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Atlantic Notes: Tuch, Tkachuk, Canadiens

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Sabres winger Alex Tuch has been involved in plenty of trade speculation lately with teams believed to be calling Buffalo to see if they might consider moving him.  However, if he has his way, he won’t be going anywhere.  Tuch told Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News that he remains “heavily committed to this organization” and still hopes to be with the team past the upcoming trade deadline.  The 28-year-old has 19 goals and 24 assists in 54 games this season on Buffalo’s top line and is only two years removed from a 79-point campaign.  He’s one of their better bargains at a $4.75MM price tag which means that if the Sabres do decide to move him, they’ll be in line to land a significant return for his services.  But it doesn’t sound like that’s the direction that Tuch would like to see things go.

More from the Atlantic:

  • Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk won’t play against Seattle due to a lower-body injury. Head coach Paul Maurice told reporters including George Richards of Florida Hockey Now (Twitter link) that he will be assessed by Florida’s medical staff in the coming days to get a sense of how long he might be out for.  ESPN’s John Buccigross adds (Twitter link) that the early sense is that Tkachuk could be out for a while.  He suffered the injury playing at the 4 Nations Face-Off and wasn’t able to play much in the championship game on Thursday, logging less than seven minutes of ice time with his last shift coming late in the second period.
  • The Canadiens have had discussions with the agents of pending UFAs David Savard and Joel Armia, reports Guillaume Lefrancois of La Presse. Savard has been in trade speculation going back to last season with teams often looking to add size and grit on their back end for a playoff run and while his ice time is down this season (he has a 17:46 ATOI), there will be teams interested in him as a third-pairing piece if a new deal can’t be reached.  Armia, meanwhile, cleared waivers at the beginning of last season but bounced back to record 17 goals last year and is on pace to set a new career high in points this season while being one of the most-used forwards shorthanded league-wide.
  • One pending UFA in Montreal who hasn’t had discussions with the Canadiens about a new deal is center Christian Dvorak, relays Richard Labbe of La Presse. Dvorak has struggled offensively the past two years and has just 17 points in 56 games so far this season, hardly a great return on a $4.45MM price tag.  He’s winning over 57% of his faceoffs, however, which could draw some interest trade-wise as well.  Notably, Montreal only has one salary retention slot remaining to use between Dvorak, Savard, Armia, or even Jake Evans if the two sides can’t reach an agreement on an extension before March 7th.

Penguins Activate Evgeni Malkin, Assign Emil Bemstrom To AHL

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The Penguins will welcome back a key veteran to their lineup today against Washington.  The team announced (Twitter link) that center Evgeni Malkin has been activated off injured reserve.  To make room on the roster, winger Emil Bemstrom was sent down to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Malkin suffered a lower-body injury early in their game on January 25th and hasn’t played since.  However, he was a full participant in practice in recent days which made this announcement an expected one.

The 38-year-old got off to a hot start to his season with 24 points in his first 27 games but has seen his production taper off since then with just 10 points in his last 20 outings.  Nonetheless, the 19-year-veteran still is a key part of Pittsburgh’s attack, anchoring their second line while averaging over 18 minutes a night once again and ranks fifth on the team in scoring.  With the Penguins entering play today six points out of the final Wild Card spot, they’ll need Malkin to get back to his early-season form if they have any hopes of a late push to get back into the playoff picture.

As for Bemstrom, he has only played in two games with Pittsburgh this season on his two recalls, something that probably wasn’t expected after he played a regular role down the stretch last season after being acquired from Columbus.  He’s having a strong year in the minors, however, as he has 20 goals and 24 assists in 41 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  Bemstrom will now return to a prominent role with them while hoping that his scoring prowess down there will earn him another look at some point.

Blackhawks Place Jason Dickinson On IR, Assign Louis Crevier To AHL

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The Blackhawks have made some roster moves heading into tonight’s game against Columbus.  The team announced that defenseman Louis Crevier was activated off injured reserve and was assigned to AHL Rockford.  The team also placed center Jason Dickinson on IR.

Crevier has spent time with both the Blackhawks and IceHogs this season but the bulk of his time has been spent with Chicago.  He has one assist in 11 games with Rockford while suiting up in 23 NHL contests where he has three goals and an assist along with 34 blocks and 47 hits in 17:48 of playing time.  He last played on February 1st before suffering a concussion so the assignment to the minors will give him some time to get back to form before likely being recalled for the stretch run.

