Capitals Recall Clay Stevenson
According to a team announcement, the Washington Capitals have recalled netminder Clay Stevenson from the AHL’s Hershey Bears. The Capitals already have a full 23-man roster, so they’ll need to make a corresponding roster move before tonight’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.
Stevenson’s recall immediately indicated that Washington would be down a typical netminder for tonight’s contest. According to Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post, Logan Thompson was not with the team for this morning’s practice, so he won’t be available in Detroit.
After practice, Johnson confirmed that Thompson is dealing with an upper-body injury that’s expected to keep him out for the next few days. During the Capitals’ six-game road trip, Thompson started in three games, achieving a record of 1-2-0 with a .880 SV%.
Meanwhile, Stevenson, 26, returns to Washington for the second time this season. His first recall came back in early December, though he failed to participate in any games. His last, and only, NHL contest came back in mid-April of last season, where he stopped 33 of 38 shots in a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Taking over as the de facto starter with Hershey after Hunter Shepard departed in free agency, Stevenson has performed well. Through 24 games this season, he’s managed an 11-8-4 record with a .912 SV% and 2.57 GAA.
New York Rangers Recall Brett Berard
Now that they’re committed to sitting out Artemi Panarin until he’s eventually traded, the New York Rangers needed another forward to fill the void. According to a team announcement, the Rangers have recalled Brett Berard from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.
Today’s transaction marks the fourth time that Berard has been recalled by New York this season. Throughout his previous three recalls, he appeared in 12 games for the Rangers, going scoreless while earning a -1 rating, averaging 10:42 of ice time per game. He’ll likely slot into a similar bottom-six role, if he plays at all.
Regardless, it’s a significant decrease in NHL action for Berard compared to last season. During the 2024-25 campaign, Berard played in 35 games with New York, registering six goals and 10 points with a -6 rating, averaging 10:43 of ice time. That limited his availability in Hartford, where he scored nine goals and 23 points in 30 games. He has already played the same number of games for the Wolf Pack this season, putting up six goals and 18 points.
Despite the relatively solid offensive output last season for a former fifth-round pick, there were some concerns with Berard’s play on the defensive side of the puck. That’s not uncommon for a younger forward. At even strength, he concluded the 2024-25 season with an 89.2% on-ice SV%. Still, he’s improved drastically this season, managing a 95.0% mark, albeit in fewer appearances.
At any rate, given that the Rangers are expected to make a few trades leading up to the March 6 trade deadline, there will likely be more opportunities for Bedard. If that’s the case, he’ll be in range of usurping his total games played from last year.
Blues Place Dylan Holloway On Injured Reserve
Dylan Holloway‘s return from a high ankle sprain will be short-lived. According to a team announcement, the St. Louis Blues have placed Holloway back on the injured reserve and recalled Matt Luff and Hugh McGing under emergency conditions.
After suffering a high ankle sprain in his right foot against the Chicago Blackhawks on December 12th, Holloway missed a month of action. He returned against the Edmonton Oilers on January 18th, but has missed the Blues’ last four games. Combined, since mid-December, Holloway has missed 19 games, and that absence is expected to grow.
Technically speaking, Holloway is eligible to return this upcoming Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, given his injury struggles of late, it’s far likelier that St. Louis will hold him out through the Olympic break, giving him ample time to recover fully.
Regardless, it’s been a difficult follow-up campaign for Holloway’s breakout last season. In his first year with the Blues during the 2024-25 season, Holloway scored 26 goals and 63 points in 77 games, helping the team qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Due to the multiple injuries, Holloway has been limited to 34 appearances this year, registering eight goals and 17 points.
Meanwhile, St. Louis has recalled a pair of relatively older options from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds to fill out the rest of their forward core as they conclude their four-game homestand. The pair have combined for eight games with the Blues this season, scoring two goals and three points.
In Springfield, however, the difference between the two is clear. Luff is leading the team in scoring by a healthy margin, putting up 13 goals and 33 points in 33 games. McGing, on the other hand, has provided more tertiary scoring, providing four goals and 12 points in 35 games.
Pittsburgh Penguins Recall Rutger McGroarty
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.
Boston Bruins Recall Matthew Poitras
The Boston Bruins have recalled forward Matthew Poitras from their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins.
