Blackhawks Reassign Kevin Korchinski
The Chicago Blackhawks are again giving one of their better defensive prospects more time to develop in the AHL. The team announced that they’ve reassigned Kevin Korchinski to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs.
Unlike some of the other moves today, this doesn’t pertain to Korchinski’s eligibility for the Calder Cup playoffs. Since he’s exempt from waivers, the Blackhawks could have theoretically waited to reassign Korchinski tomorrow morning. Instead, they’ve opted for today, meaning Korchinski is bound for another extended stay in Rockford.
That’s how Chicago has handled him for the past two years. Two years after being selected with the seventh overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft, Korchinski spent the entire 2023-24 season with the Blackhawks. He finished the campaign with five goals and 15 points in 76 games with a -39 rating, and he proved he wasn’t quite ready for NHL minutes.
Since then, he’s primarily played for the IceHogs. He has been a solid puck mover in the AHL, registering 45 assists in 101 games. Still, his -39 rating over that stretch is concerning, especially considering that Rockford has made the postseason in both years.
This season has been his most limited in the AHL. At the time of writing, Korchinski has appeared in only four games for Chicago, tallying one assist while averaging 11:42 of ice time. This isn’t to say that Korchinski should no longer be considered one of Chicago’s top prospects, but he may take a bit longer to develop than expected.
Canucks Acquire Jack Thompson From Sharks
The Canucks announced the acquisition of right-shot defenseman Jack Thompson from the Sharks in exchange for minor-league defender Jett Woo. Thompson was also in the minors at the time of the deal, so the trade doesn’t affect either club’s active roster.
Thompson is on the move for the second time in three years, as San Jose picked up the defender at the 2024 trade deadline from the Lightning as part of the return for rental winger Anthony Duclair. He was a third-round pick by Tampa in 2020 and was a legitimately intriguing prospect at the time, posting 32 points in 46 games for AHL Syracuse up to that point.
That momentum continued into last season, which Thompson split evenly between the Sharks and the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. When in the NHL, he was impressive in a bottom-pairing role. He suited up 31 times for San Jose, recording a 4-6–10 scoring line and a -9 rating while averaging 15:47 per game. The 6’1″ righty isn’t overly physical and isn’t much of a defensive threat in his own zone, but he was offensively potent enough to create good possession impacts for the Sharks, ranking third on their blue line last season with a 5-on-5 expected goals percentage of 47.1.
With the Sharks’ signings of veterans Dmitry Orlov and John Klingberg in free agency last summer, plus top prospect Sam Dickinson locking down a roster spot, Thompson was lost in the shuffle this season from the start. The 23-year-old somewhat surprisingly cleared waivers at the beginning of the season and hasn’t seen a recall since, spending the entire year with the Barracuda. He only has three goals and 12 points in 42 games, a far cry from his usual AHL production.
As such, he likely welcomed a change of scenery, and the Canucks presumably view this year as more of a blip than a permanent regression. After shipping out Tyler Myers to the Stars yesterday, Vancouver has an immediate need for right-shot depth.
They recalled 26-year-old Cole Clayton with no NHL experience today to serve as their #7 with Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Derek Forbort on injured reserve. It stands to reason that Thompson usurps him on the depth chart for now and will make a legitimate challenge for consistent NHL minutes with fellow youngsters Tom Willander and Victor Mancini behind top-pair righty Filip Hronek down the stretch.
If Thompson doesn’t work out, it’s not as if they’re giving up a particularly high-value asset to land him. Woo was a second-rounder in 2018, and the organization long hoped he could be a solid depth piece and power-play option, but he’s now 25 and has yet to make his NHL debut. A pending Group VI unrestricted free agent, he’s effectively just a contract San Jose is taking back to avoid Vancouver pushing closer to the 50-man limit.
The right-shot Woo has had some intriguing AHL seasons in the past, but this isn’t one of them. He’s been limited to a goal and eight points in 26 AHL games with a career-worst -11 rating. If the Sharks keep him around past this year, it won’t be anything more than a supplemental piece for their higher-value D prospects in the minors.
Minnesota Wild Acquire Jeff Petry
The Minnesota Wild are adding a veteran presence to their backend ahead of the playoffs. According to a team announcement, the Wild have acquired Jeff Petry from the Florida Panthers for a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick.
Included in Minnesota’s announcement were the conditions on the draft pick. If the Wild make it to the Western Conference Final, and Petry plays in 50% or more of the Wild’s playoff games heading into the Western Conference Final, the pick will upgrade to Minnesota’s fifth-round pick this season.
At this stage of his career, Petry, 38, is only fit for a depth role. This season, his first with the Panthers, he was relegated to a bottom-pairing role. Throughout the year, he has tallied eight assists in 58 games with a -10 rating, averaging 14:51 of ice time.
