Avalanche Place Jacob MacDonald On Waivers
The Avalanche placed defenseman Jacob MacDonald on waivers today, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. He has been sidelined for the entire season due to hip surgery. If he clears tomorrow, he’ll head to AHL Colorado to get his shortened campaign underway.
MacDonald, 33 later this month, played in the NHL each season from 2020-24 and totaled 133 NHL appearances in that time. Including a previous two-game stint with the Panthers in 2018-19, he’s put up 10 goals and 17 assists for 27 points in 135 career outings with Florida, Colorado, and San Jose. He’s largely had good possession numbers in sheltered minutes, averaging 12:38 of ice time per game while controlling 52.6% of shot attempts at even strength.
After the Avs traded him to the Sharks midway through the 2022-23 campaign, MacDonald returned for a second stint in Colorado in 2024 by signing a two-year, two-way deal in free agency. He’s yet to make an NHL appearance on that deal, spending all of last season in the minors. The Oregon native has spent some time up on the wing in his career, and that offensive ability was evidenced by a dominant campaign that saw him set the AHL single-season record for goals by a defenseman with 31. He added 24 assists for 55 points and a +24 rating in 63 games, making him a three-time AHL All-Star while also taking home the Eddie Shore Award for the league’s best defenseman for the first time.
The Avalanche already has strong minor-league defensive depth. Jack Ahcan has stepped in seamlessly for MacDonald as the Eagles’ top rearguard, posting 33 points and a +20 rating in 36 games. Three other defenders have a +10 rating or better on the year in what’s tracking to be the franchise’s best season since being promoted from the ECHL in 2018.
Given the strength of that group, it’s likely MacDonald won’t be relied upon as a recall option down the stretch. He’ll be able to focus on getting back into game shape and doing what he can to extend his career following a significant procedure.
Sharks, Jeff Skinner Terminate Contract
Feb. 17: Skinner cleared unconditional waivers and has had his contract terminated, per Friedman. He is now an unrestricted free agent.
Feb. 16: The Sharks have placed winger Jeff Skinner on unconditional waivers for purposes of contract termination, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent tomorrow if no one claims the remainder of his existing $3MM cap hit for this season.
The timing of the maneuver suggests Skinner has tangible interest from at least one other NHL team, but they weren’t interested in acquiring him from the Sharks – even for future considerations – at his current cap hit. With San Jose only carrying one salary retention slot until the end of next season, they’ll be picky about how they use it and likely aren’t willing to retain money on the veteran winger to complete a trade.
As such, he’ll need to walk away from the remainder of his guaranteed $3MM salary for this season and sign on elsewhere for close to, if not at, the league minimum for the stretch run. He signed with the Sharks nearly two weeks into free agency last summer to give them some additional top-nine scoring help, but the fit just hasn’t been there. He’s been limited to six goals and 13 points in 32 appearances and was relegated to the press box for 10 straight games heading into the Olympic break, last suiting up on Jan. 11.
With Michael Misa being thrust into top-six duties on the other side of the World Juniors and their pickup of Kiefer Sherwood from the Canucks pushing Skinner down the depth chart, there was no longer a home or need for him in a depth scoring role. He finishes his Sharks tenure averaging 12:21 of ice time per game with a -8 rating.
If a playoff contender is looking for a third-line boost with boatloads of NHL experience, they’ll have a perfect pickup in Skinner. The 2010 seventh overall pick crossed the 1,100-game threshold earlier this season and has averaged 28 goals and 53 points per 82 games for his career, although he’s produced closer to a 30-point pace since the beginning of last season.
One thing the 5’11” winger is light on is postseason experience. He didn’t have any until signing a one-year deal with the Oilers in free agency in 2024, and even then, he appeared in only five games during their run to last year’s Stanley Cup Final, having slipped to a No. 13/14 forward by the time the playoffs rolled around.
