Devils Reassign Nico Daws, Jake Allen To Travel With Team
2:00 PM: Daws has been promptly reassigned to the minor leagues, with backup Jake Allen sharing that he’ll travel with the team on their upcoming two-game road trip, per James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now. The first game of the trip is against St. Louis, where Allen spent the first seven years of his NHL career. Daws will join Poulter in returning to Utica, giving the Comets their goaltending duo back in full.
9:30 AM: The Devils have swapped temporary backup netminders, announcing the recall of Nico Daws from AHL Utica. They’ve sent Isaac Poulter back down to the minors in a corresponding move after he backed up Jacob Markström in New Jersey’s last three games while Jake Allen is dealing with an upper-body injury.
Daws would have been New Jersey’s preferred option for a recall initially, but the 23-year-old was battling an injury and played for the first time this month over the weekend. A 2020 third-round pick, the German-born Canadian national has a 2.96 GAA, .900 SV%, one shutout, and a 3-9-2 record on the farm with Utica this season.
Especially compared to Poulter’s blank slate, Daws already has a fair amount of experience at the NHL level. While he didn’t see NHL ice in 2022-23, he played at least 20 games for the Devils in both the 2021-22 and 2023-24 campaigns. In 46 career appearances, he has a 19-22-1 record, 3.13 GAA and .894 SV%. He’s saved 13.3 goals below average during that time.
Summoning Daws indicates that Allen will miss a fourth straight game tomorrow when New Jersey faces his former team, the Blues. He’s yet to land on injured reserve, suggesting he’s still a strong possibility of being available on Thursday against the Blue Jackets. The 12-year veteran has been a strong backup to Markström this season, recording a .900 SV% and 2.74 GAA in 10 starts while saving 2.6 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck.
Daws is still waiver-exempt, but in the unlikely event he plays 14 games this season, he’d be at 60 career appearances and would need waivers to return to Utica. Regardless of how much he plays, he’ll need to clear waivers to head to the minors next year.
Penguins’ Marcus Pettersson Out Week-To-Week
Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan shared that defenseman Marcus Pettersson will be out week-to-week with an undisclosed injury, per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports. Pettersson left the team’s Saturday loss to Ottawa late in the first period after a collision with Senators forward Drake Batherson sent him awkwardly into the boards. He only played in six minutes of ice time.
Pettersson has continued to serve as a core piece of the Penguins lineup this season. He’s recorded 11 assists and 13 points in 32 games this season while averaging 22 minutes of ice time – making him the third-most utilized player on the Penguins roster. Pettersson also leads Pittsburgh in blocked shots (56) and ranks third among defenders in hits (36). He’s a top-unit, shutdown defender – a role he stamped when he played in all 82 of Pittsburgh’s games last season. A full year helped Pettersson solidify his spot on the top pair – averaging nearly 23 minutes of ice time – and led him to career-highs in assists (26) and points (30). With his momentum carrying into this season, Pettersson has become an unquestioned piece of the daily lineup – and one that will be tough to replace for an extended time.
Pittsburgh is currently carrying top prospect Owen Pickering and depth option Ryan Shea as their extra defenders. The former seems best set for a boost in ice time with Pettersson out. Pickering received the first 11 games of his NHL career earlier this season. He scored two points, split evenly, and added five shots on goal and 10 blocked shots – leading Pittsburgh in blocks-per-game. He’s so far defaulted to Pittsburgh’s third pair, but could be a reasonable upside bet with Pettersson standing as a potential IR candidate. If not Pickering, Pittsburgh could turn towards Shea, or call-up Sebastian Aho from the minor leagues.
Minor Moves: Pánik, Reedy, Pulkkinen
Longtime NHL winger Richard Pánik is continuing his trek around Europe and Russia. After spending the first part of 2024-25 in his native Slovakia with HC Slovan Bratislava, the Kontinental Hockey League announced today that the 33-year-old has signed with Russian side Traktor Chelyabinsk for the remainder of the season.
