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CHL Transaction Roundup: Cootes, Alcos, Battaglia, Radkov

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The trade deadlines in the three CHL leagues are fast approaching and there has been a significant uptick in transactions in recent days.  Here’s a rundown of some recent moves around the various leagues involving NHL-drafted players.

  • Canucks prospect Braeden Cootes is on the move as WHL Prince Albert announced that they’ve acquired him from Seattle in a 12-piece swap. Cootes, the 15th overall pick last June, got into three games with Vancouver to start the season before being sent back to the Thunderbirds where he was quite productive with 23 points in 17 games.  Most recently, Cootes played for Canada at the World Juniors, collecting two goals in seven contests.
  • Another Canucks youngster was dealt as WHL Kelowna picked up defenseman Parker Alcos from Edmonton, per a team release. The blueliner was a sixth-round pick in 2024 and has 14 points in 31 games so far this season.  Vancouver has until June 1st to sign him or they’ll lose his rights, meaning this stretch run will be particularly important for Alcos.
  • Flames 2024 second-rounder Jacob Battaglia has been acquired by OHL Flint, per a team release. The Firebirds are sending eight draft picks to Kingston in return for the forward.  The 19-year-old has 14 goals and 13 assists in 36 games this season.  Battaglia will be eligible to play full-time in the AHL next season, making him a particularly expensive rental player.
  • QMJHL Saint John announced that they’ve acquired Canadiens prospect Arseni Radkov from Blainville-Boisbriand. The goaltender was a third-round pick last June, going 82nd overall and is in his first and only season at the junior level.  He has a 3.01 GAA and a .894 SV% in 23 games so far this season.  Radkov is committed to play at UMass next season.

Canucks Reportedly Made Renewed Effort To Extend Kiefer Sherwood

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Tuesday: Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic reported today that the offer is believed to be a medium-term agreement (four or five years) with an AAV of over $4MM per season.  For context, PuckPedia reports that his estimated career earnings is $4.77MM so whenever he signs, be it with Vancouver or elsewhere, it will be quite the increase in pay for him.

Saturday: The Vancouver Canucks made a new contract extension offer to pending UFA forward Kiefer Sherwood, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported last night. Friedman added that he still believes there is a “sizable gap” in terms of what Sherwood is looking for on his next deal versus what the Canucks are willing to offer, making a trade still the most likely outcome.

It has been frequently reported over the last few months that the Canucks are looking to trade away their pending UFAs, part of an organizational pivot made in the aftermath of the Quinn Hughes trade. Out of all of the Canucks’ pending UFAs, Sherwood is generally viewed as the most valuable trade asset, making it notable that the club has made a new pitch to try to retain his services beyond this season.

Sportsnet’s Iain McIntyre wrote this morning that Sherwood has a “strong case to make $4- or $5-million or more annually on his next contract,” and it would be something of a surprise to see the Canucks invest so heavily in Sherwood, who turns 31 on March 31.

If the Canucks are serious about pivoting their competitive strategy to favor something akin to a rebuild, trading away Sherwood for what is likely to be a solid return of either draft picks or young prospects appears to be the only real path forward.

But Friedman’s report indicates that the club is at least making a real push to try to keep Sherwood, and for what it’s worth, Sherwood did communicate a desire to remain in Vancouver. He told McIntyre “I love it here,” and that he wants “to do nothing more than bring energy and happiness to this fan base in this market.”

It’s not difficult to see why the Canucks might want to retain Sherwood, of course. He’s a well-respected veteran whose work ethic has endeared him to coaches and fans alike in Vancouver. He racks up hits like few other wingers across the NHL and has a knack for goal scoring as well, potting 17 in just 41 games this season.

He’s a player that offers a lot to like, and as the Canucks integrate more and more younger players into their NHL lineup, it’s not unreasonable that they’d want a few veterans to serve as the steady backbone of their lineup.

