Blackhawks Sign Nick Foligno To Two-Year Extension
The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that they’ve signed veteran forward Nick Foligno to a two-year extension worth a total of $9MM. Foligno was acquired by Chicago from the Boston Bruins last June alongside Taylor Hall in a move that saw Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula go the other way. After the trade, The Buffalo, New York native was promptly signed to a one-year extension for $4MM.
Foligno was a first-round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators back in 2006 (28th overall) and is a veteran of 1,120 career NHL games in which he has posted 223 goals and 319 assists.
He has been a steady presence for the Blackhawks this season in what has been a tumultuous year for the team both on and off the ice. In 39 games with Chicago, the 36-year-old has eight goals and nine assists and has provided his usual physicality and steady defensive work.
Chicago has struggled to ice a healthy lineup in recent weeks as their forward ranks have been decimated by injuries. Foligno is currently on the injured reserve with a fractured left finger but that didn’t stop the Blackhawks from locking him up for the next two seasons.
The Blackhawks have a relatively blank slate when it comes to NHL contracts beyond the 2024-25 season. With Foligno’s extension, he becomes one of only three players signed to a one-way NHL contract for the 2025-26 season alongside Seth Jones and Connor Murphy. The new deal is a bit of an overpay but given Chicago’s lack of long-term commitments and the value Foligno’s experience will provide, they likely aren’t too worried about a short-term mid-tier contract.
Bruins Place Brandon Carlo On IR, Recall Brandon Bussi
The Bruins placed defenseman Brandon Carlo on injured reserve retroactive to January 8, according to a team release. In a corresponding transaction, the team elevated netminder Brandon Bussi from AHL Providence on an emergency basis. Head coach Jim Montgomery said that 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark is day-to-day with a lower-body injury and will not play tonight against the Golden Knights, so Bussi will back up Ullmark’s tandem partner, Jeremy Swayman.
Ullmark isn’t the only player who sustained an injury in Tuesday’s overtime loss to the Coyotes. Rookie Matthew Poitras suffered a shoulder injury and will also miss tonight’s game. He, too, is listed as day-to-day.
Carlo left the team’s game on Monday against the Avalanche in the second period with an upper-body injury, although it wasn’t clear what caused the premature exit. As a result of the IR placement, the 27-year-old has been ruled out of the team’s next three games. He will be eligible to return next Thursday against the Avalanche.
In 39 games this season, the Bruins’ top shutdown defender has two goals, eight assists, ten points, and a team-high +15 rating while averaging over 20 minutes per game. AHL call-up Parker Wotherspoon, who has two assists and a +2 rating in 13 NHL appearances this season, is projected to remain in a second-pairing role alongside Hampus Lindholm in Carlo’s absence.
Luckily for the Bruins, it doesn’t appear anyone else’s absence is extremely long-term, either. It’s a tough loss to go without Ullmark for a stretch, who’s again been one of the better goalies in the league with a .915 SV% and 8.1 goals saved above average in 20 starts (21 appearances), but Swayman has put up slightly better numbers this season in the same amount of action.
In his place for now will be the 25-year-old Bussi. Named to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team last season after he posted a .924 SV% in 32 appearances for Providence in his first season after completing his collegiate career at Western Michigan, he’s taken a significant step back this year with a .901 SV% and 10-6-3 record in 20 appearances. He’s been recalled on multiple occasions over the past two years due to short-term injuries to Swayman and Ullmark, and although he’s solidly third on Boston’s depth chart, he’s still yet to make his NHL debut.
Poitras, 19, was injured in his third game back after representing Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship in Sweden. The 2022 second-round pick has five goals and 15 points while averaging 13:46 through his first 30 NHL contests.
Capitals Activate T.J. Oshie
The Capitals activated veteran winger T.J. Oshie from injured reserve Thursday, The Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson reports. To stay under the 23-player roster limit, the team moved defenseman Rasmus Sandin to IR retroactive to January 3 with an upper-body injury.