As for Dickinson, he has been out since suffering a lower-body injury on February 5th so his placement on IR should come as no surprise.  Assuming it’s back-dated, he’ll have already missed enough time and thus can be activated as soon as he’s cleared.  The 29-year-old hasn’t been able to duplicate his breakout performance from last season which saw him score 22 goals but he has 16 points in 53 games in just under 16 minutes a night of playing time.

With these roster moves, Chicago now has two open roster spots and only the minimum number of healthy forwards available.  With that in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a recall or two from them in the near future.

Jets Sign Vladislav Namestnikov To Two-Year Extension

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The Jets have taken one of their pending unrestricted free agents off the market for this summer.  They announced that they have signed forward Vladislav Namestnikov to a two-year contract extension worth $3MM per season beginning in 2025-26.

The 32-year-old showed some promise offensively early in his career with a 48-point season in 2017-18.  However, he hasn’t been able to reach those numbers since then, resulting in him becoming a bit of a hockey nomad, spending time with eight different teams between that season and the 2022-23 campaign.  The Jets were the last team out of that group as they acquired him as a rental at the 2023 trade deadline and liked what they saw, giving him a two-year, $4MM contract on the opening day of free agency that summer.

The contract has worked out well for both sides.  While Namestnikov still hasn’t gotten back to his top offensive numbers, he has become a reliable secondary scorer for Winnipeg.  Last season in his first full year with the Jets, he picked up 11 goals and 26 assists in 78 games, good for the second-highest point total of his career.  Notably, he also spent considerable time at center after spending most of the previous few seasons on the wing.

Namestnikov is on pace for a higher offensive output this year.  Through 52 outings this season, he has 10 goals and 19 assists while logging just under 15 minutes a night of playing time.  He has been a regular at center this year and has improved his faceoff percentage by 9.5% compared to a year ago although it still checks in as below-average at 45.8% on the campaign.  Nonetheless, becoming a reliable middle-six player who can play down the middle certainly helped Namestnikov’s cause in contract talks, allowing him to get a 50% raise on this new agreement to keep him in the fold.

With the deal, Winnipeg now has roughly $55.6MM in commitments on the books to 14 players for next season, per PuckPedia, giving them a little under $40MM in space to work with.  They do, however, still have a pair of notable pending UFAs to deal with, including winger Nikolaj Ehlers and defenseman Neal Pionk, both of whom are in line for pricey long-term contracts this summer.  In the meantime, they’ve helped shore up their forward depth for the next two years by keeping Namestnikov around.

Namestnikov’s agent Dan Milstein first reported the deal while Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first with the financial terms.

Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.

Snapshots: Moser, Chychrun, Wennberg, Kraken

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The Lightning will welcome back an important part of their defense corps on Sunday.  Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times relays that J.J. Moser will be back in the lineup against Seattle after missing two-and-a-half months with a lower-body injury.  The 24-year-old was an important part of the return for Tampa Bay in the Mikhail Sergachev trade from the draft and had 10 points in 27 games before the injury while averaging nearly 20 minutes per night of playing time.  Moser was technically activated off IR before the break but the team elected to scratch him for their last game instead to give him more time to recover.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • While Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun made it known last month that he’s open to signing a contract extension with Washington, he told reporters including Sammi Silber of The Hockey News (Twitter link) that there haven’t been any extension discussions since before the break. The 26-year-old has been a great addition for Washington, already notching 14 goals and 21 assists through 50 games while logging 21 minutes a night.  He’s well on his way to earning a sizable raise on his current $4.6MM price tag but it doesn’t appear a new deal is coming in the near future.
  • San Jose will get a key veteran center back for their upcoming seven-game road trip as Alexander Wennberg told reporters including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link) that he’ll be ready to return on Sunday. The 30-year-old has 23 points in 52 games for the Sharks this season and suffered an upper-body injury late last month.
  • The Kraken have changed up their backup goalie. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled Ales Stezka from AHL Coachella Valley and reassigned Victor Ostman to ECHL Kansas City, reversing the move made before the 4 Nations break.  Stezka has been Seattle’s backup as of late after Philipp Grubauer was assigned to the Firebirds but has yet to make his NHL debut.  He has a 2.99 GAA with a .902 SV% in 25 games this season.  Ostman, meanwhile, is in his first full professional season after signing with Seattle as a college free agent last spring.  He has played exclusively with the Mavericks, putting up a 2.44 GAA and a .905 SV% in 29 appearances.

