Capitals To Activate Connor McMichael From Injured Reserve
Capitals forward Connor McMichael told reporters today, including Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network, that he’ll come off injured reserve and return to Washington’s lineup when their schedule resumes next Wednesday against the Flyers. The Caps still have nearly a week to make the formal roster move, which will require a corresponding transaction.
McMichael has been out of commission since sustaining an undisclosed injury against the Red Wings three weeks ago. Thanks to the timing of the injury, he only missed the final four games before the Olympic break.
The 25-year-old has bounced around Washington’s top nine quite a bit this season, and he’ll face some increased competition for ice time coming out of the break after Pierre-Luc Dubois returned from abdominal surgery in the Caps’ last appearance. McMichael spent most of last season on the left wing on a line with Dubois and Tom Wilson. Aliaksei Protas has been in that slot when Dubois has been healthy this year, so it stands to reason McMichael could re-enter the picture on the right side of Washington’s top line with Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome. Those two have seen a rotating cast of wingers, including Anthony Beauvillier and Ethen Frank, while Dubois was out.
While McMichael’s ice time has increased to a career-high 17:03 per game this season, his production has cooled off after a breakout 2024-25 campaign. A lot of that has to do with his shooting percentage nearly halving, dropping from 14.7% last year to 7.6%. He’s only lit the lamp eight times through 55 games as a result, but has added 23 assists for 31 points, ranking seventh on the team in scoring.
After a wild 111-point regular season, the Capitals have received inverse puck luck in 2025-26. They’re shooting just around league average and, despite having above-average offense and defense with a +12 goal differential, entered the break with the 12th-best record in the Eastern Conference based on points percentage. They have a four-point gap to make up with negative games in hand to get back into the playoff picture, something MoneyPuck only gives them a 34.6% chance of being able to pull off.
Ducks’ Petr Mrazek Out For Season After Hip Surgery
The Anaheim Ducks announced today that netminder Petr Mrazek will miss the rest of the 2025-26 season after undergoing hip surgery yesterday. Mrazek has not played since Jan. 5 and has been on injured reserve since Jan. 7.
This news is an undoubtedly unfortunate development for Mrazek, who is set to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer. The 34-year-old veteran has a $4.25MM AAV contract that is set to expire. Today’s news means that Mrazek won’t be able to put any additional games on his résumé before he hits the open market. Acquired by the Ducks in June as part of the Detroit Red Wings’ acquisition of John Gibson, Mrazek played in just 10 games this season. He went 3-5-0 with a grisly .858 save percentage and 4.07 goals-against-average.
Those numbers won’t help Mrazek’s case in free agency, but looking past just his brief Ducks tenure, Mrazek’s platform as a free agent looks improved. He was the No. 1 goalie playing behind a weak rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks team in 2023-24 and posted a strong .908 save percentage across 56 games played. Throughout his NHL career, Mrazek has been a talented, if inconsistent goaltender.
While he was likely viewed as a more straightforward option for clubs interested in a veteran backup goaltender in this summer’s open market, today’s development will likely inject some uncertainty into his free agency.
Kings Recall Pheonix Copley, Place Kevin Fiala On IR
Earlier today, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they’ve recalled netminder Pheonix Copley from the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Additionally, the Kings have placed forward Kevin Fiala on the injured reserve, as expected.
Copley has likely been brought on as a practice player before Los Angeles returns to action next week. Darcy Kuemper, the Kings’ typical starter, is rostered on Team Canada for the Olympics, and they’ve already clinched a spot in the Bronze Medal game at the very least.
Despite a brief stint with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Copley has been with Los Angeles for the past four years. Still, he’s spent much of the past two years with AHL Ontario. In 24 games for the Reign this season, Copley has managed a 13-11-0 record with a .890 SV% and 2.95 GAA.
Meanwhile, Fiala’s placement on the injured reserve was a formality. Playing on Team Switzerland in the Olympics, Fiala infamously suffered multiple leg fractures in a game against Canada.
The fractures required nearly immediate surgery, which has prematurely ended Fiala’s 2025-26 campaign. Los Angeles could have placed Fiala on long-term injured reserve, but their sufficient cap space made that unnecessary.
