Maple Leafs’ Chris Tanev Undergoes Core Muscle Surgery
The Maple Leafs announced today that defenseman Chris Tanev has undergone a successful core muscle procedure in New York City. He will miss the remainder of the season but is expected to fully participate in training camp in September.
Tanev had not played since Dec. 28 with what was initially described as a groin injury. Surgery was mentioned as a possibility as far back as January. Tanev then skated on his own during the Olympic break, but evidently didn’t make enough forward progress with non-surgical rehab to return this season.
Combined with a pair of upper-body injuries earlier in the year, Tanev ends his 2025-26 campaign with just 11 games played. Injuries have long been a concern throughout the rugged defender’s career, but missing this much time is new territory. The top-four shutdown fixture closes the book on his age-36 season with two assists, a +8 rating, 18 shot attempts, a 17:58 time on ice average, 15 blocks, and two hits.
Injuries and durability were the primary concerns when the Leafs signed Tanev to a six-year, $27MM deal in free agency in 2024, worth $4.5MM per season. That cap hit is still a bit of a discount for what he brings to the table when healthy, but signing a player who’s hit 70 games just four times in his 16-year career until he’s 40 was a controversial decision. Combined with a no-movement clause, it could quickly become a nuisance deal if he spends more time on IR than on the ice moving forward, albeit less so as the salary cap continues to rise.
While a tough loss for the Maple Leafs, they’re used to it by now. With their playoff hopes this season all but gone, there was no reason to try to maintain Tanev’s health for the last few weeks of the year. Tanev’s continued absence means ongoing responsibility for depth pieces Philippe Myers and Troy Stecher to step into bottom-pairing duties, while potentially creating more opportunities for young recall options Henry Thrun and William Villeneuve, depending on how many defenders Toronto sells off in the next two days.
Predators Sign Viggo Gustafsson To Entry-Level Deal
The Predators announced they’ve signed defense prospect Viggo Gustafsson to a three-year, entry-level deal beginning next season. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Gustafsson, 19, was a third-round pick in 2024. The 6’2″, 192-lb lefty is touted as a physical piece with some viable upside as a third-pairing option, but not much more. As such, he was ranked as the #24 prospect in Nashville’s system by Elite Prospects entering the season and wasn’t ranked anywhere else.
He has gotten plenty of minutes at the pro level in his native Sweden since his draft year, though. He’s played exclusively in the professional circuit this year, albeit in the second division HockeyAllsvenskan with AIK. There, he’s featuring mostly as a third-pairing piece and has seven assists with a -4 rating in 38 games. It’s worth noting the national team takes enough stock in his physical shutdown game to keep him rostered at the World Juniors for the past two years, but he only suited up twice for them in this year’s tournament.
The Preds were under no urgency to sign him, holding his rights through June 2028. Still, they’ve liked enough of what they’ve seen from Gustafsson overseas since draft day to make an initial commitment. As he’s under 24 years old and was drafted outside of the first round, he must first be offered back to his Swedish club if he doesn’t make the team out of camp before they’re eligible to assign him to the AHL. He will be a restricted free agent for the first time following the 2028-29 season and is under team control through 2033-34.
Panthers Listening On Sergei Bobrovsky, A.J. Greer
The Panthers’ resounding 5-1 loss to the Devils last night dropped them to 14th in the Eastern Conference and 10 points out of a playoff spot, leaving their postseason chances at just 0.5%. That’s led them to broadcast to the league this morning that their pending UFAs are available for sale as rentals – most notably future Hall-of-Fame goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, per Pierre LeBrun of TSN. Depth forwards A.J. Greer, Tomáš Nosek, defenseman Jeff Petry, and backup netminder Daniil Tarasov are the Cats’ other soon-to-be free agents on the active roster, although LeBrun only mentioned Greer by name.
It’s a stunning but prudent reversal from the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions, who have simply been too hampered by injuries this season to make a fourth straight run to the Final, even if they did manage to squeak into a wild-card spot. While Bobrovsky is one of the more decorated netminders of this era with a pair of Vezinas, Cups, and All-Star nods each, he hasn’t done much to drag his club along, either.
