Blues Recall Theo Lindstein, Otto Stenberg
The Blues’ sell-off at the deadline wasn’t as wide-spanning as it could have been, but they still moved out a pair of key veterans in Justin Faulk and Brayden Schenn. Those roster spots will be going directly toward some of the organization’s brightest prospects, as they announced today that they’ve recalled defenseman Theo Lindstein and center Otto Stenberg from AHL Springfield.
St. Louis held three first-round picks in the 2023 draft, holding their own at 10th overall. That turned into center Dalibor Dvorsky, who’s been a top-nine contributor for most of this year. The others, 25th and 29th, were acquired in a deadline sell-off that year for Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko in separate deals. Those turned into Stenberg and Lindstein, respectively, with today’s moves bringing all three into the NHL for the first time.
The Blues now have eight defenders on their active roster, but they’ll presumably rotate in Lindstein multiple times down the stretch. It will be his NHL debut when he gets into the lineup. He was the #5-ranked prospect in St. Louis’ system entering the year by Elite Prospects, but hasn’t really answered the bell so far in his first season in North America.
Lindstein operated in a consistent yet limited role for Brynäs IF in the Swedish Hockey League last year, helping the club to a league-best record in their first year after gaining promotion back up from the country’s second division. St. Louis was hoping that momentum could translate into Lindstein playing a bigger role in the AHL, but that simply hasn’t been the case. In 56 games, the two-way lefty has been limited to a 6-8–14 scoring line with a team-worst -24 rating.
Granted, Springfield hasn’t been a great environment this season. They’ve received subpar goaltending, never recovering from the loss of Colten Ellis on waivers to the Sabres at the beginning of the season, and are seventh in their division with a 22-27-7 record and a -45 goal differential. That said, it’s undeniably been a difficult adjustment so far after Lindstein “increased his defensive efficacy, too, shining as a calming presence on the backend” over the past couple of seasons in Sweden, Elite Prospects’ Lassi Alanen wrote.
It’s been the opposite story for Stenberg, who started the year down at #8 in the Blues’ pool rankings but may have surpassed Lindstein in prestige at this point. The all-three-positions forward already got a lengthy look on the NHL roster earlier this year, skating 18 games for the club in December and January, and didn’t look out of place in the slightest with a goal and seven assists while averaging 14 minutes per game. He slotted in mostly on the wing in a defense-oriented role, making that production all the more impressive, while recording a +4 rating and 1.83 hits per game.
Down in Springfield, Stenberg has also been the club’s best two-way forward. His four goals and 15 points in 33 games don’t jump off the page, but a team-high +4 rating does. In fact, he’s the only Springfield regular whose rating is in the black.
He will be an NHL player if he’s not already. The question becomes how much upward mobility in the lineup he’ll offer based on how much he develops offensively. He averaged under a shot on goal per game in his earlier recall. He’ll need to start generating more if he wants to slot in as the true middle-six playdriver he was drafted to be.
Jake Sanderson Out Week-To-Week
Senators star defender Jake Sanderson is out week-to-week with the upper-body injury he sustained against the Kraken on Saturday, head coach Travis Green announced (via Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia).
Ottawa recalled Dennis Gilbert from AHL Belleville in a related move this morning, but he will not play tonight against the Canucks. Nikolas Matinpalo has been cleared to return from his undisclosed injury and will replace Sanderson in the lineup, sliding in as their #3 lefty alongside Nick Jensen, the team said.
Sanderson’s first significant injury since undergoing season-ending hand surgery in March 2022 couldn’t come at a worse time. After beating Seattle 7-4 over the weekend, the Sens have kept pace in the wild-card race and entered play Monday five points back of the Bruins for the second spot with a game in hand. They still have the Blue Jackets to leapfrog before putting themselves in duel mode with Boston, though, and considering Columbus has matched them with a 7-1-2 record in their last 10, they’ll need to keep all the pressure on.