That’s largely what he turned into during his time with the Detroit Red Wings. Before moving to Sunrise, Petry spent two years in HockeyTown, scoring four goals and 32 points in 117 games. Unlike his time with the Panthers, Petry was typically in Detroit’s top-two defensive pairings.
Given his play with the Red Wings, it was no question why Petry had to settle for a one-year, league minimum contract last summer. Playing next to Ben Chiarot for much of last season, the pair finished with the lowest xGoals% in the league (for pairings that had played 400 or more minutes together) with a 41.3% output.
That trend has continued with Florida. According to Moneypuck, the combination of Uvis Balinskis and Petry has combined for a 46.6% xGoals% this season, ranking 65th out of 83 defensive pairings that have played 300 or more minutes together.
That makes the move more peculiar on Minnesota’s end. The team already had seven defensemen on the active roster before the trade and had multiple defensive assets in the AHL that have already played this season. At any rate, instead of spending potentially his last season in the NHL with a team outside of a playoff spot, Petry will have the opportunity to compete for the first Stanley Cup of his career.
Maple Leafs Continue To Listen On UFAs; Troy Stecher Drawing Interest
The Maple Leafs are continuing to gauge the market on their pending UFAs, holding Scott Laughton and Bobby McMann out of last night’s lineup (plus a defender with term in Oliver Ekman-Larsson) for injury protection ahead of tomorrow’s deadline. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period adds that rearguard Troy Stecher is now generating some interest as well.
Of course, the Leafs’ shootout loss to the Devils last night only pushed them further into sell mode, sitting eight points back of a playoff spot with no games-played advantage, and they already sent center Nicolas Roy to the Avalanche this morning.
Stecher, 31, already changed teams once this season. The Leafs claimed him off waivers from the Oilers in November. That’s proven to be a shrewd move, as Stecher’s posted up a 3-9–12 scoring line, a +1 rating, and 52 blocks in 42 games while averaging north of 20 minutes per game, the most deployment he’s seen at any stage of his career.
The veteran righty was a much-needed addition at the time, even if he only ended up being a depth piece, with both of Toronto’s top-four right-shots, Brandon Carlo and Chris Tanev, dealing with injuries. Tanev has essentially remained sidelined for the balance of the season and now officially won’t be back after core muscle surgery this week, keeping Stecher primarily in a second-pairing role with Jake McCabe.
His possession impacts have been noticeable. His 47.1% Corsi For percentage at 5-on-5 doesn’t jump out on its own, but it is admirable when considering that’s a relative mark of 3.0% while starting 58.6% of his shifts in the defensive zone. His duo with McCabe has also controlled 53.6% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck, among the team’s best.
Considering he’s been able to do all that while spending a good amount of time in the top four at even strength and averaging over two minutes per night on the penalty kill, it’s not surprising that right-shot-needy teams – a statement that can describe virtually every contender – are lining up for him as a pending UFA with a dirt-cheap $787,500 cap hit.
His playoff track record is limited but strong. He was excellent in a bottom-pairing role for Vancouver in the 2020 bubble, posting a +9 rating in 17 games, and was similarly effective as a #7 option for the Kings in their first-round loss to the Oilers in 2022. He only appeared in four out of seven games that series, but had a pair of goals and assists each with a +4 rating. Last year, he had a +2 rating in eight games on Edmonton’s march to the Stanley Cup Final.
Red Wings Recall Sebastian Cossa, Reassign Erik Gustafsson
March 5th: According to a team announcement, the Red Wings have reassigned Cossa back to AHL Grand Rapids. The transaction indicates that Gibson will be available for tomorrow’s contest against the Florida Panthers.
March 4th: The Red Wings announced they’ve called up top goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa under emergency conditions. To open a spot on the active roster, they reassigned defenseman Erik Gustafsson to AHL Grand Rapids after he cleared waivers yesterday.
Cossa, 23, ranks third among Red Wing farmhands at Elite Prospects and second at McKeen’s Hockey, although both rankings were done preseason. He’s only solidified that ranking with another exceptional year in the minors. The 2021 first-round pick out of WHL Edmonton has a .914 SV% across 115 games in four AHL seasons. That includes a .927 mark in 31 games this season with a 1.99 GAA, five shutouts, and a 24-4-3 record.
Public discourse has somewhat forgotten about the 6’6″ Cossa because of his limited NHL opportunities to date. He’s yet to make a start and only has one career relief appearance, coming into a game against the Sabres in December 2024 at the first intermission and allowing two goals on 14 shots the rest of the way. Nothing in his minor-league track record or development path yet shows he wasn’t worthy of the premier draft selection, though, and goalies taking several years post-draft to develop and make an NHL impact is nothing new.