Sherwood could serve in that role, undoubtedly. But seeing as Friedman reported that there is still a notable gap between what the Canucks are looking to pay Sherwood on his next deal, and what Sherwood is looking to earn, a trade still appears to be, by far, the most likely path the Canucks take here.

Photos courtesy of Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Flyers Notes: Ristolainen, Michkov, Briere

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Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is no stranger to the rumor mill.  Over the last couple of years, he has been a speculative trade candidate heading into the trade deadline but his contract (he has a $5.1MM AAV through next season) and injuries scuttled those talks.  Even though Philadelphia entered play tonight in a Wild Card spot, Daily Faceoff’s Anthony DiMarco reports that while the veteran isn’t actively being shopped, he is believed to be available for the right price.  The 31-year-old was injured to start the season, only coming back last month.  Ristolainen has two assists in nine games this season along with 15 blocks and a dozen hits while he’s averaging over 20 minutes per night of ice time.  A right-shot defender who can play on the second pairing is sure to generate some interest on the trade front.

More from Philadelphia:

  • The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Matvei Michkov is dealing with a foot injury and is listed as day-to-day. The 21-year-old has had an up-and-down sophomore campaign so far.  He has a respectable 23 points in 40 games but has scored just once in his last 16 outings.  Michkov suffered the injury on Saturday against Anaheim but didn’t report it to the team until Monday, according to Jackie Spiegel of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • Speaking pregame to reporters tonight including Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia (Twitter links), GM Daniel Briere indicated that negotiations with pending RFA forward Trevor Zegras haven’t started yet. Acquired from Anaheim in the offseason, the 24-year-old has bounced back considerably, posting 15 goals and 24 assists in 40 games heading into tonight’s action.  Meanwhile, Briere also indicated that while they’re unlikely to be big sellers heading into the trade deadline two months from now, they’re also not going to be swinging big on rentals either.  Given where they are in their rebuilding phase, that makes sense although if they remain in the mix into March, a smaller move or two to bolster their roster could still make some sense.

Boston Bruins Activate Henri Jokiharju

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The Boston Bruins announced today that defenseman Henri Jokiharju has been activated off of injured reserve. In a corresponding move, the Bruins placed blueliner Hampus Lindholm on IR.

Per team reporter Belle Fraser, Jokiharju was a full participant in Bruins practice yesterday, indicating that a full return to the lineup was near. Jokiharju has been out since Nov. 28 with an undisclosed injury, an absence that cost him 16 games.

Jokiharju has 25 games played this season and has scored six points. When healthy, he’s Boston’s No. 5 defenseman, 17:23 time on ice per game including around a minute per game on each special teams unit. The 26-year-old is likely to slot into Boston’s second pairing tonight against the Kraken.

Replacing Jokiharju on IR is Lindholm, who is dealing with an undisclosed injury. There hasn’t been much detail provided on Lindholm’s injury, both regarding what the ailment actually is, or what kind of recovery timeline Lindholm faces. But by virtue of being placed on IR today, he’ll miss at least a week.

If Lindholm’s absence proves to be an extended one, the Bruins would be left without one of their most important defensemen. Lindholm is Boston’s No. 2 blueliner behind Charlie McAvoy, averaging 22:10 time on ice per game including second-unit power play duties and first-unit penalty kill deployment.

While he’s still heavily relied-upon by head coach Marco Sturm, Lindholm has had to navigate choppy waters the last few years. He missed most of last season with an injury, and saw his offensive production drop from 53 points in 2022-23 to just 26 in 2023-24. He had 14 points in 34 games this season before his injury. Lindholm is under contract through 2029-30 at a $6.5MM annual cap hit.

Toronto Maple Leafs Activate Brandon Carlo

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have activated defenseman Brandon Carlo off of injured reserve. In a corresponding move, the club reassigned blueliner Marshall Rifai to their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.