Fiala’s absence from the Kings’ lineup the rest of the way should undoubtedly alter Los Angeles’ approach leading up to the trade deadline. Yes, the team already acquired high-scoring winger Artemi Panarin before the Olympics, though that was with Fiala healthy. Given the drastic need for goal-scoring help in Los Angeles, it’s likely they’ll seek to acquire some additional reinforcements.
Flames Recall Matvei Gridin
The Flames announced they’ve recalled winger Matvei Gridin from AHL Calgary. With only 11 forwards on their active roster, including the injured Jonathan Huberdeau, it stands to reason he’ll be sticking with the team out of the break, not just for practice purposes this week.
Gridin, still just 19, was the Flames’ second first-round choice in 2024, going 28th overall after they selected defenseman Zayne Parekh ninth overall. Prospect evaluators were split on the pick. He entered the season as Calgary’s No. 10 prospect according to Corey Pronman of The Athletic, but was ranked as high as No. 4 – the second-best forward prospect in the system behind last year’s first-rounder Cole Reschny – by NHL.com.
The difference in projection lies in Gridin’s all-around game. The 6’1″, 190-lb winger’s skill is undeniable, but there were concerns that his offensive game relies too much on perimeter play and he lacks the physicality necessary to create quality scoring chances for himself at the NHL level. After playing in the USHL during his pre-draft season, he moved to a slightly more competitive junior league, the QMJHL, for his post-draft season. Gridin scored 36 goals and 79 points in 56 games for the Shawinigan Cataractes, ranking fifth in the league in points per game (1.41) while being named the league’s rookie of the year.
The Flames saw a more NHL-ready talent in Gridin than some scouts did. He turned a strong training camp into a spot on Calgary’s opening night roster, scoring in the season opener but otherwise going pointless with a -3 rating in four games before the Flames assigned him to the AHL. He was recalled again in mid-January, appearing in nine consecutive games before the break, before Calgary sent him back down to continue playing during the Olympics.
All told, it’s been a smooth transition to pro hockey for the Russian. He was productive on his second call-up and now has three goals and six points through his first 13 NHL appearances. Averaging 14:05 per game, his 0.46 points per game are already good for eighth place on an offensively woeful Flames team. With Huberdeau done for the year thanks to hip surgery, there will be even more opportunity for Gridin to tamp down a top-nine role heading into next season.
Things went similarly well for Gridin in the AHL. He’s scored 10 goals and 29 points in 36 games, including a +1 rating on an offensively dynamic but defensively porous Wranglers squad.
Blackhawks Recall Kevin Korchinski, Sam Rinzel
The Blackhawks announced Wednesday that they’ve recalled defense prospects Kevin Korchinski and Sam Rinzel from AHL Rockford. Defenseman Wyatt Kaiser was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Feb. 4 in the corresponding move.
Chicago doesn’t have any defensemen in Italy suiting up at the Olympics, so it’s likely these recalls will result in actual playing time for the two youngsters. Korchinski, the seventh overall pick in the 2022 draft, especially stands to benefit as a lefty, more directly replacing Kaiser’s slot on the depth chart. Since recording 15 points in 76 games for the Hawks as a rookie in 2023-24, Chicago has been much more restrictive with his development, leaving him mostly in the AHL to work on developing his all-around game.
His minor-league stats indicate the Hawks are still working to undo any damage they may have done by rushing him into the NHL lineup as a 19-year-old two years ago. He’s posted a respectable 5-45–50 scoring line in 101 games for Rockford over the last two years but that’s come with a -39 rating, including a team-worst -22 mark this year. He nonetheless leads Rockford in scoring from the blue line with 23 points in 45 games. For a Chicago blue line that’s struggled to get offense from anyone not named Artyom Levshunov this year, he could be of benefit to their 26th-ranked offense until Kaiser is ready to get back into the fold.
Rinzel, taken several spots after Korchinski in the first round in 2022, broke camp with the Hawks after a strong finish last season that saw him record five assists in his first nine NHL games after wrapping up his sophomore year at the University of Minnesota. Ice time was harder to latch onto as a full-timer, though, averaging 17:09 per game through the first two months of this year after getting top-pairing deployment down the stretch in 2024-25.
After Rinzel had an even rating and nine points in 31 games, Chicago opted to send Rinzel to Rockford in early December for additional development. The well-rounded righty has looked solid there, rattling off 14 points in 23 games with a -8 rating on a team with an ugly -30 goal differential.