Trade Deadline Primer: Pittsburgh Penguins

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With the 4 Nations Face-Off break now almost over, the trade deadline looms large and is less than three weeks away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Things haven’t gone exactly as planned for the Penguins this season.  After tweaking their roster, GM Kyle Dubas hoped that this group would be able to hang around the playoff picture.  While they’re still within striking distance of a playoff spot, they’ve already dealt away their top rental, signaling that they will likely be subtracting from their roster once again at the deadline.

Record

23-25-9, 7th in the Metropolitan

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$9.88MM on deadline day, 2/3 retention slots used, 49/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2025: NYR 1st*, PIT 1st, MIN 3rd, OTT 3rd, PIT 3rd, PIT 4th, CHI 5th, NYR 5th, PIT 5th, PIT 6th, PIT 7th
2026: PIT 1st, PIT 2nd, STL 2nd, PIT 3rd, SJ 3rd, PIT 4th, NSH 6th, CHI 7th, PIT 7th

*-Top-13 protected; if it doesn’t convey this year, it becomes New York’s unprotected 2026 first-round selection.

Trade Chips

With Marcus Pettersson now in Vancouver from the trade at the beginning of the month, Pittsburgh’s top rental blueliner is long gone but Matt Grzelcyk is another who could draw interest.  He struggled to start the season as he adjusted to his new team but he has played better in recent weeks leading up to the break.  The 31-year-old has set a new career-high in points with 28 in 57 games, putting him second on the Penguins in points by a defenseman (behind Erik Karlsson but ahead of Kris Letang) while he’s logging over 20 minutes a night for the first time in his career.  While Grzelcyk would likely be more of a third-pairing option on a contending team, his $2.75MM AAV is one that is reasonably affordable which should give Dubas some options if he wants to move out another rearguard.

Their other rental options are more of the depth variety.  Anthony Beauvillier has a dozen goals in 56 games despite not even averaging 13 minutes a night and isn’t too pricey at $1.25MM.  For a team looking for some low-cost scoring depth, he could be a viable option.  When healthy, Matthew Nieto has been a capable checking winger.  Staying healthy has been a challenge lately and he has struggled this year but at just $900K, it’s possible a team could flip a late-round pick to bring in some extra depth.

While Pittsburgh would undoubtedly want to get out of Tristan Jarry and Ryan Graves’s contracts, that’s probably not happening.  Nor is it likely that they’d move their older core group that they’re trying to build around.  But even with that in mind, there are a few other possible trade options.

Rickard Rakell’s tenure with Pittsburgh has been a bit uneven but this has been one of the good years.  He already has 25 goals this season, giving him a chance to surpass 30 for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign and sits second in team scoring behind Sidney Crosby while often playing with the captain on the top line.  As far as trade value goes, it’s reasonably high, especially since he’s signed for three more years at $5MM.  It doesn’t seem likely that the Penguins would embark on a larger-scale rebuild so he’s someone they’d probably prefer not to move so it will take a big offer to get him.  That same sentence applies to winger Bryan Rust who is also in that price range.

Pittsburgh has a pair of bottom-six forwards who could attract some interest as well.  Noel Acciari is a physical fourth-line center who has seven different seasons of playoff experience and had some success as a deadline pickup two years ago.  He has one year left on his deal after this one at $2MM which is a salary that looks a bit more affordable with the big jump coming in the salary cap.  The other is Blake Lizotte.  He provides a bit more offense than Acciari and is capable of playing both center and the wing although he’s also undersized.  He’s in Acciari’s price range with one year left on his deal as well at a $1.85MM price tag.  Neither player would command a significant return but moving one of them would open up a roster spot to give one of their prospects in AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton an extended look.

Team Needs

1) Young Pros: Last year, we saw Dubas prioritize a nearer-future return in the Jake Guentzel trade, adding Vasiliy Ponomarev and Ville Koivunen as part of the package instead of picking up more draft picks.  We also saw them add Rutger McGroarty, the more pro-ready piece, in a swap of first-round prospects with Winnipeg over the offseason.  The emphasis is getting players who are closer to being NHL-ready who could still fit with the current veteran core.  There’s no reason to think they won’t take a similar approach this time around.