Pánik last played in the NHL with the Islanders in 2021-22. Once a 20-goal scorer with the Blackhawks in 2016-17, he’s been relatively productive over the past three years while continuing his professional career overseas. He was decent with Bratislava in the early going, compiling six goals and 13 points in 18 games before leaving for tougher competition in the KHL. He spent last season in the Czech Extraliga, where he amassed 20 goals and 34 points in 51 games with HC Oceláři Třinec and HC Dynamo Pardubice.
A second-round pick of the Lightning in 2009, Pánik has undoubtedly had a journeyman’s career. In his NHL time, he suited up for seven clubs in 10 seasons, posting 195 points in 521 games with the Bolts, Maple Leafs, Blackhawks, Coyotes, Capitals, Red Wings, and Isles. He also suited up for three Ontario Hockey League squads in his major junior career and has signed on with five different European franchises since 2022.
Some other minor moves involving former NHLers:
- Ex-Sharks center prospect Scott Reedy has finally found a place to play for 2024-25, signing a tryout with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Now 25, the Minnesota native spent last season under contract with the Stars but was limited to 12 AHL contests due to injury, registering five goals and two assists. After being a Group VI unrestricted free agent over the summer, the 2017 fourth-rounder of San Jose will now look to catch on with his third NHL organization since turning pro out of the University of Minnesota in 2021. Reedy recorded seven goals and two assists in 35 NHL games with the Sharks in 2021-22 before being traded to Dallas for Jacob Peterson the following year.
- Once a depth NHLer in the mid-2010s, Finnish scoring winger Teemu Pulkkinen has terminated his contract with Germany’s Schwenninger Wild Wings to pursue options back in his home country, the team announced. The former Red Wings, Wild and Coyotes winger had four goals and 11 points in 22 Deutsche Eishockey Liga games this season. Since leaving North America back in 2018, Pulkkinen has suited up with seven teams across Russia, Belarus, China and Germany. He amassed 13 goals and 22 points in 83 NHL games between the 2013-14 and 2016-17 campaigns.
Evening Notes: Maple Leafs, Johnson, Trouba
The Toronto Maple Leafs are believed to be searching for another center (as per The Fourth Period). General manager Brad Treliving has been hoping to upgrade the second-line center position for some time now and is looking at potential options to do so. With the holiday trade freeze set to start on Friday, it doesn’t appear likely that a deal will be made in 2024, but Toronto is searching the market for a potential fit. Any move that they make will require a lot of creativity as Toronto doesn’t have a first-round pick this year, although they do hold their second and third-rounders.
Toronto may just have to wait until closer to the NHL trade deadline to make a deal happen as they will have just under $2.3MM available to them at that time (as per PuckPedia). The Maple Leafs could potentially look at a player like Brock Nelson of the New York Islanders, who is in the final year of his deal and is making $6MM. Toronto would need New York to retain on a deal and take a salary back, but those are the types of transactions Treliving could target.
In other evening notes:
- Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson left today’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes with an upper-body injury and did not return (Twitter Link). The 37-year-old took a stick to the face from Hurricanes forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the first period and did not return at the start of the second period. Kotkaniemi was assessed a four-minute double minor on the play. Johnson has dressed in 17 games this season, averaging just over 14 minutes of ice time per game and tallying one assist.
- Aaron Portzline of The Athletic spoke with Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba about his recent trade and why he declined to facilitate a trade to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Trouba was dealt by the New York Rangers to Anaheim, but had other suitors, including Columbus. Trouba told Portzline that there were no issues with Columbus, but he felt Anaheim would be a better fit for him and his wife, as well as her career as a doctor.
West Notes: Räty, Foligno, Faksa, Gustavsson
The Vancouver Canucks announced today that they’ve assigned forward Aatu Räty to the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League. The 22-year-old was recalled on Saturday before the Canucks game against the Bruins but didn’t end up dressing and served as a healthy scratch.
