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Dylan Gambrell Signs With AHL Iowa

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Back in September, veteran center Dylan Gambrell signed a PTO agreement with Nashville with the hopes of securing a full-season contract.  No such deal came to fruition and he had been on the open market since then after not securing a contract with AHL Milwaukee either.  However, he has now caught on with a team as AHL Iowa announced that they’ve signed Gambrell for the remainder of the season.

The 29-year-old was effectively an NHL regular until somewhat recently.  Gambrell played in at least 49 games per season between the 2019-20 and the 2022-23 campaigns, with a career-high of 63 coming back in 2021-22.  He spent most of those games primarily on the fourth line, tallying 17 goals and 23 assists along with a 46.1% faceoff rate in 233 NHL contests between San Jose and Ottawa.

However, aside from preseason appearances (of which he only had two this past preseason), Gambrell has played exclusively in the minors.  Last season, he played on a two-way deal with Columbus, suiting up with their farm team in Cleveland where he had 13 goals and 12 assists in 54 appearances.

One of the challenges that Gambrell likely faced in free agency is that he qualifies for veteran status at the AHL level.  Teams can only dress five skaters with 320 games of professional experience which has resulted in some capable veterans either remaining unsigned or having to go overseas for this season with so many teams at their veteran limit.  Gambrell decided to wait it out for an opportunity in North America and while it took some time, he has now found one.

East Notes: Dvorak, Senators, Fitzgerald

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When the Flyers signed Christian Dvorak to a one-year, $5.4MM contract this summer, the widely held belief was that it was likely that they’d look to flip him at the trade deadline, possibly with salary retention.  However, it doesn’t appear that is the plan at the moment.  Kevin Kurz of The Athletic recently reported (subscription link) that with Philadelphia in the thick of the playoff race and the fact he’s on track for a career year offensively (he has 22 points in 31 games), the team isn’t planning to move him.  Instead, exploring a potential contract extension could be in the cards.  Because Dvorak is on a one-year deal, he’s ineligible to sign a contract until January.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • The Senators are believed to be looking for a top-nine forward and some defensive depth, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Recent injuries have tested their depth with centers Shane Pinto and Lars Eller out, the latter facing an extended absence while Thomas Chabot has played just once in the last month due to a couple of stints on injured reserve.  Ottawa doesn’t have a 2026 first-round pick to dangle in a move, however, with that pick being forfeited due to their nondisclosure of Evgenii Dadonov’s no-trade clause in an attempted trade in 2021.  The Sens have around $2.7MM in full-season cap space, per PuckPedia, so they may be hard-pressed to try to get both of those wants at this point.
  • Amidst speculation about GM Tom Fitzgerald’s job security, NJ Advance Media’s Ryan Novozinsky reports that Fitzgerald has the full support of ownership and his job is not in jeopardy. There was some disappointment late last week when New Jersey wasn’t able to get a trade in place for Quinn Hughes while the team has struggled as of late, winning just six of 16 games since top center Jack Hughes suffered a hand injury.  But while Buffalo opted for a change in management today, don’t expect the Devils to be doing the same.

Vancouver Canucks Sign Max Sasson To Two-Year Extension

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The Vancouver Canucks announced today that forward Max Sasson has signed a two-year, $1MM AAV contract extension with the club.

Canucks GM Patrik Allvin commented on the signing in the Canucks’ official announcement, saying:

Max has made the most of the opportunity presented to him this season and has provided us with some solid play. Since signing with the organization out of college, he has shown significant improvement, using his speed and skill to build a strong foundation for his future. Max was a key contributor to our championship run last year in Abbotsford, and we’re excited to watch him continue to grow as a player.

Sasson, 25, signed an entry-level deal with the Canucks as an NCAA free agent in March of 2023. He earned that NHL deal off the back of a stellar two-season run playing college hockey at Western Michigan University. He scored 15 goals and 42 points in his second season in Kalamazoo.

