New Jersey Devils Place Three On Waivers
According to a team announcement, the New Jersey Devils have placed Evgenii Dadonov, Luke Glendening, and Maxim Tsyplakov on waivers. If all three players clear, they would have added flexibility on the trade market by tomorrow afternoon, given they can be freely reassigned to the AHL by the acquiring club.
The placement of all three on waivers is the Devils’ way of trimming some fat off the roster ahead of the deadline. Dadonov and Glendening will become unrestricted free agents at the end of the season, whereas Tsyplakov is signed through next year at a $2.25MM cap hit.
After some fruitful years with the Dallas Stars, Dadonov joined New Jersey on a one-year, $1MM contract last offseason. There are performance bonuses included in his contract that would bring the salary to $3.25MM, and he has a full no-trade clause through the end of the year. Despite being brought in to add additional firepower to the team’s bottom-six, Dadonov’s 2025-26 campaign has been completely derailed by injuries.
Scoring 35 goals and 78 points in 154 games with the Stars, Dadonov has yet to register his first point with the Devils. He’s had multiple stints on the injured reserve due to hand and wrist injuries, and he has registered only 17 appearances this year.
Meanwhile, Glendening likely has the least value of the trio. Earning a professional tryout agreement in September, Glendening officially joined New Jersey on a one-year, league minimum contract. Isolated to a fourth-line role, the 36-year-old center has tallied four assists in 52 games, averaging 9:54 of ice time. Still, he has immense value in the playoff dot, averaging a 55.6% success rate throughout his career while beginning 73.5% of his shifts in the defensive zone.
Lastly, Tsyplakov has only been a Devil for a little while. He was the only player acquired by New Jersey in last month’s trade, sending Ondřej Palát to the New York Islanders. During his brief tenure in New Jersey, Tsyplakov has yet to register a point in nine contests. Even if he does clear waivers, the Devils may be hard-pressed to find a landing spot for him, even at a lower cost.
Blues, Mathieu Joseph To Terminate Contract
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the St. Louis Blues are placing forward Mathieu Joseph on waivers to terminate his contract. As Friedman noted, if Joseph clears, he will have to sign by 3:00 p.m. EST tomorrow to be eligible for the postseason.
It’s the second time in as many weeks that the Blues have placed Joseph on waivers. Last week, St. Louis placed him on waivers and eventually reassigned him to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds. Things can change quickly this time of year, but Joseph is unlikely to be claimed off of release waivers.
Still, a team may be interested in taking a shot on Joseph at a league minimum salary. He could benefit the bottom six of a playoff-bound team, or serve as a placeholder for a club that sells a few forwards before tomorrow’s deadline.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many teams that have much interest in him, and his nearly $3MM salary. The only saving grace for his cap hit, whether a team claims him or not, is that Joseph will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year and be entirely off the books.
Regardless, it’s safe to say that Joseph’s tenure in St. Louis has gone poorly. After scoring 11 goals and 35 points in 72 games for the Ottawa Senators during the 2023-24 campaign, Joseph has yet to reach those totals despite playing in more games with the Blues. Throughout his last two years with the club, he has registered only six goals and 25 points in 99 games, averaging 12:13 of ice time.
Still, what Joseph lacks in scoring output, he makes up for in physicality. Dating back to his time in Ottawa, he has tallied 311 hits, which could benefit a playoff-bound team if they’re looking to get nastier to play against. Although the question remains unanswered, Joseph is anticipated to find a new club within the next 24 hours.
Trade Deadline Primer: Nashville Predators
With the Olympic break now over, the trade deadline is this week. Where do each team stand, and what moves should they be targeting? We continue our look around the league, focusing on playoff-hunting teams, and we’re back with the Predators.
Nashville isn’t a strong hockey team, but luckily for them, they play in the Western Conference. Despite an unimpressive record, they are still fighting for a playoff spot. The Predators have an ageing and costly core and would likely prefer to get younger now. However, they have several high-priced contracts that are hard to move, and a few others they might deal if they can persuade the players to accept a trade. What Nashville will do remains uncertain, but they do have options despite their fragile roster setup.
