Blue Jackets Looking To Extend Pending UFAs
On New Year’s Day, the Blue Jackets were in last place in the Eastern Conference and had a three-point cushion in the basement. They were all but set to punt on the season, and their high-value pending UFAs, namely Charlie Coyle and Boone Jenner, had found themselves high up on trade bait lists.
Fueled in part by a surprise coaching change, Columbus has now won 11 of its last 12 and is fully back in playoff contention. They’ve gone from 16th place to ninth in the past six weeks and are four points back of the Bruins for the final playoff spot with a game in hand.
If getting rental returns for Coyle and Jenner was general manager Don Waddell‘s deadline plan a month ago, that streak has changed his mind. The organization told RG.org’s James Murphy yesterday that they’ve stopped soliciting offers for Coyle, Jenner, and fellow pending UFA forward Mason Marchment and will instead start extension negotiations with all three players before the Olympic break ends.
All three have been legitimate impact players for the Jackets this season, particularly Coyle and Marchment. Acquired from the Avalanche last summer in something of a cap dump, the veteran Coyle has technically served as Columbus’ third-line center for virtually the entire campaign but is averaging north of 17 minutes of ice time per game thanks to extensive special-teams deployment. Coming off one of the more offensively underwhelming campaigns of his career for Boston and Colorado in 2024-25, he’s tossed up 15 goals and 42 points in 56 games to rank third on the Jackets in scoring.
There will be obvious trepidation over offering anything more than a one or two-year extension to Coyle, who turns 34 next month. He’s finishing at a 15.8% clip, and his possession numbers lag behind the average on a Columbus squad that’s greatly improved its play under Bowness. But for a Jackets squad teeming with cap space over the next couple of seasons, the risk of decline isn’t as pressing as it would be for a cap-strapped contender.
Marchment was a surprising in-season pickup from the Kraken in December, but he’s been the complete package in the nearly two months since his arrival. He’s clicked at nearly a point per game with nine goals and four assists in 14 games since the trade and leads Columbus forwards with a 53.1 CF% at even strength, although he’s helped out by playing a higher percentage of his games under Bowness. He’s still been a natural-looking fit on their top line alongside youngsters Adam Fantilli and Kirill Marchenko.
Jenner may be the afterthought of the three in terms of on-ice performance this season, but he’s the captain and a career-long Blue Jacket. His production has taken something of a hit after missing most of last year with shoulder surgery, but he’s still produced eight goals and 27 points in 42 games, above his career-average pace. His 9.0% shooting rate is a bit below his career average and should come up down the stretch, too.
His 52.0 CF% signals his two-way game is still in a good spot, and he’s third on the team with 92 hits despite missing 14 games with an upper-body issue earlier in the year. Any concern about a long-term extension for the 32-year-old revolves around his extensive recent injury history. He’s missed double-digit games in every season since 2019-20 and has dealt with back problems for the vast majority of his career. The risk of aggressive age-related decline is palpable as a result.
Expecting Columbus to be able to swing extensions for all three is unrealistic – and considering all three are on the wrong side of 30, there’s a debate to be had over whether it’s a wise choice. Still, the question then shifts to whether the Jackets will still look to flip one of them and gain assets in return if it’s clear they’re too far off on an extension.
At least right now, the answer is no. “Regardless of whether they’re signed to extensions before the Olympic break ends, they’re off the trade market heading into the trade deadline,” a league source told Murphy.
“I’ve told everybody we will touch base over the break and see where they’re at and see where we’re at,” Waddell said. “And I said it last year, if players want to be here and we want ’em here, we’ll find a way to get it done. We did it last year, and we’ll do it again this year.”
Josh Morrissey Leaves Canada’s Group Stage Win Over Czechia
Team Canada has had a few years of crushing defeats to the Czechs at the junior level. The senior team responded today with a 5-0 drubbing in its Group A opener at the 2026 Winter Olympics, but lost star Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey in the process.
Morrissey left at the first intermission with an undisclosed and unapparent issue. He tried to return later in the game but “couldn’t,” head coach Jon Cooper said, although it’s unclear whether that was Morrissey’s own decision or the medical staff’s (via Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman).
Olympic injuries are precarious for multiple reasons. With only a handful of games left until the trade deadline on the other end of the break and only a quarter and change of the schedule remaining for most teams, a multi-week absence for a key player – especially for a bubble team like the Jets – is incredibly difficult to work around. They’re also pressing for the national team if they pile up quickly early in the tournament. Unlike at the World Championships or other IIHF events, teams cannot name injury replacements to their roster after playing their first game. If Morrissey is out the rest of the way, Canada will only have seven defensemen available.
Morrissey, 30, has erupted into a bona fide top-10 defender in the league in his prime. He’s finished no worse than seventh in Norris Trophy voting in every year since 2023 and, at the time of the break, was amid another standout offensive campaign. His 10 goals and 42 points in 56 games have him 12th in league scoring among defenders and fourth overall on the Jets. He’s also tied with defensive partner Dylan DeMelo for a team-high +10 rating on a Jets team with a -15 goal differential this season.
Behind Morrissey, the Jets’ left-side defense is thin. They’ve enjoyed something of a breakout performance from third-pairing fixture Logan Stanley but trusting him enough to elevate into top-four minutes with any consistency is unwise given his spotty record of possession play. Shutdown dynamo Dylan Samberg remains a strong second-pairing option but, with only nine assists in 40 games on the year, can’t do much of anything to replace Morrissey’s lost point production if he misses time on the other side of the break.