2) Contract Flexibility: With only one open contract slot at the moment, that doesn’t give the Penguins much flexibility on that front, either in terms of adding more minor-pro players in a trade or even for the college free agent market if they need to burn a year now to entice a signing.  Freeing up two or three slots would certainly help them on that front, especially when you keep in mind that contracts don’t expire until July 1st so having that extra wiggle room could also help them at draft time in trade discussions.  It’s not a must-do but it would certainly be beneficial for them.

Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.

East Notes: Thompson, Pesce, Pacioretty, Pulock

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Team USA has been given permission to bring Sabres center Tage Thompson and Devils defenseman Brett Pesce to Boston as standby players for Thursday’s 4 Nations Face-Off finale, reports Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.  As was the case with Quinn Hughes who was initially intended as the reserve player, the only way Thompson or Pesce could suit up versus Canada is if Team USA drops below 12 healthy forwards or six healthy blueliners.  Thompson was one of the more notable omissions from the initial roster and is averaging a point per game through 48 outings in Buffalo.  Meanwhile, Pesce has been as advertised in his first season with New Jersey, logging nearly 21 minutes a night in a shutdown role in his 48 appearances.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • Maple Leafs winger Max Pacioretty left practice early today with head coach Craig Berube telling reporters including Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun that the veteran tweaked something when he took to the ice. Berube added the injury isn’t believed to be too serious at first glance.  Pacioretty has dealt with injuries off and on throughout the season and has been limited to 37 outings where he has five goals and eight assists while logging just 13:30 per game, his lowest ATOI since his rookie year back in 2008-09.
  • Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock took part in today’s practice in a non-contact jersey as he works his way back from an undisclosed injury sustained late last month. However, head coach Patrick Roy noted to reporters including Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News (Twitter link) that the blueliner’s availability for Sunday’s contest against Dallas remains uncertain.  Pulock is logging nearly 22 minutes a night and has 16 points in 48 games and with the Isles just three points out of a share of the last playoff spot, getting him back soon would certainly help their fortunes.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Florida Panthers

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t often see struggles and front office changes.

PHR is looking at every NHL team and giving a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2024-25 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia.  We’re currently covering the Atlantic Division, next up is the Canadiens.

Florida Panthers

Current Cap Hit: $87,250,999 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Mackie Samoskevich (one year, $925K)

Potential Bonuses
None

This is Samoskevich’s first full NHL season (aside from a brief cap-related stint in the minors).  He’s holding down a regular spot in the bottom six but players in that role can’t command a long-term second contract.  A two-year bridge deal in the $1.5MM to $1.75MM range feels like the right fit for him.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

F Sam Bennett ($4.425MM, UFA)
F Jesper Boqvist ($775K, RFA)
D Aaron Ekblad ($7.5MM, UFA)
F Tomas Nosek ($775K, UFA)
D Nate Schmidt ($800K, UFA)

Bennett is arguably Florida’s biggest decision to make when it comes to their upcoming free agents.  He’s on pace for a career year offensively which certainly doesn’t hurt his cause but that’s only a part of his game.  After splitting time at center and the wing in Calgary, he has become a full-time middleman with the Panthers.  And, of course, his physicality makes him stand out at a position that doesn’t have a lot of power forwards.  Bennett will hit the open market at 29 so a long-term deal will carry some risk but that’s unlikely to act as a deterrent for a lot of teams.  If he signs elsewhere, a max-term seven-year agreement isn’t out of the question while adding at least $2MM to his current price tag.

Boqvist has rebounded nicely after a tough year in Boston that saw him get non-tendered.  He already has set a new benchmark in goals and is close to matching his career high in points.  That could allow him to double his current price tag with arbitration rights but that eligibility could work against him if the Panthers need to keep their end-of-roster spots at or near the league minimum.  Nosek has largely stayed healthy this year which helps but he’s not as impactful at the faceoff dot as he used to be while his production is quite limited.  A small raise could happen but if Florida wants to keep him, it wouldn’t be shocking if they tried to bring him back at the minimum.