As for the Sharks, they’ll clear up a bit of cap space heading into the deadline, but more importantly, they’ll shed a contract. They were at the 50-contract limit until Vincent Iorio got claimed off waivers by the Rangers last month, so that’s been a concern for them from the jump this year. They’ll now have a bit more breathing room with two open slots heading into the deadline.
Rangers Recall Brett Berard, Brendan Brisson
The Rangers announced they’ve recalled forwards Brett Berard and Brendan Brisson from AHL Hartford. With multiple Blueshirts still overseas at the Winter Olympics, Berard and Brisson will serve as practice supplements before likely returning to Hartford in a few days’ time.
Berard was in contention for a full-time NHL role this year, but it didn’t pan out that way for the 23-year-old. A fifth-round pick in 2020, he got a long look last season as a second-year pro. He spent a good chunk of time in a third-line role and ended up with six goals and 10 points in 35 appearances, shooting at 10.2% while averaging 10:43 of ice time per game.
He didn’t land a roster spot out of camp, though, and has been passed over for more experienced names like Conor Sheary or higher-ceiling options like Brennan Othmann and Gabriel Perreault for call-ups and playing time. He’s seen a handful of recalls throughout the year but has struggled to make an impact, going pointless in 13 outings with a -1 rating and 17 hits.
That coincided with Berard’s production in Hartford taking a small step back as well. After a 25-goal rookie year and racking up 0.77 points per game in 2024-25, Berard’s been limited to a 6-12–18 scoring line in 34 games with the Wolf Pack with a -13 rating. At 5’9″ and 174 lbs, if he’s not producing offensively, he’s not likely to get many more NHL looks.
Brisson is in his first full season with the Rangers organization after being acquired from the Golden Knights in last year’s Reilly Smith trade deadline deal. The 24-year-old was the No. 29 overall pick in 2020 and once looked like a future top-six fixture in Vegas after an impressive collegiate performance, but his AHL production took a turn for the worse over the last couple of years.
After being limited to seven goals in 61 AHL games between Henderson and Hartford last year, though, he seems to have found more footing. Two-way play remains a concern with a team-worst -21 rating, but he’s rattled off 13 goals and 23 points in 46 games. He’s three goals and five points shy of Trey Fix-Wolansky for the team lead, and considering how much trouble the Rangers have had getting depth scoring this season, there might be another recall opportunity or two for him down the stretch.
Blues Recall Georgi Romanov
The Blues announced they’ve recalled goaltender Georgi Romanov from AHL Springfield. With teams allowed to resume practice activities this afternoon, he will serve as a second goaltender behind Joel Hofer until Jordan Binnington returns from his stint representing Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Romanov has 10 NHL games to his name, all with the Sharks between 2023-25. The 26-year-old made a pair of relief appearances two years ago and another pair last season in addition to his first six big-league starts, in which he compiled a 0-6-0 record. In under 500 minutes of total ice time in San Jose, the Russian netminder had a .888 SV%, 3.53 GAA, and -3.5 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck.
San Jose inked Romanov to a two-year entry-level contract as a free agent from the KHL’s Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg in 2023, but opted not to issue him a qualifying offer when the deal ran out last summer. He ended up going unsigned until training camp, landing a PTO with the Devils. The tryout agreement turned into a contract, just not in New Jersey. St. Louis signed him to a two-way deal on Oct. 8, and he cleared waivers the following day.
The pending Group VI unrestricted free agent was brought in to replace Colten Ellis as the organization’s third-stringer after Ellis was claimed off waivers by the Sabres in training camp. He’s essentially split Springfield’s crease with countryman Vadim Zherenko. Neither have particularly excelled, with Romanov posting a .893 SV%, 3.37 GAA, 7-11-4 record, and one shutout in 24 games. He’ll be on his way back to the minors as soon as Binnington rejoins the club.
Jets Recall Four Players
NHL teams are permitted to practice today starting at 1:00 p.m. Central. Everybody will be down at least one player while the Winter Olympics are still ongoing in Milan-Cortina, so clubs will have the option to add practice players from their AHL affiliate in the meantime. The Jets were the first team to announce such a move Tuesday morning, recalling forward Walker Duehr, defensemen Ville Heinola and Elias Salomonsson, and goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis from AHL Manitoba.
