Devils Scratching Ondrej Palat For Roster-Related Reasons
It appears the Devils are close to finding a trade partner for winger Ondřej Palát. The team is holding him out of tonight’s game against the Jets for “roster-related reasons,” per the team’s Amanda Stein.
The Devils’ efforts to shed Palát and his $6MM cap hit have dated back to last summer. Those only intensified into the season as New Jersey was close to the cap and attempting to make a splash on the trade market – widely assumed to be Quinn Hughes – but ended up not being able to pull the deal off. Not only does finding a willing taker for the declining veteran’s contract prove difficult, but he can block most moves with his 10-team no-trade list and no-movement clause.
Evidently, Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald has now found a team that’s not on Palát’s no-trade list and is willing to take on all or most of his deal, which expires after next season. The 34-year-old inked a five-year, $30MM deal with N.J. in free agency back in 2022 on the heels of three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances with the Lightning. He was also coming off three straight 40-point seasons, but never managed to hit that mark in a Devils sweater.
From the start, his production simply wasn’t there. Injuries took away nearly half of his first season in Newark, and last year, he only averaged 13:45 of ice time per game with 15 goals and 28 points in 77 contests. He averaged 55 points per 82 games during his 10 years in Tampa, but that number is down to 30 in Jersey. This year, he’s mustered 10 points in 51 games for a career-worst pace.
With that in point, Palát’s contract comes across as squarely a negative-value one that the Devils will be offloading an asset to move, even if they’re retaining a little bit of cash. While his possession impacts were something of a saving grace over the first two years of the deal, those, too, have now declined. New Jersey has controlled under 50% of shot attempts with Palát on the ice at 5-on-5 dating back to last year.
Penguins’ Jack St. Ivany Undergoes Hand Surgery, Out Eight Weeks
Penguins defenseman Jack St. Ivany will be out through the trade deadline after undergoing left-hand surgery, the team announced. He’ll be out for up to eight weeks.
It’s the second long-term injury for St. Ivany this season. He started the year on injured reserve with a lower-body issue and remained out until late November, when he started in the AHL on a conditioning stint. He played well enough there to warrant sticking with the team after his stint ended.
His play since returning has been more than enough to keep him in the lineup. He’s had spectacular results on a depth pairing with Ryan Shea, notching seven assists and a +7 rating through 17 games. Both are already career highs for the 26-year-old, who’s in his third NHL season. That duo has controlled 52.6% of expected goals at 5-on-5, per MoneyPuck, outscoring opponents 11-5.
An intriguing puck-mover at the minor-league level, the Penguins have long liked St. Ivany’s ceiling since signing him as a free agent out of Boston College in 2022. They were invested enough to ink him to a three-year, $2.325MM extension in 2024 that will convert from a two-way contract to a one-way after this season. He lit up the AHL for five points and a +3 rating in five games on this year’s conditioning stint, so a return to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton likely isn’t in the cards anytime soon.
As the Pens remain in a thick Eastern Conference playoff race, St. Ivany’s season once again goes on pause after sustaining the unspecified left-hand issue early in Sunday’s win over the Canucks. They’ll now be turning to veteran Connor Clifton, who’s been a healthy scratch for much of the campaign with only 22 appearances in 51 games, to hold down duties as Shea’s right-shot partner at the bottom of the lineup.
Predators Recall Andreas Englund
The Predators announced today that they’ve recalled defender Andreas Englund from AHL Milwaukee. They’ve been carrying an open roster spot for quite some time, so no corresponding transaction is required.
Englund has spent virtually the entire year in the minors after clearing waivers during training camp, aside from a one-day recall earlier this month that saw him serve as a healthy scratch for a Jan. 16 game against the Avalanche. The veteran of 197 NHL games landed in Nashville midway through last season as a waiver claim and played 24 games down the stretch for the Preds, even earning a one-way extension to stick around. The subsequent offseason additions of Nicolas Hague and Nicklaus Perbix, though, left him without an NHL job.
An enforcing shutdown defender who checks in at 6’3″ and 201 lbs, Englund now comes up after Hague landed a week-to-week designation with his lower-body injury. He’ll be serving as the Preds’ press box extra for the foreseeable future. In 34 games with Milwaukee this season, he’s posted six points and a +1 rating with 44 penalty minutes.
Nashville is Englund’s fifth NHL club. The 30-year-old was a second-round pick by the Senators in 2014 and stuck around in a depth role there until becoming an unrestricted free agent for the first time in 2022. He’s since made stops with the Avalanche, Blackhawks, Kings, and now Predators. He’s mostly been an AHL option throughout his professional career but briefly surfaced as a full-time option for L.A. in 2023-24, playing in all 82 regular-season games.