He’s still their clear-cut starter in terms of usage, starting 42 games compared to Tarasov’s 19, and has a superior winning percentage to his #2 option. Tarasov has better individual statistics across the board, though, and Bobrovsky has been a bottom-five starting option by most every measure. Among the 33 goalies with at least 28 games played, Bobrovsky ranks 29th in goals against average (3.13), 32nd in save percentage (.873), and 31st in goals saved above expected (-15.9, per MoneyPuck).
That’s led to a reported gap in extension talks between the Cats and the man who backstopped them to their first two championships in franchise history. If Florida were still in any sort of playoff contention, that wouldn’t matter; they’d keep him in the fold and hope to work out a deal after the season ended. But with Bobrovsky now in his age-37 season with a career-worst showing, the Panthers are likely opening themselves up to the idea of parting ways with Bobrovsky this year, one way or another. With little hope of a postseason berth, they might as well get something for him.
This is all assuming there’s a market for goaltending help at the deadline at all. The Blues are also making similarly struggling starter Jordan Binnington available, saturating an already slim list of teams that may have a want or need for either. ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported this morning that “many people I talk to around the league are skeptical that Bobrovsky would be traded, even as the Panthers fall out of the playoff race,” due in part to no team making a documented, aggressive push for a goalie so far.
Perhaps Greer, more typical trade deadline fourth-line rental fodder in line with the Wild picking up Michael McCarron and the Knights landing Cole Smith from the Predators last night, is a far more likely name to be on the move. The 29-year-old is a career enforcer type but has seen an elevation in ice time this season with all of Florida’s forward injuries. He’s responded with a career year, netting 11 goals and 22 points in 61 games with a 14.1% shooting rate and 159 hits.
Considering Nashville just netted a second-round pick for McCarron, who’s posted far less impressive offensive impacts this season but does carry added value as a strong-on-draws center, the Panthers could be in line to land a similar pick for Greer. Nosek just came off LTIR to make his season debut after a lengthy recovery period from knee surgery, so he won’t be landing anything above a mid-to-late-round selection if there’s even any interest. Petry’s struggled with just eight assists and a -10 rating in 58 outings this season, but should have a few callers, simply by virtue of him being a right-shot D-man with over 1,000 games of NHL experience.
As for Tarasov, it would be surprising to see him moved. The Cats are presumably focusing on an extension with him, potentially even making him their starting option next season in the increasingly likely event Bobrovsky isn’t brought back. That’s especially amid a weak free agent class, in which Tarasov’s .903 SV% this season leads the pack among goalies with double-digit starts.
Capitals Sign Ethen Frank To Two-Year Extension
The Capitals announced they’ve signed winger Ethen Frank to a two-year, $4MM deal. He’ll count $2MM against the cap for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons.
Frank was set to be a UFA this summer after completing the two-year extension he signed for the league minimum in 2024. With the Caps’ loss to the Mammoth last night putting them further out of playoff contention, there was a fair chance he could have been moved by Friday afternoon as a rental. Instead, he’ll be sticking around in D.C. for another two years.
The 28-year-old is certainly a late bloomer, but has grown into an impactful depth scoring presence for the Caps. The Nebraska native started his pro career as an undrafted free agent, signing with AHL Hershey out of Western Michigan back in 2022. He exploded for 30 goals in 57 games as a rookie – the most he’d had in a single season since his under-16 days – and earned an NHL deal from the Caps at that year’s trade deadline.
The 5’11” winger continued to serve as Hershey’s top goal scorer, awaiting his chance to squeeze out some NHL minutes. Amid a 20-goal showing in just 35 AHL games last year, the call-up finally came. Frank made his NHL debut in January 2025 and remained up with Washington the rest of the way, notching four goals and seven points in 24 games while seeing 10:49 of ice time per game. The skilled finisher shot at 17.4% and did everything he could in his limited minutes to put himself in the conversation for an opening night job this year.