NHL Not Expecting To Allow Russian Participation In 2028 World Cup
The NHL has not changed its tune on allowing a Russian team to participate in league-run international events, commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters this morning (including Mark Lazerus of The Athletic). As of now, that means there won’t be a Team Russia at the 2028 World Cup of Hockey, Bettman said.
Moving forward, the league will fall in line with the “international community” regarding working the country back into international events. Essentially, until the IIHF allows Russia to return to events like the World Championship and World Juniors, the league will continue to operate without a Russian team at the World Cup or any 4 Nations Face-Off-like tournaments.
Russia and Belarus not been allowed to participate in any major international competition since the former’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. With the war ongoing and many eastern areas of Ukraine still occupied by Russia, the IIHF continues to cite “security concerns” in keeping the country, which remains second in the IIHF world rankings behind Canada, out of competition.
Russia’s last World Championship appearance was in 2021, featuring Sergei Bobrovsky, Dmitry Orlov, and Vladimir Tarasenko, among others. Their athletes won gold at the 2018 Olympics and silver in 2022 without NHLers present.
The NHL confirmed the return of the World Cup event last year. Instead of its usual preseason timing, it’ll occur mid-season in 2027-28, similar to the timing of the Olympic break this year and the 4 Nations break last season. The tournament will be organized without involvement or input from the IIHF, reports indicated last August.
Canadiens Likely To Trade Patrik Laine After Olympics
For the past few weeks, winger Patrik Laine has been a full participant at most Montreal Canadiens practices as he works his way back from core muscle surgery. However, assuming he’s medically cleared to play after the Olympics, there’s little expectation that it’ll be with the Canadiens.
In a recent article, Eric Engels of Sportsnet strongly implied Laine wouldn’t play for Montreal again this season, writing, “If the 27-year-old Finn sees any post-Olympics action, we expect it to be for someone other than the Canadiens.” That suggests that Montreal will quickly begin trade negotiations regarding Laine, if they haven’t already.
Unfortunately, the major hangup in any Laine trade is his bloated salary. Laine’s cap hit sits at $8.7MM through the end of the season, and he’s earning a $9.1MM salary. Although the cap hit has received much scrutiny, Laine was coming off a 26-goal, 56-point performance in 56 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets, was only 23 years old at the time, and had already scored 250 points in 306 games for the Winnipeg Jets.
Still, there’s no question he hasn’t lived up to that contract. He had a decent follow-up performance with the Blue Jackets, but injuries have derailed him since. Since the start of the 2023-24 season, Laine has played in only 75 games, which is 33.9% of the total possible contests.
He was a quality secondary scorer for the Canadiens last season, registering 20 goals and 33 points in 52 games. 15 of his goals were scored on power plays, making him less effective at even-strength. This season, due to the core muscle surgery, Laine has tallied only one assist in five games.
As Engels points out, Montreal would undoubtedly have to eat some of Laine’s remaining salary, and may even need to attach an additional sweetener. According to Engels, that’s not something the Canadiens are keen to do.
Unfortunately, the Canadiens won’t have much wiggle room until Laine is entirely off the roster come July 1st. Given the organization’s need for cap space, it would make little sense to swap Laine for another bad contract, especially one signed beyond this season. Despite his lack of availability over the past few years and his subpar play at even strength, there are a few teams with ample cap space to take a flyer on Laine down the stretch.
As it stands, the Detroit Red Wings, Seattle Kraken, New York Islanders, and Los Angeles Kings are all teams battling for a playoff spot, averaging below three goals per game. The Red Wings and Kraken might be less interested in a player like Laine, given that their power plays are among the league’s best. Furthermore, the Kings are counting on Artemi Panarin to offset the offensive shortcomings, whom they acquired before the Olympic break.
That leaves the Islanders, who are currently third in the Metropolitan Division, 24th in GF/G, and 30th in power-play percentage. Would the Canadiens be interested in a different expiring asset, like Jean-Gabriel Pageau, to deepen their center depth? Acquiring a secondary scorer like Pageau may at least make it more palatable for Montreal to eat salary and attach a draft pick to Laine. New York has some flexibility with their salary cap, so the Canadiens may only need to eat a few million dollars, giving them most of what they are looking for.
Still, the immediate question that comes to mind is Laine’s perceived fit in Patrick Roy‘s scheme. Contextualized by his public battles with Anthony Duclair over the past few years, there is a zero-tolerance policy in New York for taking a shift off.
Snapshots: Clara, Reschny, Olsen
Anaheim Ducks prospect Damian Clara had a performance for the ages today in Italy’s loss to Sweden in the group stage of the Winter Olympics. In front of a home crowd, Clara gave Italy a chance to upset the Swedes, making 46 saves. Per The Hockey News’ Derek Lee, Clara was forced out of Italy’s loss with what appeared to be a lower-body injury while making a save. There has not been any word on the extent of Clara’s injury, or if he will be fit to play in Italy’s next game, which is Friday against Slovakia.
If Clara is not fit to play, Italy will turn to Milan native Davide Fadani, who has a .922 save percentage in 22 games this season with Swiss National League side EHC Kloten. Clara, 21, was a 2023 second-round pick of the Ducks, and has spent this season playing in Sweden’s top pro league, the SHL. Through 30 games with Brynäs IF, Clara has an .888 save percentage.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- Calgary Flames 2025 first-round pick Cole Reschny is questionable for the University of North Dakota’s games this weekend against the University of Miami (Ohio), according to Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald. Reschny left UND’s game last weekend with a lower-body injury. The former WHL Victoria Royals star has had a strong start to his NCAA career, scoring 25 points in 24 games. He could be a large part of the Flames’ future, as he was ranked as the league’s No. 76 skater prospect by the team at Elite Prospects.