Record
27-26-8, 5th in the Central
Deadline Status
Conservative Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$31.75MM on deadline day, 2/3 retention slots used, 41/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2026: NAS 1st, NAS 2nd, MIN 2nd, NAS 3rd, NAS 4th, NAS 5th, EDM 5th, CAR 5th, UTA 6th, NAS 7th
2027: NAS 1st, NAS 2nd, STL 2nd, NAS 3rd, EDM 3rd, VGK 3rd, COL 3rd, NAS 4th, NYR 4th, NAS 5th, COL 5th, NAS 6th, NAS 7th
Trade Chips
What the Predators do over the next two days will depend on several factors, including the offers they receive and how they play this week. They don’t have to do anything. They could retain their pending UFAs and make a run for the playoffs if they wanted, and it would be understandable given the age of their core players.
That being said, if a team makes a high-priced offer for center Ryan O’Reilly, you have to believe the Predators would listen. O’Reilly has one year left on a team-friendly $4.5MM cap hit and would bring Nashville a substantial return if traded. It’s difficult to assess whether it’s a buyer’s or a seller’s market. Some people have said it leans heavily towards the sellers, but a few teams have committed to selling in recent days, which will change the market a bit. That being said, if it turns out to be a seller’s market, Nashville will likely trade him. If the opposite is true, they will probably hold onto him until at least the summer.
Steven Stamkos has also been mentioned as a potential trade candidate in recent weeks. Stamkos is in his second year with the Predators after a widely discussed departure from the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 36-year-old Stamkos didn’t have an ideal first year in Nashville by his standards, but he has improved significantly this season, with 30 goals and 17 assists in 61 games. His near 0.5 goals per game would be very attractive to any NHL team, but Stamkos holds sway over his own fate thanks to a full no-movement clause and can remain with the team if he chooses. Given the limited time to make a move, it seems likely Stamkos could be a summer trade candidate, but anything is possible if teams and players are motivated to facilitate deals.
Beyond the two veterans, Nashville has a few other players they could trade at the deadline, starting with forward Michael Bunting, who is a UFA this summer. The 30-year-old has been traded twice in the last two years, both times around the trade deadline, and could be moved for a third time during his current three-year contract. There is nothing wrong with Bunting’s game; he remains a solid depth scorer with a bit of sandpaper to his game. Bunting could be a good addition to a team seeking more scoring from their middle six and likely wouldn’t cost too much if Nashville decides to move him.
Erik Haula is another veteran forward with an expiring deal who might be moved. The 34-year-old is having a solid offensive season, with nine goals and 21 assists in 61 games, making him a decent addition to a team’s bottom six. Like Bunting, he is a UFA this summer, and the cost to acquire him shouldn’t be too high, which could attract teams working within an asset budget. Haula is a fantastic penalty killer, decent on faceoffs, and a good defensive forward, but he takes far too many minor penalties, which might be problematic for a contending team.
Team Needs
A Center: The Predators currently lack sufficient center depth, and trading O’Reilly would weaken what little they have. The team recently moved Michael McCarron to the Minnesota Wild and needs to acquire some centers — preferably young ones — who can eventually play behind the 2025 fifth-overall pick, Brady Martin, once he makes his full-time transition to the NHL. The Predators have a few other center prospects who project as NHLers, but it’s hard to tell if they will develop into top-six options. O’Reilly won’t be around during the Predators’ next contention window, but if they want to develop strong center prospects, he could serve as a mentor, similar to how Sidney Crosby has helped 18-year-old Benjamin Kindel develop in Pittsburgh.
Prospects: The Predators have a slightly above-average farm system if you look at conventional prospect rankings. But if they are keen on launching their rebuild while the likes of Juuse Saros and Filip Forsberg are still key contributors, they will need to ramp up their drafting and development. The optimal way to do that would be to sell off any veteran assets that can be moved and trade for futures or young roster players. As the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals have demonstrated in recent years, teams can retool on the fly with a veteran core and compete quickly if they are willing to make tough decisions and take chances. Current GM Barry Trotz won’t be the one to make those decisions, but he can lay a foundation on his way out the door that will allow the next general manager to make those hard choices. Nashville has Saros signed until 2033 and Forsberg until 2030. It’s not unrealistic to believe that the Predators could be competitive again in another 2-3 years, giving them some runway with their vets to serve as both mentors and contributors while their young players find their way in the NHL.
Photo by Per Haljestam-Imagn Images
Sabres’ Colton Parayko Trade Falls Through
3/5/26: Parayko has declined to waive his no-trade clause to join the Sabres, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. As a result, as The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun noted, the reported trade will not happen.