It didn’t come. Washington waived Frank to begin the season and, somewhat unexpectedly, he managed to pass through the wire unclaimed. Less than a month later, he was back up with the Caps. He’s stayed up ever since and has been quite valuable for Washington in a bottom-six role. His 11-12–23 scoring line in 52 games ranks 10th on the team while seeing his ice time creep up to nearly 13 minutes per game, featuring more consistently on the Caps’ second power-play unit.
With Washington seeing an overall dropoff in finishing this season, it makes sense they’d want to retain one of their most efficient shooters, particularly with the lingering uncertainty of whether Alex Ovechkin will return for a 22nd NHL season. Washington now has 17 of the 23 players on its active roster signed through next season, with $34.5MM in projected cap space to burn, per PuckPedia.
Devils Discussing Simon Nemec In Trade Talks
The Devils are clear sellers this winter, trailing the Bruins for the wild-card cutoff by 11 points, but they are looking to wheel and deal with success next season in mind rather than sell off players indiscriminately. As the team seeks help in augmenting their forward group, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports that they’ve been listening to calls on defenseman Simon Nemec with “no shortage of teams checking in.”
Nemec being dangled in trade talks is nothing new. The Islanders made a push to land the 22-year-old last summer, and that came after Nemec had expressed frustration over a lack of NHL ice time the previous season.
The 2022 second overall pick has had a monstrous third season in the NHL, though. After bouncing between the Devils and AHL Utica for the past two seasons, he’s locked himself in as New Jersey’s third right-shot option (for now) behind Brett Pesce and Dougie Hamilton. His 9-12–21 scoring line in 47 games has surpassed his rookie totals from 2023-24 in significantly fewer games and ranks ninth on the team on a per-game basis. He’s averaging 19:42 per night while seeing time on their second power play unit.
Nemec’s possession impacts remain an understandable area of concern, though. For someone touted by prospect evaluators as an “all-around” defenseman ahead of his draft day, the Devils want better quality control out of him than a 46.3% expected goals share at 5-on-5 that is the worst on the team (min. 200 minutes).
In a more normal situation, Nemec would be clear-cut trade bait for a team with relatively short-term playoff aspirations like New Jersey. He’s blocked by Pesce and Hamilton and is a high-value but flawed developing player. The Devils have been looking to move Hamilton since last offseason, to no avail, though there was renewed interest last month. Even if they did move him, his lower trade value is unlikely to net the impact forward they’re dangling Nemec for.
Sabres, Blues Shifting Trade Talks To Justin Faulk, Colton Parayko
The Sabres made a big push yesterday to put themselves at the forefront to land top center Robert Thomas from the Blues. It appears whatever they put forth was a best-and-final offer and may not be enough to pry him away. Darren Dreger of TSN followed up this morning on yesterday’s report, saying that talks between Buffalo and St. Louis on Thomas “went the distance” but that it “sounds like the Sabres aren’t willing to part with the necessary pieces.”
That doesn’t mean talks between the two parties have ceased, though. Instead, they’ve transitioned to helping Buffalo address its paucity of right-shot defenders, with the team now expressing interest in Justin Faulk or Colton Parayko.
Faulk is viewed as the likelier of the two to move, presumably because of a slightly lower price tag. He’s been especially hot as of late, with five assists in his last five games, and is one of four Blues skaters to appear in all 60 games so far this season.
Alongside that durability, the soon-to-be 34-year-old has had an impressive year on both sides of the puck. Easily the brightest spot on their blue line, his 11-21–32 scoring line leads St. Louis D-men and is fourth on the team overall. He’s doing that while ranking second on the Blues in blocked shots with 101 behind Parayko’s 148. While his 47.5% Corsi For share at 5-on-5 isn’t all too impressive, the Blues have an even goal differential with him on the ice at 5-on-5. For how much he plays, averaging 22:30 per game in all situations, his -3 rating becomes a strong one on a team with a -52 goal differential.