Salomonsson was rostered right up until the break began, with blue-liners Haydn Fleury, Colin Miller, and Neal Pionk on injured reserve. Depending on their status next week, he could remain on the roster. There’s also a question mark surrounding star Josh Morrissey, who hasn’t played since Canada’s first group-stage game at the Olympics due to an undisclosed injury, though he returned to practice today ahead of tomorrow’s quarterfinal matchup against either Czechia or Denmark.
The 21-year-old Swede has surpassed Heinola as Winnipeg’s top-ranked defense prospect. A right-shot coming in at 6’2″ and 185 lbs, the smooth skater has a goal and 10 points in 29 AHL games with Manitoba this season. It’s his second year stateside after earning an AHL All-Star nod as a rookie. Now nearly four years removed from his second-round selection in 2022, he’s suited up in the first 13 games of his NHL career over the last several weeks with no points and a -5 rating. He’s averaging 16:58 of ice time per game and controlling 47.8% of shot attempts at even strength, a strong figure considering he owns a relatively low offensive zone start percentage of 43.8.
Heinola, the 20th overall pick back in 2019, will turn 25 next month and looks to be in the final months of his time in Winnipeg. Because he’s played fewer than 80 career NHL games, he’ll become a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer. He’s yet to log any NHL time this season after making a career-high 18 appearances in 2024-25. The Finnish lefty remains Manitoba’s best offensive weapon on the blue line, though, ranking fifth on the team in scoring with 21 points (three goals, 18 assists) in 44 games.
Duehr had played at least 20 NHL games in three consecutive seasons but hasn’t seen any this year after passing through waivers during training camp. The 28-year-old was a free agent signing by the Flames out of Minnesota State in 2022 and remained in the organization up until he got claimed off waivers by the Sharks in January 2025. He hit unrestricted free agency last summer and landed a two-way deal with Winnipeg, recording 12 goals and 26 points with a +12 rating in 39 games for Manitoba.
DiVincentiis was recalled to back up Eric Comrie for a handful of games in December while Connor Hellebuyck was recovering from knee surgery, but didn’t see any ice. The 21-year-old was a seventh-round pick in 2022 but has impressed in his pro career so far. He’s split Manitoba’s crease with fellow youngster Thomas Milic and has posted a .908 SV%, 2.68 GAA, and a 10-11-3 record with two shutouts in 24 games as a second-year pro.
Capitals Sign Mitch Gibson To Two-Way Deal
The Capitals announced they’ve signed goaltender Mitch Gibson to a two-year, two-way contract that starts this season. He’ll be placed on waivers today for the purpose of returning him to AHL Hershey, where he’s spent a good portion of the season.
It’s the third straight contract Gibson has signed with the Caps, but it’s his first multi-year deal. The 26-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Washington in 2018 but didn’t sign until five years later after he’d wrapped up a four-year collegiate run with Harvard. He spent most of the last two seasons in the No. 5 spot on Washington’s depth chart, serving as the starter in ECHL South Carolina, before being non-tendered last summer.
While the Caps no longer wanted to use an NHL contract slot on Gibson, they still wanted to keep him in the organization. He agreed to a one-year AHL contract with Hershey in June, but started the year back on assignment to South Carolina. The Capitals have been dealing with injury troubles between the pipes as of late, though, with both Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson missing time before the Olympic break. That’s led to Gibson getting more AHL reps lately, with 12 appearances already a new career high.
The Pennsylvania native has impressed. His .918 SV% and 2.48 GAA outpace both of Washington’s NHL-contracted mainstays in Hershey, Garin Bjorklund and Clay Stevenson. With the former struggling to the tune of a .881 mark in the same amount of workload as Gibson, it’s fair to assume he’s worked his way up to fourth-string status behind Thompson, Lindgren, and Stevenson.