He’s now one of four righties on the Hawks’ active roster, so the path to playing time is murkier than what Korchinski has at the moment. Head coach Jeff Blashill has opted to dress seven defensemen frequently this season, though, so he should have a decent shot at getting in the lineup, even if his ice time isn’t extensive.
Kaiser sustained a lower-body injury in Chicago’s final game before the Olympic break. Head coach Jeff Blashill said yesterday that he’ll miss a couple of games on the other side but will be back at some point down the stretch.
Lightning’s Maxwell Crozier Out For Regular Season
Lightning defenseman Maxwell Crozier underwent surgery to repair a core muscle injury during the Olympic break, the team announced Wednesday. He’ll be out for approximately 10 weeks, putting his projected return date in late April – after the end of the regular season. He hasn’t yet been placed on injured reserve or long-term injured reserve, but will presumably land there closer to when the Bolts get back into game action on Feb. 25.
The 25-year-old Crozier has been out for a multi-game stretch several times this season. The 2019 fourth-round pick has worked his way into a full-time role with all the injuries on Tampa’s blue line this season, but he’s also lost 19 games to undisclosed injuries and illness. Whether or not his core muscle is what’s been plaguing him since first exiting the lineup in mid-October remains to be seen, but in any event, he won’t be an option for the Bolts again until late in a potential first-round playoff matchup.
Crozier has emerged as a valuable bottom-pairing piece, especially with how much the Bolts have had to rely on their defensive depth. In a career-high 34 appearances, he’s logged a goal and nine assists for 10 points with strong possession control numbers at even strength, including a 53.7 CF% and a 53.4 xGF%. It’s his third straight year seeing NHL ice, logging 13 appearances in 2023-24 and another five last year. The righty has good size at 6’3″ and 204 lbs and has averaged 16 minutes per night.
With the Bolts’ hot streak leading into the deadline giving them a 92% chance of taking home the Atlantic Division crown (per MoneyPuck), Crozier’s absence isn’t an insurmountable obstacle by any stretch. Still, with Charle-Edouard D’Astous and Emil Martinsen Lilleberg both questionable to be ready coming out of the break, they’ll be down another depth option if injury-prone veterans Victor Hedman or Ryan McDonagh end up needing another IR stint.
It’s worth noting the Bolts do have the fourth-most difficult remaining schedule, according to Tankathon. Missing Crozier for the stretch run could up the urgency for general manager Julien BriseBois to pursue a depth addition at the deadline to help fill Crozier’s role as a No. 6/7 option.
Paul Coffey Rejoining Oilers Coaching Staff
After transitioning from a bench role to an advisory position last summer, Paul Coffey is returning to his job as an assistant coach under Kris Knoblauch for the remainder of the season, the Oilers announced Wednesday.
Coffey hasn’t been particularly active in off-ice roles since ending his playing career in 2001, but he has been recently. He first rejoined the franchise where he won three Stanley Cups as a skills coach in January 2018. He remained in that post for just a season and a half before eventually becoming a senior advisor ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. When the Oilers replaced Woodcroft with Knoblauch as head coach early in the 2023-24 campaign, Coffey was added to the bench as an assistant overseeing Edmonton’s defense as part of the reconstruction.
The Hall-of-Famer ended up being a key part of revitalizing the effectiveness of the Oilers’ depth defense en route to back-to-back Cup Final appearances. Without him on the bench this season, their team structure has collapsed. Last season, the Oilers were ninth in the league in xGA/60 at 5-on-5 at 2.29, per MoneyPuck. This year, that number has jumped to 2.54 – all the way down to 24th.
As the Oilers look to hang on to a divisional berth in the Pacific down the stretch, they’re hoping to get a defensive boost from Coffey in the process. They never replaced his spot on the staff after he transitioned out, so they’ve only been operating with two assistants this year.
Maple Leafs Recall William Villeneuve
The Maple Leafs announced they’ve recalled defenseman William Villeneuve from AHL Toronto. He’ll give the Leafs an extra defenseman at practices for the time being while they await Oliver Ekman-Larsson‘s return from representing Sweden at the Olympics.
Villeneuve hasn’t gotten a recall yet this season. Some have questioned that decision given the lack of puck-moving ability on Toronto’s blue line outside of Ekman-Larsson and Morgan Rielly. The 23-year-old was a fourth-round pick in 2020 and is now in his fourth pro season.