Boston’s No. 1 center Elias Lindholm suffered an upper-body injury earlier this week. While we are still waiting on further word regarding Lindholm’s status from the Bruins, this recall indicates that, at the very least, the Bruins felt the need to reinforce their center depth given the possibility that Lindholm’s injury sidelines him.
The Bruins play tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers, and recalling Poitras protects the team against the potential that Lindholm won’t be available to be dressed due to his injury.
This recall puts Poitras in a position to make his 2025-26 debut for the Bruins. The 21-year-old last played in the NHL almost a full calendar year ago, in early March of 2025. The 2022 second-round pick once looked like one of Boston’s more promising young talents, flying out of the gates in his first year playing pro hockey, 2023-24. He scored 15 points in 33 games that season, but took a step back in 2024-25, clearly struggling to create offense on a consistent basis while contending with the relentless pace and physicality of the NHL.
Poitras has fared better at the AHL level. He scored 41 points in 40 games for Providence last season, but a slow start has him at only 24 points in 39 games this season. Poitras’ inability to stay in the NHL after a fast start has led to some scouts in the public sphere questioning his long-term projection. Entering the season, The Athletic’s Corey Pronman wrote Poitras “may not be dynamic enough to be a full-time top-nine forward,” despite a high compete level.
While it’s unknown exactly what kind of opportunity Poitras will receive thanks to this recall, at the very least he’ll likely get the chance to make his season debut. Regardless of what form his NHL opportunity ultimately takes, this season is a major one for Poitras to carve out a spot in Boston’s long-term plans, especially seeing as he is a pending RFA.
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Kraken Open To Trading Shane Wright
1/29/2026: A little over a week after the initial reports emerged that the Kraken were considering trading Wright to acquire a dynamic top-six scoring winger, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta issued an update on Wright’s situation.
According to Pagnotta, not only are the Kraken seriously considering dealing Wright, but now “word has spread” that Wright himself may also be seeking a change of scenery, and that the relationship between the player and club in this case “may be on the ropes.”
As one would expect, Wright was unwilling to go into great detail when asked by the media about his name surfacing in trade rumors. He told the media, including local outlet Sound of Hockey, that he’s “not too worried” about the reporting and speculation surrounding his future.
As we covered last week, Wright has been unable to gain the trust of first-year head coach Lane Lambert, who has thus far been unwilling to grant Wright the greater lineup role most expected him to earn this season. It could be that the slowed pace of Wright’s development has frayed the player’s relationship with his team, potentially helping pave the way for a deal that allows him to continue his career elsewhere.
1/22/2026: The Seattle Kraken are reportedly open to trading 2022 No. 4 overall pick Shane Wright as they pursue adding an impactful top-six scorer, according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Pagnotta wrote yesterday that the Kraken have “been searching for a top-six forward,” and believe including Wright in a deal could be the key to landing a caliber of player that makes a real impact on their team.
That Seattle is even considering trading Wright would have been a stunning development before the start of the 2025-26 season.
Entering the season, Wright looked well on the way to becoming a long-term core piece in Seattle.
His development path in years prior endured a few stops and starts, but 2024-25 was Wright’s first campaign as a full-time NHLer, and he blossomed.
He scored 19 goals and 44 points, the second-most points by a Kraken center and production that was just seven points behind 2022 No. 1 pick Juraj Slafkovsky.
Wright’s encouraging NHL campaign ensured he was viewed as a key cog in the Kraken’s future plans. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman ranked him as a top-25 U23 player in the entire NHL, writing that Wright “has no noticeable flaw in his toolkit” and “could be a second-line center on a top team or a fringe 1C on a lesser team.”
In a league where quality centers are always in high demand, he looked to be an asset for the Kraken that got as close to “untouchable” status as anyone on their roster. The belief was that Wright and 2023 Calder Trophy winner Matty Beniers would form a formidable backbone of two-way centers through whom the Kraken could anchor their forward lineup.
Wright’s 2025-26 season has, unfortunately, appeared to change the team’s calculus looking into the future. While Wright saw real developmental gains under former head coach Dan Bylsma, that momentum appears to have largely stalled under new coach Lane Lambert, even as Lambert keeps the Kraken in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race.
The hope for Wright was that after finishing the year as one of Seattle’s top scorers despite earning just 14:04 time on ice per game, he might be able to earn a greater role in his sophomore campaign, and something that could consequently power an even greater developmental leap.