Carlo underwent foot surgery on Dec. 3 as part of his recovery from an injury that kept him out of the lineup starting on Nov. 15. The injury has limited the 29-year-old blueliner to just 18 games played this season, and in his absence the Maple Leafs have struggled to keep pace in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Maple Leafs sit 19-15-7 halfway through the season, good for third-to-last in the Eastern Conference.

While Carlo’s return won’t solve everything for Toronto, his addition to head coach Craig Berube’s lineup should give the team a much-needed boost. Carlo is a veteran of over 650 NHL games and has 85 games of playoff experience. The big right-shot crease-clearer is a well-regarded defensive defenseman, and has been a key penalty killer for the club this season. Carlo is averaging just over 20 minutes of ice time per game, including 2:32 per game on the penalty kill, which leads all Maple Leafs skaters.

Toronto paid a hefty price to acquire Carlo at the trade deadline last season, surrendering Fraser Minten and two draft picks, one of which is the team’s 2026 first-rounder, top-five protected. His presence helped Toronto win their first-round playoff series against the Ottawa Senators last Spring, but his injuries have kept him from making a sizable impact this season. Now healthy, he’ll get the chance to return to the lineup and assist the team in making a push up the Eastern Conference standings.

New York Rangers To Place Adam Fox On LTIR, Igor Shesterkin On IR

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The New York Rangers will place defenseman Adam Fox on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), and place netminder Igor Shesterkin on injured reserve, according to Mollie Walker of The New York Post.

While those injured reserve placements have yet to be officially announced, the Rangers did foreshadow the moves by recalling veteran netminder Spencer Martin and defenseman Scott Morrow from their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. The Rangers also reassigned forward Brett Berard back to the AHL.

The Rangers lost in overtime to the Utah Mammoth yesterday, and Shesterkin left that game with a non-contact lower-body injury. ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported today that Shesterkin “avoided” the “worst-case scenario” with his injury, but is still being evaluated.

Any potential extended absence of Shesterkin would deal a massive, potentially fatal blow to the Rangers’ hopes of returning to the playoffs in 2025-26.

The 2021-22 Vezina Trophy winner has started 34 games for New York this season, posting a .913 save percentage and 2.45 goals-against-average.

He’s widely considered to be among the league’s finest netminders, a status reflected by the eight-year, $11.5MM AAV contract extension he signed in December of 2024.

While the Rangers have a veteran backup in Jonathan Quick who has been stellar this season (.919 save percentage in 11 games), he hasn’t had to handle a significant workload since he was a member of the Los Angeles Kings. The three-time Stanley Cup champion made just 20 starts last season and 26 the year before. For as long as Shesterkin is out with this injury, Quick will now be counted on as the Rangers’ No. 1 goalie.

Supporting Quick in the crease is Martin, a 30-year-old veteran with 66 games of NHL experience. Martin was the No. 3 goalie for the Carolina Hurricanes last season but couldn’t find an NHL role for 2025-26 last summer, so he signed with CSKA Moscow of the KHL. Martin left CSKA and signed with the Rangers in November. He went 5-6-2 with a .905 save percentage in the KHL, and has a .903 save percentage in six games played for the Wolf Pack this season.

The Rangers could have also opted to recall 23-year-old Dylan Garand to the NHL to fill Shesterkin’s vacated roster spot, as the former CHL Goalie of the Year has been quite good in Hartford over the last few years and could be NHL-ready at this point. But seeing as Quick is likely to start most of the games in Shesterkin’s absence, it’s understandable that the Rangers would rather recall Martin, the veteran, and let Garand continue to get a steady diet of starts and develop at the AHL level.

While we don’t know how long Shesterkin is set to be out for, we do have a slightly more clear timeline regarding Fox. The 2020-21 Norris Trophy winner missed most of December with an upper-body injury, one that landed him on LTIR. He’ll now return to LTIR, this time with a lower-body injury, after just three games played. LTIR rules stipulate that Fox must now miss at least 10 games or 24 days of action. According to Walker’s report, Fox will be re-evaluated when he is eligible to be activated.

