Panthers Place Josh Davies On Unconditional Waivers
Feb. 6: Davies passed through waivers and is now a free agent, per Friedman.
Feb. 5: The Panthers placed forward prospect Josh Davies on unconditional waivers Thursday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. He’ll have his contract terminated and become an unrestricted free agent tomorrow after he clears.
Davies, 21, walks away from his entry-level contract less than two seasons in. He was a sixth-round pick out of the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos in 2022 and, after inking his ELC in December 2023, turned pro before last season. In over a year and a half in Florida’s ranks, though, he’s yet to record a point at the AHL level.
Davies played just 18 games for Charlotte last season, posting no scoring stats and 27 penalty minutes with a -8 rating. He’s seen no AHL time this season and has instead played exclusively with ECHL Savannah, where he has eight goals and 12 points in 31 games. He also had 16 points in 34 games for the Ghost Pirates last season as a rookie.
Now, the heavy-hitting 5’10” winger will look to catch on elsewhere, presumably on a minor-league deal with such a limited high-end track record in the pros. He was a decent scorer in juniors, totaling 78 goals and 140 points across 204 WHL games, but he hasn’t been able to take the next step.
Florida’s contract count will drop to 45 tomorrow, leaving them with five open spots nearing the trade deadline.
Devils Place Juho Lammikko On Unconditional Waivers
Feb. 6: Lammikko cleared waivers and is now a UFA, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Feb. 5: The Devils announced they’ve placed forward Juho Lammikko on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract. Assuming he clears tomorrow, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent and can return to Europe or sign elsewhere in North America.
New Jersey placed Lammikko on standard waivers last month for roster flexibility, but never assigned him to the minors. Yesterday, the Devils finally sent him down to Utica as the corresponding move for Nick Bjugstad‘s acquisition. Evidently, he’s refused to accept the assignment and is in breach of his contract as a result.
Lammikko, 30, returned to the NHL this summer when he signed a one-year, $800K deal with New Jersey last June. His season started inauspiciously on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury. He got back into action in late October but has been a healthy scratch for long stretches at a time. In 24 games dressed, he’s managed two assists and a -4 rating while averaging 9:53 of ice time per game.
A checking center who commonly shifts to the wing, Lammikko’s possession numbers have been ugly. He’s only controlled 42.7% of shot attempts at 5-on-5 despite being used in a relatively sheltered role and has been shelled in possession quality as well.
Lammikko was a third-round pick by the Panthers in 2014. He joined the organization for the 2016-17 campaign and climbed through the minors before making his NHL debut two years later. He notched 11 points in 84 games for the Cats over parts of two seasons, interrupted by a stint back in Europe, before being traded to the Canucks shortly before the 2021-22 campaign. That resulted in Lammikko making a career-high 75 appearances for Vancouver, notching seven goals and 15 points while averaging over 12 minutes per game.
Despite that decent showing as a bottom-six middleman, his NHL career paused again there. He headed back to Europe with Switzerland’s ZSC Lions, emerging as one of the National League’s top power forwards during that time. After racking up 112 points in 144 games with a +60 rating over three years, he attempted his third NHL arrival with the Devils. With his unwillingness to accept a minor-league assignment, a return to the top Swiss league or somewhere else in Europe should be the expectation.
2026 NHL Draft Star Gavin McKenna Facing Misdemeanor Charges
Feb. 6: The felony charge against McKenna has been withdrawn by Pennsylvania prosecutors, according to Ryan Graffius and Gary Sinderson of WJAC. He is still facing a misdemeanor charge of simple assault and summary offenses for harassment and disorderly conduct.
Feb. 5: McKenna’s court date will be Wednesday, February 11, per a media release from the State College, Pennsylvania, police department.
Feb. 4: Projected 2026 first-overall pick and Penn State University winger Gavin McKenna was arrested and charged with felony aggravated assault on Saturday night, per court documents obtained by The Athletic. McKenna reportedly got into an altercation with another individual during a private team event on Saturday night, says Mike McMahon of College Hockey News. McMahon further reported in his newsletter that McKenna broke the other individual’s jaw with a punch. No information has been released on McKenna’s court arraignment – and no statement has been released by the school.
McKenna is a Nittany Lions star who currently leads the school’s men’s hockey team in scoring with 32 points in 24 games. He is in his freshman season and on a record-setting NIL deal after winning the WHL Championship with the Medicine Hat Tigers last season. McKenna scored 41 goals and 129 points in 56 games in his final WHL season. He became the third U18 player to score 120 points in the WHL since 2000, joining Connor Bedard (143 points, 2023) and Nic Petan (120 points, 2013). Those marks made McKenna the first blue-chip recruit to pursue the NCAA after the league began allowing CHL talent.