That has not happened so far. In fact, it’s been the opposite. Wright has struggled to gain a foothold in Lambert’s lineup, averaging just 13:43 time on ice per game, with a second-unit role on the power play and no role on the penalty kill.
For a variety of reasons, including his role, Wright’s production has declined steeply. He’s scored 17 points in 49 games, which is just a 28-point 82-game scoring pace. His shooting percentage appears to be a major culprit, as he converted shots into goals at a nearly 21% rate last season, but is hovering at 9.3% this year.
Wright’s shooting ability was generally assessed by scouts to be his most high-end offensive tool, so the fact that he is struggling to find the back of the net this season only compounds concerns about the current state of his development.
With Wright’s current situation in mind, it can’t be a huge surprise to see his name surfacing in trade rumors. It may have come as a great surprise entering the season, but Wright’s development appears to have stalled to the point where a trade is only a natural thing to consider.
Whether that would be the best idea for the Kraken is, of course, a matter of debate.
On one hand, Wright remains an undeniably talented center on a team still short of high-end pivots. While his struggles this season may have shifted his projection in the eyes of some evaluators, the reality is he is still just 22 years old. There’s still reason to believe he can end up becoming the high-end second-line center scouts have long believed he’d develop into.
Impactful two-way top-six centers don’t grow on trees, and any deal involving one, even a potential future player for that role, becomes a difficult deal to win.
Trading Wright this season would also be, undeniably, “selling low” on a player who was a premium draft pick and high-end prospect. This season has been the low point of Wright’s career since being drafted, so it would be an inopportune time for Seattle to trade him, from a pure value standpoint.
On the other hand, the Kraken could badly use a dynamic offensive creator, and even the high end of Wright’s projection doesn’t include a realistic possibility of him becoming one. Centers are in demand across the NHL to a severe degree, and even with his struggles in 2025-26, Wright still figures to command a significant amount of value if dealt. There’s no doubt that if he were dangled in a trade, the Kraken would have the buying power to be able to land the kind of winger that fits their clear need for a dynamic offensive creator.
When considering what kind of player the Kraken could target if they indeed shop Wright, they could either leverage his age, pedigree, and positional value to land a more established scorer than Wright is at this moment (perhaps even adding other assets to swing a deal for as high-end of a target as possible), or they could target a winger in a similar developmental situation to Wright who happens to better fit the kind of talent profile they’re targeting.
If they elect to pursue the latter tactic, a name such as Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson checks a lot of boxes. He was the No. 5 pick of the draft before Wright’s, and like Wright, appeared to be nearing “untouchable” status in his market after 2024-25.
He scored 57 points in 68 games, looking every bit like the hyper-skilled, dynamic offensive creator he was drafted to be. Also like Wright, Johnson’s 2025-26 season has been virtually unrecognizable compared to the year prior.
A player such as Johnson, even with his struggles this season, would require a significant trade asset in order to pry loose — which is where Wright could come into the picture. The idea of a Wright/Johnson deal is entirely speculative, of course, as there have been no firm reports of who Seattle might be targeting specifically.
But when examining the league-wide landscape for players who could be a fit in a Wright deal, his name emerges as an intriguing possibility, as both players look like they could benefit from a change-of-scenery transaction.
Regardless of what player Seattle might target — or if they end up even trading Wright at all — Pagnotta’s report underscores how important Wright is to the Kraken’s future.
He’s either going to get his development back on track and become a valuable two-way pivot in Seattle, or the team will leverage his trade value to acquire an impactful roster addition. Either way, his progress is one of the key storylines to watch in Seattle moving forward.
Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
San Jose Sharks Interested In Artemi Panarin
The New York Rangers made waves yesterday when they held star forward Artemi Panarin out of their lineup for roster management reasons, indicating that the team plans on trading the player at some point in the near future. One team that has emerged as a contender for Panarin’s services is the San Jose Sharks. According to Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now, the Sharks “have inquired” about trading for Panarin, and Panarin “would be willing to sign an extension with San Jose.”
It was reported in no uncertain terms yesterday that Panarin, who owns a full no-move clause and therefore has complete control over the trade process, is only interested in being dealt to a team where he will not be a rental player; he’s only interested in trades to teams where he sees himself playing beyond 2025-26. Based on Peng’s report, it appears the Sharks are one of those teams.