On Frankly Hockey, Frank Seravalli indicated that Parayko is open to a trade from St. Louis, but will not accept a move to Buffalo, specifically. As frustrating as it may be for both clubs, it is Parayko’s right to dictate where he goes, given the no-trade protection in his contract.
Following Seravalli’s report, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes indicated that Parayko would prefer to stay in the Western Conference. Weekes specifically mentioned the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings, though neither club has any known interest in adding another defenseman.
It’s unknown at this time if Mrtka and a first-round pick were the only pieces that would have headed to the Blues in the deal. If that’s the case, Buffalo had the opportunity to amass arguably the best defensive corps in the league.
Missing out on a player of Parayko’s stature will sting, but there are a few remaining options for the Sabres. Justin Faulk, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Logan Stanley, among others, are all options currently on the market that Buffalo could target. Depending on how long Buffalo negotiated with the Blues, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them turn around and acquire Faulk.
Unfortunately, it does paint a negative picture for Buffalo. Despite the team being on fire this year and heading toward the postseason for the first time in a decade, they are still having trouble encouraging outside talent to join the team. Factoring in Seravalli’s report, it’s clear that Parayko simply didn’t want to head to New York.
Meanwhile, it’s not the best situation for St. Louis either. There’s no reporting on how many teams are interested in Parayko. If they’re unable to move him before the deadline tomorrow, it’ll become awkward at the very least. While it remains a business decision, Parayko’s connection to the community may lead to feelings of animosity regarding the situation, particularly since the trade was leaked before he had a chance to approve it.
Things can and will change fast this time of year. Over the last few days, Parayko and Tyler Myers have each had their names leaked in trade conversations, only to veto the trade. Still, given that he’s willing to consider different clubs, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Parayko approve a trade somewhere else.
3/4/26: According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Buffalo Sabres are moving toward acquiring defenseman Colton Parayko from the St. Louis Blues. Dreger noted that the trade is still being finalized and that both teams are waiting to see if Parayko will waive his no-trade clause to join the Sabres. Dreger later added that defensive prospect Radim Mrtka and a first-round pick will be a part of the deal. Insider Frank Seravalli reported that the framework of the trade is complete, but Parayko has not yet signed off on it.
It would obviously be a seismic trade for the Sabres, especially if nothing is coming off the NHL roster. Buffalo already has Bowen Byram, Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Mattias Samuelsson in the top four of their defensive corps. Parayko has been on the top pairing in St. Louis for nearly a decade, and is signed through the 2029-30 season at an affordable $6.5MM salary.
Vancouver Canucks Recall Cole Clayton
One of the Vancouver Canucks’ recently acquired prospects will be joining the team. According to a team announcement, the Canucks have recalled defenseman Cole Clayton from the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks.
Clayton, 26, was acquired a few months ago in the trade that sent Kiefer Sherwood to the San Jose Sharks. He was in his first year with the Sharks organization after signing a one-year, $775K contract with them last offseason.
Before his brief time in San Jose, Clayton had spent four years in the Columbus Blue Jackets organization. Signed as an undrafted free agent from the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, Clayton scored 12 goals and 61 points in 224 games exclusively for the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters.
This season, he has seen his scoring output dissipate mildly. Split between the Barracuda and the AHL Canucks, Clayton has registered only two goals and seven points in 49 games. In his 16 games with Abbotsford, he has also produced 15 PIMs and a -5 rating.
Given that he’s not expected to be a long-term fixture in Vancouver, Clayton is likely only a placeholder for now. After dealing Quinn Hughes earlier this year, there are no defensemen on the Canucks’ roster who have generated much trade interest, if they’re even available. Still, Vancouver recently lost Pierre-Olivier Joseph to an upper-body injury for the next few weeks, so Clayton will likely serve as the team’s seventh defenseman until he returns.
Colorado Avalanche Acquire Nicolas Roy
The Colorado Avalanche have acquired forward Nicolas Roy from the Toronto Maple Leafs, in exchange for a conditional 2027 first-round pick and a conditional 2026 fifth-round pick. The conditions on both picks read as follows:
In the event Colorado’s 2027 first-round selection is in the top-10 of the 2027 NHL Draft, Colorado will send its unprotected 2028 first-round pick to Toronto. Colorado currently holds three fifth-round selections in the 2026 NHL Draft; the lowest of those three picks will be transferred to Toronto as part of the transaction.