Buffalo’s entire top four of Rasmus Dahlin, Bowen Byram, Owen Power, and Mattias Samuelsson are lefties. Dahlin and Samuelsson have simply played too well together this season to break up, but it’s clear general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen is eyeing a name to plug into the second pairing alongside Byram or Power while bumping the other down to a third-pairing spot at even strength, giving them left-side depth last rivaled by the Lightning’s three-headed monster of Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, and Mikhail Sergachev during their Stanley Cup runs at the beginning of the decade.
Faulk and Parayko carry the same cap impact at $6.5MM. The former is easier to acquire, though not just because his somewhat weaker defensive reputation contributes to a lower price tag, but also because of his contract. He’s only signed through next season and has a 15-team no-trade list. Parayko, one year younger, is under contract through the 2029-30 season and, like Thomas, has a full no-trade clause that gives the Blues less maneuverability. With so much time left on his contract, the Blues are also in less of a rush to move him and squeeze value out of his deal.
Parayko, long regarded as a top-five shutdown defender in the league, has sat out of the Blues’ last two games due to back spasms. He’s also having quite a difficult season, amid being a virtual non-factor for Team Canada at the Olympics. His 14 points in 58 games are on pace for the worst offensive output of his 11-year career. His 44.9% Corsi For share at 5-on-5 ranks last among Blues defenders, and they’re getting outscored 54-38 with him on the ice at even strength.
At age 32, there’s likely some trepidation about committing for the rest of the decade if this season is more than just a flash in the pan. Faulk, whose contractual situation lies more in line with other targets Buffalo has expressed interest in, like Rasmus Ristolainen, is the more plausible outcome if the Sabres and Blues to manage to connect on a deal before Friday afternoon.
Golden Knights Acquire Cole Smith
The Nashville Predators have made another move tonight, sending forward Cole Smith to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a 2028 third round pick and defense prospect Christoffer Sedoff. The trade has been confirmed by both Nashville, as well as Vegas.
A fourth line winger with strong defensive attributes, Vegas inherits Smith’s $1MM cap hit until the end of the season, where he’ll become an unrestricted free agent. The Golden Knights currently rank 11th in the league in penalty killing, not necessarily an issue, but they add a relentless presence who fans may find similar to Keegan Kolesar. Smith will also reunite with former Preds teammate Colton Sissons, the two forming an effective fourth line over the past few seasons.
Always right up against the salary cap, Vegas has had to lean on unheralded forwards such as Cole Reinhardt and Braeden Bowman to round out their lineup. Adding Smith offers them a high character winger with experience, hungry to add to his just five career playoff games to this point.
It was a strange night for the newest Golden Knight, as he played just three seconds against Columbus, clearly with a trade in the works. At one point Smith left the bench, the team giving him stick taps out of respect, only to return and sit for the rest of the game. At one point Insider Frank Seravalli mentioned Tampa Bay as a suitor, but instead it was Vegas who closed the deal.
The 30-year-old Smith’s efforts rarely show up on the score sheet, with 10 points in 41 games this season, and a career high of 23 points set two years ago. He also is not the most swift skater at 6’3″, but the hallmark of the Minnesota native’s game is work ethic. As far as these types of players go, sometimes their possession metrics aren’t so pretty, but Smith offers a respectable 48.8% corsi for at five on five. Such is slightly below average, but he is never expected to drive play at even strength. Capable of dropping the gloves when needed, Smith has reached the 60 penalty minute mark over the past few seasons but is not a vicious, undisciplined player.
Undrafted out of the University of North Dakota, Smith has had an unlikely path to the NHL, and still is a player not widely known across the league. Never recording more than 18 points in a season in college, he caught on with Nashville, even making a short stop in the ECHL in 2020-21. Smith broke out with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals in 2021-22, putting up 42 points, production far above anything seen at North Dakota.