Maple Leafs Place Dakota Mermis On Waivers
Ahead of their game against the Sabres tonight, the Maple Leafs placed defenseman Dakota Mermis on waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Today marked the end of an extended conditioning loan to the AHL for the defender, who was on long-term injured reserve, meaning they had to either activate him or designate him as waivers non-roster.
Mermis came to the Leafs as a free agent signing in 2024. He signed a new two-year deal last summer to extend his stay in the organization. Still, this is the third time they’ve placed him on waivers since landing him. They were unsuccessful the first time, losing him to Utah in December 2024, but they reclaimed him a few weeks later when he ended up back on the wire, and they haven’t lost him since.
He cleared waivers successfully to begin this season and was yo-yoed between leagues for the first month before sticking on the Leafs’ roster from the beginning of November onward due to their rash of injuries on defense. That bug ended up biting Mermis in December, sidelining him for over a month with a lower-body injury until he was able to get back to action in the minors a couple of weeks ago.
While Mermis’ conditioning loan began a while back, multiple extensions were granted and he didn’t end up getting into game action until last Sunday, recording a -1 rating and two shots in an overtime loss to Providence. It was just his third AHL appearance of the season, as he’s spent most of his time up with the Leafs or on IR.
With Troy Stecher in the mix now and Henry Thrun seemingly set to stick around as a press-box option with Philippe Myers for the time being, Mermis’ services aren’t needed on the NHL roster. The 32-year-old, who has 466 AHL appearances across 10 seasons in the minors, will now get to add to that tally on a more consistent basis in the coming weeks.
In 11 NHL contests for the Leafs earlier this year, the 6’0″ lefty had one goal, a -3 rating, and a 46.9 CF% at even strength while averaging 13:02 of ice time per game.
Blue Jackets Place Zach Aston-Reese, Brendan Gaunce On Waivers
The Blue Jackets have placed forwards Zach Aston-Reese and Brendan Gaunce on waivers, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. The open roster spots will allow Columbus to activate defenseman Denton Mateychuk from injured reserve before tomorrow’s game, as expected. Forward Miles Wood will also be coming off IR, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.
Aston-Reese, 31, is in his ninth NHL season. He’s become a bit of a journeyman as of late after breaking into the league with the Penguins, also making stops in Anaheim, Toronto, and Detroit since 2022. With 102 career points and a +17 rating in 415 games, he was once regarded as one of the league’s top low-usage defensive forwards in Pittsburgh, but has since been mired in year-to-year inconsistency. He spent most of 2023-24 in the minors with the Red Wings before breaking back into a regular role with Columbus last year.
After appearing in 76 games for the Jackets last year and earning a one-year, league minimum extension, playing time has been tougher to come by for Aston-Reese in 2025-26. He’s played in just over half of Columbus’ games this season and has now been a healthy scratch in six of eight. He’s scored a goal and five points in 26 outings, recording a career-low 0.65 shots on goal per game (aside from his three-game sample size in Detroit). He’s still blocking shots and hitting with aplomb, but with ice average ice time now back under 10 minutes per game and his possession impacts dwindling, he hasn’t been much more than a 13th forward – especially with offseason signing Isac Lundeström taking some of Aston-Reese’s penalty-kill minutes.
Unlike Aston-Reese, Gaunce didn’t start the year on the active roster, but has logged roughly the same amount of playing time anyway. He cleared waivers in camp and headed to Cleveland, but has been up with the Jackets since November. In 25 showings, the 31-year-old has been moderately more productive with two goals and six points. He’s been especially valuable on draws, where he’s winning a team-high 56.9% of faceoffs. Nonetheless, with Lundeström back after missing a few weeks, he’s been in the press box for the last two games.
For now, Danton Heinen has earned the honor of serving as the Jackets’ 13th forward while Aston-Reese and Gaunce head back to Cleveland or get claimed by another squad. Since being acquired from the Penguins in the Egor Chinakhov deal last month, he’s put up two points in 11 games with a -1 rating and 21 hits.
Wood, 30, has been out of action since New Year’s Eve because of a leg injury. Between that and some previous ailments, he’s missed 19 of the Jackets’ 51 games but has still churned out an 8-4–12 scoring line in 32 outings. That’s twice as many goals as the speedy winger had last year in a similar number of games for the Avalanche, and with Charlie Coyle now up to 33 points in 51 games on the year, it’s safe to say Columbus is happy with the investment they made when bringing them both in via trade from Colorado.