Oshie will re-enter the Capitals lineup tonight against the Kraken on a throwback line with former All-Stars Evgeny Kuznetsov and Max Pacioretty. It will be the 37-year-old’s first game since December 16, subsequently missing 11 games with a lower-body injury. This was his second multi-game absence of the season – Oshie also missed six games with an upper-body injury in late November and early December.
It’s been a trying year for the six-time 20-goal scorer, who has one season remaining after this on a deal carrying a $5.75MM cap hit. He’s scored only twice in 21 games, adding two assists for four points. His ice time has dipped slightly to 16:34 per game; the fifth straight year that it’s decreased. It’s the lowest average of his 16-year, 979-game NHL career.
On a team receiving better production from less-used wingers, Anthony Mantha and Aliaksei Protas, it’s surprising Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery hasn’t reduced Oshie’s ice time further. Oshie isn’t a complete defensive liability, but he’s far from a shutdown specialist – he’s posted a negative expected plus-minus rating in four of the last five seasons, including this one.
Meanwhile, Sandin lands on IR to give the Capitals some short-term roster flexibility. He’s already satisfied the minimum seven-day absence requirement and can be activated at any time. The 23-year-old likely won’t be out much longer, as he’s still listed as day-to-day.
Tonight’s tilt against the Kraken will be his first missed with this specific upper-body injury, though. Sandin, who the Capitals acquired in a trade with the Maple Leafs before last season’s deadline, had missed two prior games with an illness. Now in his first full season as a Capital, the 2018 first-round pick ranks second on the team in average time on ice (22:05) and has 11 assists in 36 games.
Canadiens Acquire Filip Cederqvist From Sabres
3:44 p.m.: Cederqvist is planning to return to Sweden at the end of the 2023-24 campaign, The Athletic’s Lance Lysowski reports. While this won’t be a long-term investment from Montreal, Cederqvist is a serviceable minor-league stopgap who will help fill out the roster of a Laval squad that’s dealing with multiple long-term injuries.
2:54 p.m.: The Canadiens acquired forward prospect Filip Cederqvist from the Sabres in exchange for future considerations on Thursday.
Cederqvist, 23, was a fifth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. Just a few seasons ago, he was regarded as one of the Sabres’ higher-ceiling prospects after posting 14 goals and 32 points in 49 games with Djurgårdens IF in the Swedish Hockey League as a 21-year-old in the 2021-22 campaign, good enough for second on the team.
However, his transition to North America has not gone well. Lost in the shuffle among the Sabres’ glut of forward prospects, Cederqvist underwhelmed with nine goals and 20 points in 55 games for AHL Rochester last season, his first in North America. This season has been almost a complete throwaway for Cederqvist, though, who has one goal and three assists through 19 games.
With the Sabres having no need for his services and his poor AHL production causing major concern, it’s no surprise he could be had for free on the trade market. Cederqvist will now likely report to AHL Laval and look to regain confidence in a new organization. The 6-foot-3 Swede can play both left wing and center.
If he doesn’t pan out, it’s a low-risk investment for the Canadiens. He’s in the final season of his two-year, entry-level contract, meaning he can be cut loose at the end of the season if Montreal doesn’t issue him a qualifying offer. He would then be a UFA and could return to Europe or sign on with a third NHL team.
Maple Leafs Recall Ilya Samsonov
After clearing waivers early last week, Ilya Samsonov‘s brief stint on the AHL roster is over. The Maple Leafs recalled last season’s starting netminder this morning, returning youngster Dennis Hildeby to AHL Toronto in a corresponding transaction.
Samsonov, 26, has had a horrid go of things this season that culminated in a minor-league assignment to work with the team’s development staff. He did not suit up in any game action for the AHL’s Marlies during his ten-day stint. To go along with a rather peculiar 5-2-6 record, Samsonov had a .862 SV% in 15 NHL games – second-worst in the league among qualified netminders only to the Hurricanes’ Antti Raanta.