- Former Winnipeg Jets prospect Ryan Olsen was released by the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder today, ending his three-week stint in Kansas. The 2012 sixth-round pick helped the Colorado Eagles, now of the AHL, to a Kelly Cup championship in 2018, and has moved around since that point. He spent the following two seasons in the AHL, including a 17-goal, 34-point season with the San Antonio Rampage in 2018-19, before moving to Germany’s second division. Olsen spent the last two seasons in the DEL2 before beginning this season in Germany’s third division. His stint in Wichita, which ends with zero points in six games played, was Olsen’s first opportunity in North American pro hockey since October 2023.
Examining 2025-26 European Pro Free Agent Signings
An NHL team’s chase of a Stanley Cup championship is relentless. Often, true contention requires a veteran team with management willing to go all-in on its current group of players, something that often takes the form of mortgaging the team’s future draft picks and prospects in exchange for immediate reinforcements. For clubs in this phase of the competitive cycle, taking advantage of every possible avenue to add talent is essential to extending their window to win.
The Chicago Blackhawks were able to supplement their championship teams in the mid-2010s thanks to shrewd scouting of European professional leagues, and a willingness to proactively source and give opportunities to talented, often undrafted free agent players from overseas. Chicago reaped the benefits of this approach, finding NHL-level contributors such as Antti Raanta, Erik Gustafsson, Kevin Lankinen, Jan Rutta, Michal Kempny, David Kampf, and, of course, star Artemi Panarin. Teams have attempted to mimic Chicago’s approach in the years since, to varying levels of success. Here, we’ll check in on notable players who signed with NHL organizations from European pro leagues for 2025-26.
Charle-Édouard D’Astous, LHD, Tampa Bay Lightning
Signed one-year at $775K NHL/$150K AHL/$200K Guaranteed from Brynäs IF, SHL
When a team signs an undrafted free agent from the European pro ranks, most hope those signings pay off the way the Lightning’s signing of D’Astous has. It was a long road for D’Astous to reach an NHL organization. After captaining the QMJHL’s Rimouski Océanic and winning the league’s Defenseman of the Year award, D’Astous began his pro career in the ECHL. While he only played sporadically in the AHL, his steep upward trajectory began in North America’s third-tier league.
In 2021-22, D’Astous broke out, scoring a whopping 45 goals and 87 points in 70 combined regular season and playoff games. The performance earned him the ECHL’s Defenseman of the Year award, as well as a contract in the Finnish Liiga with KooKoo.
In D’Astous’ second year with KooKoo, he managed 46 points in 54 games, which landed him Liiga’s Defenseman of the Year award and a contract in the SHL with Brynäs. D’Astous instantly translated his Liiga success to the SHL, scoring 39 points in 49 games and earning that league’s Defenseman of the Year honors.
The Lightning took notice of D’Astous’ rapid climb to the top of European pro hockey, and signed him to a modest one-year, two-way contract, likely with the expectation that he’d begin with their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, and go from there.
D’Astous did indeed start the year in Syracuse, but he didn’t last very long there. After scoring three points in his debut for the Crunch, D’Astous played an additional trio of games before earning a recall to Tampa Bay. The Lightning won seven of their first eight games with D’Astous in the lineup, and he quickly earned the trust of head coach Jon Cooper. After playing just 10:36 in his second NHL game, D’Astous earned 17:11 in his third contest and just a few weeks later was regularly crossing the 20-minute mark.
The strong offensive production from Europe has translated somewhat to the NHL, as D’Astous is scoring at a 32-point 82-game pace. But perhaps more impressively for a defenseman with no NHL experience entering the season, D’Astous is averaging 19:23 time on ice per game, with infrequent use on special teams. Among Lightning blueliners with at least 30 games played this season, D’Astous ranks No. 3 in time-on-ice per game, ahead of even veteran Erik Cernak.
Tampa Bay acted quickly to secure D’Astous’ services beyond this season, inking him to a one-year, one-way contract extension at a $875K value. Given D’Astous’ performances thus far in his NHL career, there is a strong chance he provides the team with surplus value on that cap hit. Although he’s just 43 games into his NHL career, it appears the Lightning may have found a bona fide NHL defenseman in D’Astous, who cost them nothing (besides his contract) to add into their organization. For a team whose prospect pool ranked last in the NHL entering the season according to Elite Prospects, finding hidden gems such as D’Astous (and former minor-league free agent Darren Raddysh) has helped replenish Tampa’s depth and extend the length of their competitive window.
David Tomasek, RW, Edmonton Oilers
Signed one-year, one-way at $1.2MM from Färjestad BK, SHL
Edmonton Oilers GM Stan Bowman was the lead hockey operations executive for those aforementioned Chicago Blackhawks teams, and as a result, it came as no surprise to see him mine the European professional leagues in search of NHL-caliber talent. The Oilers are looking to win a Stanley Cup on an immediate basis, and the pressure of that wide-open competitive window has caused the quality of the team’s prospect pool and overall organizational depth to decline. The salary cap simply doesn’t allow for a contending team to stockpile depth in its organization the way it might have been able in the past, and GMs such as Bowman have sought out alternative talent acquisition avenues in response.