Now, it appears the remainder of McKenna’s draft season could be drawn into question. The dynamic winger is a star scorer when he’s on the ice, with flashy stickhandling and sharp vision. He has improved his ability to play a physical, 200-foot game as part of the Big Ten, though that growth could soon be overshadowed by pressing legal challenges. Pro Hockey Rumors will update this story with further information as it becomes available.
Pacific Notes: Kuzmenko, Kings Defensemen, Kadri
Los Angeles Kings forward Andrei Kuzmenko left yesterday’s game with an upper-body injury, the team announced last night. Kuzmenko left the bench with an injury and attempted to return in the second period, but was unable to get back into the game. The Kings have not issued any further update on Kuzmenko’s status, but the fact that the Olympic break has now begun does give Kuzmenko some runway to recover before games start up again.
Kuzmenko, 30, has had an up-and-down tenure in Los Angeles. He was an instant success after he was traded there last season, scoring five goals and 17 points in 22 games. He added six points in the Kings’ first round playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers. He has just 23 points in 51 games this season, but he’s far from the only Kings forward who has seen his offensive production take a step back year-over-year. It will be interesting to see how Kuzmenko’s usage does or does not change after the addition of Artemi Panarin.
Other notes from the Pacific Division:
- After yesterday’s game, Kings head coach Jim Hiller told the media, including team reporter Zach Dooley, that the Kings’ defense is “pretty banged up” and that several blueliners are “quite a ways south of 100 percent.” Dooley noted that this is a new development, as previously only veteran Joel Edmundson had been understood to be dealing with an injury. With the Kings in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, it’s clear the Olympic break is coming at a useful time for the Kings.
- Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri figures to be one of the top players available at his position in the lead up to this season’s trade deadline, but recently, trade rumors surrounding his name have slowed. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman wrote today that Kadri’s trade situation is moving more slowly than anticipated in part because teams are looking for clarity on Vincent Trocheck and Robert Thomas, two centers whose names are swirling in trade rumors. Friedman noted that the Flames are “flexible” in terms of what kind of return they’re seeking in exchange for Kadri, which could help the odds that a trade is completed before the deadline passes.
Latest On Bobby McMann
Despite a recent winning streak, the Toronto Maple Leafs remain on the outside of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. Were they in the West, their record would be good enough to be in a playoff spot at this moment, but the quality of the conference they find themselves in makes it difficult to imagine a clear path for them to return to the playoffs.
As a result of their current situation, Toronto is likely considering selling off some of its assets in order to best position itself to compete next season and beyond, and one of the key trade chips the club has to work with is winger Bobby McMann.
A pending UFA, McMann is on pace to set career highs in offensive production. He has 19 goals and 32 points in 56 games this season, which is a 28-goal, 47-point 82-game scoring pace.
McMann has attributes to his game beyond just his scoring ability that are likely to make him a player of interest to contending teams. He’s relatively big, standing 6’2″, 217 pounds, and offers the blend of size, pace, and aggression that teams typically covet.
As a result, Toronto is seeking a first-round pick from any team that trades for McMann, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Toronto can’t be blamed for aiming high in terms of the return it seeks for its top pending UFA, but it’s unclear at this time whether the team will ultimately be able to land a first-rounder in a deal.
On one hand, as mentioned, McMann possesses several qualities that are in demand among contending teams, and that could positively contribute to their chances of landing a first-rounder. On the other hand, McMann does not fully fit the mold of players in the past who have landed first-rounders as rentals at previous trade deadlines.
First and foremost, McMann is a winger, and typically teams have been more willing to surrender top draft choices for players at more “premium,” in-demand positions, such as centers and right-shot defensemen. The Maple Leafs themselves are likely aware of this, having surrendered first-rounders at deadlines past in exchange for centers such as Scott Laughton and Ryan O’Reilly, as well as right-shot blueliners such as Brandon Carlo.
With that said, there is still some precedent for a winger to land a first-round pick. Toronto dealt a first-round pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets to acquire veteran winger Nick Foligno in 2021, and other wingers have also returned first-rounders as rentals, such as Tyler Bertuzzi in 2023. There’s not nearly as extensive of a track record of rental wingers landing first-round picks as there is with centers, but there are examples the Maple Leafs can cite.
Ultimately, whether or not the Maple Leafs are successful in their pursuit of a first-round pick seems dependent entirely on how highly contending teams value McMann. If he’s one of the more coveted assets available on the market, it would be easy to imagine the price for his services rising high enough.
But on the other hand, numerous contending teams have already dealt away their first-round pick, as Friedman mentioned. That makes it more difficult for the right circumstances to emerge where such a pick would be dealt for McMann.
In any case, once NHL play resumes, McMann will be one of the key players to watch as Toronto looks to chart its path into an uncertain competitive future.
Photos courtesy of John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Panthers Reassign Mikulas Hovorka
2/6/26: The Panthers reassigned Hovorka back to AHL Charlotte today. He played 11:27 time on ice in Florida’s loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning yesterday.