The former second-round pick has spent considerable time in the NHL this season, dressing in 20 games and picking up two goals and two assists. His AHL campaign has been limited, playing just eight games with Abbotsford, but Räty has been very productive posting four goals and three assists.
In other Western Conference notes:
- Chicago Blackhawks forward Nick Foligno was sick today and didn’t dress today in Chicago’s 5-3 win over the New York Islanders (as per Mario Tirabassi of CHGO Sports). The 37-year-old had points in each of his previous two games and is having a decent offensive season with seven goals and six assists in 30 games. He was replaced today by Joey Anderson who went scoreless in 13:27 of ice time.
- Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic tweeted that St. Louis Blues forward Radek Faksa missed his third consecutive game tonight due to a cut on his leg. The 30-year-old suffered the injury in a game against Vancouver and is making progress towards a return. Veteran Brandon Saad replaced Faksa in the lineup. Faksa is in his first season with the Blues after spending the first nine years of his NHL career with the Dallas Stars.
- Michael Russo of The Athletic writes that Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson is dealing with some soreness in his lower body and was getting looked at today. The ailment is reportedly nothing major, but it was enough to prompt the Wild to take a longer look at the issue. The 26-year-old is having a terrific bounce-back season with a 14-5-3 record along with a. 2.24 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. Gustavsson took warmups last night and did serve as the backup, but the issue prompted the team to act today as well as call up top prospect Jesper Wallstedt.
Rangers Notes: Panarin, Kakko, Laviolette, Trades
The New York Rangers announced earlier today that star forward Artemi Panarin would not play tonight against the St. Louis Blues and is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. It’s not exactly clear when the 33-year-old’s injury occurred but it is more bad news for a team that fell out of a playoff spot last night.
Panarin currently leads New York in scoring with 15 goals and 21 assists in 29 games and has been one of the few Rangers stars to meet offensive expectations thus far. New York ranks 20th in the NHL in offense and outside of Panarin, just three other Rangers forwards have topped 20 points on the season, with the next closest being William Cuylle with 22 points in 29 games.
In other Rangers notes:
- Arthur Staple of The Athletic tweeted that Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko was a healthy scratch today against St. Louis. Kakko’s scratch will surely add fuel to the trade rumors about the former second-overall pick. The 23-year-old is mired in a slump that has seen him produce just a goal and two assists in his past 12 games. Kakko’s offensive numbers are up from last season, but many of his underlying numbers are down and he’s received favorable deployment, starting nearly 60% of his even-strength shifts in the offensive zone.
- Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported that the Rangers have no appetite to make a coaching change at this time and Peter Laviolette’s job is not in jeopardy. The Rangers have made several coaching changes in recent years, firing Gerard Gallant two years ago and David Quinn four years ago. Laviolette is in his second season In New York and took the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. He is not even halfway through the three-year contract that the Rangers gave him in June 2023 that pays him a salary just shy of $5MM annually (as per TSN’s Pierre LeBrun).
- Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is reporting that the Rangers have essentially put a for-sale sign-out and are listening to trade offers on just about everyone in their lineup other than goalie Igor Shesterkin and those with no-movement clauses (Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck and Adam Fox). The Rangers have been in a free fall since starting the season 5-0-1 and are just 3-7 in their last ten games.
East Notes: Berggren, Stolarz, Carlile, Santini
Red Wings forward Jonatan Berggren earned the first fine of his NHL career, the league’s Department of Player Safety announced this morning. He was fined $2,148, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for a cross-check against Maple Leafs forward Connor Dewar in last night’s 4-2 win.
Berggren landed a two-minute minor on the play, which occurred immediately after a stoppage in the second period. While engaging with Dewar in front of the Red Wings net after the whistle blew, he landed a cross-check that hit Dewar in the head/neck area.