Unlike most young goaltenders in his situation, though, he doesn’t have a clear-cut path to ‘goalie of the future’ honors in Detroit. 2023 second-rounder Trey Augustine is regarded by some as the better prospect (even first overall in their system, according to NHL.com), and he’s currently putting up a .929 SV% and 22-7-1 record in his junior year at Michigan State. If the 21-year-old opts to turn pro this spring, he and Cossa will likely be put in a direct challenge with each other for backup duties behind John Gibson next season, with Cam Talbot set to hit the open market.
Speaking of Gibson, the upper-body injury he sustained against the Predators on Monday is the reason for Cossa’s recall ahead of tonight’s matchup with the Golden Knights. Cossa will likely back up Talbot while Gibson continues to undergo evaluation, but head coach Todd McLellan made it clear postgame that he doesn’t expect his starting netminder to miss too much time.
Maple Leafs Recall Jacob Quillan
The Maple Leafs recalled center Jacob Quillan from AHL Toronto today, per a team announcement. He takes Nicolas Roy‘s roster spot after he was traded to the Avalanche this morning.
Quillan, 24, has been up and down between the Leafs and Marlies for much of this season but has made a strong case to stay up for the stretch run as Toronto enters sell mode. The second-year pro out of Quinnipiac has suddenly established himself as one of Toronto’s top “prospects,” even given his relatively advanced age, putting up a 12-21–33 scoring line in 38 AHL games.
Quillan has received brief looks in the NHL over the last two seasons, seeing his debut in January 2025 cut short by an injury. He’s been buried on the fourth line and hasn’t scored, only averaging 7:11 of ice time per game across five total appearances, but is averaging two hits per game in that small sample.
This year’s offensive surge has likely put him squarely on the Leafs’ radar for a roster spot in the fall, although the pending restricted free agent will need a new contract before that happens. Even if that scoring doesn’t translate to the NHL, he has the physical tools at 6’1″ and 204 lbs, plus a strong history of two-way play in the NCAA and AHL, to make him a fourth-line staple.
It’s worth noting that the Leafs might return Quillan to the AHL tomorrow to make him eligible for the Calder Cup Playoffs. He can then be recalled again after the trade deadline – players just have to be on an AHL roster at the time the deadline passes to be able to suit up in minor-league playoff action.
Philadelphia Flyers Sign, Waive Garrett Wilson
The Philadelphia Flyers are rewarding the captain of the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms for his years of service. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared that the Flyers have signed forward Garrett Wilson to an NHL contract. Wilson must clear waivers before his contract can officially be registered with the Flyers.
Wilson, 34, is in his 15th professional season. He was originally selected with the 107th overall pick of the 2009 NHL Draft by the Florida Panthers. Working his way up through the ECHL and AHL, Wilson made his NHL debut on March 18th, 2014, with the Panthers.
Unfortunately, during some productive years in the AHL with the San Antonio Rampage and Portland Pirates, Wilson failed to produce in the NHL. After spending five years in the Panthers organization, Wilson finished his tenure with zero points in 34 games, averaging 9:26 of ice time.
Seeking a new opportunity, Wilson signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the 2016-17 season. It was with the Penguins that Wilson enjoyed the best season of his NHL career. Though he again primarily played in the AHL, Wilson scored two goals and eight points in 50 games with Pittsburgh in the 2018-19 season, and even chipped in one goal across four postseason contests during the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Since then, it’s been all AHL for Wilson. Aside from a one-year stint with the Toronto Marlies in 2020-21, Wilson has spent the last six years in Lehigh Valley, and the last three as the team’s captain. Over that stretch, he has scored 62 goals and 145 points in 338 games, with 857 PIMs.
Lightning Place Curtis Douglas On Waivers
The Lightning have placed forward Curtis Douglas on waivers, according to a report from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The move will allow him to report to AHL Syracuse temporarily tomorrow if he clears, making him eligible to suit up for them in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
He can be immediately recalled back to the Lightning’s roster after doing so without having first played an AHL game, thanks to a specific deadline day exemption in the new CBA’s rule that players must play at least one minor-league game after reassignment before being eligible for a recall.
Douglas, 26 tomorrow, was selected off waivers from the Mammoth at the end of training camp last fall. He’s served as a fringe fourth-line option for the Lightning’s forward group throughout the year, spending more time in the press box than in the lineup.
While a natural center, he’s played exclusively at left wing. He’s appeared in 29 games this season, recording two points and a +1 rating.
It’s not Douglas’ offense that the Bolts insert him into the lineup for, though. The gargantuan 6’9″, 242-lb enforcer has shown some offensive upside in the minors but has exclusively been a pot-stirrer for Tampa, recording a team-high 92 penalty minutes despite not providing a ton of straight-up physicality at 1.10 hits per game.