Yesterday, Frank Seravalli reported that the Maple Leafs’ asking price of a first-round pick plus a prospect for Roy had “held steady,” and that Toronto was unwilling to retain salary at that price. The Maple Leafs ultimately got the first-rounder they sought, though the fifth-round pick will have to suffice in place of a prospect. 
The move ends what was a brief tenure in Toronto for Roy, who was acquired over the summer as part of the Vegas Golden Knights’ acquisition of star winger Mitch Marner. Roy had been a solid middle-six center in Vegas, scoring 15 goals and 31 points in 71 games in 2024-25 and 41 points in 70 games in 2023-24.
His numbers took a tumble in Toronto, where he has just five goals and 20 points in 59 games, but his resume remains strong nonetheless.
That’s especially true considering he’s under contract for an additional year at an entirely affordable $3MM cap hit. Roy was also regularly playing on the penalty kill in Toronto, ranking No. 3 among Maple Leafs forwards in short-handed time on ice per game.
Roy is likely to slot in as Colorado’s No. 3 center, lining up behind Nathan MacKinnon and Brock Nelson. As previously mentioned, he excelled in a similar role in Vegas, and given the team control afforded by his contract, it appears the Avalanche have their top three centers locked in for the next two playoff runs, at the minimum. His addition could also help the already-stellar Avalanche penalty kill.
While a first-round pick isn’t a cheap price to pay for any player, it looks to be a fair one for Roy. While his numbers are down, he should be able to capably occupy the No. 3 center role with some special teams value. That’s not an insignificant role whatsoever, and adding Roy now is more valuable to the Avalanche than selecting a player with that first-round pick likely would be. Colorado is looking to maximize its odds of winning another Stanley Cup with core players such as MacKinnon and Cale Makar in their prime, and adding Roy certainly helps in that pursuit.
From Toronto’s perspective, this trade begins what could be a larger effort to sell players and regroup with an eye to the future. The offseason loss of Mitch Marner, among other factors, helped destabilize what has been a consistent regular-season juggernaut over the last decade. Toronto looks more likely than not to miss the playoffs for just the second time since 2015-16, the year they earned the No. 1 pick and right to select franchise face Auston Matthews.
Landing a first-round pick for Roy will allow the team to bolster its prospect pool, which entered the season ranked No. 27 in the NHL by Elite Prospects. The team could also flip the pick for a younger player who is at or near NHL-readiness, in order to better support a competitive timeline centered around its existing stars.
In any case, this move is one that makes considerable sense for both involved teams, and it will be interesting to see what decisions Toronto makes moving forward as it navigates a wholly uncertain future.
Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Nashville Predators Recall Three Players
After trading away three players in the last few days, the Nashville Predators have begun to turn over their roster towards younger players. The team announced today that they have recalled center Fedor Svechkov, winger Reid Schaefer, and defenseman Ryan Ufko from their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.
Each recalled player corresponds with a veteran the Predators have dealt away this week. The Predators traded big center Michael McCarron to the Minnesota Wild, and in doing so, lost their regular fourth-line center and a player who ranked No. 1 among team forwards in short-handed ice time per game. 
Svechkov, 22, is a 2021 first-round pick whose game has long been built around a foundation of strong two-way play. While he has only played spot duty on the penalty kill at the NHL level, he’s seen more regular short-handed time at the AHL level. It’s possible the move of McCarron is what opens the door for Svechkov to get a longer look in that role with the Predators.
Svechkov got into 52 NHL games for the Predators last season, and had some impressive moments. He finished with 17 points in 52 games, but looked the part as an NHL player.
Finding a rhythm early this season was a challenge for Svechkov, but the more consistent role afforded by McCarron’s departure could aid in his development at the game’s highest level. Worth noting is the fact that his three-year entry-level contract is set to expire this summer.
By clearing the way for Svechkov to play a more regular NHL role, the Predators will be able to enter negotiations on Svechkov’s next deal with a stronger sense of where he is in his development. Adding a second-round pick from the Wild in the process certainly doesn’t hurt, as well.
The recall of Schaefer, a winger, more directly corresponds with the trade of Cole Smith to the Vegas Golden Knights. Like McCarron, Smith was a fixture on the Nashville penalty kill. And like Svechkov, Schaefer has gotten some regular time on the Milwaukee penalty kill. It’s possible he earns some of Smith’s vacated short-handed minutes, though some of that time could also go to the energetic Ozzy Wiesblatt, who has averaged 0:34 time on ice per game on the penalty kill this season.