From there, the winger soon became a full time player for the Predators, eventually appearing in 271 games in gold, where he notched 62 points. Beloved by Predators management and teammates alike, Smith, like his former linemate Michael McCarron who was dealt earlier tonight, was likely considered to be kept around for the long haul. Instead, GM Barry Trotz brings in a nice return for a fourth line player who came to the organization as a free agent.
As part of the deal, Nashville acquires 24-year-old Sedoff, taking back a contract. The 6’2″ lefty was undrafted out of the WHL, catching on with Vegas where he’s played the past three seasons with AHL Henderson. This season he has four assists in 38 games, and as a pending restricted free agent, he has limited NHL upside. Sedoff will likely finish the spring with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL.
Now missing two vital pieces from their bottom six, eyes turn to Nashville’s more attractive pieces; headlined by Ryan O’Reilly, but more likely, Michael Bunting and Erik Haula. The team is still in the Wild Card mix but after a tough day for the team’s morale, the team may wave the white flag and look to the future especially considering the strong returns they’ve netted in deals so far. Trotz is loading up on futures, now up to six third round picks between 2027 and 2028. Prospect Reid Schaefer, acquired from Edmonton in the Mattias Ekholm deal, will likely slot in for Smith for the rest of the campaign.
Meanwhile, Smith’s new team takes on Detroit in the Motor City tomorrow, but most likely, he will debut on the Vegas strip Friday night against the Wild, lining up against his former counterpart in McCarron.
Image Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to break the trade.
Wild Activate Jonas Brodin From Injured Reserve, Reassign Matt Kiersted, Tyler Pitlick
8:15 PM: As anticipated, the Minnesota Wild have activated Brodin from injured reserve (Twitter Link), while Kiersted as well as today’s unclaimed Tyler Pitlick are headed to the Iowa Wild of the AHL. Not having played since January 12, Brodin will rejoin longtime teammate Jared Spurgeon in what has become an eventful day for Minnesota, as they acquired Michael McCarron from Nashville for a 2028 second rounder.
Kiersted and Pitlick, both with NHL experience, will be welcome additions back to Iowa, currently ranked last in the AHL.
3:30 PM: Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin is expected to return to the lineup tonight against the Lightning, Joe Smith of The Athletic reports. He’ll need to come off injured reserve. Minnesota didn’t have an open roster spot entering today, but has assigned D-man Matt Kiersted to AHL Iowa, per PuckPedia, giving them the flexibility to activate Brodin.
Brodin, 32, has been out for the past seven weeks after undergoing a minor lower-body procedure in mid-January. Thanks to the Olympic break, he only missed 14 games. It was his second multi-game absence of the season after missing four games with a related lower-body issue in December.
Minnesota’s defense is now at full health for the first time since early December as they jockey for playoff seeding in the Central Division with the Avalanche and Stars. They’re 7-2-1 in their last 10, but those two regulation losses have come in their last two games, dropping contests to the Mammoth and Blues by a combined score of 8-3. They’ll have Brodin back in their top four on a familiar pairing with captain Jared Spurgeon as they try to end that brief slide against a Lightning team reeling from a 6-2 loss to the Sabres over the weekend.
Now in his 14th season in Minnesota, Brodin remains as high-end a defensive piece as ever. His ice time is under 22 minutes per game for the first time in six years, due in part to Quinn Hughes‘ acquisition pushing him out of the de facto #1 slot on the Wild’s left side, but he’s maintained a +13 rating in 42 games while starting 54.8% of his 5-on-5 shifts in the defensive zone. That’s his highest figure since 2020-21, and it’s come with him controlling 48.6% of shot attempts but 52.4% of expected goals.
Kiersted, 27, heads back to Iowa after serving as an extra defenseman for the Wild’s first three games out of the break. The Minnesota native has suited up four times for the Wild this year in addition to posting a goal and seven points in 33 games for Iowa.
Evening Notes: Smith, Blue Jackets, Protas
Already having sent out Michael McCarron, another pending free agent Predator could be on the move soon. Forward Cole Smith took just a three second shift in tonight’s game against Columbus, at one point leaving for the locker room, but eventually returning to the bench, still not playing. Insider Frank Seravalli reported that Tampa Bay is showing interest.