Douglas’ possession impacts have been quite strong, ranking near the middle of the Bolts’ forward pack with a 52.7% Corsi For rate but leading them with a 60.4% share of expected goals. A lot of that has to do with his deployment. Tampa doesn’t give its fourth line a ton of defensive zone assignments like most other teams, instead preferring to use them in sheltered O-zone forecheck usage. No Bolts forward has started a greater share of shifts in the offensive zone at 5-on-5 than Douglas at 75.5%.
Still, Douglas averaging just 5:58 of ice time per game signals he isn’t a piece that head coach Jon Cooper ideally wants in his playoff lineup. With today’s news that Dominic James will miss at least the first round of the playoffs and likely well into the second round as well, it won’t be surprising to see the Lightning use their limited deadline cap space on a bottom-six forward to keep Douglas primarily in a press-box role.
Golden Knights Place Alexander Holtz, Cole Reinhardt On Waivers
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Vegas Golden Knights have placed forwards Alexander Holtz and Cole Reinhardt on waivers. The other 31 teams in the league will have 24 hours to claim either forward ahead of tomorrow’s deadline.
The writing has been on the wall for Holtz for some time. Drafted seventh overall by the New Jersey Devils in 2020, Holtz was believed to become a long-term fixture in New Jersey’s top six. That didn’t come to fruition.
He showed flashes of quality play, especially during the 2023-24 season when he scored 16 goals and 28 points in 82 games for the Devils. Ultimately, New Jersey opted to move on from Holtz the following summer, sending him, along with netminder Akira Schmid, to the Golden Knights for Paul Cotter and a third-round pick.
Things haven’t gone much better in Sin City. Throughout the last two years, typically in a bottom-six role, Holtz has scored seven goals and 21 points in 81 games, averaging 11:33 of ice time. Holtz has grown accustomed to being a healthy scratch on multiple occasions and even being demoted to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights last season.
Still, he’s signed through next year on a $850K salary and is only six years removed from being a top-10 selection. He clearly hasn’t met his draft expectations, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see a rebuilding team like the Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, or Vancouver Canucks to take a flyer on him for free.
Meanwhile, Reinhardt, 26, is a bottom-six forward in his first year with the Golden Knights. After spending several years with the Ottawa Senators organization, Reinhardt signed a two-year, $1.63MM ($813K AAV) contract with Vegas last summer. He’s gotten the most NHL playing time he’s ever received this year, scoring three goals and seven points in 44 games, averaging 9:47 of action.
If he were to be claimed, he could add physicality to a different team’s bottom-six. However, Reinhardt provides minimal assistance beyond his physicality, and there are likely better alternatives available at this time of year.
Regardless, like the NHL’s qualification rules, players must be on an AHL roster by 3:00 p.m. EST to qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs. Given that Henderson is in the hunt in the AHL’s Pacific Division, and if the Golden Knights weren’t planning on utilizing them for their postseason run, Holtz and Reinhardt would become eligible to assist Henderson if needed.
New Jersey Devils Place Three On Waivers
According to a team announcement, the New Jersey Devils have placed Evgenii Dadonov, Luke Glendening, and Maxim Tsyplakov on waivers. If all three players clear, they would have added flexibility on the trade market by tomorrow afternoon, given they can be freely reassigned to the AHL by the acquiring club.
The placement of all three on waivers is the Devils’ way of trimming some fat off the roster ahead of the deadline. Dadonov and Glendening will become unrestricted free agents at the end of the season, whereas Tsyplakov is signed through next year at a $2.25MM cap hit.
After some fruitful years with the Dallas Stars, Dadonov joined New Jersey on a one-year, $1MM contract last offseason. There are performance bonuses included in his contract that would bring the salary to $3.25MM, and he has a full no-trade clause through the end of the year. Despite being brought in to add additional firepower to the team’s bottom-six, Dadonov’s 2025-26 campaign has been completely derailed by injuries.
Scoring 35 goals and 78 points in 154 games with the Stars, Dadonov has yet to register his first point with the Devils. He’s had multiple stints on the injured reserve due to hand and wrist injuries, and he has registered only 17 appearances this year.
Meanwhile, Glendening likely has the least value of the trio. Earning a professional tryout agreement in September, Glendening officially joined New Jersey on a one-year, league minimum contract. Isolated to a fourth-line role, the 36-year-old center has tallied four assists in 52 games, averaging 9:54 of ice time. Still, he has immense value in the playoff dot, averaging a 55.6% success rate throughout his career while beginning 73.5% of his shifts in the defensive zone.
Lastly, Tsyplakov has only been a Devil for a little while. He was the only player acquired by New Jersey in last month’s trade, sending Ondřej Palát to the New York Islanders. During his brief tenure in New Jersey, Tsyplakov has yet to register a point in nine contests. Even if he does clear waivers, the Devils may be hard-pressed to find a landing spot for him, even at a lower cost.