Replacing Fox on the Rangers’ roster is Morrow, who the team acquired this past summer as part of the K’Andre Miller trade. Morrow was ranked as the NHL’s No. 33 skater prospect by the team at Elite Prospects this past August, a billing he earned after scoring 39 points in 52 AHL games in his first full season playing pro hockey. The 23-year-old hasn’t been able to translate that level of production from the Hurricanes organization to New York, scoring just five points in 14 games in Hartford and three points in 16 games for the Rangers.

The Rangers at times gave Morrow a look quarterbacking their power play while Fox was injured, but he was unable to seize that role. With Fox now set to miss around a month or more, Morrow could get another look in that role.

The final player involved in transactions today is Berard. The 23-year-old has split time between Hartford and New York this season, skating in 20 games for the Wolf Pack (nine points scored) and 12 games for the Rangers (zero points). He’s a pending restricted free agent who was recalled at the start of 2026 and was dressed for the team’s Jan. 2 victory over the Florida Panthers.

He was a healthy scratch for yesterday’s loss to Utah. Newsday’s Colin Stephenson noted today that Berard’s reassignment leaves the Rangers short of spare forwards, which could suggest that one, or both, of injured forwards J.T. Miller and Noah Laba may be close to returning.

Photos courtesy of Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Buffalo Sabres Make Four Roster Moves

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The Buffalo Sabres announced a series of roster moves today, as they activated veteran Jason Zucker off of injured reserve and recalled defenseman Zac Jones from their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. In two corresponding moves, the Sabres placed defenseman Michael Kesselring and goaltender Alex Lyon on injured reserve.

Zucker, 33, has been out since the Sabres’ Dec. 8 contest against the Calgary Flames. Despite losing Zucker, a veteran of nearly 800 games who had 18 points in 21 games before his injury, the Sabres went on a 10-game win streak starting in their first game without Zucker, a streak that only came to an end Jan. 3 at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Per NHL.com’s Heather Engel, Zucker will return to the lineup as the Sabres’ second-line right winger. When he last played, Zucker was the team’s third-line left wing, skating on a line with Jack Quinn and Ryan McLeod. Zach Benson is now in that spot.

The return of Zucker should help the Sabres build more momentum in their push to end their playoff drought, which stands as the league’s longest. The 33-year-old is playing out the first year of a two-year contract extension he signed in March of last year, one that carries a $4.75MM cap hit.

Shifting focus to the Sabres’ defense, the team placed Kesselring on IR after he missed the team’s Saturday loss to the Blue Jackets. The 25-year-old missed nearly a month with a lower-body injury in November and December, and also began the season with a lower-body injury that cost him nine games. The 6’5″ blueliner was acquired by the Sabres over the summer as part of the JJ Peterka trade. The Sabres also received breakout winger Josh Doan from the Utah Mammoth in the deal.

His difficulty staying healthy has cost Kesselring the chance to play a significant role on head coach Lindy Ruff’s defense. Through 16 games played this season, Kesselring doesn’t have a point and is averaging just over 15 minutes of ice time per game, including just over a minute shorthanded.

Replacing Kesselring on the roster is Jones, a former minor league and NCAA standout. Once one of the better prospects in the New York Rangers’ system (he was ranked No. 2 in their pool by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler in 2022), Jones failed to earn a regular role on the Rangers, serving mainly as a reserve defenseman under former head coach Peter Laviolette.

Jones was not extended a qualifying offer by the Rangers last summer, and the Sabres signed him to a one-year, $900K deal with a hefty $550K AHL salary. While he has yet to make his Sabres debut after failing to earn a spot on the team out of training camp, he has been brilliant at the AHL level. Jones has 30 points in 27 games for the Americans, leading the team in scoring.