With Washington’s recent injury troubles, they were likely becoming uncomfortable with the prospect of only having two call-up options available if needed – especially if Stevenson needs to go through waivers at some point down the stretch for any reason. They still have three contract slots available after inking Gibson, so they’re not in a huge crunch in that regard.
It’s worth noting Bjorklund is a pending restricted free agent. Signing Gibson through next season could indicate they aren’t planning on qualifying Bjorklund.
Hurricanes Sign Brandon Bussi To Three-Year Extension
The Hurricanes announced they’ve signed goaltender Brandon Bussi to a three-year extension. The deal is worth $1.9MM annually for a total value of $5.7MM. He was set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, but the new deal will keep him under contract with Carolina through the 2028-29 campaign. He’ll earn a $850K salary and $150K signing bonus in 2026-27, a $1MM salary and $850K signing bonus in 2027-28, and a $1MM salary with a $1.85MM signing bonus in the last year, per PuckPedia. He’ll also carry a 10-team no-trade clause in 2028-29.
Bussi, 27, has had a dream start to his NHL career. Claimed off waivers from the Panthers at the beginning of the season to serve as the third-stringer behind Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov, the undrafted free agent has since emerged as the Canes’ clear starting option in what’s been a tumultuous season for the rest of their crease.
While the Western Michigan product had a strong AHL track record entering the year, he didn’t have a single NHL start to his name. He’s now made 27 of them with a raucous 23-3-1 record, putting up a .906 SV% and 2.16 GAA with two shutouts. Just before the break, he broke into the top 10 in the league in terms of goals saved above expected with 11.0, per MoneyPuck.
With the struggling Andersen set to ride off into the open market this summer and Kochetkov likely done for the year with a hip injury, Carolina has a ton invested in Bussi being able to keep up that level of play. With no blue-chip prospects ready to succeed Andersen as the starter and no high-end long-term options set to be available in free agency, the Canes needed some insurance past this season as well. Retaining Bussi at such a marginal cap hit gives them that insurance with virtually no risk, even if his numbers regress and he settles back in as more of a No. 2/3 option.
Bussi’s strong career minor-league numbers suggest he’s got a good chance of being able to keep this up, though. Signed by the Bruins as an undrafted free agent in 2022, he was an AHL All-Star as a rookie while putting up a .924 SV% and 22-5-4 record in 32 games for Providence. He remained in the Boston organization until reaching unrestricted free agent status last summer, landing a two-way deal with the Panthers before being lost on waivers in training camp. In four AHL seasons before hitting the open market, he made 111 appearances with a 2.61 GAA, .915 SV%, eight shutouts, and a 63-31-13 record.
His lack of NHL experience was always going to make it hard for him to land an eye-popping cap hit on his next deal, though. Reports emerged last month that the Canes were working to get him extended. The few reasonable comparables for Bussi’s camp in the last several years all topped out in the high $1MM range on a short-term multi-year deal, so this one doesn’t push the envelope by very much.
It’s nonetheless a shrewd signing by general manager Eric Tulsky, who’s essentially given Carolina a worst-case scenario of Bussi and Kochetkov as next season’s tandem if Andersen walks and they don’t pursue an external replacement via trade or free agency. Bussi will be 31 years old when his deal is up, joining a potential 2029 UFA goalie class of Thatcher Demko, Spencer Knight, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and Linus Ullmark.
Islanders Sign Scott Reedy To AHL Tryout
The AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders have signed center Scott Reedy to a professional tryout, per Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. He has yet to play this season.
Reedy’s return to hockey comes over 11 months after his last appearance of any kind and nearly four years after his last NHL game. A fourth-round pick by the Sharks in 2017, he developed nicely over four seasons at the University of Minnesota and capped off his collegiate career with an All-Star, point-per-game campaign in 2020-21.
He turned pro and split the following season evenly between San Jose’s NHL and AHL clubs. He did well enough in a bottom-six role, scoring seven goals and a pair of assists in 35 games while seeing 11:11 of ice time per night. The speedy 6’2″ pivot also recorded 18 goals and 27 points in just 38 AHL games, leading to optimism he could be a solid depth contributor at the NHL level.