Originally a first-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers, Schaefer landed in Nashville as part of the 2023 Mattias Ekholm trade, late in the tenure of Hall of Fame GM David Poile. Schaefer may have more offense to give than Smith did, as he has 15 goals and 28 points in 31 AHL games this season, to go along with six points in 27 NHL games. Smith’s career-high in terms of offensive production came in 2023-24, when he scored nine goals and 23 points in 80 games.
Finally, the recall of Ufko corresponds with the team’s trade of Nick Blankenburg to the Colorado Avalanche. Ufko has arguably been the biggest riser in Nashville’s system this season. A bit undersized, like Blankenburg, Ufko leads the Admirals in scoring this season with 44 points in 50 games, a notable uptick from the 30 points in 72 games he managed last year. He quarterbacks the top power play unit in Milwaukee, and could fill Blankenburg’s vacated role as the quarterback of Nashville’s second power play unit. Veteran Brady Skjei could also see time there, though the Predators may be more inclined to test their younger players in that role.
While some Predators fans may have been discouraged by the Predators’ move to sell off veteran talent in the midst of a playoff race, the reality is their recent moves could very well be in the service of building a contending team in the long-term.
By turning over some key roles, especially on special teams, to promising young talents, the team can more confidently chart its course into the future. Despite the fact that he has announced his upcoming retirement, Predators GM Barry Trotz appears to be focused on investing in the Predators’ future, stocking the team with additional draft picks and providing greater opportunity for key prospects.
Photos courtesy of Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images
Golden Knights Acquire Nic Dowd
10:20 a.m.: Vegas’ acquisition of Dowd is now official. The Golden Knights have traded goaltender Jesper Vikman, a 2029 second-round pick, and a 2027 third-round pick to the Capitals to acquire the veteran center.
The price the Golden Knights have paid will likely seem high to some – there are fourth-line centers to be had for prices lower than what the Golden Knights have paid – but it’s not entirely out of line with the prices that have been paid for high-end bottom-six contributors in recent days. The Minnesota Wild paid a second-rounder to acquire quality fourth-line center Michael McCarron from the Nashville Predators. Smith, a winger, cost a third-round pick. The Blackhawks received a protected first-round pick for Jason Dickinson, albeit part of a wider deal containing other players.
Put simply: the prices for some of the game’s better role players has been relatively high in recent weeks, and for the Golden Knights to be able to add a player like Dowd, they couldn’t do so without paying a price in line with prior transactions. The fact that Dowd is under team control for an additional season likely made Vegas more comfortable paying this price to acquire Dowd.
From the Capitals’ perspective, this is a quality return for a role player who nonetheless held considerable to the team. The team’s scouting department has made the most of some of its recent second and third-round picks, landing promising prospects such as Cole Hutson, Ilya Protas, and Andrew Cristall in those rounds, among others. While this deal certainly costs them in the immediate term, they could very well land another quality contributor with one or both of these picks.
The addition of Vikman, a 23-year-old goaltender, also gives them a player as part of the deal as well. Vikman has struggled this season, posting an .866 save percentage across 18 AHL games, and spent most of last season in the ECHL. The Capitals will hope this change of scenery, and the chance to play either with AHL Hershey or ECHL South Carolina, will help him continue his development.
8:25 a.m.: The Vegas Golden Knights are acquiring center Nic Dowd from the Washington Capitals, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports. TSN’s Darren Dreger seconded Pagnotta’s report, adding that while it’s “not done yet,” the deal is expected to be completed this morning.
What Vegas will send Washington to complete the deal has not yet been reported. One would have to imagine it’s likely going to be a draft pick, but where that potential pick might land is still unknown, Dowd’s age and role would suggest mid-to-late-round value, but his consistency, leadership and experience could make him a more valuable asset than some might expect at first glance.
In any case, the move marks the second addition of a fourth-line player the Golden Knights have made this week, after trading for Nashville Predators grinder Cole Smith on Tuesday. With Colton Sissons and Keegan Kolesar already locked in on the team’s fourth line, in addition to Smith, there doesn’t appear to be an immediate need for an additional fourth-line player.
With that said, it could be argued that Vegas does have a need for an additional natural center. Against the Detroit Red Wings yesterday, the Golden Knights lined up with Mitch Marner, a longtime winger, as their second-line center. 