If Jones gets the chance to play during this recall, it would be a significant opportunity for him as he is a pending restricted free agent. The Athletic’s Matthew Fairburn wrote on Jan. 3 that the Sabres “don’t have a lot of internal options Ruff trusts.” If Jones can find a way to earn the trust of Ruff to a greater extent than his rival Sabres depth blueliners have been able to (namely Zach Metsa, Jacob Bryson, and Ryan Johnson), he could secure an extended runway to show off his skills at the NHL level.

To clear sufficient room for Jones’ recall and Zucker’s activation on their regular roster, the Sabres placed Lyon, a goalie, on IR. Lyon has been dealing with a lower-body injury and will now miss at least a week due to this IR placement. The 33-year-old has a 10-6-3 record this season with a .904 save percentage, and is under contract at a $1.5MM AAV through next season. Since the Sabres have been carrying three goalies on their active roster, they are able to place Lyon on IR without recalling another netminder.

With Lyon injured, Ruff and the Sabres will turn to veteran Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and rookie waiver claim Colten Ellis in the crease to help sustain the momentum they built with their win streak.

Photos courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

San Jose Sharks Place Shakir Mukhamadullin On IR, Recall Michael Misa

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The San Jose Sharks announced today that forward Michael Misa has been recalled from the Canadian National Junior Team. In a corresponding move, the club placed defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin on injured reserve.

Mukhamadullin left San Jose’s Jan. 3 contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning with an injury. His placement on IR means he’ll miss at least a week with his injury, and the Sharks have not announced a more specific recovery timeline for the Russian blueliner. Mukhamadullin is averaging 16:26 time on ice per game this season including 1:26 per game on the penalty kill. He has six points through 23 games and is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights.

Replacing Mukhamadullin on the active roster is Misa, fresh off of winning a bronze medal with Canada at the World Junior Championships in Minnesota. The No. 2 pick at the 2025 draft, Misa scored three points in seven games for the Sharks after breaking camp with the team, but found himself outside of the regular lineup looking in. In a situation not entirely unlike 2022 No. 4 pick Shane Wright’s rookie season with the Seattle Kraken in 2022-23, Misa was able to be reassigned to the AHL on a conditioning loan before his loan to Team Canada. Misa scored one point in two AHL contests.

The talented 18-year-old scorer re-enters the Sharks’ pro ranks after an uneven World Juniors tournament. While his on-paper numbers were acceptable (seven points in seven games), five of those seven points came in blowout victories over Denmark and Slovakia, respectively, games in which Canada was never in much true danger of losing. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler wrote today that Misa “didn’t meet expectations” at the tournament and “never quite came up big in a big moment for Canada.” Misa’s performance in Canada’s semifinal loss to Czechia generated some criticism, with The Athletic’s Corey Pronman writing in the aftermath “it’s reasonable to be concerned about how much [Misa] has disappeared in big games.”

Thankfully for Misa, the way the Sharks are playing right now could give him the opportunity to play in some more “big games” before the season is over. In the past few seasons, the Sharks would be in the NHL’s basement at this point, with virtually no chance of seriously competing for the playoffs in the spring. But thanks in large part to a stellar sophomore season from Macklin Celebrini, the Sharks are in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, just two points behind the Anaheim Ducks for the second Wild Card playoff spot.

Flames Place John Beecher On IR, Recall Zayne Parekh

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The Calgary Flames announced two transactions today, placing forward John Beecher on injured reserve and recalling Zayne Parekh from his loan to the Canadian National Junior Team. The two moves keep the Flames at 23 players on their active roster.

The Flames announced that Beecher has suffered an upper-body injury and is expected to miss time on a week-to-week basis. Beecher suffered the injury during the Flames’ Jan. 3 loss to the Nashville Predators. Beecher earned a one-game suspension for roughing in that game, a suspension he served during the Flames’ game yesterday against the Kraken.