It’s a minor blip in a tough year for Berggren, who’s still struggling to recapture his rookie-season form. He’s back on the NHL roster full-time after spending most of last season in the minors, but he’s scored just four goals and six points with a -6 rating through 30 contests. He’s averaging 12:27 per game with fringe power-play usage, averaging around a minute per game with the man-advantage unit.
A 2018 second-round pick, Berggren signed a one-year, $825K deal in September after sitting as an RFA for most of the summer. He scored 15 goals and 28 points in 67 games with the Wings in his first NHL look in the 2022-23 campaign.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:
- The Maple Leafs moved Anthony Stolarz to injured reserve before tonight’s game against the Sabres, ending a cascade of roster moves over the past few days (per David Alter of The Hockey News). The Vezina Trophy candidate had already missed one game with a lower-body injury he sustained against the Ducks on Dec. 12. He’ll miss at least one more game following the Buffalo tilt but could be eligible to return for a rematch against the Sabres on Dec. 20. The 30-year-old has a sparkling .927 SV% and 2.15 GAA in 17 games this year with a 9-5-2 record. The Leafs’ active roster remains at a full 23 players.
- The Lightning announced they’ve returned defensemen Declan Carlile and Steven Santini to AHL Syracuse. One or both could be back on the active roster ahead of their next game on Tuesday, depending on the health of captain Victor Hedman, who’s missed the Bolts’ last two games with a lower-body injury. Carlile, 24, scored his first NHL goal in last night’s win over the Kraken, his season debut after getting into his first NHL game last season. The 29-year-old Santini played 11:37 in Thursday’s win over the Flames, his first NHL game in nearly two years, but was a healthy scratch against Seattle.
Predicting The NHL’s Quarter-Century Teams
With a relatively slow news day and the NHL’s announcement last night that each franchise will be selecting Quarter-Century Teams over the next couple of months, I decided to try predicting how each team will shake out.
The league says, “Each Club’s First and Second Quarter-Century Teams will be selected by a panel of media, retired players and executives specific to that Club. Players under consideration for selection are those who have appeared in a game for the respective franchises since Jan. 1, 2000.” I’m going to take that to mean that any legacy/performance of a player who played in the 1990s who carried over into the 2000s won’t be considered. That will disadvantage guys like Pavel Bure for Florida and likely keep Patrick Roy off the Avalanche’s First Team, for example – if that’s how each team’s panel interprets the guidelines.
Balancing longevity against peak performance is always a tough tightrope to walk. I tended to examine those difficult calls on a case-by-case basis. Whether team panels lean one way or the other could really affect how things shake out for the new kids on the block, especially Vegas.
And yes, I decided to consider the Thrashers’ history for the Jets teams, and I hope their panel will, too. Leaving Ilya Kovalchuk off this exercise seems ridiculous.