While the Eastern Conference field has separated into the haves and have-nots post-deadline, there are still 10 teams truly in the mix for eight playoff spots. Ottawa currently sits 10th in that group, and while MoneyPuck gives them a 50.8% chance of making the playoffs, fifth and 10th place in the conference are so close that there are seven teams in the 50-85% range, with Ottawa bringing up the rear there as well.
All that means a lot still needs to go right for the Sens to get back to the playoffs for the second straight season. One saving grace is that they don’t have a particularly difficult schedule with around league-average opponents the rest of the way. They get their easiest remaining matchup out of the way tonight in what is an absolute must-win against the last-place Canucks. Meanwhile, three teams they’re chasing – Boston, Detroit, and Pittsburgh – have three of the five most difficult remaining schedules.
It will get even more difficult to make up ground without Sanderson. On the heels of a 10th-place Norris Trophy finish last season, he’s upped his points per game from 0.71 to 0.77 while posting a career-best +9 rating, averaging 24:49 of ice time per game, and posting spectacular 5-on-5 possession numbers. Ottawa is controlling 56% of shot attempts, 57.1% of scoring chances, and 56.8% of expected goals with Sanderson on the ice.
Green must now shuffle the deck regarding his defense pairings. He has the luxury of another top-pair caliber lefty, Thomas Chabot, sitting behind Sanderson on the depth chart. He’ll go back to being the Sens’ #1 in terms of ice time, moving up to slot in alongside top shutdown righty Artem Zub. Tyler Kleven and Jordan Spence, who have been so effective as Ottawa’s third pairing, will receive second-pairing deployment tonight while Jensen, who’d served as Chabot’s partner at even strength for much of the year, will see reduced minutes alongside Matinpalo.
Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.
Canadiens Were “In The Mix” Late On Nazem Kadri
From the moment the Avalanche expressed interest in bringing Nazem Kadri back into the fold, they became the frontrunner to land him from the Flames, although that didn’t stop other teams from pursuing the top-six pivot. Part of why the initial Kadri to Colorado report didn’t come out until an hour after the deadline passed was because of how aggressively the Canadiens were pushing to land him until ultimately backing out with less than a couple of hours to go, The Athletic’s Peter Baugh reports.
Montreal’s interest in Kadri isn’t a new storyline. It was well-documented that they were in the market for a top-six forward (although preferably a winger), but they were still limited in how many assets they were willing to give up at this early stage of their contention window. The Flames and Habs also had talks surrounding Blake Coleman throughout the year, and Montreal was also linked to Calgary defender Zach Whitecloud last week, although none of those deals ended up getting done.
Instead, the Habs were silent last week. General manager Kent Hughes told reporters Friday after the deadline passed that they spent all their time that morning and afternoon on a “significant deal” and didn’t devote their attention anywhere else (via Arpon Basu of The Athletic). Given Baugh’s report, it stands to reason that the potential pickup was Kadri.
A first-round pick, a second-round pick, a B-tier prospect in Max Curran, and a salary ended up going back Calgary’s way – and that was with the Flames retaining cash, which they wouldn’t have had to do if they took Patrik Laine off Montreal’s hands in a Kadri deal. It was a matchable price, but evidently one Hughes determined Montreal wasn’t willing to exceed before making a more serious playoff challenge with their existing core.
The Habs will instead roll into what they hope will be a second consecutive playoff berth with a top-six forward group that, as currently constructed, has three players aged 22 or younger and no one over the age of 26. Montreal only has three forwards over the age of 30 – Josh Anderson, Phillip Danault, and Brendan Gallagher – and they’re all on a line together.
Kings, Sabres Loan Kaleb Lawrence, Nikita Novikov To Each Other’s AHL Affiliates
The Kings and Sabres have completed the first post-deadline swap – of sorts. Instead of making a trade (which is permitted with heavy restrictions) after last Friday’s deadline, they’ve opted to instead loan a pair of players to each other’s top developmental affiliate. The Kings will loan forward Kaleb Lawrence to the Sabres’ AHL club in Rochester while L.A.’s affiliate in Ontario receives defenseman Nikita Novikov on loan from Buffalo, per John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor.