Tomasek was the most expensive signing of the Oilers’ class of European pro free agents. He signed a one-year, one-way $1.2MM deal after a season where he led the SHL in scoring. Beyond his SHL experience, Tomasek had also proven himself at the international level, winning a gold medal with his native Czechia at the 2024 IIHF Men’s World Championship. A 6’2″, 210-pound winger, Tomasek was likely expected to be an instant ‘plug-and-play’ NHLer, a belief that is reflected in the size of his contract.
But while D’Astous’ success might have given the impression that standout players in top European pro leagues find the transition to the North American game relatively easy, the reality is there are more players who are unable to successfully cross the Atlantic than there are players who find their footing. Tomasek is an example of the former. He played in 22 games for the Oilers, averaging 10:45 time on ice per game, including 1:45 per game on the power play. He managed three goals and five points in that span, and before the calendar flipped to 2026, he agreed on a mutual contract termination with the Oilers.
Despite failing to carve out a role as an NHL player, Tomasek has been able to pick up right where he left off in the SHL with Färjestad. Since returning to Sweden’s top league, he has 11 points in 11 games.
Max Shabanov, RW, New York Islanders
Signed one-year, one-way at $975K (with $3.5MM in performance bonuses) from Traktor Chelyabinsk, KHL
Often, the European pro free agents that generate the most attention and hype in North America are the top KHL imports. There is a long history of KHL signings finding instant success in the NHL, such as the aforementioned Panarin, or more recently Andrei Kuzmenko, who scored 39 goals and 74 points in his first season in the NHL. Shabanov was widely considered to be the top KHL free agent of the cycle, and he followed the path of fellow KHL import signing Max Tsyplakov by signing with the Islanders.
While there might have been some expectation that Shabanov would hit the ground running the way Panarin or Kuzmenko did, given his stellar platform season in the KHL (67 points in 65 regular-season games, 20 points in 21 playoff games) that hasn’t happened yet. The 25-year-old has had his moments, but is currently sitting on just four goals and 16 points in 40 games, despite receiving 1:42 time on ice per game on the man advantage.
The biggest barrier Shabanov faces when it comes to translating his KHL success to the NHL is his size. Standing 5’8″, 168 pounds, Shabanov is undersized by NHL standards, and wingers of his stature typically need to have some sort of standout on-ice trait in order to produce at the NHL level. Goal scorers Cole Caufield and Alex DeBrincat bring an elite shot and goal-scoring instincts as traits that have driven them to stardom. 435-game NHL veteran Nathan Gerbe brought a high work ethic, relentless compete level, and consistent shift-by-shift impact to the table to help him carve out a bottom-six role.
As of now, the trait that will allow Shabanov to have an extended NHL career has not fully emerged. But he has been able to at least stick on the Islanders’ roster to this point, and given his KHL pedigree, it’s not out of the question he finds his way. At a relatively minimal expense on their cap sheet, Shabanov’s signing remains a worthwhile gamble for New York.
Josh Samanski, C, Edmonton Oilers
Signed two-year ELC at $877.5K NHL / $85K AHL / $97.5K SB from Straubing Tigers, DEL
While the Oilers’ signing of Tomasek was grounded in the fact that he was a star and leading scorer in one of Europe’s best leagues, their signing of Samanski was more speculative. The 23-year-old undrafted German forward had a strong breakout season in the DEL, scoring 40 points in 52 games.
But unlike the names listed above, he was not considered one of the league’s best talents. But at 23 years old, he was at an earlier point in his developmental curve than those players, and the Oilers likely reasonably believed there was additional upside in his game that had not yet materialized, but could be drawn out by the team’s development staff. 
Edmonton signed Samanski to an entry-level deal, and so far, their investment has shown promise. He’s scored 28 points in 39 games for the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, good for sixth on the team in scoring.
His performances also earned him an NHL opportunity, as he was on the Oilers’ NHL roster before the Olympic break. He has two assists in his five career NHL games thus far, and has averaged 9:21 time on ice per game.
Samanski’s physical tools give him a natural advantage in his chase of a bottom-six center role in the NHL, and given his solid progress so far in 2025-26, it’s not out of the question that the Oilers land a legitimate NHL player in Samanski.
A key storyline to watch in his development will be the progress of his defensive game. That will likely be the bedrock of Samanski’s value proposition to NHL teams, as the requisite tools for him to play an offensive top-six role are not evident in his game. The Condors have the AHL’s No. 12-ranked penalty kill, and Samanski is a regular shorthanded contributor in the AHL. It will be interesting to see if he gets a look on the penalty kill at the NHL level, where the Oilers have struggled this season.
A notable dimension to Samanski’s signing is that he is represented by Andy Scott of Octagon hockey; Scott also represents Oilers star Leon Draisaitl, who is the game’s leading German player.
Atro Leppänen, LHD, Edmonton Oilers
Signed one-year ELC at $877.5K NHL / $85K AHL / $97.5K SB from Sport Vaasa, Liiga
Scoring 60 points in Finland’s Liiga, which is a lower-scoring league in comparison to the NHL, is an impressive feat for any player. For Leppänen, who scored 63 points in just 60 games last season, his performance was doubly impressive due to the fact that he is a defenseman. His stellar offensive production meant he was likely to generate NHL interest, and Bowman’s Oilers scooped him up with a one-year entry-level deal.
Unlike Tomasek and Samanski, Leppänen has yet to debut for the Oilers at the NHL level. As a high-octane offensive defenseman with a defensive game that is still a work in progress, Leppänen was likely always going to take longer to reach the NHL. That was made especially true as Leppänen took some time to find his footing at the AHL level and battled injury. He’s a candidate to receive a recall if he can earn a greater level of trust on the defensive end in the AHL. If he can shore up that side of his game and even get some reps on Bakersfield’s penalty kill, a call-up could come.