Anaheim Ducks (Jan. 5)
First Team: F Ryan Getzlaf, F Corey Perry, F Teemu Selänne, D Cam Fowler, D Scott Niedermayer, G Jean-Sébastien Giguère
Second Team: F Bobby Ryan, F Rickard Rakell, F Jakob Silfverberg, D Hampus Lindholm, D François Beauchemin, G John Gibson
Arizona Coyotes (Jan. 1)
First Team: F Shane Doan, F Clayton Keller, F Radim Vrbata, D Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D Keith Yandle, G Mike Smith
Second Team: F Ladislav Nagy, F Martin Hanzal, F Nick Schmaltz, D Zbyněk Michálek, D Jakob Chychrun, G Ilya Bryzgalov
Boston Bruins (Jan. 14)
First Team: F Brad Marchand, F Patrice Bergeron, F David Pastrňák, D Zdeno Chára, D Charlie McAvoy, G Tuukka Rask
Second Team: F David Krejčí, F Glen Murray, F Joe Thornton, D Torey Krug, D Brandon Carlo, G Tim Thomas
Buffalo Sabres (Jan. 15)
First Team: F Thomas Vanek, F Jason Pominville, F Derek Roy, D Rasmus Dahlin, D Rasmus Ristolainen, G Ryan Miller
Second Team: F Jack Eichel, F Drew Stafford, F Jochen Hecht, D Henrik Tallinder, D Tyler Myers, G Martin Biron
Calgary Flames (Jan. 11)
First Team: F Johnny Gaudreau, F Jarome Iginla, F Mikael Backlund, D Mark Giordano, D T.J. Brodie, G Miikka Kiprusoff
Second Team: F Sean Monahan, F Matthew Tkachuk, F Elias Lindholm, D Dion Phaneuf, D Robyn Regehr, G Jacob Markström
Carolina Hurricanes (Jan. 17)
First Team: F Eric Staal, F Sebastian Aho, F Rod Brind’Amour, D Jaccob Slavin, D Brett Pesce, G Cam Ward
Second Team: F Jeff Skinner, F Teuvo Teräväinen, F Jordan Staal, D Justin Faulk, D Brady Skjei, G Artūrs Irbe
Chicago Blackhawks (Dec. 31)
First Team: F Patrick Kane, F Jonathan Toews, F Patrick Sharp, D Duncan Keith, D Brent Seabrook, G Corey Crawford
Second Team: F Marián Hossa, F Alex DeBrincat, F Steve Sullivan, D Niklas Hjalmarsson, D Brian Campbell, G Jocelyn Thibault
Colorado Avalanche (Jan. 20)
First Team: F Nathan MacKinnon, F Milan Hejduk, F Joe Sakic, D Cale Makar, D Erik Johnson, G Semyon Varlamov
Second Team: F Mikko Rantanen, F Gabriel Landeskog, F Alex Tanguay, D Tyson Barrie, D John-Michael Liles, G Patrick Roy
Columbus Blue Jackets (Jan. 2)
First Team: F Rick Nash, F Cam Atkinson, F Nick Foligno, D Zach Werenski, D Seth Jones, G Sergei Bobrovsky
Second Team: F Boone Jenner, F David Výborný, F R.J. Umberger, D David Savard, D Fedor Tyutin, G Marc Denis
Dallas Stars (Jan. 16)
First Team: F Jamie Benn, F Tyler Seguin, F Mike Modano, D Sergei Zubov, D John Klingberg, G Marty Turco
Second Team: F Brenden Morrow, F Jason Robertson, F Roope Hintz, D Esa Lindell, D Miro Heiskanen, G Kari Lehtonen
Detroit Red Wings (Jan. 23)
First Team: F Pavel Datsyuk, F Henrik Zetterberg, F Dylan Larkin, D Nicklas Lidström, D Niklas Kronwall, G Jimmy Howard
Second Team: F Tomas Holmström, F Johan Franzén, F Brendan Shanahan, D Brian Rafalski, D Mathieu Schneider, G Chris Osgood
Edmonton Oilers (Jan. 30)
First Team: F Connor McDavid, F Leon Draisaitl, F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, D Darnell Nurse, D Evan Bouchard, G Tommy Salo
Second Team: F Ryan Smyth, F Aleš Hemský, F Jordan Eberle, D Steve Staios, D Oscar Klefbom, G Cam Talbot
Florida Panthers (Jan. 3)
First Team: F Aleksander Barkov, F Jonathan Huberdeau, F Olli Jokinen, D Aaron Ekblad, D Jay Bouwmeester, G Roberto Luongo