Sasson was an instant-impact signing for the Canucks, quickly becoming one of their more reliable centers at the AHL level. After a seven-game cameo in 2022-23, Sasson hit the ground running during his true rookie season of 2023-24, scoring 18 goals and 42 points in 56 AHL games.

He kept growing his game into the following year, earning his first NHL call-up in November 2024. He played in a total of 29 games at the NHL level last season, scoring seven points. He spent the Spring of 2025 back in the AHL, helping the Abbotsford Canucks with the Calder Cup, scoring 14 points in 24 AHL playoff games.

Sasson began 2025-26 in the AHL but quickly rose to the NHL, earning a recall in early October after playing just two AHL games. (He scored a goal in each of those games) Sasson has begun to establish himself this season as a legitimate NHL-caliber fourth-line center, scoring six goals and eight points through 29 games this season. Head coach Adam Foote hasn’t shown a willigness to deploy Sasson much on special teams yet, but he is playing 11:01 time on ice per game mostly at even strength.

Seeing as Sasson is earning a $1MM AAV on his next deal with a relatively thin NHL résumé, it’s likely the Canucks are betting that Sasson’s upward trajectory will continue. He does still have some work to do, such as earning the trust of Foote to the point where he can be reliably used on the penalty kill, as that is usually an expectation of bottom-six centers at some point in their career. Sasson also has to improve at the faceoff dot, as he’s winning just 40% of his draws this season.

But as Allvin said, Sasson has already improved significantly since joining the Canucks, and he’s given every reason to believe he’ll be able to make those adjustments and grow into a more well-rounded NHL player. While this AAV might feel a bit high to some given that Sasson has just 58 career NHL games to his name, it’s important to take into account where the Canucks are as a franchise.

As they pivot into more of a rebuild-like direction, it’s understandable that the Canucks would want to devote some of its cap space to rewarding hard-working players who have proven to be developmental success stories for the organization. Sasson has been exactly that, and this solid contract extension is his reward for his steady growth over the last few years.

Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Latest On Kris Letang

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The Pittsburgh Penguins got off to a surprisingly strong start to 2025-26, with first-year head coach Dan Muse impressing most observers as he guided the team to a better-than-expected first two months of the season. The past week has not been kind to Pittsburgh, though, as they’ve blown leads on a routine basis leading to some dramatic, highly deflating losses. While the club very much remains in the playoff race, the team’s recent downturn has increased the level of scrutiny faced by a few key underperforming veterans.

One of the most significant underperforming names on the Penguins’ roster right now is that of veteran blueliner Kris Letang. While Letang was the Penguins’ best defenseman throughout the 2010’s and early 2020’s, he’s had a very difficult 2025-26 season.

His offensive production has been decent (16 points in 31 games, a 42-point full-season scoring pace)  but his all-around impact has left much to be desired, and his work in the defensive zone has drawn real criticism.

The Athletic’s Josh Yohe reported today that “There is considerable concern about [Letang’s] performance throughout the organization.” Letang is under contract for another two years at a $6.1MM AAV, and Yohe’s reporting indicated that a trade or a buyout coming his way is an extremely remote possibility. Letang owns a full no-move clause and buying out his deal would not provide Pittsburgh with any cap relief due to his age.

While it might seem that Letang’s steep decline in form might prompt him to consider retirement, Yohe’s reporting indicates that’s not the case, as he wrote “team sources told me [Letang] wants to keep playing in the NHL beyond this contract.”

It’s fair to question, given how he’s playing at this time, whether Letang will really be able to extend his NHL career into his 40s. But at the moment, it appears that Letang’s current level of play combined with his contract status is quickly becoming a problem area for the Penguins and their plans for the short-to-medium-term future.

The Penguins have quite a few young defensemen likely to graduate to the NHL at some point during the remainder of Letang’s contract, including names such as Harrison Brunicke, Finn Harding, and Peyton Kettles, as well as Charlie Trethewey and Quinn Beauchesne, if they develop at a more rapid pace than expected.