That San Jose is in a position to potentially swing a deal for Panarin is a real surprise, at least based on the position their franchise appeared to be in at the start of the season. The rebuilding Sharks were the NHL’s worst team last season, and few expected them to make such a sizable leap in 2025-26. The generally held belief was that while San Jose was likely to improve, they’d still need to develop and add more talent before seriously competing for a playoff spot.
The brilliance of star pivot Macklin Celebrini has changed things. He’s played like a legitimate Hart Trophy contender, scoring 78 points in 51 games and powering the Sharks to a surprising 27-21-3 record, good for the Western Conference’s final playoff spot.
The Sharks are a team on the rise, and it’s understandable that they’d be interested in adding Panarin to their already extremely talented forward group. While Panarin, at 34, doesn’t fit the Sharks’ long-term vision, his addition could provide a serious boost to both the team’s near-term competitive hopes, as well as the development of some of their younger scoring forwards. 
Panarin, who has 57 points in 52 games, has for the bulk of his time with the Rangers been one of the NHL’s premier wingers. There have been few more lethal scoring threats than Panarin at his position, and one has to believe getting the chance to play with, and learn from Panarin could pay dividends for young scorers such as Will Smith, William Eklund, and even Michael Misa down the line.
While the Sharks are only one of likely several teams to be interested in Panarin, there are a few factors both working against them, and in their favor.
San Jose’s status as a West Coast team may hurt them. The Athletic’s Vincent Z. Mercogliano reported that Panarin has a preference to sign with an Eastern Conference team. Mercogliano indicated the comparable ease of travel back to Russia could be a factor that helps explain the player’s Eastern Conference preference. It is worth noting that while he might prefer to stay east, Panarin is not entirely ruling out Western Conference landing spots, like San Jose.
Working in the Sharks’ favor is the fact that their GM is no stranger to making deals with the Rangers. Sharks GM Mike Grier used to work alongside Rangers GM Chris Drury in New York’s hockey operations department, and this wouldn’t be the first trade the pair complete together.
Additionally, the Sharks are owners of one of the league’s top prospect pools, meaning they can offer the Rangers a greater degree of choice to construct their ideal return package, whereas other clubs looking to acquire Panarin may only have a small handful of premier young players to dangle.
While there’s no guarantee, of course, that Panarin does end up a Shark, Peng’s report clearly indicates they are a team to watch as this process unfolds.
Photos courtesy of Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Latest On Mario Ferraro
1/29/2026: There are new developments in the situation surrounding Ferraro, courtesy of San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng. Peng confirmed Pagnotta’s report that the Sharks are interested in retaining the defenseman on a short-term deal, but added that Ferraro himself is looking for a deal with term “likely starting at four years or longer.” Peng also reported that San Jose offered Ferraro a two-year extension, and that offer was rejected.
Ferraro is “likely” seeking a term of at least four years on his next contract, according to San Jose Hockey Now’s report.
Ferraro’s belief that he can likely receive a longer-term offer than the Sharks are currently prepared to make is not entirely unfounded. As mentioned earlier this week, AFP Analytics projected Ferraro’s extension to come with a five-year term, but even looking anecdotally, similar defensemen have been able to earn more substantial term on their UFA deals than two years.
Peng specifically cited recent UFA blueliners Cody Ceci and Ryan Lindgren, who each signed for four years, as players Ferraro might view as comparable. Ben Chiarot, who is 34, signed a three-year extension this week, further legitimizing Ferraro’s belief that he is well-positioned to garner offers with greater than a two-year term.
Whether the Sharks are willing to be one of the teams to make Ferraro one of those offers is still unknown at this time.
1/25/2026: Entering the season, it looked like the Sharks would be selling off multiple pieces from an already weak blue line. Four of their seven active names are pending unrestricted free agents, and for a team primed for another losing season, it looked prudent to cut bait on most, if not all of them, for futures.
Past the halfway point of the year, though, San Jose has exceeded all expectations and finds themselves in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race. While they may still look to flip some veteran names that don’t have a long-term future, Mario Ferraro is becoming less likely to be one of them. They’re still listening to calls on him but are “believed to have some interest in retaining Ferraro on a short-term deal,” David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period wrote last week.
