Metropolitan Notes: Rangers, Horvat, Vladar, Wilson
Today’s letter from the Rangers and subsequent reporting indicated that some veterans will be on the move, winger Artemi Panarin among them. But at first glance, it doesn’t appear as if some of their other notable veterans could be in play on the trade front. Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that five members of their veteran core – goalie Igor Shesterkin, defensemen Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov, and centers J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad – all spoke with management today and indicated a desire to remain with the team. All five players are signed through at least the 2028-29 and have no-move clauses in their respective contracts so it’s unlikely that New York will be making multiple moves of significance before the March 6th trade deadline.
More from the Metropolitan:
- It’s now unlikely that Islanders center Bo Horvat will join the team on the back half of their road trip, relays Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter links). The veteran has been dealing with a lower-body injury for the last couple of weeks but since it was doubtful that he’d be cleared to play on the trip, they’ve opted to keep him home. It should be noted that he has not suffered a setback in his recovery. Now, the soft target for a return, if all goes well, will be next Saturday against Buffalo. Despite missing 11 games so far, Horvat still leads the team in goals with 21 and sits second in points with 33.
- Flyers goaltender Daniel Vladar won’t be available on Saturday but isn’t expected to be out much longer, according to Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. He suffered an undisclosed injury on Wednesday and the team believes he’s only out day-to-day. Vladar has done rather well in his first season in Philadelphia, posting a 2.46 GAA and a .908 SV% in 28 games while already setting a new career-high in wins with 16.
- Capitals winger Tom Wilson (lower body) was a full participant in practice today. However, head coach Spencer Carbery indicated to reporters (video link) that he couldn’t confirm if the veteran would be back in the lineup on Saturday. Sidelined for the last five games, Wilson remains Washington’s scoring leader with 22 goals and 20 assists in 41 contests.
Ducks Recall Sam Colangelo, Place Troy Terry On Injured Reserve
Earlier today, the hope was that the Ducks would welcome back winger Troy Terry from the upper-body injury that has kept him out of the lineup for the last three games. However, that won’t be the case as the team announced that Terry has been placed on injured reserve. Taking his place on the roster is winger Sam Colangelo, who has been recalled from AHL San Diego.
After seeing his point total dip to the mid-50s over the last couple of seasons, Terry has bounced back quite nicely this season, flirting with the point-per-game mark for most of the year. He currently sits second on the team in scoring with 13 goals and 29 assists in 43 games. Terry was originally viewed as a game-time decision back on Tuesday so the fact he’s now set to be out a little longer could be a sign for concern or merely the team exercising a bit more caution with one of their top players. His placement is retroactive to January 6th, meaning he has already served the required week and thus can be activated at any time.
As for Colangelo, this is his first recall back to Anaheim since being sent down in mid-November. At the time, he had only played sporadically, getting into just seven games where he had one goal while averaging just over 10 minutes per night. The 24-year-old has fared better in the minors, however, picking up seven goals and nine assists with the Gulls in 23 games but that’s still below the point-per-game showing he had in 40 outings last season.
With Leo Carlsson (lower body) out once again and Jeffrey Viel still on his way to join the team after being acquired earlier today, Anaheim wouldn’t have had enough forwards for tonight’s game without Colangelo. But with Terry ideally back soon and Viel likely to report to the team on Saturday, it could be a short-term stint for Colangelo on Anaheim’s roster.
Hurricanes Recall Joel Nystrom, Place Noah Philp On Injured Reserve
With blueliner Shayne Gostisbehere out for tonight’s game against Florida, the Hurricanes have brought up some extra defensive depth. The team announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Joel Nystrom from AHL Chicago. To make room on the roster, center Noah Philp has been placed on injured reserve.
Nystrom is familiar with going back and forth between the NHL and the minors as this is now his third recall of the season. The 23-year-old has received his first taste of action at the top level this season, getting into 33 games with Carolina. He’s still looking for his first goal but he has eight assists while averaging 15:37 of ice time per game.