Penguins’ Bryan Rust Suspended Three Games
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety has imposed a three-game suspension on Penguins winger Bryan Rust for an illegal check to the head against Canucks winger Brock Boeser during the closing seconds of Sunday’s game in Vancouver. While suspended, he continues to count against Pittsburgh’s salary cap and active roster.
Rust was in the defensive zone while the Penguins were fending off a late challenge from the Canucks to tie the game. While Boeser was attempting to join a net-front battle, Rust dove down from the slot and attempted a hard hit, missing Boeser’s core entirely and striking his head with his right shoulder. Rust was given a two-minute minor on the play for a check to the head. As the game was over, there wasn’t any consequence.
In their explanation video today, DoPS deemed the head contact avoidable. “Rust takes a poor angle of approach, choosing an angle that causes him to cut across the front of Boeser’s body, missing his core,” the video states. “Rust then raises his arm and leans into contact, causing direct contact with Boeser’s head with requisite force for supplemental discipline.” It’s the first interaction Rust has had with DoPS over his 12-year career, though, making the penalty seem steep at first glance, although the fact that Boeser sustained a head injury on the play factored into the length.
Rust isn’t on pace to match the career-high 31 goals he tallied last season, but he’s still a crucial part of the Pens’ top six. The 33-year-old owns an 18-21–39 scoring line in 47 appearances while averaging a career-high 20:07 of ice time per game. For a streaking Pens team with a six-point cushion on a playoff spot, that’s a significant loss – especially with their offense clicking so well at 4.67 goals per game over their last six.
Thatcher Demko Out For Season
12:01 p.m.: The Canucks are shutting Demko down for the season to undergo hip surgery, the team announced. He ends his year with an 8-10-1 record in 20 appearances with a .895 SV% and 2.90 GAA – both strong numbers behind a lax Vancouver defense.
8:35 a.m.: The Vancouver Canucks have been without starting netminder Thatcher Demko since January 10th, and his absence could extend even further. According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Canucks are expected to provide clarity on Demko’s injury later today, and he may be done for the 2025-26 campaign.
Speculation regarding his availability for the remainder of the season came from Vancouver’s head coach, Adam Foote, who admitted that Demko’s season may be over. The nine-year veteran has been dealing with chronic knee issues for the last few years and was out with a groin ailment earlier this season.
At the time, Foote only acknowledged that Demko is dealing with a lower-body injury, and there’s no word on whether it’s related to his previous afflictions. If it is, Demko may need relatively invasive surgery, which could sideline him for months. Dreger confirmed that Demko has been meeting with medical specialists, which would explain the lack of clarity from the Canucks.
Additionally, it wouldn’t be a bad year for Demko to take off to regain his health. Vancouver is currently in the league’s basement with a 17-30-5 record and has no realistic pathway back to contention, even with Demko between the pipes.
Still, even if he does have surgery, there should be significant concern from the Canucks. If he misses the rest of the season, he will have made only 43 starts in the last two seasons. For comparison, Demko made 51 starts during the 2023-24 season alone.
Despite the injuries, Vancouver signed Demko to a three-year, $25.5MM ($8.5MM AAV) extension that begins next season. Considering that they’re already paying Kevin Lankinen $4.5MM through the 2029-30 campaign, that’s a relatively high price to pay for a goalie tandem on a non-competitive team.
Avalanche Sign Sam Malinski To Four-Year Extension
The Avalanche announced they’ve signed defenseman Sam Malinski to a four-year contract extension. It carries an average annual value of $4.75MM for a total commitment of $19MM, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Malinski’s deal is paid almost entirely in base salary aside from a $1MM signing bonus in 2029-30, the last year of the deal, per PuckPedia. His salary breaks down as $5.5MM in 2026-27, $4.5MM in 2027-28 and 2028-29, and $3.5MM in 2028-29. He has a full no-trade clause from 2026-28 before downgrading to a 10-team no-trade list in 2028-29 and a six-team no-trade list in 2029-30.
It’s a big deal amid a big breakout for Malinski, who, at age 27, is in just his third professional season. Colorado signed the 5’11” righty as an undrafted free agent out of Cornell in 2023. He spent his first year in the organization bouncing between the NHL and AHL before obtaining a more stable role as a bottom-pairing threat last season.
This year, he’s still operating as the Avs’ third-pair righty behind Cale Makar and Brent Burns (Josh Manson has shifted to his offside on the second pairing), but his results have been those of a top-four piece. With 24 points in 50 games, he’s tied for 38th in the league in scoring among defenders, and his +26 rating is tied for sixth in the NHL. No one in the league has done more with less – among D-men at or above Malinski’s production, they’ve all averaged at least 19 minutes per game, while Malinski skates just 16:43 per contest.