Second Team: F Stephen Weiss, F Sam Reinhart, F Nathan Horton, D Gustav Forsling, D Dmitry Kulikov, G Tomáš Vokoun
Los Angeles Kings (Jan. 8)
First Team: F Anže Kopitar, F Dustin Brown, F Jeff Carter, D Drew Doughty, D Ľubomír Višňovský, G Jonathan Quick
Second Team: F Alex Frolov, F Adrian Kempe, F Tyler Toffoli, D Alec Martinez, D Jake Muzzin, G Félix Potvin
Minnesota Wild (Jan. 7)
First Team: F Mikko Koivu, F Marián Gáborík, F Kirill Kaprizov, D Jared Spurgeon, D Ryan Suter, G Niklas Bäckström
Second Team: F Zach Parise, F Pierre-Marc Bouchard, F Andrew Brunette, D Jonas Brodin, D Mathew Dumba, G Devan Dubnyk
Montreal Canadiens (Jan. 19)
First Team: F Tomáš Plekanec, F Max Pacioretty, F Saku Koivu, D Andrei Markov, D P.K. Subban, G Carey Price
Second Team: F Brendan Gallagher, F Nick Suzuki, F Alex Kovalev, D Jeff Petry, D Shea Weber, G José Théodore
Nashville Predators (Jan. 29)
First Team: F Filip Forsberg, F David Legwand, F Martin Erat, D Roman Josi, D Shea Weber, G Pekka Rinne
Second Team: F Craig Smith, F Ryan Johansen, F Viktor Arvidsson, D Ryan Ellis, D Mattias Ekholm, G Juuse Saros
New Jersey Devils (Jan. 22)
First Team: F Patrik Eliáš, F Travis Zajac, F Zach Parise, D Andy Greene, D Brian Rafalski, G Martin Brodeur
Second Team: F Scott Gomez, F Jesper Bratt, F Nico Hischier, D Colin White, D Damon Severson, G Cory Schneider
New York Islanders (Jan. 24)
First Team: F John Tavares, F Brock Nelson, F Anders Lee, D Ryan Pulock, D Nick Leddy, G Ilya Sorokin
Second Team: F Josh Bailey, F Mathew Barzal, F Kyle Okposo, D Noah Dobson, D Adam Pelech, G Rick DiPietro
New York Rangers (Jan. 26)
First Team: F Chris Kreider, F Mika Zibanejad, F Artemi Panarin, D Adam Fox, D Ryan McDonagh, G Henrik Lundqvist
Second Team: F Derek Stepan, F Jaromír Jágr, F Mats Zuccarello, D Dan Girardi, D Marc Staal, G Igor Shesterkin
Ottawa Senators (Jan. 25)
First Team: F Daniel Alfredsson, F Jason Spezza, F Dany Heatley, D Erik Karlsson, D Wade Redden, G Craig Anderson
Second Team: F Brady Tkachuk, F Marián Hossa, F Mark Stone, D Chris Phillips, D Thomas Chabot, G Patrick Lalime
Philadelphia Flyers (Jan. 13)
First Team: F Claude Giroux, F Simon Gagné, F Jakub Voráček, D Kimmo Timonen, D Ivan Provorov, G Steve Mason
Second Team: F Sean Couturier, F Travis Konecny, F Wayne Simmonds, D Travis Sanheim, D Shayne Gostisbehere, G Roman Čechmánek
Pittsburgh Penguins (Jan. 9)
First Team: F Sidney Crosby, F Evgeni Malkin, F Jake Guentzel, D Kris Letang, D Sergei Gonchar, G Marc-André Fleury
Second Team: F Chris Kunitz, F Bryan Rust, F Patric Hörnqvist, D Brian Dumoulin, D Marcus Pettersson, G Matt Murray
San Jose Sharks (Jan. 27)
First Team: F Patrick Marleau, F Joe Thornton, F Joe Pavelski, D Brent Burns, D Marc-Édouard Vlasic, G Evgeni Nabokov
Second Team: F Logan Couture, F Tomáš Hertl, F Jonathan Cheechoo, D Dan Boyle, D Scott Hannan, G Antti Niemi
Seattle Kraken (Jan. 6)
First Team: F Jared McCann, F Jordan Eberle, F Oliver Bjorkstrand, D Vince Dunn, D Adam Larsson, G Philipp Grubauer
Second Team: F Yanni Gourde, F Matty Beniers, F Jaden Schwartz, D Jamie Oleksiak, D William Borgen, G Joey Daccord
St. Louis Blues (Dec. 30)