While Letang’s presence as the franchise’s longest-tenured blueliner could certainly help the growth of those young defensemen in many ways, those positives could be quickly outweighed by negatives if the Penguins’ reported concerns about Letang’s play materialize into an even more pronounced decline.

Photos courtesy of James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images

East Notes: McDonagh, Kane, Pieniniemi

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have had to manage this season with a large portion of key defensemen injured, but it appears one important veteran is closing in on a return to the ice. Lightning team reporter Benjamin Pierce relayed word from Lightning practice this morning that Ryan McDonagh skated today in a regular jersey, a key milestone in his recovery from his undisclosed injury. McDonagh remains on IR, where he has been since early November.

McDonagh, 36, played in 15 games this season before his injury, scoring six points. The 1,025-game veteran has missed Tampa Bay’s last 17 games due to his injury, an absence that has forced the Lightning to rely on less accomplished defensemen such as Charle-Edouard D’Astous and Emil Lilleberg. D’Astous especially has acquitted himself well, but expect McDonagh to resume his regular top-four role once he’s healthy. In 15 games this season, McDonagh averaged just over 20 minutes of ice time per game and leads the team in short-handed time on ice per game.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • The Athletic’s Max Bultman reported today that Detroit Red Wings veteran Patrick Kane “tweaked something” upper-body during Detroit’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, and is out for at least the next two games. Kane, a future Hall of Fame winger, is a key offensive producer for the Red Wings. He has 23 points in 24 games this season and as one might expect plays a significant role on the club’s power play. The Red Wings slotted John Leonard into Kane’s vacated second-line right winger role, per MLive’s Ansar Khan. Leonard was an AHL All-Star last season and has scored 19 goals and 29 points in 20 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins this year.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins lifted their suspension of prospect Emil Pieniniemi, according to Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports, as a result of the blueliner’s newfound willingness to report to the club’s ECHL affiliate, the Wheeling Nailers. Per Rorabaugh, while the Penguins presented Pieniniemi with a development plan, the player “disagreed with that plan” and elected to train in his native Finland, with Liiga club Karpat, rather than play in the ECHL. Now, it appears Pieniniemi will report to the ECHL and begin his season there. A 2023 third-round pick, Pieniniemi was ranked the No. 20 prospect in the Penguins’ system before the season by Elite Prospects. While the ECHL isn’t typically seen as a prime league to develop skater prospects, Penguins GM Kyle Dubas has shown an increased level of willingness to send prospects to the ECHL, dating back to his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Toronto’s 2017 first-round pick Timothy Liljegren played an ECHL game in 2018-19 and the Penguins have had defensive prospect Finn Harding, who the club reportedly thinks highly of, play seven games for Wheeling so far in 2025-26.

St. Louis Blues Recall Otto Stenberg

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The St. Louis Blues announced today that forward Otto Stenberg has been recalled from the club’s AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.

The move puts Stenberg, 20, in a position to potentially make his NHL debut as soon as tonight during the team’s contest against the Nashville Predators. The club selected Stenberg No. 25 overall at the 2023 draft, the middle selection in the team’s trio of first-round draft choices that year. 2023 No. 10 pick Dalibor Dvorsky has already landed in the NHL, playing in a total of 25 career games so far, while No. 29 pick Theo Lindstein is still waiting, like Stenberg, to make his debut.

Stenberg is in the midst of his second season playing professional hockey in North America, and this year is his first year beginning the season in North America. In 2024-25, Stenberg began his season in the SHL before crossing the Atlantic to play in the AHL after the conclusion of the World Junior Championships. The 5’11” center has been solid at the AHL level, scoring 25 points in 59 games, and drawing positive reviews for the pace and work rate in his game.

With the Blues down an established NHL forward in Dylan Holloway, who was placed on injured reserve today, Stenberg now has an opportunity to prove himself at the NHL level for the first time. While it’s unclear at this point whether Stenberg will dress for any games, he’ll at least get his first, valuable taste of what life is like as a player in the world’s top league.