Without any stats from his AHL run, it’s hard to gauge from an outside viewpoint if Samsonov is mentally ready to rebound from his struggles. There’s no doubt he’s a skilled, capable netminder. After all, he started 40 out of 82 games for Toronto last season and stopped 18 goals above expected, which was tenth in the league, per MoneyPuck. It’s also unclear whether or not the Leafs plan to play Samsonov anytime soon, as they’ve shown a willingness to ride the hot hand and start Martin Jones in back-to-back contests already once this month. The recall could be just to get Samsonov back working with the Leafs’ NHL staff as he gets closer to being deemed ready to play.
This has to be a tad disappointing for Hildeby, who didn’t see any action during his first NHL recall. After backing up Jones in four games, the monstrous 22-year-old Swede heads back to the Marlies, where he has a 2.20 GAA, .919 SV%, two shutouts, and a 7-5-3 record in 15 games this year.
West Notes: Zegras, Barabanov, Milne
After moving out Jamie Drysdale, some are wondering if Ducks GM Pat Verbeek might have another big move up his sleeve. To that end, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that Verbeek has discussed center Trevor Zegras with teams this season although it’s not known how far those discussions advanced. After a tough contract negotiation that eventually yielded a three-year bridge deal with a $5.75MM cap hit, things have not gone well for the 22-year-old. Injuries have limited him to 19 games heading into tonight’s action while he has struggled offensively with just four goals and three assists. Unfortunately for Zegras and Anaheim, he suffered a lower-body injury during tonight’s game against Nashville in the first period and did not return. Any extended absence could put the idea of a possible trade on hold fairly quickly.
More from the Western Conference:
- Back in the summer, Sharks GM Mike Grier acknowledged that there was some merit to the idea of extending pending unrestricted free agent winger Alexander Barabanov. However, Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News reports that there have yet to be discussions about a new contract for the 29-year-old. Like many San Jose players this season, 2023-24 has been a struggle for Barabanov who has just seven points in 20 games after coming off a career year that saw him collect 47 points in 68 games. He has a $2.5MM cap charge and if a new deal isn’t reached, he’ll be one of their more intriguing trade chips in the coming weeks.
- The Wild activated forward Michael Milne off season-opening IR and assigned him to AHL Iowa, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports (Twitter link). The 21-year-old is in his second professional season after picking up 13 points in 57 AHL contests last year and after missing the first few months of the season due to injury, is expected to play this weekend. Milne was a third-round pick in 2022 (89th overall) after a breakout season offensively in the WHL that saw him put up 81 points in 68 games.
CHL Trade Roundup: Sale, Toure, Sobolev, Thornton
The CHL Trade Deadline is set to hit on Wednesday and there have been several big moves made already that have involved NHL prospects. Several more have happened today; here’s a rundown of those moves.
- Kraken prospect Eduard Sale has been acquired by OHL Kitchener along with blueliner Olivier Savard in exchange for forward Kyle Morey, defenseman Blair Scott, and eight draft picks, reports Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek (Twitter link). Sale was the 23rd pick back in June and is in his first season in North America where he has struggled a bit, notching just 20 points in 25 games with the Colts. He was more of a factor for Czechia at the World Juniors, picking up seven points in as many contests.
- A Senators blueliner is on the move as Windsor picked up Djibril Toure from Sudbury for a pair of draft picks. The 20-year-old signed with Ottawa as an undrafted free agent back in September. Toure, who stands 6’7, has been a shutdown defenseman at the OHL level but still has 12 points in 24 appearances this season.
- While Brantford was selling with yesterday’s Jorian Donovan trade, they also added to their roster, acquiring Canadiens blueline prospect Danill Sobolev for forward Masen Wray and defenseman Callum Cheynowski. Sobolev was a fifth-round pick by Montreal in 2021 (142nd overall) and has been a shutdown defender in his three junior seasons. He’ll be too old for junior hockey next season and it remains to be seen if Montreal will look to find a place for him in their system.
- Coyotes goaltender Anson Thornton’s junior rights have been moved from OHL Barrie to Niagara for a conditional draft choice. The 20-year-old signed as an undrafted free agent with Arizona 2021 but has missed most of the year with an injury, being limited to just four appearances with AHL Tucson where he has a save percentage of just .849.