That showing was good enough to earn Nystrom a four-year, $4.9MM one-way extension last month, a sign that the Hurricanes feel that he is part of their longer-term plans. Despite a pair of demotions with the team taking advantage of his waiver exemption, Nystrom has only played in six times with the Wolves, collecting one assist.
As for Philp, he was claimed off waivers from Edmonton in late December but hasn’t had much of a chance to make an impression on his new team. The 27-year-old suffered a concussion in his second game with the team and has been out of the lineup for the last week and a half. Adding in his time with the Oilers, Philp has two goals and an assist in 17 games so far this season. Carolina has back-dated Philp’s placement back to January 6th, meaning that he is eligible to be activated at any time.
Capitals Recall Ivan Miroshnichenko, Place Justin Sourdif On IR
According to a team announcement, the Washington Capitals have recalled Ivan Miroshnichenko from the AHL’s Hershey Bears. In a corresponding roster move, the Capitals placed Justin Sourdif on the injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
Miroshnichenko’s story in Washington is well known at this point. The Capitals selected Miroshnichenko with the 20th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft, and he spent the following season with the KHL’s Avangard Omsk, scoring three goals and one assist in 23 games.
Despite the tepid scoring output, Washington brought Miroshnichenko to North America beginning in the 2023-24 season. He’s been a terrific scorer with AHL Hershey, but has failed to break out in any meaningful way with the Capitals.
In his first professional season in North America, Miroshnichenko finished with two goals and six points in 21 games with Washington, typically placed in a middle-six role while averaging 12:08 of ice time per night. Still, he showed quality production with the Bears, scoring nine goals and 25 points in 47 games. Additionally, after scoring seven goals and 12 points in 20 postseason contests, Miroshnichenko helped Hershey win its second consecutive Calder Cup championship.
Since then, he’s been largely isolated to an AHL role. He’s scored one goal and four points in 20 games for the Capitals over the last two years, usually being confined to a bottom-six role. Regardless, he’s kept up his strong performance in the AHL, scoring 29 goals and 58 points in his past 73 games.
Meanwhile, Sourdif formally heads to the IR after missing Washington’s last several games. He took a puck to the face in the Capitals’ recent loss to the Nashville Predators on January 11th. It was unfortunate timing for Sourdif, who had scored six goals and 12 points in 13 games leading up to the injury.
Wild Place Joel Eriksson Ek, Matt Boldy On IR
The Minnesota Wild are again dealing with multiple injuries. The Wild announced that they’ve placed forwards Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy on the injured reserve.
Additionally, Minnesota has made multiple roster moves. In the same announcement, the team shared that they’ve recalled Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Hunter Haight, and David Jiříček to the NHL, while returning Carson Lambos to the AHL’s Iowa Wild.
Assuming the Wild makes Eriksson Ek’s placement retroactive to January 8th, he’s eligible to be activated as soon as he’s healthy. Still, since the team opted to place him on the injured reserve today, there’s little chance he’ll be in the lineup tomorrow against the Buffalo Sabres. He’s been dealing with a lower-body injury for the past week.
Already perusing the trade market for a second-line center, Eriksson Ek’s exit from the lineup has been a major detriment to the team. In the three games he has missed, Minnesota has lost all of them while collecting only one point. Typically in a top-six role, Eriksson Ek has scored 11 goals and 32 points in 45 games for the Wild this season while having a 49.7% success rate in the faceoff dot.
Meanwhile, arguably the larger concern is that Boldy will have to miss the next four games. Since Boldy seemingly suffered an undisclosed injury in Minnesota’s recent game against the Winnipeg Jets, he won’t be eligible to return until next Friday.
After skating in 203 consecutive games, the Wild will now move forward with one of their best offensive forces. Throughout 48 games this season, Boldy led the team in goal-scoring with 27 tallies and sat one point behind Kirill Kaprizov for the overall team lead.