Latest On Matt Rempe, Mika Zibanejad

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The New York Rangers activated forward Matt Rempe off of long-term injured reserve today, according to the New York Post’s Mollie Walker. Per Walker, head coach Mike Sullivan said that Rempe would be a game-time decision for the team’s game tonight against the Anaheim Ducks.

Rempe has been out since Oct. 23 with an upper-body injury, one he suffered during an early-season contest against the San Jose Sharks. The 23-year-old has missed 18 straight games due to the injury.

Rempe had one goal for one point through nine games played in 2025-26 before his injury, and was playing a limited role. Sullivan had been deploying Rempe as a fourth-line grinder, giving him just under 10 minutes of ice time per game. Rempe also got a look as a net-front player on the Rangers’ second power play unit, but was taken off and did not receive any power play time in the final three games he played before his injury.

Getting Rempe back from injured reserve will provide the Rangers with an added level of physicality for their bottom-six. While Jaroslav Chmelar is big and physical as well, few in the NHL are as physically imposing as Rempe, who stands 6’9″, 261 pounds. Rempe is under contract through the end of next season at a one-way, $975K rate, and will be an RFA with arbitration rights once his deal expires, unless the team elects to extend him before that point.

Shifting gears to a Rangers forward with significantly more experience and a significantly higher cap hit, Mika Zibanejad will not play tonight against the Ducks as he missed a team meeting, and will therefore be a healthy scratch. (per The Athletic’s Vince Z. Mercogliano) While Sullivan did acknowledge that “there are logistical challenges the city presents”  that contributed to Zibanejad’s mistake, he emphasized the importance of maintaining team rules.

Zibanejad, 32, is one of the Rangers’ key veteran players. With nearly 1,000 games played to his name, Zibanejad has been a steady top-six center with sporadic periods of star-level play in New York. While his production and overall impact isn’t quite where it was during his peak as a Ranger, Zibanejad still has 25 points in 33 games this season.

Without Zibanejad tonight, the Rangers will shift J.T. Miller back to the center position. Miller played right wing during the team’s overtime victory against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

These Pending UFAs Have Increased Their Stock

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The 2026 UFA class had been highly anticipated for quite some time free agency even opened this year. That excitement only grew through July and August as many potential UFAs didn’t sign extensions with their current clubs. However, that feeling was quickly dampened in the fall as players like Kirill Kaprizov, Connor McDavid, and Jack Eichel began signing new contracts, taking the energy out of the 2026 free-agent frenzy. While many stars have signed new deals, a noticeable group of talented players is still set to hit the open market on July 1, 2026, with some having significantly boosted their stock after a strong start to the season.

Jack Roslovic has encountered two difficult situations in the UFA market, with the first ending in him signing a one-year, $2.8MM deal with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2024. His second attempt this past summer saw him join the Oilers for one year at $1.5MM. This year’s outcome was quite unexpected, given that Roslovic played well last season with 22 goals for Carolina, yet a multi-year deal that suited him never materialized. Roslovic was not alone this summer; defenseman Matt Grzelcyk also couldn’t secure a multi-year contract that met his expectations, despite having a career-best season last year in Pittsburgh.

This summer, however, Roslovic seems to be positioning himself for a multi-year deal that has eluded him. Injuries could affect his market value, but through 23 games in Edmonton this season, the 28-year-old has scored 10 goals and added eight assists. He’s also averaging over three more minutes of ice time per game compared to his career average. These impressive stats could spark a bidding war for his services if he stays healthy and maintains his current level of performance for the remainder of the season.

Nick Schmaltz is another forward whose performance this season has increased his value. The 29-year-old has 30 points (12 goals and 18 assists) in 34 games, and he will likely exceed his current $5.85MM cap hit when he signs his next contract next summer. Schmaltz’s impending free agency puts the Utah Mammoth in a tough spot, as Schmaltz has recorded back-to-back 60+ point seasons and is on track to do so again, which could raise his next cap hit to around $9MM annually.