First Team: F Vladimir Tarasenko, F Alexander Steen, F David Backes, D Alex Pietrangelo, D Colton Parayko, G Jordan Binnington
Second Team: F David Perron, F Keith Tkachuk, F Jaden Schwartz, D Kevin Shattenkirk, D Barret Jackman, G Jake Allen
Tampa Bay Lightning (Jan. 28)
First Team: F Steven Stamkos, F Nikita Kucherov, F Martin St. Louis, D Victor Hedman, D Dan Boyle, G Andrei Vasilevskiy
Second Team: F Vincent Lecavalier, F Brayden Point, F Alex Killorn, D Mikhail Sergachev, D Pavel Kubina, G Ben Bishop
Toronto Maple Leafs (Jan. 4)
First Team: F Auston Matthews, F Mitch Marner, F Mats Sundin, D Tomáš Kaberle, D Morgan Rielly, G Frederik Andersen
Second Team: F William Nylander, F John Tavares, F Phil Kessel, D Bryan McCabe, D Jake Gardiner, G Ed Belfour
Utah Hockey Club (Jan. 31)
First Team: F Dylan Guenther, F Logan Cooley, F Clayton Keller, D Mikhail Sergachev, D Michael Kesselring, G Karel Vejmelka
Second Team: F Nick Schmaltz, F Jack McBain, F Barrett Hayton, D Ian Cole, D Olli Määttä, G Connor Ingram
Vancouver Canucks (Jan. 21)
First Team: F Daniel Sedin, F Henrik Sedin, F Markus Näslund, D Alexander Edler, D Quinn Hughes, G Roberto Luongo
Second Team: F Elias Pettersson, F Alexandre Burrows, F J.T. Miller, D Sami Salo, D Mattias Öhlund, G Thatcher Demko
Vegas Golden Knights (Jan. 12)
First Team: F Jonathan Marchessault, F William Karlsson, F Reilly Smith, D Shea Theodore, D Brayden McNabb, G Marc-André Fleury
Second Team: F Mark Stone, F Max Pacioretty, F Jack Eichel, D Alex Pietrangelo, D Nate Schmidt, G Adin Hill
Washington Capitals (Jan. 18)
First Team: F Alex Ovechkin, F Nicklas Bäckström, F Evgeny Kuznetsov, D John Carlson, D Mike Green, G Braden Holtby
Second Team: F Alexander Semin, F T.J. Oshie, F Tom Wilson, D Dmitry Orlov, D Sergei Gonchar, G Olaf Kölzig
Winnipeg Jets (Jan. 10)
First Team: F Blake Wheeler, F Mark Scheifele, F Ilya Kovalchuk, D Dustin Byfuglien, D Josh Morrissey, G Connor Hellebuyck
Second Team: F Kyle Connor, F Nikolaj Ehlers, F Bryan Little, D Toby Enström, D Neal Pionk, G Ondřej Pavelec
Avalanche Sign Tye Felhaber To Two-Year Deal
The Avalanche have added depth forward Tye Felhaber on a two-year contract that runs for this season and next, per a club announcement. Financial terms were not disclosed, although it’s presumably a two-way deal for the journeyman minor-leaguer.
It’s unclear if Felhaber will end up on waivers later today or if the signing doubles as the 26-year-old’s first NHL call-up. Today’s news doesn’t mark his first NHL contract signing, however. The former OHL All-Star inked an entry-level contract with the Stars as an undrafted free agent in 2019 after lighting up the major junior circuit in his overage season, racking up 109 points in 68 games with the Ottawa 67’s and leading the league’s playoffs in goals with 17 in 18 outings.
However, Felhaber couldn’t convert that production into anything meaningful at the professional level. He managed just eight goals and 18 points in 86 appearances for the Stars’ AHL affiliate in parts of three seasons before they traded him to the Lightning midway through the final season of his contract. Tampa Bay understandably opted not to issue him a qualifying offer when his deal expired, making him an unrestricted free agent.