Colorado’s multiple layers of starpower are impossible to ignore, but it’s the immense success of players near the bottom of the lineup like Malinski this season that have the Avs cruising toward their fourth Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history. Most frequently paired with Samuel Girard, they beat out both Makar’s and Burns’ pairings in expected goals against per 60 minutes at 2.24, per MoneyPuck. They’ve controlled 56.6% of them overall and have outscored 18-10 at 5-on-5.
It’s hard to overstate the uniqueness of Malinski’s path to this point. Initially draft-eligible way back in 2016, he spent the following season with his high school team in Minnesota. Only in his DY+2 did he jump to junior hockey, spending most of the next two seasons in the Tier II North American Hockey League with Bismarck before enrolling at Cornell as a 21-year-old freshman. Players with such a delayed development curve are usually long shots to even get an NHL call-up, let alone become a stable contributor on a Stanley Cup favorite.
Now, he cashes in throughout his prime while the Avs retain a potential succession policy to the 40-year-old Burns, who’s been spectacular after inking a one-year deal last summer. With Makar and Girard set to become UFAs in 2027 and Manson in 2028, Malinski is now the team’s second-longest signed defender behind Devon Toews, whose deal expires in 2031.
Image courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.
Islanders Reassign Isaiah George
The Islanders have reassigned defenseman Isaiah George to AHL Bridgeport, per Stefen Rosner of NHL.com. That opens an active roster spot for fellow rearguard Carson Soucy to join the team after being acquired from the Rangers last night.
The move is just a speed bump in what remains a promising development path for George. In 2024-25, he went from an overlooked prospect from legitimate call-up option after notching five points in 33 games. He controlled 45.9% of shot attempts at 5-on-5 with a -3 rating while averaging 15:39 of ice time per game, virtually all of which came at even strength. While he didn’t move the needle much defensively, his skating translated well to the game’s highest level and, for a 20-year-old mid-round pick, certainly didn’t look out of place.
Coming into 2025-26, Matthew Schaefer falling into their lap and shoring up the left side made it hard to envision George turning last year’s momentum into a roster spot. That’s how it played out. He returned to Bridgeport to begin the campaign, but has put together a better all-around showing than he did as a rookie last year, notching a 2-8–10 scoring line with a +5 rating in 24 games.
Alexander Romanov‘s shoulder injury meant the Isles were dipping into their AHL depth to take on third-pairing duties on the left side over the last several weeks, though. After Marshall Warren and Travis Mitchell got some looks, it was George’s turn last weekend. He skated alongside Adam Boqvist in each of the Isles’ last two games, recording an assist and a shot attempt despite the pairing largely getting shelled at 5-on-5. They were out-attempted 26-7 and only controlled 18.2% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck.
Now, with Soucy expected to hold down the 3LD spot for the remainder of the season behind Schaefer and Adam Pelech, NHL opportunities for George will once again be limited unless more injuries strike. He’ll be 22 next month, ahead of the final season of his entry-level contract in 2026-27, when he’ll look to make a play for a roster spot with Soucy, Boqvist, and Tony DeAngelo on expiring contracts.
Wild Recall Matt Kiersted
The Wild announced today that they’ve recalled defenseman Matt Kiersted from AHL Iowa. With two open roster spots, there’s no need for a corresponding move.
Minnesota is back to having an extra defenseman on its roster ahead of tonight’s clash with the Blackhawks. They’d had David Spacek in the role for the last several days but sent him down to Iowa over the weekend with the hope that Zach Bogosian would be ready to come off injured reserve. While he was previously listed as day-to-day with a foot injury, The Athletic’s Michael Russo reported yesterday that it never got back to 100% and that he’s now “seeking a different form of treatment.”
That opens the door for Kiersted to rejoin the team, especially since Spacek was ineligible to be recalled today because he hasn’t played for Iowa since being reassigned on Sunday. Kiersted was previously up with the Wild in a similar role for nearly a month across December and January, but was sent down over two weeks ago after clearing waivers.
A competent depth defenseman with some NHL utility, Kiersted is a Minnesota native who returned home last summer in free agency. He’d spent his professional career up to then with the Panthers, who plucked him out of North Dakota as an undrafted free agent in 2021. He has a strong outlet pass in his arsenal with some offensive utility at the AHL, but has panned out as a defensive threat in the pros first and foremost.
In 261 career AHL games across five seasons with Charlotte and Iowa, he’s put up a 16-73–89 scoring line with a +44 rating. In 43 NHL games, including four with the Wild this year, he’s posted eight points with a -8 rating while averaging 12:11 of ice time per game.