Ekblad is the other free agent of significance that GM Bill Zito will need to try to re-sign.  The 29-year-old has been an anchor on their back end for 11 years already after being the top pick in 2014.  He hasn’t been able to get back to the top offensive level of a few years ago but he’s still a top-pairing, right-shot blueliner.  A big raise might not be likely as the contract will have some of his declining years but a near max-term deal around this price point could be doable.  Schmidt quickly caught on with the Panthers after Winnipeg bought him out and he has held down a spot on the third pairing.  If a team still views him as a second-pairing piece, he could get back into the $2.5MM range or so but if he’s valued in a fifth or sixth role, his market value might be closer to $2MM.

Signed Through 2025-26

D Uvis Balinskis ($850K, UFA)
G Sergei Bobrovsky ($10MM, UFA)
F Jonah Gadjovich ($775K, UFA)
F A.J. Greer ($850K, UFA)
G Spencer Knight ($4.5MM, RFA)
D Niko Mikkola ($2.5MM, UFA)

Greer has become a capable fourth line energy winger in recent years but doesn’t provide much offense to go along with that which limits his market to a point.  Still, now that he’s a bit more proven in that role, he could make a case to push past $1MM on his next deal.  Gadjovich has had to take a minor league deal before and with the limited role he has, he’s quite likely to stay at the minimum moving forward.

Mikkola has been counted on more since joining Florida, playing regularly in their top four while playing more of a throwback shutdown role.  While he’s not much of a point producer, his defensive play and physicality should give him a much stronger market in 2026 which could push his cost past $4MM per season.  Balinskis is Florida’s sixth defender and has even played up front a bit.  His limited playing time will likely keep him viewed as a sixth or seventh blueliner which will probably keep him at least close to this price tag.

Bobrovsky has been hit or miss throughout his tenure in Florida with last season being one of the high points.  But he’s the highest-paid active netminder in the league (until next season) and that type of volatility isn’t the most ideal.  Notably, Bobrovsky will be entering his age-38-year on his next deal.  If he’s still a full-fledged starter then, he could land around $6MM or so but a lot could change between now and then.  Knight, meanwhile, is back up after spending last year in the minors, hardly great value for his price tag.  He’s done well so far and is starting to make a push for more playing time.  Florida’s hope will be that he can be their starter of the future and the limited action the last two years might keep the cost a little lower.  Still, he’ll be owed a $4.5MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights so if the Panthers want to keep him around, it will likely cost $5MM to do so, more if he’s the full-fledged starter by then.

Signed Through 2026-27

F Eetu Luostarinen ($3MM, UFA)
F Evan Rodrigues ($3MM, UFA)

After his run through free agency in 2022 didn’t go as planned, Rodrigues jumped at the stability of a four-year offer from Florida the following summer, one that looked pretty team-friendly then and that hasn’t changed.  A versatile player who can play up and down the lineup for this price is a good deal.  Rodrigues should be able to command more on the open market next time out but there was a case for that to happen on his last two trips on the open market too.  Luostarinen has worked his way up the depth chart which helped secure this extension last season.  If he can get back to being a 40-point player as he was a couple of years back, he could add another million or so on his next deal.  If not, the raise could be a bit smaller for him.

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Snapshots: Ullmark, Milano, Utah

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While Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark was supposed to get the start in tonight’s 4 Nations Face-Off finale for Sweden, that’s no longer the case.  Aftonbladet’s Hans Abrahamsson first reported that the netminder is sick and won’t suit up versus Team USA.  With Filip Gustavsson leaving Saturday’s game early with an illness as well, it will be Samuel Ersson who gets the nod.  Ullmark was widely expected to be Sweden’s starter for this event but will wind up playing in just two periods overall, taking the overtime loss versus Finland.  The outcome of this game will have no bearing on Thursday’s final as that will be a matchup of Canada and Team USA after Canada won their game in regulation this afternoon over Finland.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Sammi Silber of The Hockey News relays that while Capitals winger Sonny Milano was skating in a non-contact jersey before the 4 Nations break, he’s still a ways away from returning to the lineup. The 28-year-old suffered an upper-body injury in his third game of the season and hasn’t played since.  Assuming he’ll see some time with AHL Hershey on a conditioning assignment, it’s possible that Milano won’t be back until after the trade deadline when roster maximum sizes are no longer in effect.
  • In an interview with Craig Morgan on Utah HC’s team site, GM Bill Armstrong indicated that there’s a chance that they could have all their injured players back coming out of the break. Center Logan Cooley suffered a lower-body injury at the end of January while blueliner Sean Durzi (shoulder) has been out since mid-October; getting both of them back would be a big boost for their attack.  Meanwhile, defenseman Robert Bortuzzo (lower body) has missed more than a month while goalie Connor Ingram left the final game before the break with an upper-body issue so it appears they’re close to returning as well.
  • From that same interview, Armstrong suggested that Utah has already done most of its team building already from the summer and early-season trade activity so the team is “already built to some degree”. They have six games left before the trade deadline and are six points out of the final Wild Card spot so being buyers would be a bit of a surprise.  With that in mind, instead of team building, they could be doing some trimming with centers Alexander Kerfoot and Nick Bjugstad, blueliners Ian Cole and Olli Maatta, and goaltender Karel Vejmelka among the long list of pending unrestricted free agents this summer.