2/5/26: With the Panthers dealing with several injuries for their final game before the Olympic break against Tampa Bay, they needed some help on the back end. Accordingly, the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled Mikulas Hovorka from AHL Charlotte. To make room on the roster, blueliner Tobias Bjornfot was placed on injured reserve.
The 24-year-old is in his second season in North America since signing as an undrafted free agent with Florida back in 2024. Prior to tonight’s game, he had exclusively played in the minors with the Checkers. This season, Hovorka has two goals and eight assists in 30 games, meaning he has equaled his rookie-season output in half the games he played in 2024-25. However, given that the break is coming after tonight’s game, it’s a lock that he’ll be returned to Charlotte in the very near future.
As for Bjornfot, the nature of the injury is currently undisclosed but he sustained it on Wednesday against Boston. The 24-year-old was recalled last month and has seen fairly regular action since then. Bjornfot has played in 10 games with Florida this season, picking up two goals and one assist in 11:20 per night of playing time. Meanwhile, he hasn’t been much more productive in Charlotte as he has a goal and six helpers in 22 games with them. Bjornfot will be eligible to be activated in time for Florida’s next game on February 26th against Toronto.
Predators Reassign Reid Schaefer
2/6/26: The Predators reassigned Schaefer to AHL Milwaukee today. He dressed for each of Nashville’s last two games, skating in just under seven minutes of ice time per contest.
2/4/26: The Nashville Predators have added some forward depth to their lineup ahead of tonight’s game against the Minnesota Wild. According to a team announcement, the Predators have recalled forward Reid Schaefer from the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals.
Schaefer, 22, is viewed as one of the better prospects in Nashville’s system. He was originally selected with the 32nd overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft by the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers moved off him relatively quickly, trading him to the Predators a year later in the deal that brought defenseman Mattias Ekholm to Alberta.
Since then, he’s been a relatively solid secondary contributor with AHL Milwaukee. Debuting in the 2023-24 season, Schaefer has registered 21 goals and 53 points in 103 games in the game’s second-highest league. That averages out to just over a point every two games.
Being nearly a point-per-game player with the Admirals this season, the Predators believed it was time to allow Schaefer the opportunity to contribute at the NHL level. The Edmonton, Alberta native was recalled for the first time in late November and remained with the team for nearly two months.
He didn’t make too much noise during his first stint in the NHL, though it wasn’t all bad. Schaefer scored four goals and six points across 25 games with a -9 rating, averaging 10:30 of ice time per contest. He showed flashes of decent physicality, averaging 2.5 hits per game, and was efficient on offense, shooting at a 17.4% clip.
Considering the recent news that Barry Trotz will be stepping down as the team’s General Manager, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Schaefer get another extended look at the NHL level. Depending on how the team approaches the upcoming trade deadline, the next leader of the front office will want a better understanding of what the team has in some of the younger players.
Wild Notes: Wallstedt, Stramel, Coyle
The Minnesota Wild announced to the league that they are all-in on trying to win a Stanley Cup over the next two years when they acquired star blueliner Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks. As they seek a player who can occupy a top-six center role, one of the key trade assets they have to leverage is breakout rookie goalie Jesper Wallstedt. Last month, it was reported that the Wild would consider dealing Wallstedt, and yesterday, The Athletic’s Michael Russo and Joe Smith took things a step further, writing that a Wallstedt trade “really does feel inevitable.”
Despite his stellar rookie year, one where he’s posted a .914 save percentage across 23 games, Wallstedt is somewhat expendable for the Wild because they have starter Filip Gustavsson locked into a contract extension that carries a $6.8MM AAV, runs through 2030-31, and has a full no-move clause through next year. According to Russo and Smith, Wallstedt will be a real asset in play in the team’s search for a high-end center. For rival teams that have a need in net and a center to trade, Wallstedt’s availability could be a real opportunity to add a goaltender that could potentially be a starter in net for the next decade or more.
Other notes from the Twin Cities:
- Answering a question as to whether top prospect Charlie Stramel might exercise his right to hit unrestricted free agency when the Wild’s exclusive rights to sign him expire this summer, Russo and Smith relayed word from Stramel, who said he “100 percent” plans on signing with the Wild in some form when his NCAA season ends. It’s still to be determined whether that will be with AHL Iowa or whether the Wild will sign him to his entry-level deal and “burn” a year in doing so. Stramel is one of Minnesota’s best prospects, and is leading the Michigan State Spartans with 35 points in 26 NCAA games.