Reedy never got another chance, though. He was limited to five goals and 15 points in 38 AHL games the following season before being traded to the Stars. He was highly productive when healthy over the next season and a half, but was decimated by injuries. From his acquisition in March 2023 to the end of his contract following 2023-24, he only managed 30 appearances for AHL Texas while recording 11 goals and 17 points.
The Minnesota native went unqualified by the Stars that summer and ended up going unsigned until December, when he landed an AHL tryout from the Predators’ minor-league affiliate in Milwaukee. He finished out the year with four goals and nine points in 25 games before becoming a free agent again.
He’ll take the same pathway to playing time this time around, albeit with only about two months left in the campaign. He joins a much-improved Bridgeport roster that’s hovering around .500 this season after finishing with a disastrous 15-50-7 record in 2024-25.
Devils Place Marc McLaughlin On Waivers
The Devils announced they’ve placed center Marc McLaughlin on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Utica. The transaction implies he’s ready to come off the injured non-roster list after sitting out the entire season to date with an undisclosed injury.
McLaughlin, 26, found his way to the New Jersey organization last season by way of a minor trade with the Bruins, with whom he began his professional career as an undrafted free agent out of Boston College in 2022. After recording just 14 points in 68 AHL games in 2023-24, he hit the same mark in 34 appearances last year before the trade. He finished out the season with six assists and a +5 rating in 16 games for Utica, also recording an assist in two NHL games for the Devils.
The Massachusetts native has 28 NHL games to his name and has suited up at least once in four consecutive seasons. With so much time missed, that streak is in jeopardy. He has a career 6-1–7 scoring line with a -3 rating while averaging 9:54 of ice time per game. Teams have controlled 48.0% of shot attempts with McLaughlin on the ice at even strength.
A strong defensive-minded center at the minor-league level, he won’t do a ton to help Utica’s scoring woes (2.40 goals per game) but should help the struggling AHL club shore up its two-way game. After signing a two-way extension to remain with New Jersey last June, he’ll be a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer.
Bruins Activate Elias Lindholm From Injured Reserve
The Bruins activated center Elias Lindholm from injured reserve today, per the NHL’s media site. He’ll suit up for Team Sweden this afternoon in their preliminary-round opener against the host Italians at the Olympics.
While there is a trade moratorium during the Olympics and added restrictions on some transactions like waiver placements and reassignments, IR activations are not affected by the roster freeze. Since Boston entered the break with an open roster spot after reassigning Matthew Poitras to AHL Providence last week, there’s no corresponding transaction required.
Lindholm missed the final three games of Boston’s pre-Olympic schedule with an upper-body injury but was only ever listed as day-to-day. He missed a lengthier stretch back in November, sitting out 10 games, but that was because of a lower-body issue.
Now in the second season of the seven-year, $54.25MM commitment he landed from the B’s in free agency in 2024, Lindholm has fared much better in 2025-26 than in year one of the deal. Through 44 games, he tossed up 11 goals and 37 points. That works out to 0.84 points per game, his most productive rate since his career-best 42-goal, 82-point campaign with the Flames in 2021-22 that also saw him finish as the Selke Trophy runner-up.
Lindholm will begin his first time at the Olympics as Sweden’s second-line center between the Devils’ Jesper Bratt and the Red Wings’ Lucas Raymond, per Adam Johansson of Expressen. The well-regarded two-way pivot has been left off their top penalty kill units in favor of Joel Eriksson Ek, Adrian Kempe, Alexander Wennberg, and Pontus Holmberg, though, so his ice time will presumably end up closer to 15 minutes per game than 20.
Coming out of the break, there won’t be many pieces more important than Lindholm in guiding the Bruins to what would have been seen as an unexpected playoff berth last fall. He’s their third-most productive forward behind David Pastrňák and Morgan Geekie, and ranks second in time on ice per game behind the former.