The undrafted 30-year-old has become a mainstay on Nashville’s fourth line over the past four seasons, where he’s played a total 230 games with 62 points. At 6’3”, he is a relentless penalty killing winger likely to bring back later-round draft capital.
A high character player, the Minnesota native would be missed by Nashville, but cashing in on their depth pieces while keeping the bigger stars still gives them a shot in the playoffs, although they’ll have to overhaul their shorthanded unit.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Along with their opponents making news today, the Blue Jackets are missing two key pieces tonight as captain Boone Jenner and star Zach Werenski were inactive, as noted by Jeff Svoboda, official team reporter. Such news can raise eyebrows in early March, but it’s absolutely not for any suspicious reasons. Werenski is thought to be ill, while Jenner is day-to-day for maintenance, as confirmed by the team. Both could return as soon as Thursday, their Jackets set to host Florida as they continue their push toward the postseason. Until then, Kent Johnson, a scratch in recent days, re-enters the lineup.
- As another headline which could be misinterpreted, Capitals star Aliaksei Protas is absent tonight, but it’s due to personal reasons, as reported by Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. The 25-year-old has missed three games this year, otherwise posting 42 points in 59 games, and reaching the 20 goal mark last week. His Capitals, just shy of Wild Card range, are back in action Saturday in Boston, likely to welcome Protas back then.
Canucks Place Thatcher Demko On LTIR, Pierre-Olivier Joseph To IR
The Vancouver Canucks shared that goaltender Thatcher Demko has been placed on long-term injured reserve, and defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph has also landed on injured reserve, retroactive to March 2. Later on, GM Patrik Allvin announced that Victor Mancini has been recalled from AHL Abbotsford in a corresponding transaction (Twitter Link).
The star netminder’s ailment is well known to this point, as he’s not played since January 10 unfortunately dealing with ongoing hip issues. On the other hand, Joseph left last night’s action with an undisclosed injury, and he’ll be forced to miss Vancouver’s next four contests at least.
Thomas Drance of The Athletic added that the plan is for Demko to go on season-ending LTIR pending league approval. For now the club gains $3.82MM in cap space, but assuming the placement is approved the Canucks will have $5MM in relief. Prior to the Olympic Break it was already confirmed that the Canucks were shutting down Demko for the rest of the year to undergo surgery on the hip.
As his fate was already known, the cap savings could come in handy shortly if the Canucks take on any unfavorable expiring contracts as part of their sell off. Sitting dead last in the league, Demko’s three year extension worth $8.5MM per season takes effect next season just in time for what could be hardcore rebuilding days ahead. Suffice to say, it’s a contract which shows the dramatic turn for the Canucks compared to last summer’s optimism. His campaign comes to an untimely end after just 20 games played, winning eight.
Owner of another contract which no longer aligns with the team’s new direction, Kevin Lankinen will hold things down between the pipes for the time being. The 30-year-old received an extension worth $4.5MM per year, running through 2029-30. The Finn is no stranger to backstopping a non-contender as he broke into the NHL with the Blackhawks in 2020. Lankinen’s stats this year are career worsts at a .874% save percentage and 3.69 goals against average, but his Canucks are the worst NHL team by a considerable margin.
Coming back up, Mancini has been in the AHL for just under a month, last playing January 27 against San Jose. With no stats other than a fighting major in 10 games as a Canuck this season, he’s been more productive for Abbotsford, with 12 points in 34 games. The 23-year-old will be a restricted free agent this summer, and he figures to have more opportunities with the Canucks next year.
Roster management aside, hopefully Demko can use the time to finally heal up with brighter days ahead. Still just 30, the California native is nothing short of elite when healthy. He’ll have to look ahead to 2026-27, but Joseph could return as soon as March 12 against Nashville, eager to prove something as his contract expires this summer with restricted free agent status.