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.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Red Wings Return Jack Campbell From Emergency Recall
12/15: The Red Wings organization announced they’ve returned Campbell to their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. The roster move likely means Talbot will be healthy enough to return to the lineup before Detroit takes on the Philadelphia Flyers on December 18th.
12/13: With Cam Talbot re-aggravating his injury in practice today and Alex Lyon still not ready to return, the Red Wings need a second goalie for their game tomorrow against Toronto. Rather than bringing prospect Sebastian Cossa back up, they’ve elected to go in a different direction; the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled Jack Campbell from AHL Grand Rapids on an emergency basis.
Detroit signed the 32-year-old to a one-year, one-way deal worth the league minimum in free agency this summer after Edmonton elected to buy out the final three years of his contract back in June, paying him $9MM over the next six years not to play for them. That came on the heels of a disastrous 2023-24 campaign that saw him put up a 4.50 GAA and a .873 SV% in five early-season outings, eventually resulting in him being waived and sent to the minors.
However, Campbell hasn’t played much this season. He entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program late in the preseason and was away from the team for six weeks. Upon his return, he was immediately waived and after passing through unclaimed, he was sent to the Griffins. Campbell has played in just two games since being sent down, posting a 2.55 GAA and a .919 SV% in those outings.
Ville Husso has been the primary starter for Detroit as of late thanks to the injuries and that’s likely to be the case versus the Maple Leafs rather than Campbell getting the nod against one of his former teams. But rather than pulling Cossa back up so quickly, the Red Wings have opted to give him the steadier minutes with the Griffins, giving Campbell at least a shot at a brief NHL stint until either Talbot or Lyon can return.
Senators Recall Leevi Meriläinen, Reassign Zack Ostapchuk
The Ottawa Senators will be without goaltender Anton Forsberg for an undisclosed period due to injury and with that, the team needed a netminder. Ottawa announced they’ve recalled goaltender Leevi Meriläinen from their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators, and have reassigned forward Zack Ostapchuk the other way in a corresponding roster move.
It would be a surprise to see Meriläinen play meaningful minutes with the Senators with his last bit of work with the team coming in the 2022-23 NHL season. Meriläinen started two games for Ottawa that year as his only NHL experience and he finished with a 0-1-1 record and a .878 save percentage.
The former 71st overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft has understandably been more effective with AHL Belleville. Meriläinen has managed a solid 20-11-5 record in 41 AHL contests with a career .908 SV% and 2.65 GAA. Still, it’ll be difficult for the Senators to turn away from Linus Ullmark who’s posted a .966 SV% over his last five starts.
Returning to AHL Belleville is Ostapchuk, who’s been a mildly used forward for the Senators this year. He’s tallied two assists in 16 contests while averaging 9:16 of ice time per game.
As much as Ostapchuk might want to remain in Ottawa he won’t be confined to a fourth-line role for the next few games at the very least. He’s suited up in nine games for Belleville this season where he’s collected one goal and eight points in total.
Blues Looking To Move Brandon Saad
The St. Louis Blues made a surprising acquisition yesterday morning by trading for Cam Fowler from the Anaheim Ducks. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the organization isn’t done making moves just yet.
On yesterday’s rendition of ‘Saturday Headlines’, Friedman reports that the Blues are looking to move on from veteran winger Brandon Saad after making him a healthy scratch last night.
Any trade involving Saad would involve some hurdles. He’s not performing up to his $4.5MM salary for this year and next, not to mention a full no-trade clause for this season that turns into a 12-team no-trade list next year.
Based on Friedman’s description of the environment, Saad appears willing to amend his no-trade protection to facilitate a deal. Still, that doesn’t make other teams more interested in adding an aging winger struggling to score.
Saad rebounded from a disappointing 2022-23 season with a 26-goal, 42-point effort last year. He played in all 82 regular season games for the first time since the 2017-18 season and posted the strongest possession numbers of his career as a member of the Blues organization.
His play hasn’t been as promising this year. Saad has scored four goals and 10 points in 27 games for St. Louis this season which would be his lowest goal-per-game pace since his sophomore campaign in the 2012-13 season.
This is likely the main contributing factor in St. Louis’ inability to move Saad at this point in the regular season. Many competitive teams don’t have the cap space necessary to acquire Saad and they’d likely want to use it on a player projecting higher than 12 goals on the campaign.
Islanders Recall Pierre Engvall, Place Semyon Varlamov On IR
Sunday: According to Andrew Gross of Newsday Sports, the Islanders have recalled Engvall back to the NHL, making the waiver process a bit of a formality. New York won’t have to place Engvall on waivers for another 30 days giving the organization some added flexibility. Gross also shares that the team has placed goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who’s missed the last eight games with a lower-body injury, on injured reserve retroactive to November 29th.
Saturday: Engvall cleared waivers, Friedman reports. When he’s re-assigned to Bridgeport, they will free up a pro-rated $1.15MM in cap space. As for Wahlstrom, he was claimed by Boston.