Doing it this way could preface an offseason swap of the two prospects, but it does not yet transfer their NHL rights. There was nothing stopping them from making a trade now, as they’d still have been allowed to finish out the season in the minors, but doing so would have made Lawrence ineligible to suit up for the Sabres and vice versa for Novikov and the Kings. By simply loaning them outside the organization, Lawrence technically remains eligible to be recalled back to the Kings’ roster to play this season, and Novikov could still be added to the Sabres’ roster.
Recalls for either are unlikely, though. Lawrence has another year left on his deal, while Novikov is a pending RFA. If both were RFAs, there might have been the option to non-tender them to complete an NHL-rights swap for next year in July, but instead, the Kings will need to send Lawrence to Buffalo in an official trade for Novikov’s signing rights after the season ends if it’s still something they’re interested in.
Lawrence, 23, was a seventh-rounder by L.A. in 2022. The selection was almost entirely by virtue of his 6’7″, 229-lb frame. He’d played just two Ontario Hockey League games over the preceding two seasons due to COVID and injuries, but finished out his junior career with 41 goals and 82 points in 149 career games. He hasn’t been much of a factor since turning pro in 2024, though. He split last year between Ontario and ECHL Greenville, recording a 13-11–24 scoring line in 52 games across the two leagues. This year, he’s stayed on the AHL roster but barely played after missing nearly three months with an injury – just three assists in 16 games to this point in the season.
Buffalo needed some minor-league forward depth, so outside of how they feel about Lawrence long-term, it fills a short-term need. Rochester lost one of its best talents when the Sabres traded Isak Rosen to the Jets in the Logan Stanley deal last week, and Noah Ostlund will be ineligible for the Calder Cup Playoffs after establishing himself as a top-niner in Buffalo.
Novikov, 22, has a bit more of a pro track record. He was a sixth-round selection by Buffalo in 2021 and came over from Russia two years later. The 6’3″ lefty had an impressive rookie campaign in Rochester, posting 23 points and a +20 rating in 65 games. In the two seasons since, he hasn’t shown much of any forward progress, though. He’s continued as a legitimate top-four piece in the minors but hasn’t seen a change in his offensive or two-way performance. Buffalo has plenty of organizational depth defensively, so he likely welcomes a move to a place where he may have a bit better shot at climbing the ladder to an NHL role.
Senators Recall Dennis Gilbert
The Senators announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Dennis Gilbert from AHL Belleville. He will likely need to dress tonight against the Canucks to give Ottawa six healthy defensemen, meaning he qualifies as an emergency recall and doesn’t take up one of the Sens’ five allotted post-deadline standard recalls.
The Sens had seven defensemen rostered coming out of the trade deadline. Nikolas Matinpalo had already been unavailable for the last five games with an undisclosed injury, and while he’s still listed as day-to-day, there hasn’t been an update on his status in a while. Then, star lefty Jake Sanderson left Saturday’s win over the Kraken in the second period with an apparent right shoulder injury after taking a hit from Brandon Montour. As Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen writes, the Sens haven’t commented on Sanderson’s evaluation or return timeline, as they didn’t practice yesterday.
Gilbert, 29, is in his second stint in the Ottawa organization in as many seasons. The team acquired him via trade twice in the span of nine months. They first picked him up from the Sabres at last year’s trade deadline as part of the Dylan Cozens/Joshua Norris swap. He then left to sign a one-year deal with the Flyers in free agency, but was flipped back to the Sens in November for the signing rights to Max Guenette after clearing waivers.