By adding Dowd, the team can shift Marner back to the wing, and have a clear set of four centers: Jack Eichel for the first line, Tomas Hertl for the second, Colton Sissons for the third, and Dowd for the fourth.
The move also gives the Golden Knights some more insulation against the injury suffered by William Karlsson, as Karlsson remains sidelined with a lower-body injury.
Dowd’s addition to the lineup gives the Golden Knights more protection against the possibility that Karlsson’s absence might extend beyond what may have been initially expected.
Making $3MM against the cap on a contract that runs through next season, Dowd’s addition isn’t a mere rental. Vegas could go on two playoff runs with the player. Whether Washington has retained any salary is not yet clear, though they do have all three retention slots available.
Dowd’s merits as a fourth-line center are immediately evident. For the last half-decade, Dowd has finished each season scoring double-digit goals and around 25 points. Those aren’t big numbers by any means, but it’s healthy secondary scoring from someone who largely receives deployment in defensive situations.
His offense is down somewhat this year, as the Capitals as a whole have struggled, but his value as a defensive center remains intact. He’s leading all Capitals forwards in short-handed time-on-ice per game, playing 2:40 per game. He led the team in that metric last season as well. In 2024-25, Washington had the league’s No. 5 penalty kill with Dowd as a key cog, though it has dropped to No. 19 this season.
While Dowd is winning slightly under half of his draws this season, he remains someone coaches trust in late-game situations protecting a lead, and has even landed a few stray Selke Trophy votes in each of the last two years.
In Vegas, he’ll be able to potentially alleviate some of the burden of penalty-killing placed on leading center Jack Eichel. Eichel on his own is a strong defensive center, but the team may believe he could benefit down the stretch from being able to focus more singularly on creating offense.
While the price the Golden Knights paid to add Dowd remains unclear, what is clear is that the Golden Knights are preparing for what they hope is another long playoff run. Reaching the playoffs has been the baseline standard in Vegas, and long runs have been a frequent activity for the franchise. Dowd is the exact kind of veteran player teams covet for those runs.
From the Capitals’ perspective, it’s difficult to fully categorize their motivation to make this deal when the value they’re receiving in return is still unknown. With that said, given that the team is unlikely to reach the playoffs this season, trading Dowd allows the player to play playoff hockey this season, which is not a small thing for a player set to turn 36 in May. The passage of time is a looming threat no athlete can fully prevent, and as a result, Dowd has only so many years of NHL hockey left in him. Trading him now gives him the chance to chase a Stanley Cup in Vegas, a notable thing as he joined the Capitals the year after their victory over Vegas in the 2018 final.
In addition, trading Dowd opens up key penalty-killing minutes, as well as a fourth-line role, for another, potentially younger player to seize. 26-year-old Brett Leason was a regular penalty-killer for the Ducks last season, averaging 1:42 short-handed time on ice per game in 2024-25. Save for six games, he’s spent all of 2025-26 at the AHL level, posting 34 points in 39 games for the Hershey Bears.
It’s possible the trade of Dowd is the transaction that puts Leason back in the NHL, where the Capitals can use the final portion of the season to assess whether that role can be a long-term fit for their 2019 second-round pick.
Photos courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Golden Knights Place Mark Stone On IR
3/5/26: The Golden Knights have placed Stone on IR, per Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Assuming the placement is retroactive to March 1, when he suffered his injury, Stone’s IR placement will keep him sidelined until at least Sunday. The move opens a roster spot for the team’s reported acquisition of Nic Dowd, in a trade that has still not yet been officially announced.
3/2/26: The Vegas Golden Knights will have a major hole to fill in the short-term. Top winger Mark Stone is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury sustained in Vegas’ Sunday loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters including Mike Harrington of Buffalo News. Stone’s injury came late in the first period, after a nudge from Penguins defenseman Kris Letang. He will be questionable for Vegas’ road game versus the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.
Stone reached the end of the 2024-25 season in good health, dsepite mid-season injuries, but has otherwise built a tendency for missing games in the second-half of the season. Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh marked just the second time in the last four seasons that Stone has played a game in March. Routine injuries have held him out of 144 games between the start of the 2019-20 season and the end of 2024-25. He has missed an additional 17 games already this season.
The routine absences are routinely a major blow to the Vegas offense. Stone is a pillar of the lineup when healthy. He ranks second on the Golden Knights in scoring this season, with 21 goals and 60 points in only 43 games. That is a 114-point scoring pace over a full 82-game season, by far the highest on the Golden Knights. Stone has averaged 52 games, and 53 points, per season dating back to his first full season with the Golden Knights.