The Oilers appeared pleased enough with Leppänen’s transition to North America that they inked him to a one-year contract extension on Feb. 2. The deal carries a hefty $360K AHL salary and $400K total guarantee, signaling the Oilers expect Leppänen to be at minimum a top-pairing defenseman and power play quarterback for Bakersfield moving forward. At the very least, the Oilers landed a quality AHL offensive blueliner at the cost of under $200K. In a league where top veteran defensemen such as Zac Jones and Calle Rosen can make upwards of $500K at the AHL level, those are not insignificant savings.
Viljami Marjala, LW, Edmonton Oilers
Signed two-year ELC at $775K NHL / $85K AHL / $97.5K SB from TPS Turku, Liiga
Another point-per-game Liiga player signed by the Oilers, Marjala is actually a former Buffalo Sabres draft choice whose rights the team elected to let lapse. Marjala enjoyed a rapid rise in Liiga after signing there at the end of his QMJHL career, and that landed him a shot in the Oilers organization. Alongside NCAA free agent signing Quinn Hutson, Marjala has been Bakersfield’s most lethal scorer this season with 41 points in 46 games.
The Oilers’ near-term competitive hopes and the competition that already exists along the wings might keep Marjala from making it to the NHL this season, but his performance is strong enough where Edmonton would at least be forced to consider him when pondering who to call up.
In a landscape where a large portion of European pro signings end up terminating their deals to return to their former leagues, Marjala’s success is a win for the Oilers organization, even if he hasn’t yet made his NHL debut. He stands a very real chance at cracking the 60-point plateau in the AHL. Like Leppänen, the fact that he costs under $200K playing on an ELC is driving real cost savings for the Oilers’ minor-league payroll. Veteran scorers in the AHL can cost more than double that if they’re on a two-way deal, and unlike some of the league’s more established scorers, Marjala does not occupy a “veteran” slot under the AHL’s Development Rule.
Anton Lundmark, RW, Florida Panthers
Signed one-year ELC at $877.5K NHL / $85K AHL / $97.5K SB from Timrå IK, SHL
While signing European professional free agents to entry-level contracts can be an avenue for teams to generate cost savings at the AHL level, it’s not a surefire strategy. Some players are able to quickly translate what made them successful in the SHL, or Liiga, to the AHL, and produce almost instantly from when they step onto North American ice. Other players find the adjustment more challenging, and end up returning to Europe midway through their North American debut season.
Lundmark, the Panthers’ SHL signing, is a player who fits into the latter category. The 24-year-old offers an impressive set of physical tools standing 6’4″, 192 pounds, but was unable to make a consistent impact at the AHL level. He played sparingly in Charlotte Checkers head coach Geordie Kinnear‘s lineup, averaging under 10 minutes time on ice per game. Lundmark and the Panthers hit the eject button on their partnership after just nine AHL games, despite the Checkers going 7-1-1 in games in which Lundmark played. By the middle of December, Lundmark was back with Timrå in the SHL, where he has four points in 14 games.
Anri Ravinskis, RW, Vancouver Canucks
Signed two-year ELC at $775K NHL / $85K AHL / $97.5K SB from HPK, Liiga
The Canucks’ signing of Ravinskis, an undrafted 23-year-old Latvian winger, was the end result of a year where the player rose rapidly through the ranks of pro hockey. He began the season in Finland’s second-tier Mestis, but joined HPK in December after scoring 21 points in 23 games. He ended the season on the Latvian national team at the 2025 IIHF Men’s World Championships, where he scored two points. Vancouver saw enough in Ravinskis to sign him to an entry-level deal, but thus far, his time in North America has been difficult.
Ravinskis has not played since Jan. 31, and has just three points in 27 games. He typically plays a bottom-six role with little to no usage on special teams, a far cry from the role he played for HPK when he scored 17 points in the final 27 games of their season. Seeing as Vancouver is on the hook for another year at just under $200K guaranteed on Ravinskis’ deal, the hope will be that he can take a few steps forward in his game as he continues to acclimate to the North American pro game. He does have a big opportunity ahead of him to get his season back on track, as he’s part of Latvia’s national team for the ongoing Winter Olympics in Italy.
Wojciech Stachowiak, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning
Signed one-year at $775K NHL/$200K AHL from ERC Ingolstadt, DEL
Stachowiak, a 26-year-old forward from Poland, looked a few years ago as though he was overwhelmingly likely to spend his entire pro career in Europe. The former Michigan State Spartan had played in 72 games in Germany’s top league to that point with Ingolstadt, and had only managed 11 points. Then he had a breakout season in 2022-23 as Ingolstadt made a run to the DEL finals, scoring 16 goals and 34 points in 56 games.
That season served as Stachowiak’s arrival as a top-six talent at the DEL level. He followed his breakout season up with another two seasons of solid production, and capped off his DEL career scoring 11 points in 12 playoff games to help his club reach the league semifinals. The Lightning, likely believing Stachowiak’s two-way game could translate well to North America, inked the player to a one-year contract not too far above what he likely would have earned if he was in the age range to receive an ELC. So far, Stachowiak has been steady for the Crunch.