Neither Aube-Kubel nor Haight will help Minnesota make up for the loss of offense. The two have combined for one assist across six games for the Wild this season. Still, in their defense, they’ve remained relatively productive with AHL Iowa this season, with the latter ranked third on the team in scoring with seven goals and 17 points in 31 games.
San Jose Sharks Activate Will Smith
As expected, the San Jose Sharks announced that they’ve activated Will Smith from the injured reserve. The Sharks placed forward Ty Dellandrea on injured reserve yesterday to make room for Smith’s return.
Smith, 20, has been on the shelf for a month due to an upper-body injury. At the time, he was second on the team in scoring behind Macklin Celebrini. He has since been surpassed by Alexander Wennberg, Tyler Toffoli, and William Eklund.
Still, in terms of points-per-game, Smith is clearly San Jose’s best offensive option behind Celebrini. Before suffering the upper-body ailment, the sophomore forward had scored 12 goals and 29 points in 33 games. Had he continued that pace over the course of the entire regular season, Smith would have finished with approximately 72 points, a 27-point increase from his rookie campaign.
According to line rushes this morning, Smith will reprise his role on Celebrini’s wing, alongside rookie Igor Chernyshov. The two youngsters primarily played with Philipp Kurashev earlier in the year, with the trio combining for a 45.2% xGoals%.
Somehow, despite losing their second-best scorer, the Sharks’ offense has taken off since Smith exited the lineup. In his 33 games to begin the year, San Jose averaged 2.9 GF/G and a 18.6% success rate on the power play. Without him in the lineup, they’ve averaged 3.84 GF/G and a 25.6% powerplay. Getting Smith back into the lineup should vault the Sharks’ offense even higher moving forward.
Florida Panthers To Activate Cole Schwindt
The Florida Panthers will return a depth forward to their lineup tonight. According to rinkside reporter Katie Engleson, forward Cole Schwindt will be in the lineup for the Panthers tonight, confirming he’ll be activated from the team’s injured reserve.
Now in his second stint in Florida, the 24-year-old hasn’t played for the team in two months due to a broken arm suffered against the Vancouver Canucks on November 17th. Before the injury, Schwindt had scored two goals while averaging 8:38 of action per game.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Panthers make room for Schwindt on the active roster. The easiest option would be to reassign rookie Sandis Vilmanis, who is one of the few waiver-exempt players on the roster. Still, the team could demote little-used forward Noah Gregor, who cleared waivers last Saturday but remained with the team.
Regardless, it’s a positive step in the right direction for the defending Stanley Cup champions. Florida has dealt with numerous injuries this season, which has hindered their ability to jockey for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference.
Still, even outside of returning Schwindt to the lineup, the team is close to returning Brad Marchand and Matthew Tkachuk, as well. Leading up to the trade deadline, and as they get closer to a completely healthy roster, the Panthers will be a dangerous team as they look to defend their crown.
New York Rangers Announce Retool
Similar to Jeff Gorton nearly seven years ago, current General Manager Chris Drury wrote a letter to New York Rangers fans, stating that the team would undergo a retool this season.
In the letter, Drury said, “This will not be a rebuild. This will be a retool built around our core players and prospects.” Drury went on to acknowledge that the fans should expect some trades or departures via free agency, saying, “That may mean saying goodbye to players that have brought us and our fans great moments over the years.”
The news was largely expected. Despite wanting to compete for a playoff spot this season, the Rangers are in last place in the Eastern Conference by a three-point margin and are tied for the most games played. Their -21 goal differential is also the worst in the Conference.
After losing defenseman Adam Fox and netminder Igor Shesterkin to injury in early January, there was little hope that New York would be able to climb out of the hole. Still, instead of re-shaping the entire roster, Drury specified a retool, which indicates that the team may only move out expiring assets and reassess next summer.
Regardless, we know of at least one player who won’t finish the 2025-26 season with the Rangers. Shortly after the announcement from New York, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Drury met with Artemi Panarin, telling him that the team would not be extending him an extension offer, and they would like to move him to a team where he could win the Stanley Cup or sign long-term.