That interest is mutual. The Sharks’ improvement in the standings has boosted his interest in sticking around – something Ferraro already said during training camp he was interested in doing, but Pagnotta wonders if he’d be open to a short-term offer with this summer being the 27-year-old’s best shot at a lucrative long-term contract.
Whether those offers would even be there for Ferraro if he hits the open market this summer remains to be seen. He’s been San Jose’s top minute-muncher throughout the rebuild – at least until this season, when their free-agent signing of Dmitry Orlov has bumped Ferraro down to a more comfortable role as their No. 2 lefty.
His results haven’t been great. Per 82 games for his career, the 5’11” rearguard averages 18 points and a -22 rating. Whether that’s a product of his game or his environment is the million-dollar question for teams entering the summer.
AFP Analytics projects Ferraro’s extension at $5.9MM annually for five years. That’s likely longer than the Sharks are willing to go, but they’re in a position to outcompete that AAV by a significant margin. They’ve shown a willingness to go for high-dollar, short-term deals recently, although with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith needing new deals in the 2027 offseason, that’s likely to fade fast.
Even if both sides were willing to go for a high-dollar, shorter-term deal in the $6-7MM range, it’s fair to question how much that makes sense for San Jose’s depth chart as soon as next season. Orlov will remain in the picture, Pagnotta relays, and youngsters Sam Dickinson and Shakir Mukhamadullin are solid locks for the other two spots on San Jose’s left side. Unless they’re willing to shift Mukhamadullin to his offside longer-term, there isn’t a pressing need to retain Ferraro past this year.
As for what Ferraro’s brought to the table this season, it’s more of the same. His -2 rating is greatly improved, but his possession numbers remain middle-of-the-pack in defensive-minded usage, controlling 43.7% of shot attempts at even strength. He’s also chipped in four goals and 12 points in 50 games while averaging 20:50 of ice time per game, his lowest workload since his rookie season.
Injury Updates: Maple Leafs, Greenway, Blues, Hedman, Ristolainen
The Maple Leafs have placed defenseman Dakota Joshua and defenseman Chris Tanev on LTIR, PuckPedia reports (Twitter link). Joshua is dealing with a lacerated kidney that has kept him out for the last month and while he has started light skating, he’s not expected to return until after the Olympic break. Tanev, meanwhile, has missed the last month with a groin issue. There’s no timeline for his return but he has already missed the required 10 games and 24 days so if he returns – something that is in the air with him reportedly uncertain about surgery – so he’s eligible to be activated at any time.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- Sabres winger Jordan Greenway has been limited this season after undergoing two sports hernia surgeries over the last 13 months. He doesn’t play in back-to-backs and practice time has been limited. Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald mentions that the veteran is expected to meet with doctors on Thursday to determine if what he’s dealing with in terms of discomfort is something that can be fixed or if it’s something he just has to keep playing through. If any sort of procedure is needed, now would be a good time with the three-week break coming up which would limit the amount of time Greenway would miss.
- The Blues announced (Twitter link) that wingers Jordan Kyrou (upper body) and Jake Neighbours (lower body) are listed as day-to-day after undergoing further evaluations on their respective injuries. Head coach Jim Montgomery was unsure if either player would be available for Thursday’s game against Florida. Both Kyrou and Neighbours left Tuesday’s loss to Dallas but it appears it’s the best-case scenario for both of them.
- Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman took part in practice today for the first time since being sidelined with an elbow injury nearly seven weeks ago, relays Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times. The 35-year-old has missed 33 of the last 36 games and has a dozen assists in 18 games this season while averaging just over 21 minutes per game. Hedman has long been targeting a return that would allow him to play in the Olympics and it appears he’s on track to do so. Notably, head coach Jon Cooper didn’t rule out the possibility of the captain returning for Sunday’s Stadium Series game.
- The Flyers announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen left tonight’s game against Columbus due to a lower-body injury. He played 1:01 over two shifts before exiting. The 31-year-old missed more than two months to start the season due to a triceps injury, then missed six more this month to an upper-body issue, one that he just returned from on Monday. Ristolainen has been limited to just three assists and 25 blocks in 15 games when he has been in the lineup. Notably, he’s set to play for Finland in the Olympics so if this injury is set to keep him out for more than a couple of weeks, that could cause him to miss the event.