He’s scoring at a 17-goal, 32-point 72-game pace, and is factoring into both sides of his team’s special teams. Is an NHL future on the table for him? It looks somewhat unlikely at this point, but he’s at least providing the Lightning with a decent return-on-investment, and he could very well see an uptick in his production in the second half of the season, now that he’s more acclimated to the AHL game.
Simon Zajicek, G, Boston Bruins
Signed one-year ELC at $775K NHL / $85K AHL / $97.5K SB from HC Litvínov, Czech Extraliga
While there have been some skaters who have successfully made the transition to the NHL level as European pro free agent signings, there is arguably an even greater legacy of success in terms of these signings at the goalie position. Utah Mammoth starting netminder Karel Vejmelka is an example of this happening, signing out of the Czech league for 2021-22. Although he signed at a notably earlier stage of his career, Zajicek is likely hoping to follow a similar career path to Vejmelka.
The 24-year-old signed an ELC with Boston after leading the Czech Extraliga in save percentage in 2024-25. He went 15-13-0 in 29 contests with HC Litvínov, and added a .927 save percentage in three playoff contests. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman rated Zajicek as the top available European pro/NCAA/CHL free agent netminder last year, writing that Zajicek’s “quickness and smarts give him a legit chance to play games in the league.”
He hasn’t earned a recall to the NHL yet, but that’s more of a reflection of Boston’s depth at the position than anything else. Zajicek has gone 11-3-1 in 15 games with the AHL’s Providence Bruins, posting a .923 save percentage along the way. He’s behind one of the AHL’s best goalies in 27-year-old Michael DiPietro on the depth chart, though, and DiPietro has a .943 save percentage across 27 games this season. While Zajicek’s performance certainly should give the Bruins confidence in their investment in him, they likely won’t see him at the NHL level too soon.
Michal Postava, G, Detroit Red Wings
Signed two-year ELC at $877.5K NHL / $85K AHL / $97.5K SB from HC Kometa Brno, Czech Extraliga
The Bruins were not the only Atlantic Division contender to add a young free agent goalie from the Czech league. The Red Wings signed Postava, 23, from Brno, after he posted a .920 save percentage in 43 regular-season games and led his club to a league championship with a stellar .940 save percentage in a 17-game playoff run. The similarities to Zajicek don’t end there. Like Zajicek, Postava has also found instant success at the AHL level playing behind a very strong team. In 13 AHL games this season, Postava has a .937 save percentage. It’s difficult to parse how much that number has been inflated by how good AHL Grand Rapids has been this season, as starter Sebastian Cossa actually has the lowest save percentage of any goalie to suit up for the team this year, at a .928, which is still quite high.
With that said, the Red Wings have to at least be greatly encouraged by how Postava has started 2025-26 in the AHL. He’s firmly behind Cossa on the depth chart, but with Cossa likely to be in the NHL sooner rather than later (perhaps to replace 38-year-old Cam Talbot as Detroit’s No. 2 goalie next season), Postava could get the opportunity to be an AHL No. 1 as soon as 2026-27.
Photos courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck and Perry Nelson–Imagn Images
Devils Place Marc McLaughlin On Waivers
The Devils announced they’ve placed center Marc McLaughlin on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Utica. The transaction implies he’s ready to come off the injured non-roster list after sitting out the entire season to date with an undisclosed injury.
McLaughlin, 26, found his way to the New Jersey organization last season by way of a minor trade with the Bruins, with whom he began his professional career as an undrafted free agent out of Boston College in 2022. After recording just 14 points in 68 AHL games in 2023-24, he hit the same mark in 34 appearances last year before the trade. He finished out the season with six assists and a +5 rating in 16 games for Utica, also recording an assist in two NHL games for the Devils.
The Massachusetts native has 28 NHL games to his name and has suited up at least once in four consecutive seasons. With so much time missed, that streak is in jeopardy. He has a career 6-1–7 scoring line with a -3 rating while averaging 9:54 of ice time per game. Teams have controlled 48.0% of shot attempts with McLaughlin on the ice at even strength.
A strong defensive-minded center at the minor-league level, he won’t do a ton to help Utica’s scoring woes (2.40 goals per game) but should help the struggling AHL club shore up its two-way game. After signing a two-way extension to remain with New Jersey last June, he’ll be a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer.
Bruins Activate Elias Lindholm From Injured Reserve
The Bruins activated center Elias Lindholm from injured reserve today, per the NHL’s media site. He’ll suit up for Team Sweden this afternoon in their preliminary-round opener against the host Italians at the Olympics.
While there is a trade moratorium during the Olympics and added restrictions on some transactions like waiver placements and reassignments, IR activations are not affected by the roster freeze. Since Boston entered the break with an open roster spot after reassigning Matthew Poitras to AHL Providence last week, there’s no corresponding transaction required.
Lindholm missed the final three games of Boston’s pre-Olympic schedule with an upper-body injury but was only ever listed as day-to-day. He missed a lengthier stretch back in November, sitting out 10 games, but that was because of a lower-body issue.
Now in the second season of the seven-year, $54.25MM commitment he landed from the B’s in free agency in 2024, Lindholm has fared much better in 2025-26 than in year one of the deal. Through 44 games, he tossed up 11 goals and 37 points. That works out to 0.84 points per game, his most productive rate since his career-best 42-goal, 82-point campaign with the Flames in 2021-22 that also saw him finish as the Selke Trophy runner-up.
Lindholm will begin his first time at the Olympics as Sweden’s second-line center between the Devils’ Jesper Bratt and the Red Wings’ Lucas Raymond, per Adam Johansson of Expressen. The well-regarded two-way pivot has been left off their top penalty kill units in favor of Joel Eriksson Ek, Adrian Kempe, Alexander Wennberg, and Pontus Holmberg, though, so his ice time will presumably end up closer to 15 minutes per game than 20.