Vegas will face a tough test in finding who should replace Stone in the lineup. The Golden Knights are also facing injuries to forwards Jonas Rondbjerg, William Karlsson, and Brett Howden – straining the team’s offensive depth. Right-winger Alexander Holtz is currently Vegas’ only extra forward and could be in line for a return to the lineup as a result. Holtz appeared in five games in February, recording three points and eight shots on net. He has racked up nine points and a minus-one in 28 games this season, often from a fourth-line role in Vegas’ lineup.
Stone’s hole in the top-six will put more pressure on Pavel Dorofeyev, Ivan Barbashev, and Braeden Bowman to step into bigger, scoring roles. The trio rank fifth, sixth, and seventh on the Vegas offense in scoring – with 47, 42, and 23 points respectively. They will fill major roles as Vegas looks towards tough matchups against the Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and Minnesota Wild over their next three games.
Morning Notes: Thomas, Blue Jackets, Belchetz
The Philadelphia Flyers are highly unlikely to be the landing spot for St. Louis Blues star center Robert Thomas if he is traded before the deadline, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reported today. A Flyers team source told Kurz that the team considers a trade for Thomas “completely unreasonable,” and with that feeling likely a result of the high price the Blues have set for teams interested in Thomas. According to Kurz, the Flyers “would probably have to be willing to part with” one of their two young wingers with star potential (Matvei Michkov, Porter Martone) as well as a first-round pick and another young roster player. Despite a pressing organizational need for a top-line center, the Flyers, per this report, believe the Blues’ asking price to simply be too steep for them to get involved in trade talks for Thomas.
Of course, value is in the eye of the beholder. From the Blues’ perspective, they’re likely to believe their high asking price for Thomas to be entirely fair. To an extent, it’s easy to see why. Thomas is an established No. 1 center who scored 81 points in 70 games last season, a 95-point 82-game scoring pace. While his production is down this year, the Blues’ struggles as a team this season make it difficult to pin Thomas’ decline entirely on some lasting decrease in his talent level. Thomas is 26 years old and has five additional seasons on a $8.125MM AAV contract. His below-market cap hit presents a serious opportunity for a team to get surplus value from him, especially as the upper limit rises.
There’s an argument to be made that, combining his talent and contract status, Thomas is one of the more valuable players to have been shopped on the in-season trade market in some time, so it’s understandable that the Blues would want to fetch a high price for the player. Value is all about leverage, after all, and the fact that the Blues can simply retain Thomas for the next half-decade gives them considerable leverage in comparison to a team shopping a rental player. But in any case, the Flyers have to move forward with the path they feel is best for them – and if they deem the Blues’ asking price too high, that is their right. Their search for a first-line center may yet continue in the 2026 draft, or perhaps within the continued development of recent first-rounders Jett Luchanko and Jack Nesbitt.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- Insider Frank Seravalli reported this morning that the Blue Jackets continue to receive trade inquiries centered around pending UFA forwards Charlie Coyle and Mason Marchment, though to this point, that trade interest has been turned away. Both players have been stellar since being traded to the Blue Jackets, with Marchment scoring 10 goals and 17 points in 18 games, and Coyle nabbing 16 goals and 46 points in 60 games. The Blue Jackets traded second and fourth-round picks for Marchment earlier this season, but could receive more than they invested given the player’s uptick in form since arriving in Ohio. They traded quality prospect Gavin Brindley alongside second and third-round picks for Coyle this past summer, but could receive similar, if not increased, value in return before the deadline. The issue with trading either player would be that it would signal a retreat on their playoff chase for the rest of the season. Columbus sits three points behind the Boston Bruins for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and has gone 13-2-1 since hiring Rick Bowness as their head coach.
- Top 2026 NHL Draft prospect Ethan Belchetz will miss the rest of the season after suffering a broken left clavicle, per an announcement from his team, the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL. Belchetz was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 OHL Priority Selection, and will finish his season with 34 goals and 59 points in 57 games. The 17-year-old stands 6’5″, 226 pounds, and projects as the kind of power forward who blends physicality and scoring ability that NHL teams covet. He has been ranked around the back-end of the top-10 in this year’s class, but it remains to be seen how his draft stock might change despite playing his final game before the draft.