Last year marked a breakout for the 6’2″ righty. After a pair of decent showings lower in the Marlies’ lineup, he had his minutes elevated and exploded for 36 assists and 40 points in 55 games, leading the team’s defense in scoring along with a team-high +17 rating. His stock has tanked in 2025-26, though. With 18 points in 40 games, he’s on pace for the worst offensive performance of his professional career and has flipped to a team-worst -8 rating. His drop-off is part of a larger decline from the Marlies’ roster, though – he still leads their blue line in scoring.
His NHL-ready size and longer body of two-way success in the AHL still has him ranked as Toronto’s No. 5 prospect and No. 2-ranked defenseman, Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun opined earlier this month. A pending restricted free agent, he’s a clear bet to receive a qualifying offer for the second year in a row and could be in line for his NHL debut down the stretch if Toronto sells off a defender or two ahead of the trade deadline.
West Notes: Ducks, Kaiser, Mammoth
The Anaheim Ducks took the ice today for their first practice back from the Olympic break, with Leo Carlsson and Frank Vatrano full participants, as noted by Derek Lee of The Hockey News. Both players are working their way back from procedures.
In Carlsson, the 21-year-old young star was one of the biggest stories of the first half of the campaign, as he has broken out along with his Ducks, putting up 44 points in as many games. Carlsson was on his way to representing Team Sweden at the Olympics until a Morel-Lavallée lesion sidelined him in mid-January, requiring surgery.
On the other hand, while many Ducks have enjoyed such breakouts in 2025-26 under new Head Coach Joel Quenneville, it has been the opposite for Vatrano. The 31-year-old has just three goals and six points in 38 games, night and day from his 37-goal production two seasons ago. Although, to be fair, it came at an unsustainable 13.6% shooting percentage, and the emergence of several young forwards has cut his ice time dramatically. The Massachusetts native sustained a shoulder fracture in late December which brought a six week timeline estimation.
Currently clinging to the second Wild Card spot, where they’ll look to hold off rivals and end a seven year postseason dry spell, Anaheim returns to action on February 25 as they host the Oilers.
Elsewhere across the conference:
- Chicago Blackhawks Head Coach Jeff Blashill told reporters, including Greg Boysen of Blackhawk Up, that Wyatt Kaiser will remain sidelined after the Olympic break, but it’s expected he will return at some point later in the season. Back on February 4, the defenseman had an awkward leg injury against Columbus that was cause for real concern. The 23-year-old has a subpar 45.8% corsi for at even strength and is a -12, but he’s averaging 19:10 a night, the most in his career so far.
- Mammoth forwards Logan Cooley and Alexander Kerfoot were both regular participants in practice today, but still working their way back to game shape, as reported by Cole Bagley of KSL Sports. Cooley hasn’t played since early December after a scary lower body injury which thankfully avoided season-ending designation. Meanwhile, Kerfoot underwent a procedure in October, delaying his start to the campaign until January. The 31-year-old found the back of the net once in nine games, the 99th goal of his career, but appears to have had a setback. Both players returned to the ice February 2 in non contact jerseys, with another step in recovery today. Even without their young star and a veteran role player, Utah is marching along toward the playoffs this spring.
Canucks Recall Aku Koskenvuo
With several teams summoning players from their AHL affiliates today to practice during remainder of the Olympics, the Vancouver Canucks got in on the action, announcing that goaltender Aku Koskenvuo has been recalled under emergency conditions. The 22-year-old will practice with the team while Kevin Lankinen remains with Team Finland, representing both his and Koskenvuo’s home country.
Chosen in the fifth round of the 2021 draft, Koskenvuo developed at Harvard prior to turning pro in 2025-26. So far this year he’s played nine games for Abbotsford of the AHL, also making six appearances in the ECHL with the Kalamazoo Wings, indicative that the 22-year-old is at least fifth on the goaltending depth chart for now. The 6’4″ left catcher has a 2-5 record so far in the AHL with a .895 save percentage and 3.20 goals-against-average.
Still in the beginning stages of his career, the 22-year-old will enjoy getting to practice with the big club before returning to the minors. Koskenvuo’s entry level contract expires after 2026-27, as he’ll work to move up the organizational depth chart until then.