Earlier this week, we assessed some of the hypothetical landing spots for Panarin that were provided by Friedman, namely the Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, and Washington Capitals. Determining Panarin’s trade value is challenging due to the absence of recent comparables for a rental of his significance.
Furthermore, there’s no questioning that Panarin’s market value dipped from today’s news. Publicly, the Rangers remained interested in extending Panarin beyond the 2025-26 campaign. However, considering his full no-movement clause, New York will allow Panarin to pick his next destination, which will likely diminish their potential return.
Meanwhile, the Rangers don’t have many additional expiring assets that will be of much value on the trade market. Joining Panarin as pending unrestricted free agents are Jonny Brodzinski, Conor Sheary, and Carson Soucy. Technically, Jonathan Quick could also be a trade candidate, but the veteran netminder has been pretty rigid in his ‘Rangers or retirement’ attitude.
Assuming Drury waits until the offseason to consider trading the trickier contracts of Mika Zibanejad, Alexis Lafreniere, Vincent Trocheck, etc, there are a few more veterans he may attempt to move this season.
Veterans like Taylor Raddysh, Sam Carrick, and Urho Vaakanainen are only signed through the 2026-27 season, potentially giving the Rangers a few more assets to move. At any rate, the Rangers now have the biggest fish leading up to the March 6th trade deadline.
Photo courtesy of Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images.
Hurricanes, Sharks Complete Minor Trade
According to a team announcement, the San Jose Sharks have traded defenseman Kyle Masters and a 2026 fourth-round pick to the Carolina Hurricanes for the Blackhawks’ 2027 fifth-round pick.
Oddly enough, this trade is largely centered around forward prospect Michael Misa. Since he is about to play in his 10th game of the year, the Sharks must officially register Misa’s contract. Since the team already had 50 contracts, Misa was ineligible to play tonight unless San Jose removed one from their organization.
Masters, 22, is the consequence. The Sharks acquired Masters earlier this season in a trade with the Minnesota Wild. He was the 118th overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft and is in the final year of his entry-level contract.
Despite having an NHL contract, Masters is not close to reaching the sport’s highest league. He’s spent the entire year with the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder, registering three assists in 10 games with a -8 rating. It’s a far cry from what he produced last season, scoring five goals and 13 points in 27 games for the ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders, and three points in 16 games for the AHL’s Iowa Wild.
The strategy for acquiring Masters was simple for the Hurricanes. The team already had two open contract spots, meaning they’ll upgrade a fifth-round pick to a fourth-round pick simply by acquiring an expiring asset. Assuming Carolina stashes Masters in the ECHL, he’ll join the Greensboro Gargoyles for the remainder of the season.
Golden Knights Reassign Carl Lindbom
According to the team over at SinBin.vegas, the Vegas Golden Knights have reassigned netminder Carl Lindbom to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights. The transaction reduces the Golden Knights’ active roster to 22 players.
Lindbom, 22, was originally recalled on January 9th after Carter Hart went down with an injury. He only appeared in one game during the recall, stopping 18 of 20 shots against the San Jose Sharks in a win on January 11th. Throughout the 2025-26 campaign, he has managed a 2-4-2 record in eight games with Vegas, with a .873 SV% and 3.00 GAA.
Yesterday, after placing Hart on the injured reserve, the Golden Knights activated Adin Hill, giving Vegas three healthy netminders on the roster. Hill barely backstopped the Golden Knights to a win against the Toronto Maple Leafs last night.
After being assured that Hill was healthy and having a need to accrue more cap space, Vegas had little need to keep Lindbom on the roster moving forward. If they want to fill out the open roster spot, it’ll likely come in the form of recalling a depth defenseman. The Golden Knights currently only have six healthy defensemen available.
Meanwhile, Lindbom will return to AHL Henderson, where he’s spent much of the last two years. He has proven to be a formidable backstop since joining the North American professional circuit last season, owning an AHL record of 24-18-7 in 48 games with a .916 SV% and 2.51 GAA, including five shutouts.