- Russo and Smith also reported yesterday that the Wild “have checked in with” the Columbus Blue Jackets regarding trade possibilities, including possibilities specifically related to veteran center Charlie Coyle, whose game Wild GM Bill Guerin is reportedly a fan of. Coyle, 33, played for the Wild from 2012-13 through 2018-19, and has had a stellar 2025-26 season, scoring 42 points in 56 games. Seeing as the Blue Jackets have surged after their recent coaching change, they could be unwilling to deal Coyle, even though he is a pending UFA. But as the Wild seek to upgrade their standing at the center position, it appears Coyle is very much on the team’s radar.
Flyers Reassign Aleksei Kolosov
Feb. 6th: The Flyers reassigned Kolosov back to AHL Lehigh Valley today, now that the Olympic break has begun The move should provide him much-needed some stability in terms of where he’ll play, seeing as the Flyers are not set to return to the ice until Feb. 25.
Feb. 2nd: Philadelphia will remain without Ersson at least through tomorrow’s contest. For the second time in three days, the Flyers have recalled Kolosov from AHL Lehigh Valley. He played in the Phantoms game last night, producing a .777 SV% on 27 shots.
Feb. 1st: The Flyers announced today that Kolosov has been reassigned to AHL Lehigh Valley. The transaction indicates that Ersson is likely going to be able to dress for the Flyers’ game on Tuesday against the Washington Capitals.
Jan. 31st: With Samuel Ersson exiting Thursday’s game due to a lower-body injury, the Flyers needed some goaltending insurance for their game today against Los Angeles. As expected, that insurance is Aleksei Kolosov as the team announced (Twitter link) that he has been recalled from AHL Lehigh Valley. To make room on the roster, center Lane Pederson was sent down to the Phantoms.
Kolosov was sent down back on Wednesday when Daniel Vladar returned from injury. He suited up last night against Springfield, making him recall-eligible once again. The 24-year-old is now in his fourth stint with Philadelphia but it hasn’t resulted in much playing time. He has just four appearances with the Flyers this season, two of which came in relief and has struggled in that small sample size, allowing eight goals on just 47 shots.
The fact that Ersson wasn’t placed on injured reserve suggests that the team doesn’t believe his injury is likely to keep him out for long. Accordingly, this NHL stint for Kolosov could ultimately be short-lived.
As for Pederson, he got his first recall of the season a little under two weeks ago and had played fairly regularly since then, getting into five of six games. It was his first action at the top level since 2023 with Columbus. The 28-year-old was held off the scoresheet in those outings while averaging just under nine minutes per night. Pederson has played in 37 games with Lehigh Valley this season, picking up 13 goals and 15 assists.
Pittsburgh Penguins Reassign Rutger McGroarty, Avery Hayes
2/6/26: The Penguins announced today that McGroarty will be spending the Olympic break with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, as he was reassigned to the team today.
McGroarty got into four NHL games since returning from injury, but he didn’t play much. He managed two assists in that span, but did not receive more than 11 minutes of ice time in any of the four contests. The Olympic break will serve as an opportunity for him to get some reps in at the AHL level, where he’s scored 12 points in nine games this season.
The Penguins also reassigned forward Avery Hayes, who they recalled yesterday. Hayes had a day to remember, making his NHL debut and scoring twice, helping the Penguins to a significant road win over a quality opponent. Hayes has 13 goals, 23 points in 31 AHL games this season.
1/29/26: The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled forward Rutger McGroarty from their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In a corresponding move, the club placed defenseman Jack St. Ivany on injured reserve.
This recall gives Pittsburgh head coach Dan Muse an additional forward at his disposal in the wake of Bryan Rust, who has to sit out the team’s next three games due to a suspension. The move also restores McGroarty’s place on the team’s NHL roster, something he lost after suffering a concussion in the first week of the month.
McGroarty, 21, will re-enter the Penguins’ NHL roster likely with a heightened level of confidence in his abilities as a scorer. The Penguins had McGroarty build his way back from his injury at the AHL level in part to help him regain some confidence as an offensive creator. McGroarty has been a top scorer at every level he’s played at outside of the NHL. While he has just three points in 16 NHL games so far this season, he managed four points in his final two AHL games.
Pittsburgh is likely hoping he’ll be able to hit the ground running and reach another level of production in the NHL after getting to contribute to some offense with the AHL Penguins.
For the duration of Rust’s absence, it’s possible McGroarty will get the chance to play in the veteran’s vacated role alongside Sidney Crosby on Pittsburgh’s top line. Such an opportunity would be a significant one for McGroarty, as playing with Crosby would likely put him in prime position to get the kind of scoring opportunities that are far more rare when playing in the bottom-six.
If he indeed ends up playing there, and can capitalize on the opportunities naturally provided in such a role, he could further bolster his confidence in a way that would pay dividends even after Rust returns from his suspension.
As for St. Ivany, who lands on IR as part of this recall, his removal from the active roster was widely expected after it was announced earlier this week that he’d undergone surgery on his left hand. He’s expected to be sidelined for up to eight weeks as he recovers from the procedure.