The Ontario native has since plied his trade on minor-league deals. Following his non-tender, he inked an ECHL contract with the Fort Wayne Komets, and the step down in competition proved prudent for his development. Felhaber exploded for 63 points in 51 games, helping him rebuild his offensive confidence and landing more fruitful minutes in subsequent AHL games with Milwaukee and Colorado. He’s been skating in a top-nine role for the Avalanche’s primary affiliate this season, leading the team with eight goals in 23 appearances.
The Avalanche have an open roster spot, so there wouldn’t be any corresponding moves required to keep Felhaber around for the time being. He could join the Avs on their road trip and make his NHL debut tomorrow in Vancouver.
Islanders Activate Mathew Barzal, Adam Pelech From Injured Reserve
The Islanders will have two pillars back in action today against the Blackhawks. Forward Mathew Barzal and defenseman Adam Pelech have been activated from long-term injured reserve and standard injured reserve, respectively, reports Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. The Isles placed goaltender Semyon Varlamov on injured reserve in a corresponding transaction earlier this morning to open a necessary roster spot.
Barzal, 27, returns at the end of his initial four-to-six-week timeline after he sustained an upper-body injury against the Blue Jackets on Oct. 30. The injury cost him 21 of the Islanders’ 31 contests. They’ve also been without Pelech for almost that entire time. He sustained a fractured jaw midway through the Isles’ first game following Barzal’s injury against the Sabres on Nov. 1.
Neither player’s activation is surprising. Barzal returned to practice with the team on Thursday without a no-contact designation and was upgraded to day-to-day. Head coach Patrick Roy told Rosner yesterday that Barzal would be a game-time decision for today’s contest. Pelech returned to practice with the team in a non-contact sweater last week but was upgraded to full contact along with Barzal’s return to the sheet. Roy said yesterday that he expected the veteran shutdown man to return to action in today’s matinee.
The Islanders managed a 9-7-5 record without their highest-paid forward in the lineup. They’ve also been without Barzal’s early-season linemate, free-agent signing Anthony Duclair, after he sustained a leg injury earlier in October. He was also upgraded to day-to-day on Thursday, but Roy confirmed yesterday that he wasn’t quite ready to come off LTIR ahead of today’s game. That record has at least allowed them to tread water in the Eastern Conference playoff race, ending up with a .500 record with about 62% of their schedule still ahead of them. Their points percentage is good enough for 11th in the conference, and they’re currently just one point behind the Senators for a wild-card spot, although Ottawa has a game in hand on them.
After all of today’s moves, the Isles have a full active roster and just over $100K in cap space, per PuckPedia. They’ll need to clear multiple salaries to have space to activate Duclair in the coming days, which will likely involve Engvall returning to the minors after clearing waivers yesterday.
With Duclair still out and Bo Horvat likely to miss today’s game with a minor lower-body injury, Barzal will play center for the first time in quite a while in his return between captain Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Rosner reports. The 2015 first-round pick wasn’t tracking well offensively before his injury, limited to two goals and three assists in 10 games. The All-Star playmaker was coming off his best season since his Calder-winning rookie campaign in 2017-18, recording a career-best 23 goals with 57 assists for 80 points in 80 games. Besides his rookie campaign, it was his first time reaching the point-per-game mark. They’ll need his production level again to justify his $9.15MM cap hit and give them a chance at a third straight postseason berth.
Pelech returns in his familiar top-pairing role with Ryan Pulock. The 30-year-old lefty had four assists and a -3 rating through 11 contests before the fracture, averaging over 20 minutes per game. At least in the early going of the season, his possession numbers returned to the play that once had him considered one of the best defensive players in the world. The Isles controlled 54.6% of shot attempts with Pelech on the ice at even strength, which will stand as a career-high for the 10-year veteran if it continues. Isaiah George and Grant Hutton will be healthy scratches on the blue line, while Dennis Cholowski flanks Scott Mayfield on their bottom pairing.
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