A third-round pick by the Blackhawks in 2015, Gilbert has now appeared in 112 NHL games in parts of seven seasons in Chicago, Calgary, Colorado, Buffalo, and Ottawa (he never got into regular-season action in Philly). The 6’2′, 216-lb defensive-minded lefty appeared in 20-plus games in three straight seasons from 2022-25 but appears headed back toward being a minor-league fixture as he enters the latter half of his pro career. In 31 games with Belleville this season, he’s managed 12 assists and a -1 rating with 27 penalty minutes.
Bruins Sign Frederic Brunet To Two-Year Extension
The Bruins announced they’ve signed defense prospect Frederic Brunet to a two-year contract extension. The deal carries a cap hit of $875,000 and is two-way in 2026-27, then converts to a one-way deal in 2027-28.
Brunet, 22, was a fifth-rounder by the Bruins in 2022 after going undrafted the year prior. He has played almost exclusively for AHL Providence since turning pro out of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League at the end of the 2022-23 season. The 6’3″, 201-lb lefty has steadily developed his two-way game since then and is now one of the B’s’ more intriguing call-up options. He’s logged an 18-49–67 scoring line in 173 career AHL outings with a +38 rating. That includes career-highs in goals (11) and points (28) set this year.
With all that positive development trending toward Brunet becoming perhaps a long-term third-pairing staple in Boston (with potential utility even higher in the lineup), it’s a surprise he hasn’t received a longer look in the NHL. He debuted in Game 82 of the regular season last year against the Devils and has gone the entire season this year without a call-up. It’s been the more experienced Michael Callahan and Victor Söderström getting the bumps to the NHL roster if needed, and although they’re having strong seasons in their own right, the talent gap between them and Brunet isn’t all that significant.
His consistently strong two-way numbers in Providence, plus his NHL-ready frame, should translate into more meaningful call-up opportunities over the next two seasons. Boston being willing to hand out a one-way pact for the second half of the deal indicates they are expecting him to make a push for a roster spot by 2027-28. For now, he avoids restricted free agency this summer, coming off his entry-level contract, with another chance to be an RFA in 2028.
Five Key Stories: 3/2/26 – 3/8/26
As always, trade deadline week provided a flurry of activity around the league, even if the volume of trades over the past seven days wasn’t quite as high as it has been in previous years. As expected, that activity highlights the bulk of this week’s key stories.
Islanders Make A Splash: After a division rival added a key veteran forward (Columbus adding Conor Garland from Vancouver), Islanders GM Mathieu Darche made another move to add to his roster. New York acquired center Brayden Schenn from St. Louis in exchange for winger Jonathan Drouin, 2026 first and third-round picks, and goalie prospect Marcus Gidlof. While Schenn’s offensive numbers are starting to drop, he’s still a capable two-way center on a reasonable contract as he has two years left on his current deal at a $6.5MM cap charge. Schenn didn’t have to go very far to join his new team as the Blues and Islanders were both in the same hotel in San Jose. Meanwhile, Darche kept another middleman in the fold, signing Jean-Gabriel Pageau to a three-year, $14.55MM contract extension. The 33-year-old figures to be New York’s third-line center for the next little while and is taking a small pay cut from his current $5MM price tag to stick around.
Contract Extensions: While the trade deadline is a time for players to be moved, it’s also often a time for pending UFAs to sign contract extensions and this year was no exception. With rumblings that he could be flipped once again just after being acquired, the Sharks and Kiefer Sherwood worked out a five-year, $28.75MM extension. He already has 19 goals for the second straight year and set the single-season hit record last year and will make more in one season of this deal than his combined earnings to this point of his career. Meanwhile, the Ducks inked center Ryan Poehling to a four-year, $15MM pact, taking another center off the open market. In his first season with Anaheim, he’s on pace for his second straight 30-point season. This deal made it easier for the Ducks to then flip Ryan Strome to Calgary for a seventh-round pick, knowing they’d have the stability with Poehling locked up. Lastly, the Kraken signed captain Jordan Eberle to a two-year, $11MM pact. The 35-year-old is their leading scorer with 22 goals and 22 assists this season and the price tag is certainly fair for someone still producing as a top-six piece.