The Mammoth might not want to commit to that kind of deal for Schmaltz, which means they will either trade him before the trade deadline or let him walk for nothing at the end of the year. Utah reportedly held trade talks for Schmaltz last summer, and it doesn’t seem likely that a deal will be finalized soon, meaning Schmaltz might enter the open market at the best possible time.

Another forward whose future remains uncertain is Alex Tuch of the Buffalo Sabres. Tuch has scored 11 goals and 17 assists in 31 games and initiated contract talks at the beginning of the season, which puts the Sabres in a difficult position. The Sabres find themselves in a familiar spot at the bottom of the standings, and while Tuch has done his part, the team appears to be heading nowhere. If Tuch continues at his current pace, his value will only increase, which might be what the Sabres want if they plan to trade the Syracuse, New York native.

Two veterans nearing the end of their careers are Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers. Both entered this season with significant questions about their futures, and so far they’ve performed well, raising even more questions about what lies ahead for them.

Evgeni Malkin seems to have no interest in playing anywhere in the NHL other than Pittsburgh. This could lead to some interesting contract negotiations after the season if he maintains his current level of play. Malkin is in the final season of a four-year, $24.4MM contract he signed in the summer of 2022. Many believed last summer that the 2025-26 season could be Malkin’s last in the NHL and possibly his final season as a player at all. However, with the 39-year-old experiencing a significant resurgence this season with eight goals and 21 assists in 26 games, there’s a chance he continues playing, especially if Pittsburgh remains competitive and has a role for him moving forward. Nobody could have predicted that the Penguins would start the season as they have. With more young players emerging and an incredible amount of cap space next summer, the short-term future for Pittsburgh actually looks quite promising. It seemed unlikely that Malkin would receive a contract offer from Pittsburgh next summer, but now it seems like a real possibility he returns, assuming he can maintain his current work rate.

For Panarin, it’s not so much his play this season that has raised his profile, but rather the better options being taken off the table next summer. With many of the top pending UFAs now tied up in extensions, Panarin has risen on the list as one of the best offensive options available. The 34-year-old, for his part, remains a point-per-game player with 11 goals and 22 assists in 33 games, which should attract a healthy market despite his age by NHL standards. AFP Analytics is projecting a four-year, $41MM deal for Panarin, which, considering market conditions and his performance, looks pretty feasible.

On defense, arguably the top available player is Rasmus Andersson of the Calgary Flames. Andersson had a tough year last season but has bounced back in 2025-26, which should give him a strong market if and when he hits free agency. The Flames have started poorly this year, opening up the possibility that Andersson becomes a key trade piece before the NHL Trade Deadline, giving him a chance to play meaningful hockey in the spring if he joins a contender. The 29-year-old has been used in more defensive roles this season but has still managed 22 points in 33 games, after recording just 31 points in 81 games last season. If Andersson maintains this offensive level, his cap hit could rise closer to $9MM a season on his next contract, likely the last major deal of his career. Some teams might hesitate because of his less successful past seasons, but for now, Andersson is hitting his stride at just the right moment.

A couple of honorable mentions to round things out include forwards Victor Olofsson, Jaden Schwartz, and Kiefer Sherwood. Olofsson signed his second straight one-year “prove it” contract this summer, signing with the Colorado Avalanche for a $1.575MM AAV. Since then, Olofsson has been a steady performer for the Avalanche, recording seven goals and 12 assists in 32 games. AFP Analytics projects a three-year deal at $3.41MM per year, which would be a nice bump for the 30-year-old.

A year ago, Schwartz looked like a player who would need to accept a significant pay cut when his current contract ends. The 33-year-old is currently earning a $5.5MM AAV in the final year of a five-year deal. After scoring 49 points last season, Schwartz is on pace for a 65-point season this year, which would be a career best. Considering that level of production, AFP is predicting a two-year deal worth just under $10.8MM, which would be a slight decrease from his next contract but not the huge drop expected a year ago.