Friday: The Islanders have placed wingers Pierre Engvall and Oliver Wahlstrom on waivers for the purposes of assignment to AHL Bridgeport, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
After the Isles clear their roster spots tomorrow, they’ll have increased flexibility to activate their trio of injured skaters – Mathew Barzal, Anthony Duclair and Adam Pelech – from injured reserve. All three have practiced this week without a non-contact designation.
Engvall thus ends up on the wire for the second time this season. The 28-year-old tumbled down the Islanders’ depth chart during training camp and ended up on waivers before opening night rosters were due. After he managed 10 goals and 28 points in 74 games last season, it was no surprise to see him pass through unclaimed with a whopping six years and $18MM left on the seven-year deal he signed to remain on Long Island in 2023. As such, the likelihood of him being claimed this time remains slim.
In his 20-game call-up since being summoned in place of Duclair in October, Engvall has three goals and six points with a -3 rating. He’s been a healthy scratch three times in the last seven games, so it’s unsurprising to see him being one of the odd ones out to make way for their stars’ return. Waiving him also offers them the most significant possible financial benefit, which is an important consideration as they must navigate cap compliance while activating Barzal and Duclair from LTIR. They won’t be able to bury all of Engvall’s $3MM cap hit in the minors, but they will be able to shed a total of $2.15MM in cap hits combined between him and Wahlstrom.
In six games with Bridgeport in October, Engvall had just one goal. It was his first AHL action since the 2019-20 campaign as a member of the Maple Leafs organization.
Wahlstrom has been the less productive of the pair this season. While the Islanders avoided exposing the 2018 11th overall pick to waivers for as long as possible, there’s no better time than now. The 24-year-old Maine native has just two goals and four points in 27 games this season, averaging a career-low 10:04 per game.
A restricted free agent last summer, the Islanders came to terms on a one-year, $1MM deal for Wahlstrom before his scheduled arbitration hearing. Unfortunately, that choice precipitated Wahlstrom’s worst showing yet as an NHLer. While his offensive production never jumped off the page like they’d hoped, he was at least a semi-effective physical presence. He hasn’t been that at all this season, logging only seven hits in 27 games – his first time averaging under one per game. He also has an abysmal 38% shot attempt share at even strength and a 33.3% expected goals share, creating an argument for Wahlstrom as one of the least valuable skaters in the league.
Now in his sixth NHL season, Wahlstrom may be too far along in his development to be considered a legitimate bounce-back candidate with a change of scenery. Nonetheless, the former electric scoring threat in juniors may have at least one taker on the waiver wire as his $1MM cap hit is fully buriable in the minors if he doesn’t work out.
Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Evening Notes: Parssinen, Kuzmenko, Dumba
The Nashville Predators have continued to be one of the NHL’s busiest teams this season, making trades to revamp their goaltending and move out stalling veterans in favor of top prospects. It seems the latter trend could continue, with the team eyeing trades for forward Juuso Parssinen per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in the latest 32 Thoughts. Friedman compared the rumors to Nashville’s separating from Philip Tomasino and Dante Fabbro, who have each found far more success in their new homes. Tomasino has three goals and four points in seven games with Pittsburgh, while Fabbro has seven points in 15 games with Columbus.
Parssinen has just five points through 15 games this season – four of which came in a four-game span in mid-November. He’s recorded no scoring and a -6 in seven games since that hot streak, losing grip on his third-line role along the way. This year marks Parssinen’s first with a full-time role on the Predators roster, after splitting the last two seasons between the NHL and AHL. He scored an admirable 25 points in 45 games as a rookie – coupled by nine points in 10 AHL games – in 2022-23. But Parssinen took a step back at both levels last season, scoring just 12 points in 44 NHL games and 25 points in 36 AHL games. Making the Predators roster out of training camp was an encouraging sign heading into this year, but after 15 games, the former seventh-round pick may no longer be a fit. His six-foot-three frame and serviceable play at center should draw plenty of attention from around the league, though his 42 points in 104 career games likely won’t earn Nashville a hefty return.
Other notes from around the league:
- Calgary Flames winger Andrei Kuzmenko is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Walker Duehr is expected to fill his role in Saturday’s game against Florida. Kuzmenko has just one goal and 10 points in 28 games this season. He was healthy scratched for three games at the start of the month, and has since recorded one point and a -2 in three games. He’ll need a return to full health to come with more confident scoring if he wants to ward off emerging prospects Duehr and Jakob Pelletier.