Colorado Swings Big: Already the top team in the NHL with decent depth down the middle, the Avalanche made two moves to shore things up. First, they parted with a first-round pick and a fifth-round selection to pick up Nicolas Roy from Toronto. Roy is having a down season but was a quality third-line center in Vegas and should help stabilize their bottom six. Then, just before the deadline, they swung a bigger move, bringing back Nazem Kadri from Calgary. They received Kadri and a 2027 fourth-round pick in exchange for winger Victor Olofsson, forward prospect Max Curran, a 2028 first-round pick, and a 2027 second-rounder. Calgary will retain 20% of Kadri’s $7MM cap charge (that runs through 2028-29) as part of the swap. Kadri was Calgary’s top scorer before the swap and has lots of experience with Colorado, having played three seasons with them, the last of which saw him win a Stanley Cup. All of a sudden, the Avs now have one of the deepest center groups in the NHL.
Defensemen Getting Dealt: There were some notable blueliners who found themselves on the move as well. The Flames parted with another veteran defender, sending MacKenzie Weegar to Utah for Olli Maatta, prospect Jonathan Castagna, and three 2026 second-round picks. Weegar is having a down season but had 99 points over the last two years combined and is an all-situations player. The Mammoth are taking on his full $6.25MM cap charge through 2030-31. Meanwhile, the Ducks made a splash on the rental front, acquiring long-time Capitals defender John Carlson for a conditional 2026 first-round pick and a 2027 third-rounder. The 36-year-old is on pace for his third straight 50-point season and will give a big boost to an Anaheim group that quietly leads the Pacific Division heading into today’s action as they look to reach the playoffs. Lastly, the Red Wings added a key piece as well in Justin Faulk from St. Louis. The Blues received veteran Justin Holl, prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov, plus 2026 first and third-round picks. Faulk will provide Detroit with some secondary offense plus an ability to log big minutes in all situations to help them try to end their playoff drought.
Defenseman Doesn’t Get Dealt: In a week that featured lots of trades, one of the bigger stories was one that didn’t happen. The Sabres had reached an agreement with the Blues that would have landed them defenseman Colton Parayko. Top prospect Radim Mrtka and a first-round pick were believed to be part of the return while Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman added in a Saturday Headlines segment (video link) that AHL Rochester’s roster would have been decimated, suggesting St. Louis was getting more as well. However, Parayko declined to waive his no-trade protection, nixing the move. Parayko, who missed his fifth straight game tonight with back spasms, will now stick around for at least the rest of the season but given the potential strong return, it wouldn’t be shocking if incoming GM Alex Steen tried to revisit the idea of dealing him over the summer. Meanwhile, Buffalo pivoted to Plan B on the back end, acquiring blueliners Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn from Winnipeg. In exchange for the pending UFAs, the Jets picked up prospect Isak Rosen, defenseman Jacob Bryson, a 2027 second-round pick, and a 2026 fourth-round selection.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry-Imagn Images.
Sharks Recall Nick Leddy, Assign Nolan Allan To AHL
The Sharks have shuffled up their depth defense. The team announced (Twitter link) that veteran Nick Leddy has been recalled from AHL San Jose while after being recalled just yesterday, blueliner Nolan Allan was sent down to the Barracuda.
Last offseason, the Sharks decided to claim Leddy off waivers from St. Louis, absorbing the final year and $4MM left on his contract. Coupled with some of their veteran additions on the back end (including Dmitry Orlov and John Klingberg), they were hoping to raise the floor of their defensive group. Orlov and Klingberg were able to do so but things haven’t gone anywhere near as well for Leddy.
The 34-year-old has only played in 19 games for the Sharks this season, picking up four assists and 26 blocks while averaging 17:30 per night of ice time. In mid-January, San Jose decided to put him on waivers to open up a roster spot and sent him down to the Barracuda. However, with them, he has only suited up once. He may be a more logical option to serve as a reserve defender for the stretch run with him heading for unrestricted free agency in the offseason over having a younger player watching from the press box.