Sherwood has become a bit of a goal scorer since joining the Vancouver Canucks in the summer of 2024 as a free agent. He is on track to surpass 20 goals for the first time in his NHL career (after posting 19 a year ago), and the timing could not be better since he is expected to hit the open market next summer. His lack of long-term NHL experience may somewhat limit Sherwood’s market value, as he was a late bloomer, becoming a full-time NHLer at the age of 28. He has just one season with more than thirty points (last year), but if he can do that again, he should still attract a team willing to offer a multi-year deal at an AAV that might surprise some people.

Stars Place Vladislav Kolyachonok On Waivers

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The Stars have placed defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok on waivers, according to Frank Seravalli of Victory+. He’ll be reassigned to AHL Texas tomorrow if he clears.

Dallas is the 24-year-old Kolyachonok’s fourth NHL organization. Drafted by the Panthers in the second round in 2019, he was flipped to the Coyotes two years later as a sweetener for them to take on Anton Strålman’s deal. He first broke into the NHL with Arizona the following season and remained in the organization through their move to Utah. The Mammoth lost him waivers last season to the Penguins, who then flipped him to the Stars over the summer in the Mathew Dumba deal.

While the Belarus native joined as an intriguing potential No. 7/8 option, he didn’t crack the opening night roster. This time, he successfully cleared waivers to begin the season on his way down to Texas. He remained there for the first six weeks of the campaign until injuries to Thomas Harley and Ilya Lyubushkin created a recall opportunity in mid-November.

Kolyachonok was routinely in the lineup until Harley returned. He’s now sat out two of the last three games. While Dallas still has one injured defenseman – Lian Bichsel, who’s not expected back until late January – they’re carrying eight on the active roster, making Kolyachonok something of a redundancy, particularly as one of five lefties.

The 6’2″ rearguard did well as a stopgap, recording three points and a +3 rating in 11 games. He saw just 12:37 of ice time per game but posted the best possession numbers of any Star this season at 5-on-5, controlling 51.7% of shot attempts and 54.1% of scoring chances.

He’s still got a fairly high-ceiling defensive game, one that may result in a waiver claim tomorrow. He’s making the league minimum and is a pending restricted free agent. If not, he’ll return to Texas, where he had three assists in 10 games to begin the year.

Golden Knights Reassign Dylan Coghlan

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The Golden Knights announced they’ve assigned defenseman Dylan Coghlan to AHL Henderson. Vegas now has an open roster spot, likely meaning they’ll operate without an extra defenseman for their brief return home against the Devils this week before heading back out on a two-game road trip.

Vegas has needed some additional defensive insurance ever since Jeremy Lauzon went down with an undisclosed injury in mid-November. He remains listed as day-to-day but is on injured reserve and has now missed nearly a month. In the interim, they’ve been shuffling veteran depth names like Coghlan and Jaycob Megna up from the AHL to serve as healthy extras.

They haven’t needed them to actually enter game action, though. Since Lauzon exited the lineup on Nov. 15, Vegas has dressed the same six defenders – Noah Hanifin, Ben Hutton, Kaedan Korczak, Brayden McNabb, Shea Theodore, and Zach Whitecloud – in 14 straight games.

Coghlan thus returns to Henderson after not getting any playing time over the last week. The 27-year-old made his NHL debut with the Knights back in 2020-21, playing in two seasons with them before he was traded to the Hurricanes in 2022 in the Max Pacioretty deal. After spending the last three years in the Carolina and Winnipeg organizations bouncing between the NHL and AHL, he returned to Vegas on a league-minimum contract over the offseason in free agency.

In 20 games for Henderson this season, the 6’2″ righty has five goals and 10 points with a +4 rating. An AHL All-Star in 2023-24, he ranks third among Silver Knights defensemen in scoring.

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