When he was last in the Flames’ lineup, Beecher was the team’s fourth-line center. He has two points in 19 games since the Flames claimed him off of waivers from the Boston Bruins, and he is averaging 9:38 time on ice per game. That includes just under 90 seconds per game of short-handed ice time.

This injury comes at an unfortunate time for Beecher, as he’s a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights. Presumably, he’s been playing out this season with the hopes of earning a spot in the Flames’ long-term plans.

With his size, faceoff ability (he posted a 53% faceoff win rate as a Bruin) and above-average speed, Beecher has many of the qualities teams want to see out of bottom-six centers. But so far in his career, the 2019 first-rounder hasn’t been able to firmly establish himself as a quality NHL defensive center.

The Flames, as well as Beecher, were likely hoping that a change of scenery away from Boston would help him take the next step in his career, but so far, that hasn’t really happened. This injury will only further decrease the odds that he’ll be able to take that step forward as a Flame.

As for Parekh, this move allows him to re-join the pro ranks after a solid run at the World Junior Championships. Parekh led the tournament in scoring by a defenseman with 13 points in just seven games. While the Canadians had to settle for a Bronze medal after falling to Czechia in the semifinals, the tournament nonetheless gave Parekh the opportunity to restore some confidence in his abilities as an offensive defenseman.

Widely seen as one of the most dynamic offensive defensemen prospects in the sport, Parekh only managed one point in 11 games after making the Flames out of camp. Parekh got used to scoring nearly two points per game during his days in the OHL, so getting the chance to once again compete against his peers could allow the 2024 No. 9 pick to return to the pro ranks ready to hit the ground running. The Flames, who rank No. 30 in the NHL in goals scored, could certainly stand to benefit if Parekh can find a way to translate his dynamic ability to the NHL level.

 

Oilers Activate Kasperi Kapanen, Move Tristan Jarry To LTIR

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The Oilers announced they’ve activated right winger Kasperi Kapanen from long-term injured reserve, allowing him to return to the lineup for tonight’s game against Nashville. To remain cap-compliant, the club shifted goaltender Tristan Jarry from standard IR to LTIR. Edmonton had an open roster spot after reassigning Quinn Hutson to AHL Bakersfield yesterday, so no corresponding move was required.

Kapanen sustained a lower-body injury when he missed a check in a game against the Red Wings on Oct. 19 and crashed into the boards. He was initially expected to miss about a month, but essentially reset his return timeline when he re-aggravated the injury in practice in November. He played in six straight to open the season, mainly in bottom-six duties. He’ll be getting a bump to the second line in his return, though, as he skated alongside Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin in this morning’s practice (via Tony Brar of Oilers TV).

While the Oilers have struggled to get offense out of their left wingers and centers lower in the lineup, their right wing depth has been a strong suit. Kapanen’s return will at least momentarily bump Jack Roslovic to a third-line job with Isaac Howard and Adam Henrique. They’re hoping Roslovic, who has 20 points in 29 games and is among Edmonton’s best finishers this year at 18.5%, can help spread the wealth and give them a third line that’s a legitimate threat to score.

Kapanen, 29, appeared in 57 games last season after being claimed off waivers from the Blues. He scored five goals and 13 points but ended up with a team-worst -16 rating despite his possession numbers not painting him as a severe defensive liability. It was the speedster’s playoff performance, scoring three goals and six points in 12 games on the Oilers’ march to the Stanley Cup Final, that earned him a one-year extension worth $1.3MM.

The Finn had two assists in six games to start this season. He’ll be looking to build on that total starting tonight and has a great opportunity alongside Draisaitl, although the German superstar has gone cold with no goals in his last four and just one assist in his last three.

As for Jarry, Edmonton’s new starter has already missed seven games with a lower-body injury. The shift to LTIR rules him out for at least another three. He’ll be eligible for activation prior to their Jan. 12 game against the Blackhawks.

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