Ducks Recall Robert Hagg
When the Ducks moved Jamie Drysdale to Philadelphia as part of yesterday’s trade that saw them acquire prospect Cutter Gauthier, a spot on their back end was opened up. It didn’t take long for them to fill it as Anaheim has recalled defenseman Robert Hagg from the minors, per the AHL’s transactions log.
The 28-year-old was an NHL regular on the blueline only a few years ago but injuries have limited him since then. After only getting into 38 games last season with Detroit, Hagg didn’t have the strongest of markets last summer in free agency, resulting in him settling for a one-year deal at the league minimum.
The thought was that Hagg would provide some grit at the back of their back end with GM Pat Verbeek clearly making toughness a priority over the summer. But things didn’t go quite as anticipated as Hagg wound up clearing waivers in training camp with several of Anaheim’s top defensive prospects getting roster spots instead.
Since then, Hagg has played regularly with the Gulls, getting into 22 games so far in his first taste of AHL action since the 2016-17 season and has four points in those appearances. This is his fourth NHL recall of the season but he didn’t get any playing time in the first three. He won’t be in the lineup tonight against Nashville so his season debut will have to wait a little longer.
Winnipeg Jets Activate Rasmus Kupari From LTIR, Loan To AHL On Conditioning Stint
In an announcement today coming directly from the organization, the Winnipeg Jets have activated forward Rasmus Kupari from long-term injured reserve, and have subsequently assigned him to their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, for a conditioning sting. Kupari has been out of the lineup for Winnipeg since November 14th, as he has been sidelined with a shoulder injury ever since.
Kupari originally came to the Jets organization as one of the many pieces handed over by the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois this past summer. In his three years with the Kings organization, Kupari struggled mightily to produce and to gain ice time, but due to his status as a former-first-round selection relatively recently, he still garnered some upside value from Winnipeg.
Unfortunately for both him and the Jets organization, Kupari has once again struggled to get ice time, now only averaging around nine minutes a game in his first 15 contests on the year. His defensive play has left a lot to be desired, while his offensive production has only given him one assist in total on the season.
Only having one year left on his contract after this season, the clock may be ticking on Kupari’s time in the NHL if he is unable to round out his game. Having been built with similar depth to Los Angeles, it’s going to prove extremely difficult for Kupari to become a top-six option in Winnipeg if he is unable to take his game to another level.
The current conditioning sting will give Kupari his return to AHL action, after being regularly shuffled up and down by the Kings organization throughout much of his tenure with the team. Last season, Kupari suited up in 11 games for Los Angeles’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, scoring five goals and nine points overall.
Washington Activates Charlie Lindgren, Sends Down Hunter Shepard
The Washington Capitals have activated goaltender Charlie Lindgren from the injured reserve and sent Hunter Shepard to their AHL affiliate in a corresponding roster move, per a team announcement. Lindgren was originally placed on the injured reserve on January 3rd after it became known that he suffered an upper-body injury.
At the beginning of the year, with the Capitals struggling on offense, and largely still doing so, Lindgren had become a source of stability between the pipes, playing well above expectation to keep Washington afloat in the Eastern Conference playoff race early. Although the starting role was largely viewed as Darcy Kuemper‘s to lose, Lindgren has largely forced the Capitals’ hand.
Through 15 games this season, Lindgren carries a 7-3-3 record, with an impressive .928 save percentage and 2.27 goals against average. Out of all qualifying goaltenders in the Eastern Conference, both Lindgren’s SV% and GAA serve as the top marks in the Conference. However, even with the strong numbers up to this point, Hockey Reference places Lindgren with a .902 SV% against all scoring chances, and a .864 SV% against high-danger scoring chances, indicating there could be some regression on the horizon for Lindgren.
In Shepard, he was originally recalled on December 30th via an emergency loan, starting both that day and on January 3rd. Over those two games upon his emergency loan recall, Shepard produced an 0-1-1 record, maintaining a .875 SV%. He will now rejoin a Hershey Bears team that he has spent much of the year with. Continuing his success from last year’s Calder Cup playoffs, Shepard holds a 14-2-0 record for the Bears so far this year, possessing a .908 SV% and 2.28 GAA in 16 games.