- Dallas Stars head coach Pete DeBoer provided a bit of clarity into Matt Dumba‘s injury, telling Brian Rea of Bally Sports Southwest that he is somewhere between day-to-day and week-to-week. Dumba has missed Dallas’ last two games after suffering an upper-body injury in Sunday’s matchup against Calgary. He’s been oft-injured in his first year with the Stars, limited in or outright missing 10 of Dallas’ 28 games this season. That’s made adjusting to the new setting tough, evidenced by Dumba’s one assist in 19 games – a team-low in scoring among players with more than a few games played. Dumba faced nagging injuries between 2018 and 2021, but rediscovered his health in the last two seasons. Unfortunately, he hasn’t found the scoring of his early career in the return. Once a 50-point scorer, Dumba posted just 26 points in 155 games between 2022-23 and 2023-24. He played for three teams – Minnesota, Arizona, and Tampa Bay – in that span.
Wild Place Jakub Lauko On IR, Recall Jesper Wallstedt
The Minnesota Wild have placed forward Jakub Lauko on injured reserve just a few hours after he left the team’s Saturday game against Philadelphia with a lower-body injury. Lauko played three minutes in the win. He’ll now have to miss at least seven days of action, making next Saturday’s matchup against Winnipeg his next chance to step into the lineup. In a corresponding, and surprising, move Minnesota has utilized an emergency recall on goaltender Jesper Wallstedt, suggesting some sort of injury to Filip Gustavsson. Gustavsson backed up Marc-Andre Fleury on Saturday. There’s been no indication of what he may be dealing with.
This news adds to a mounting list of injuries in Minnesota. Winger Mats Zuccarello and defender Jonas Brodin each returned from injury on Saturday – but the team is still without Joel Eriksson Ek, Jacob Middleton, and Yakov Trenin. The former two are both on IR, while the latter was ruled out of Saturday’s game just hours before it started due to an upper-body injury. Luckily, Trenin is only listed as questionable for the team’s Sunday game against Vegas per Michael Russo of The Athletic.
Even Lauko has faced an injury bug, returning on Tuesday from a previous lower-body injury that held him out of six games. It’s unclear if the two injuries are connected, but he’ll return to IR for the second time this season. The routine absences have made it hard for Lauko to find his footing in a new setting after a draft-day trade sent him to Minnesota for Vinni Lettieri and a swap of fourth-round picks. Lauko has recorded four points and a -6 in his first 23 games with the Wild – though he has found ground as a bruiser, ranking third on the team with 46 hits. Lauko is in his third NHL season, spending the previous two in Boston, where he combined for 17 points and 220 hits in 83 games.
The Wild deployed Reese Johnson in Trenin’s role on Saturday. Assuming Trenin returns soon, Johnson could slide over to fill Lauko’s role. Minnesota is also carrying Liam Ohgren and Devin Shore. Neither has scored at in the NHL this season – Ohgren in eight games and Shore in 11 – but they’re both top scorers in the minors. Ohgren has scored 11 points in 12 games for the AHL’s Iowa Wild, while Shore has 10 points in 14 games. Trying to get the monkey off either player’s back at the NHL level could be a good use of time, especially given Ohgren’s case for being Minnesota’s top prospect.
If not Ohgren, the top prospect title would likely go to Wallstedt, even amidst a struggling year. Wallstedt has a 5-6-1 record and .874 save percentage in 12 AHL games this season, including five games of allowing five-or-more goals. This recall could be the balancing piece, though his chance at seeing ice time will largely hinge on the severity of Gustavsson’s injury. Wallstedt played in his first three NHL games last season, setting a 2-1-0 record and .897 save percentage. He’s been the AHL starter since 2022-23, recording a much more encouraging 45-40-10 record and .905 Sv% in 95 games.
Sharks Activate Will Smith, Place Klim Kostin On IR
The San Jose Sharks have placed winger Klim Kostin on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. Kostin left San Jose’s Thursday night win over St. Louis in the second period, after a scrum in the corner with a few Blues players. He didn’t appear to get hurt in the altercation, and no word on his official injury has come out. Kostin was a game-time decision for San Jose’s Tuesday loss to Carolina, after blocking a shot with his foot at practice – though he was ultimately able to play. It’s not clear if that lower-body injury is connected to this IR placement.
In a corresponding move, San Jose has activated top young forward William Smith off of IR. Smith spent the last four days on IR with an upper-body injury. He is expected to step right back into the Sharks’ lineup when they host Utah on Saturday. Smith hasn’t played since December 5th, but scored an impressive seven points in six games leading up to his injury. He’s up to 11 points through 24 games this season, after starting the year with no scoring in his first eight NHL games.
Swapping Kostin and Smith may be a jarring change in style, but it should be a seamless lineup change. Kostin earned a promotion to the third line in late November. He’s averaged over 13 minutes of ice time in six games since – a hefty step from his eight-minute-average in San Jose’s first 14 games. With Kostin now headed for the shelf, and newcomer Nikolai Kovalenko expected to round out the top-six next to Macklin Celebrini, the third-line wing will be a natural landing spot for the young Smith. The Sharks have averaged just 2.00 goals-per-game through five games in the month of December – setting Smith up to be an impactful sparkplug, if he can rediscover the scoring hot streak he was on before injury.