Allan’s recall didn’t yield any playing time so he’s still looking for his first NHL opportunity of the season after getting into 43 contests last season with Chicago. Acquired midseason as part of the Laurent Brossoit pickup, the 22-year-old has been fairly successful with the Barracuda, notching two goals and eight helpers in 20 outings since the swap.
The quick demotion is fairly curious, given that they burned one of their five post-deadline regular recalls when they brought Allan up. By sending him back down and bringing Leddy up, they’re now using another one in short order to fill a roster spot that’s unlikely to see much playing time.
Rangers Recall Brendan Brisson, Move Taylor Raddysh To Non-Roster Status
The Rangers have made a pair of roster moves heading into tomorrow’s game against Philadelphia. The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Brendan Brisson has been recalled from AHL Hartford. In a corresponding move, winger Taylor Raddysh is being moved to non-roster status, according to Newsday’s Colin Stephenson (Twitter link). Raddysh will miss the next two games to attend his father’s funeral.
It’s the second recall of the campaign for Brisson. The first one ended just a few days ago as he spent a little over two weeks with New York, getting into three games where he had an assist while averaging 10:35 per night. The 2020 first-round pick has spent the majority of the year with the Wolf Pack, picking up 15 goals and 12 assists in 49 games. With the team having 12 other healthy forwards on their roster, Brisson’s promotion should count as one of New York’s five post-deadline regular recalls.
As for Raddysh, he’s in his first season with the Rangers after signing a two-year, $3MM deal with them over the summer. He has spent the bulk of the campaign in a bottom-six role but has held his own offensively despite the limited minutes, collecting nine goals and eight assists in 59 games while averaging just under 12 minutes per game. He’s expected to rejoin the team for Thursday’s contest against Winnipeg.
Snapshots: Brazeau, Horvat, Kleven
The Pittsburgh Penguins called on trade acquisition Elmer Soderblom to make his team debut on Sunday after Justin Brazeau was ruled out with an undisclosed injury, head coach Dan Muse told Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports. The injury ended Brazeau’s streak of 37 consecutive games played, which was the seventh-longest streak on the team, as pointed out by Rorabaugh.
Brazeau’s absence will mark another blow to the Penguins offense after star Evgeni Malkin was handed a five-game suspension for slashing. Brazeau has three points in his last four games and 30 points in 48 games this season. He has accelerated a hot streak that began with the Boston Bruins last year, where he scored 20 points in 57 games. Pittsburgh brought rookie Avery Hayes back into the lineup in response ot Malkin’s absence. Now, they’ll turn towards the towering Soderblom to try and keep things going. He has only scored three points in 39 games this season.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- New York Islanders centerman Bo Horvat was fined $2,500 for unsportsmanlike conduct in the Islanders’ Saturday win over the San Jose Sharks per Frank Seravalli of Victory+. While delivering choice words to the Sharks’ bench, Horvat reached over and flicked the visor of winger William Eklund. He was not assessed a penalty on the play. Horvat has 27 goals and 44 points in 55 games this season, including one goal scored in Saturday’s 2-1 victory. He will stick in a premier lineup role and hope to make up his decreased funds with his on-ice performance.
- Ottawa Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven was also assessed a fine by the NHL Department of Player Safety. He was forced to hand over $4,166.67, max allowable under the CBA, for cross-checking Seattle Kraken forward Jared McCann in the face in Saturday’s match between Ottawa and Seattle. Kleven was assessed a two-minute slashing, five-minute cross-checking, and 10-minute game misconduct penalty on the play, which occurred with just under four minutes left in regulation. He scored his second goal of the season prior to his ejection. Kleven is now up to 12 points and a minus-two in 57 games this season. He will continue in his role offering the Senators defensive depth.