Coming out of the break, there won’t be many pieces more important than Lindholm in guiding the Bruins to what would have been seen as an unexpected playoff berth last fall. He’s their third-most productive forward behind David Pastrňák and Morgan Geekie, and ranks second in time on ice per game behind the former.
Trade Deadline Primer: Winnipeg Jets
With the Olympic break upon us, the trade deadline is under a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league at teams on the playoff bubble, next up: the Jets.
The Jets entered this season with the loftiest expectations after capturing the Presidents’ Trophy last year. Unfortunately, injuries and inconsistency have set the club back, and it is well below .500, struggling to climb the Western Conference standings. The playoffs look unlikely at this point, but with most of their stars signed long term, the Jets aren’t likely to push the button on a rebuild. A small retool in the offseason seems probable, and the Jets do have the personnel to turn around their fortunes in a hurry. The deadline feels like a good time to begin the retooling, and it seems likely they will move on from their pending UFAs.
Record
22-26-8, 7th in the Central (5.5% playoff probability)
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$17.44MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2026: WPG 1st, WPG 3rd, WPG 5th, WPG 6th, WPG 7th
2027: WPG 1st, WPG 3rd, WPG 5th, WPG 6th, WPG 7th
Trade Chips
Winnipeg has yet to define itself as a seller, but it will need to pivot to that mindset, barring a miraculous short-term turnaround. The Jets want to win and were presumably built to win this season, but things haven’t panned out. If the team does begin a mini selloff, it has some desirable veteran pieces, particularly on the backend.
Big Logan Stanley is a pending UFA and would surely draw interest from any team looking to beef up their blueline. The 27-year-old couldn’t have picked a better time to have a career year, and he is sure to get paid when he hits the open market. He and the Jets haven’t engaged in contract talks, which is a strong sign he is done in Winnipeg after this year. If the Jets do indeed punt on the season, Stanley could net them some decent assets. At 6’7” and 230 lbs, Stanley will have multiple suitors, which could create a bidding war for Winnipeg to cash in on.
Another defenseman who could net some assets is Luke Schenn. The 18-year NHL veteran isn’t having a great year, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have suitors. Schenn still blocks shots and hits a ton, both desirable traits in the eyes of most NHL GMs. A year ago, the Jets acquired Schenn from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a second-round pick, but it’s hard to envision them getting the same return this time around. That being said, the Jets should be able to nab a similar pick if Schenn is made available, as right-shot defenseman almost always go for a premium.
Up front, Winnipeg has a couple of forwards who would be in demand despite their own poor seasons. Jonathan Toews was brought in to potentially serve as Winnipeg’s second-line center, but he hasn’t been close to the player he once was. He has just 19 points in 56 games this year, but could still serve as a fourth-line center on a solid playoff team. Toews remains elite in the faceoff circle, winning 61% of his draws, and he hasn’t been a drain on possession, even though he’s clearly not the skater he once was. He would need to waive his no-movement clause to facilitate a deal, but if he wants one more shot at a Stanley Cup, it could be possible for him to do so.
Another forward who could fetch a draft pick for the Jets is veteran Gustav Nyquist. The 36-year-old has had a dreadful season with the Jets, tallying just nine assists in 35 games while averaging almost 13 minutes per game of ice time. It’s a sharp drop from two seasons ago, when Nyquist had 23 goals and 52 assists in 81 games and was a key contributor for the Nashville Predators. Nyquist has been fairly inconsistent offensively since crossing the 30-year-old mark, and it looks as though he is a 20-30-point player at this stage of his career. Given the teams that are looking for help offensively, there should be a small, lukewarm market for Nyquist, but if the Jets are selling, there is really no reason to hang onto Nyquist past the trade deadline.
The Jets also have veterans Tanner Pearson, Cole Koepke, and Colin Miller on their roster, but none of those three are likely to fetch much at the deadline other than a low-level prospect or a very late draft pick. Miller is currently dealing with a knee injury, but if he can return to health, he could command the highest return given the robust market for right-handed defensemen.
Team Needs
A Second Line Center: The Jets hoped Toews could recapture the magic from his early Chicago days and fill the void at second-line center. However, Toews’s limited playing time over the last few years has been a glaring issue, and he is no longer a top-six fixture, likely best suited to fourth-line duties. It was a worthy gamble for Winnipeg, given that the market for second-line centers wasn’t exactly a buyer’s market. The Jets need to fill that role going forward, and it likely won’t be easy. Top-six centers don’t grow on trees, and the cost in both the trade market and free agency will be high.
The Jets don’t need to address the issue before the deadline, but if they can trade pending UFAs and stack draft capital and prospects, they could use those assets to try to be buyers in the trade market this summer. There will be options available, likely for veteran players such as Nazem Kadri or Tyler Seguin. While these players have had great careers, the Jets would be better served by targeting a younger player, though it will certainly cost more.
More Depth Scoring: The Jets have relied heavily on their stars this year, which has put a lot of pressure on the likes of Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele. If those players don’t score, the Jets generally don’t produce offense, since their bottom-six forwards haven’t been able to provide consistent point production. It’s not something Winnipeg is likely to address before the trade deadline. Still, it could be something they target if the right move presents itself, similar to how the Penguins brought in Thomas Novak at last year’s deadline, even though they weren’t a playoff team. Winnipeg needs another playmaker in its middle-six group, and given that playoff teams will be vying for exactly that kind of player, Winnipeg might find better prices in the summer.
