 91.9% on-ice SV% at even strength.
Given his offensive talent, Pittsburgh’s treatment of Puustinen the last few years has been perplexing. The team has had a top-down mandate to get younger, but apparently were not willing to give Puustinen another opportunity at the NHL level. The Penguins went as far as to place Puustinen on waivers last season, though he went unclaimed at the time.
Nonetheless, the trade won’t significantly alter the complexity of either team for now. Solovyov will take Joona Koppanen‘s spot on the roster for the time being, who the Penguins reassigned earlier today. Meanwhile, the Avalanche are expected to make another recall on the blue line, given that they are down to five healthy defensemen.
Flames Recall Martin Pospisil, Reassign Dryden Hunt
The Calgary Flames announced that they’ve recalled forward Martin Pospisil from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers and reassigned Dryden Hunt in a corresponding roster move. Pospisil has been in the AHL on a conditioning loan for the last week.
Assuming he returns tomorrow night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Pospisil, 26, will participate in his first NHL contest in nine months. He suffered an undisclosed upper-body injury during preseason and has been on Calgary’s injured reserve for the entire 2025-26 campaign up to today.
He’ll likely return to a bottom-six role and gradually move into a middle-six role if he can remain healthy. Throughout his first two years in the NHL, Pospisil has been a hyperphysical winger with quality playmaking abilities.
Since debuting for the Flames during the 2023-24 season, Pospisil has scored 12 goals and 49 points in 144 games, averaging 13:20 of ice time. Additionally, regarding his physicality, Pospisil has amassed 539 hits over that duration. He went scoreless in two games with a -3 rating during his conditioning loan.
Outside of Calgary, Pospisil’s return is good news for Team Slovakia for the upcoming Winter Olympics next month. Pospisil has been one of Team Slovakia’s best international players throughout the last few years, scoring three goals and seven points in seven games during the 2024 IIHF World Championships.
Meanwhile, Hunt returns to the Wranglers, where he’s spent much of the 2025-26 season. He’s tied for second in scoring on Calgary’s AHL affiliate, registering 11 goals and 31 points in 26 games.
Nashville Predators Reassign Reid Schaefer
According to a team announcement, the Nashville Predators have reassigned forward Reid Schaefer to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. The transaction opens a spot on the active roster for Ozzy Wiesblatt, who has been made a game-time decision for tonight’s contest.
Schaefer, 22, was initially recalled on November 28th for his NHL debut. Back in February of last season, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic ranked Schaefer as the ninth-best prospect in the Predators’ organization. Despite losing most of last year due to an injury, Schaefer had spent the previous two seasons playing exclusively for AHL Milwaukee, scoring 15 goals and 35 points in 82 games with a +6 rating.
His strong start to the 2025-26 season made him a candidate for early recall by Nashville. Through the first 15 AHL games of the year, Schaefer scored four goals and 14 points with a +1 rating. Despite missing the last two months, Schaefer remains ninth on the team in scoring.
Unfortunately, his NHL debut didn’t get off to as good a start. Throughout 25 games with the Predators, Schaefer scored four goals and six points with a -9 rating, averaging 10:30 of ice time in a bottom-six role. Still, he amassed 63 hits over the duration of his recall, averaging out to approximately five hits every two games.
Meanwhile, Wiesblatt is expected to return soon after being sidelined for nearly seven weeks due to an upper-body injury. His return is ahead of schedule, as he was initially given a recovery timeline of eight to 10 weeks. Similar to Schaefer, Wiesblatt has been isolated to a bottom-six role when healthy, scoring one goal and four points in 24 games, averaging 10:38 of ice time.
Canadiens To Activate Kirby Dach From LTIR
Jan. 20th: As expected, Dach will make his much-awaited return tonight. According to Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, Dach will draw into the lineup tonight against the Minnesota Wild. The Canadiens had an open spot on the active roster, so no corresponding roster move is necessary.
Jan. 18th: Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach is “very close to a return to the lineup,” and could be activated off long-term injured reserve in time for the team’s game Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild, reports Arpon Basu of The Athletic.
Dach’s impending return was signaled when he skated without restriction at practice in Ottawa. Fellow injured forward Patrik Laine also skated without restriction, though it’s unclear what his full return timeline is at this stage.
The 24-year-old suffered a fractured foot in November. He most recently played Nov. 15 against the Boston Bruins. Dach has missed 30 consecutive games as a result, with this injury (as well as an earlier lower-body ailment) limiting him to 15 games played in 2025-26.
Unfortunately, injuries have become the dominant storyline in Dach’s career not only since he arrived in Montreal, but even stretching back to his days as a top prospect with the Chicago Blackhawks.
The No. 3 pick of the 2018 draft was limited to just 18 games in his sophomore season (2020-21) due to injury, something that clearly hampered his development and helped pave his way out of Chicago.
Dach impressed early after arriving in Montreal, scoring 38 points in his first campaign as a Canadien, flashing some chemistry on the team’s top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.
Injuries limited Dach to 58 games in that campaign, though, and while he looked exceptional in the first game of the 2023-24 campaign, he suffered a season-ending injury in the Canadiens’ second game of the season.
Dach returned for 2024-25, but injuries again limited his effectiveness alongside his availability. Having lost his spot next to Caufield and Suzuki to 2022 No. 1 pick Juraj Slafkovsky, Dach only managed 22 points and an injury limited him to just 57 games played.
Through 15 games of 2025-26, Dach had seven points. If he is indeed able to return to the lineup at some point soon, a significant opportunity could be in reach. While Slafkovsky had usurped Dach’s former place on the Canadiens’ top line and held it firmly, the Slovak forward has since been moved to the Canadiens’ second line, forming a deadly trio with rookies Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen.
As a result, the Canadiens have been forced to rotate several forwards in Slafkovsky’s former lineup spot alongside Suzuki and Caufield. Zachary Bolduc was tried at first, but his ineffectiveness prompted head coach Martin St. Louis to try midseason signing Alexandre Texier on that line.
Texier recently inked a two-year, $2.5MM AAV extension with the Canadiens, and has performed very well so far next to the Canadiens’ two star forwards, scoring 16 points in 27 games. That could indicate that Texier will remain next to Suzuki and Caufield for the foreseeable future. But if Texier falters at any point, Dach could be next in line to get a shot on Montreal’s top line.
If that can happen, it would be a massive opportunity for Dach to rebuild his confidence and his stock in the eyes of Canadiens decision-makers in advance of his upcoming restricted free agency.
Regardless of where he ends up playing in Montreal’s lineup, the key for Dach, arguably more than even finding a way to produce, is going to be finding a way to stay healthy. For as talented as he can be, his chronic lack of availability threatens to undercut his value proposition to NHL teams.
As a 6’4″ forward who can play center or the wing, and has the coveted combination of size and skill, he should be a player NHL teams trip over themselves to get their hands on. Injuries have, so far, kept him from achieving that status. More than anything else, Dach will need to show he can put those injuries behind him if he’s going to maximize his value as an NHL player.
Photos courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Senators Recall Hunter Shepard, Reassign Leevi Merilainen
There are more moving parts between the pipes for the Ottawa Senators. The Senators announced that they’ve recalled netminder Hunter Shepard from the AHL’s Belleville Senators and reassigned Leevi Merilainen in a corresponding roster move.
A year ago, few would have predicted the downfall of Merilainen this season. The 23-year-old finished the 2024-25 campaign with an 8-3-1 record in 12 games with a .925 SV% and 1.99 GAA, showing promise as a future backup behind Linus Ullmark. Unfortunately, Merilainen hasn’t gotten close to replicating that performance this year.
Through 20 games, Merilainen owns an 8-10-1 record with a .860 SV% and 3.51 GAA, including a -16.8 Goals Saved Above Average (GSAA). Additionally, according to MoneyPuck, among netminders that have played in 20 or more games this season, Merilainen is the worst in terms of Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx) per 60 with a -0.948 mark. St. Louis Blues’ goalie Jordan Binnington is the next closest with a -0.777.
Simply put, that’s unsustainable for the Senators. Ottawa has already brought in James Reimer to shore up their play in the crease. The veteran stopped 30 out of 34 shots in the Senators’ recent overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
Ottawa hopes that Merilainen can regain some of his confidence in the AHL. He has historically been solid with AHL Belleville, owning a career 33-22-8 record across six seasons with a .911 SV% and 2.59 GAA.
Meanwhile, Shepard returns to the Senators for the sixth time this season. The two-time Calder Cup champion has already appeared in one game with Ottawa this season, stopping 10 out of 12 shots against the Red Wings on January 5th. Throughout the duration of his first stint with AHL Belleville, Shepard owns a 6-6-1 record with a .895 SV% and 3.45 GAA.