Five Key Stories: 2/10/25 – 2/16/25

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The 4 Nations Face-Off has hit the halfway mark and with there being no NHL games on the slate, it was a relatively quiet week around the hockey world aside from the four tournament games.  Nonetheless, there was still some news of note which is recapped in our key stories.

More International Hockey: We saw the return of best-on-best hockey (at least for four countries) with the 4 Nations tournament and there will be another event next year with the Olympics.  Another tournament has been added to the calendar as the World Cup of Hockey will make its return in 2028.  The last time this was played was back in 2016 with Canada taking the best-of-three series over Team Europe to win the title.  As is the case with the 4 Nations Face-Off, this event will not fall under the IIHF’s umbrella while it remains to be seen if Russia, who has been excluded from international events in recent years, will be allowed to participate in this one.

Extension For Steel: While transaction activity has been extremely limited over the past week, the Stars took care of one of their pending unrestricted free agents, signing center Sam Steel to a two-year, $4.2MM extension.  The 27-year-old is in his second season in Dallas, returning despite being non-tendered last summer.  Steel hasn’t been able to come close to replicating the type of offensive success that he had at the junior level but he has turned into a reliable checker; he leads all Stars forwards in ATOI shorthanded.  The deal represents a nice raise for the 27-year-old as he will go from making $1.2MM this season to an AAV of $2.1MM for next year.

Theodore Exits 4 Nations: Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore was pegged to play a significant role for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.  However, his tournament lasted only a handful of shifts as he suffered an upper-body injury in the opener and was quickly ruled out for the rest of the event.  Subsequently, Vegas announced that the blueliner is expected to be out on a week-to-week basis.  The 29-year-old sits fourth among all NHL rearguards in scoring with 48 points in 55 games while averaging over 22 minutes.  His exit comes on the heels of Vegas teammate Alex Pietrangelo withdrawing from the tournament to nurse a nagging injury as the Golden Knights will be dealing with a banged-up back end when the season resumes this coming weekend.  Theodore’s absence resulted in Dallas defender Thomas Harley being put on standby to join the team, something that has since happened with Cale Makar battling an illness.

Calling It A Career: Long-time NHL winger Loui Eriksson has called it a career, announcing his retirement at the age of 39.  Eriksson played in 16 seasons at the top level with four different organizations, spanning 1,050 games altogether.  He picked up 253 goals and 360 assists over that time with his best years coming between 2009-10 and 2011-12 with Dallas where he notched at least 71 points in each of those three seasons.  Eriksson also finished in the top five in Lady Byng Trophy voting three times.  After his final NHL campaign in 2021-22, he wrapped up his playing career with Frolunda in the SHL, returning to the program he came up with in his junior days.

Dobson Changes Agents: Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson has been talked about a lot lately.  There was recent trade speculation which was quickly refuted but not long after that, he changed agencies, moving to Wasserman.  Speculatively, the change likely doesn’t relate to the trade speculation but rather to the fact he has a contract negotiation on the horizon.  The 25-year-old had a breakout year last season, tallying 70 points in 79 games while logging 24:31 per night.  He hasn’t been producing at quite the same pace this year though but either way, he’s in for a substantial raise from the $4MM he’s receiving this season.  With arbitration rights, Dobson is in line to more than double that on his next deal, one that will have a new agent working on it.

Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.

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