If they can find someone to fill that void, particularly on the second forward unit, it could push everyone else down in the lineup, which might allow for better balance and team play five-on-five, something that is lagging well behind other playoff teams.
Photo by Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
Poll: The Red Wings’ Biggest Need At The Deadline
The Red Wings weren’t exactly sluggish heading into the Olympic break. They still mustered a 5-3-2 record in their last 10. But after holding the Atlantic Division lead for a good chunk of the season, that recent pace wasn’t enough to keep them from getting leapfrogged by the red-hot Lightning and Canadiens. Now, they sit in third place in the division with a six-point gap between them and first place, while both Tampa and Montreal have games in hand on them.
The question is whether their recent run of wild-card level play is more representative of their roster than their 18-5-2 run between December and mid-January that vaulted them into the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference. A look at most underlying numbers says the former is true. They’re the only team in playoff position in the East with a negative goal differential (-1) and are 11th in the conference in that regard. Their possession numbers, while improved from a years-long stretch of being in the basement, are still below average. At 5-on-5, they’re 17th in the league in Corsi for percentage (49.9%), 23rd in scoring chance percentage (48.0%), and 20th in high-danger chance percentage (48.8%).
It’s not just advanced possession numbers. Nearly every metric points to the Wings as a middle-of-the-road club. Their team shooting percentage is down to 22nd (10.5%), and their team save percentage is 17th at .893. The only real stat in which Detroit is a top-10 team is power-play percentage, where their ninth-place unit is clicking at 23.1%.
Nonetheless, their 33-19-6 record at the break is good for a .621 points percentage, eighth in the NHL and fifth in the East. With a chance to end a nine-year playoff drought on the line, Detroit GM Steve Yzerman has no choice but to buy. It’s nonetheless clear that the Wings are more than just a rental piece away from being a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, though.
The Bolts, with their underlying numbers backing up their weeks-long hot streak, have more than a 90% chance to run away with the division title. Detroit has a higher chance of falling back into a wild-card spot – or missing the playoffs entirely – than they do to reclaim first place, per MoneyPuck. Most likely, they’ll tread water and end up roughly where they are now with a divisional date against the Canadiens, Sabres, or whoever else falls into the 2/3 matchup with them.
The road to a Conference Final is arduous. The road to their first series win since 2013, though, is traversable. They’re due to run into a similarly flawed roster in the first round if they can hold onto a divisional berth. That leaves Yzerman with a clear directive to start cleaning up around the edges – not necessarily making a big splash for short-term gain – in order to help get them into Round Two.
Their goaltending is set. John Gibson is the clear No. 1 over veteran pending UFA Cam Talbot and has recovered nicely after stumbling out of the gate. If the Wings want to try to flip Talbot for an upgrade in the No. 2 slot, though, that wouldn’t be the worst idea. Gibson’s injury history is a lengthy one, and trusting Talbot, who’s posting a .892 SV% and -5.7 goals saved above expected in his age-38 season, to handle playoff starts is unwise. Giving up a mid-round pick to pursue a UFA-for-UFA flip/upgrade – potentially a reunion with San Jose’s Alex Nedeljkovic – could quietly pay dividends.
Defensive depth has long been the Wings’ Achilles heel as they try to exit their rebuild. Thanks to the arrivals of Simon Edvinsson and Axel Sandin Pellikka over the last two years, that’s no longer as much of a concern. Being one injury away from having to play struggling veteran Travis Hamonic in a playoff game, though, isn’t a comfortable place to be in. When operating at full health, the Wings have been able to deploy Albert Johansson and Jacob Bernard-Docker as an effective third pairing, controlling 52.5% of expected goals. When a top-four name gets hurt, though, Bernard-Docker gets elevated and Hamonic steps in with Johansson. That duo has been shelled for a 42.4 xGF% at 5-on-5, per MoneyPuck.
Regardless of handedness, landing a blue-liner to bump Hamonic down the depth chart – even if the pickup doesn’t take regular playing time away from Bernard-Docker or Johansson – is a wise choice that won’t cost a pretty penny.
For those who haven’t kept in tune with Detroit’s forward group this season, the extremes of where players are producing can be jarring. It’s hard to fathom where the Wings would be this season without Alex DeBrincat‘s torrid stretch, with his conference-leading 205 shots on goal giving him 30 tallies in 58 games. Behind him, though, only three other Wings have hit 10 goals on the year – one of them being bottom-six piece James van Riemsdyk, and nearly half of his production has come on the power play.
More goal-scoring is needed, plain and simple. Detroit’s offense ranks 20th in the league with 2.97 goals per game. Patrick Kane‘s had a rough go of things with only eight tallies in 43 games. Reducing his ice time and responsibility, especially given his defensive shortcomings, should be a priority. That means adding a second-line target to complement DeBrincat, either down the middle or on the wing, who can bump a name like Kane or Andrew Copp down to a more sheltered role at even strength.
Some of them won’t break the bank. Pending UFA Michael Bunting out of Nashville wouldn’t command a huge price but could slot in either opposite DeBrincat on the second line or flank Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond on the top unit while adding an appreciated element of pest-like behavior. With 12 goals on the year and a career finishing rate of 13.1%, he fits the mold they need.
With all that in mind, which of the Red Wings’ needs is the most pressing for Yzerman to address in the few weeks before the trade deadline? Have your say in the poll below: