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Snapshots: Hintz, Lavoie, Canucks, Husso

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Stars forward Roope Hintz has returned to Dallas to be further evaluated after sustaining an upper-body injury on Saturday against Edmonton, notes Robert Tiffin of D Magazine (Twitter link).  Head coach Peter DeBoer stated that the early indications are that the injury isn’t a long-term one while it appears as if a fracture has been ruled out as well.  Hintz had been on quite the hot streak recently; going into yesterday’s game, he had 17 points in his last eight appearances and was anchoring the top line.  While it appears the worst-case scenarios are going to be avoided, they’ll be without him tonight against Vancouver and likely a little longer than that.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The Golden Knights have placed winger Raphael Lavoie on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, relays Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (Twitter link). After an adventurous stint on the waiver wire to start the year, the 24-year-old has played primarily with AHL Henderson, tallying 21 points in 32 games.  Lavoie has made nine appearances with Vegas on a pair of recalls but has been held off the scoresheet while logging just over 10 minutes a game.  Lavoie’s placement will keep him out of the lineup until at least Thursday.
  • The Canucks have reversed their goalie move from yesterday, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled Arturs Silovs from AHL Abbotsford while sending Nikita Tolopilo to Abbotsford. The move allowed Silovs to start yesterday against San Jose where he allowed four goals on 28 shots.  Silovs has a 3.85 GAA with a .858 SV% in nine outings with Vancouver and is set to be the primary backup with Thatcher Demko back on injured reserve.  But to keep him fresh, the Canucks could send him down periodically to get a spot start in with Abbotsford.
  • A day after sending him back to the minors, Anaheim’s AHL affiliate in San Diego announced that the Ducks have once again recalled goaltender Ville Husso to the big club. He was acquired for future considerations last month to add some goalie depth and has a 2.84 GAA along with a .908 SV% in 17 AHL contests this season while compiling a 3.69 GAA and a .866 SV% in nine NHL contests.  Husso is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Post-Deadline Notes: Armia, Ferraro, Blue Jackets, Flames

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The Canadiens elected to stand pat at the trade deadline, a small sign of confidence in their group that has gotten back to the edge of the playoff picture since the 4 Nations Face-Off.  But in doing so, it appears as if they opted not to make at least one move of some significance as Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reports that they could have landed a second-round pick for winger Joel Armia.  The 31-year-old has 11 goals and 14 assists in 63 games this season but also has been one of the most-used players shorthanded while carrying a $3.4MM cap charge (which they may have had to pay down to make the move).  Armia is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Other notes from the recently passed trade deadline:

  • Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro had been in trade speculation going all the way back to last season but remained with San Jose through the deadline. Part of the reason for that might have been the asking price as Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now suggests that GM Mike Grier was seeking a first-round pick plus another asset for the 26-year-old.  Ferraro has 11 points along with 101 blocks and 136 hits in 65 games while logging over 21 minutes a night and has one year left on his contract that carries a $3.25MM AAV.
  • Going back to the start of training camp, Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell had talked openly about being willing to take on a contract or even act as a third-party retainer to add some assets. Neither of those wound up happening.  He told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch that they had a pair of trades lined up on Thursday that would have seen them be a third-party retainer fall through plus another on Friday so it wasn’t for a lack of effort that they weren’t able to utilize any of those retention slots.
  • The Flames were hoping to act as a third-party broker heading into the deadline, relays Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Herald. However, it doesn’t appear that any options were available to Calgary on rental contracts.  While they had options to act as a retainer for a contract that ran through next season, Calgary was not willing to take on dead money beyond this year, keeping their salary cap flexibility as much as possible.

Blackhawks Notes: Donato, Soderstrom, Sorensen

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On Friday, the Blackhawks rekindled discussions about a possible contract extension with pending unrestricted free agent forward Ryan Donato and while an agreement wasn’t reached, Chicago elected to hold onto him anyway.  Scott Powers of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that the deal that the team put on the table was a three-year offer worth somewhere around $4MM per season.  That would effectively double his current price tag while the term is low enough that he’d be off the books when some of their younger core will be heading toward pricey second contracts.  The 28-year-old has a career-best 23 goals and 25 assists through 62 games this season despite not even averaging 16 minutes a night.  He’ll now have to weigh if he can do better than that on the open market or if he’s better off staying in a place he knows he fits with.

More from Chicago:

  • Also from Powers’ piece, he notes that the Blackhawks will look at signing defenseman Victor Soderstrom for next season. Acquired as part of the trade that saw Chicago pick up Shea Weber’s contract earlier this week, the 24-year-old returned to play in Sweden this season and has fared quite well, tallying 36 points in 48 games with Brynas.  Soderstrom has 53 career NHL games under his belt with Phoenix (who drafted him 11th overall in 2019) and 170 outings in the AHL.  But if Chicago views him as more of a depth option on a two-way deal, Soderstrom could elect to stay and play a prominent role at home.
  • During his post-deadline press conference (video link), GM Kyle Davidson noted that with the deadline now gone, they will turn their focus to a decision on their head coach. Anders Sorensen is the interim bench boss following the early-season dismissal of Luke Richardson but the team doesn’t have an inclination of what route they intend to go with Sorensen just yet.  The team has played to a 12-19-7 record, good for a .408 points percentage compared to the .346 they were at before the change.

Penguins Sign Chase Pietila

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The Penguins have signed one of their prospects from their most recent draft class.  The team announced that they’ve signed defenseman Chase Pietila to a three-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed but the deal will begin next season.

The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick (111th overall) back in June in his final year of eligibility.  He spent two years with USHL Youngstown, the second of which saw him break through with 36 points along with 125 penalty minutes in 60 games in the 2022-23 season.

From there, Pietila moved on to Michigan Tech where a solid freshman year that saw him notch 22 points in 40 games got him on the draft radar.  This season, he potted seven goals and 15 assists in 36 contests and is wasting little time getting his professional career started now.

As a result of the deal starting next season, Pietila won’t be eligible to suit up for Pittsburgh at all down the stretch.  However, he is eligible to sign an ATO agreement with either AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton or ECHL Wheeling and will likely do so in the coming days.

Flames’ Dustin Wolf Should Be Separating From Calder Trophy Pack

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The 2025 Calder Trophy race is living up to every bit of the excitement it’s built up over the last few years. There are star options at every single position, with San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini, Philadelphia Flyers winger Matvei Michkov, and Montreal Canadiens defender Lane Hutson receiving the most acclaim. But the focus on high-scoring skaters has left behind the focus that should be going to star Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf, as he nearly single-handedly blazes a rebuilding Flames to the postseason.

Wolf has been dazzling since the start of the season. He opened the year with a three-game win streak and .936 save percentage. By the end of December, Wolf had full claim over Calgary’s starter’s crease, and a fantastic 12-5-2 record and .914 save percentage to show for it. Even better, he’s managed to find a second gear since the calendar turned over. Wolf ranks ninth in the NHL with 10 wins, and sixth in save percentage with a .916, since January 1st. His statline has placed him in the company of potential Vezina Trophy candidates like Connor Hellebuyck, Logan Thompson, and Darcy Kuemper.

The performance is almost hard to believe. Wolf’s season-long .915 save percentage ranks sixth in the NHL this season – and marks the highest from a U24 starting goaltender since Jeremy Swayman managed the same total in 2021-22. At an age where the top echelon of goaltender begin to separate from the pack, Wolf has shown his ability to perform on a nightly basis.

Even better, he’s managed it behind a Flames roster that entered the season seemingly in the midst of a rebuild. Calgary is on the tail end of one of the biggest fire-sales in recent memory, shipping off each of Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, Jacob Markstrom, Andrew Mangiapane, Elias Lindholm, and Nikita Zadorov in and around the the 2023-24 season. That’s massive turnover – and forced big roles onto veterans that stuck around, like Rasmus Andersson and Nazem Kadri, and top youngsters, like Matthew Coronato, Connor Zary, and Kevin Bahl. The ensuing instability has shown in Calgary’s on-ice results. They’ve allowed the eighth-most shots-against per-game this season (29.2), and the highest expected goals-against per-60 (xGA/60) of any Western Conference team in the race for the playoffs (2.43) per MoneyPuck.

Despite the bombardment they face, Calgary has also allowed the 12th-fewest goals of any team in the league (181). Wolf’s consistency has willed the Flames to the Western Conference’s second Wild Card slot, even as they sit with a -20 goal differential (161-to-181). They’ve allowed the 12th-fewest goals in the league, with Wolf on track to record 50 starts in his rookie season.

It’s far harder to measure a goaltender’s value at a glance than it is to measure a skater’s. Hutson, Celebrini, and Michkov leading NHL rookies in scoring with 49, 48, and 47 points respectively puts them into a clear top-notch group. Hutson leading the pack as a defenseman is an even deeper sentiment. But none of the trio have quite broken away from the rest of their position group. Celebrini and Michkov remain buried in forward scoring. Hutson ranks eighth in points from a defenseman, though he’s the only one in the top 10 with a negative plus-minus. Meanwhile, Wolf ranks sixth in save percentage (.915), 11th in total wins (22), and 13th in goals-against average (2.52). He’s quickly jumped into company with the NHL’s best netminders in his first real opportunity, all while operating with the precedent of a former seventh-round pick standing at just six-foot tall.

The Calder Trophy hasn’t gone to a netminder since Steve Mason won it with the 2008-09 Columbus Blue Jackets. Mason tied for the 11th-highest save percentage (.916) and 10th-most wins (33), and outright earned the second-highest goals-against average (2.29) that season. The Calder win was marked by Mason quickly earning Columbus’ starting role and near single-handedly willing the team to their first postseason berth in franchise history, after seven years without one. His performance may stand a slide head taller than Wolf’s, but the two seasons are eerily similar. Mason beat out (second in voting), Drew Doughty (fifth), and Steven Stamkos (ninth) – among others – for the 2009 Calder Trophy. Wolf’s competition may be a bit more direct this year – but past precedent could, and should, be enough to bestow the new face of Calgary’s crease with the Rookie of the Year title.

Oilers Showed Interest In Mikko Rantanen, Ryan Donato, Rickard Rakell

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It was a quiet but impactful Trade Deadline for the Edmonton Oilers. They brought in top-four defenseman Jake Walman and bottom-six bruiser Trent Frederic to bolster an offense that already ranked eighth in total goals this season. But as the dust begins to settle, it seems Edmonton came close to a far more exciting deadline season, and even had a chance at Carolina Hurricanes asset Mikko Rantanen. Edmonton was reportedly close to agreeing on extension terms with Rantanen, but ultimately couldn’t build a trade package that enticed Carolina enough to land the deal, shares TSN’s Ryan Rishaug. In the end, Rantanen was moved to the Dallas Stars in exchange for top young forward Logan Stankoven, two first-round draft picks, and two third-round picks.

It’s hard to imagine Edmonton could put together an offer better than that. Edmonton only has one pick – a 2026 second – in the top-two rounds of 2025 and 2026. They also don’t have nearly the young talent that Dallas had to offer. Vasily Podkolzin is almost certainly their closest comparable – one year older and as NHL engrained as Stankoven – and he’d be hard to move after a nice stylistic fit in Edmonton has led him to 21 points in 61 games this year. The Oilers could have offered top prospect Matthew Savoie, who ranks third on the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors in scoring with 40 points in 47 games. But neither asset quite stands up to Stankoven’s pedigree, and it’s likely their lacking draft capital was the ultimate dividing line.

Rishaug adds that Edmonton also tested the waters on acquiring top winger Rickard Rakell from the Pittsburgh Penguins, and red-hot centerman Ryan Donato from the Chicago Blackhawks. Rakell has been a standout, top-line option for the Penguins this season – boasting 29 goals and 53 points in 64 games this season. That scoring – and his standing as one of a few bright spots in Pittsburgh’s season – certainly hiked up his price at the deadline. Especially in the midst of an inflated market, it’s again hard to imagine Edmonton’s empty draft cabinet could have pried Rakell away. Donato would have likely cost much less – though he is having a career year with 23 goals and 48 points in 62 games – but his center role would have buried him down Edmonton’s lineup. In the end, they landed their third-line boost in a deal with the Bruins – and get the boost of adding a hard-nosed enforcer to protect superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the postseason.

For as quiet as it ended up, it seems Oilers general manager Stan Bowman made sure to busy up his deadline. The Oilers have six players headed for unrestricted free agency, and two headed for restricted free agency, which should clear up roughly $14.71MM in cap space this summer per PuckPedia. That could be just enough space to get Bowman back on the phones as the NHL Draft and start of free agency role around. The Oilers added plenty of new faces last summer, signing each of Viktor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner, and Corey Perry to short-term deals.

Islanders’ Semyon Varlamov Likely Out For Season, Offseason Priorities Forming

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New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello sat down with media for an in-depth look at the team’s current state after the Trade Deadline and where he plans to head this summer. Among the biggest news was that top backup goaltender Semyon Varlamov will likely miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season with his lower-body injury, captured by Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News.

Varlamov has been out of the lineup since late November, but the root of his injury wasn’t entirely clear. He played through a full 61 minutes of action in what could be his last game of the season – an 5-4 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals on November 29th. He’s been on the shelf ever since, while the Islanders have turned towards Marcus Hogberg and Jakub Skarek to fill backup minutes behind star starter Ilya Sorokin.

Lamoriello went on to speak in depth about the team’s plans for veterans Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, sharing that their goal was to sign both to extensions beyond this season. That plan went awry with Nelson, who was ultimately flipped to the Colorado Avalanche for top prospect Calum Ritchie and draft capital – but Lamoriello emphasized that the team still hopes to bring Palmieri back into the fold, per Newsday’s Andrew Gross. In the same breath, Lamoriello also pointed out that the Islanders need to get younger. They currently carry the 10th-oldest lineup in the NHL, with an average age of 28.96. Of the nine teams older than them, the Pittsburgh Penguins are the only team in shakier playoff standing than the Wild Card-bound Islanders.

The effort to get younger will mean plenty of change this summer, Lamoriello added. He told Gross that the term “retool” is a relatively new juxtaposition to the long-term idea of a “rebuild”. The Islanders will attempt to stick in the former camp this summer, refreshing the lineup with top prospects and new faces while trimming down on their veteran presence. That could be a challenge if keeping players like Palmieri – a 34-year-old with 20 goals and 41 points in 62 games this season – is at the top of the docket. New York likely won’t want to part with franchise cornerstone Anders Lee, or productive veterans like Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal – which could make top defenders like Noah Dobson, Ryan Pulock, and Adam Pelech the focus of any large-scale moves.

The Boston Bruins received top prospect Fraser Minten and a first-round draft pick, among other assets, for top-pair defensive defenseman Brandon Carlo at the Deadline. That price was likely hiked up in a seller’s market, but finding a comparable deal could be the start of New York’s efforts to retool. The Islanders will also have to make sure they’re elevating newly-acquired top prospects to important roles as soon as they can with the youth-movement in mind – an effort they’re already headed towards by clearing Nelson’s role for Ritchie in their recent swap.

New York finds themselves three points behind the Eastern Conference’s second Wild Card spot with 20 games left in their season. It’s a hotly contested race, with at least six teams within striking distance of a playoff spot. Moving out Nelson, who was previously tied for the team lead in scoring with 43 points, will make achieving that postseason berth a tough feat. So will losing Varlamov, who had a career-low .889 save percentage this season but posted a far more impressive .917 in his last four seasons with the Islanders. Those absences will require improved performances from the likes of Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Hogberg to keep New York competitive.

The Islanders will have six unrestricted free agents and seven restricted free agents to re-sign when their season ends. Among the pending free agents is top-performing rookie Maxim Tsyplakov, top defenders Dobson and Alexander Romanov, and recent acquisitions Tony DeAngelo, Scott Perunovich, and Adam Boqvist. With only three contracts north of $7MM on their books, the Islanders should have plenty of money to work with this summer – a technical $28.9MM per PuckPedia. With his recent comments, it seems veteran GM Lamoriello is set to use that money to its fullest this summer – in an attempt to rejuvenate an Islanders lineup that’s fallen behind the playoff wave this season.

Blackhawks’ Artyom Levshunov Recalled, Expected To Make NHL Debut

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The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled top prospect Artyom Levshunov to the NHL roster. This marks the second call-up of the 2024 second-overall pick’s young career. He is expected to immediately step into the Hawks lineup, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Levshunov’s last call-up came on February 3rd, in the days leading up to Chicago’s two-week break for the 4-Nations Face-Off. He stuck around the NHL roster for two days worth of practices, but was returned to the minor leagues before he had a chance to break into the Blackhawks lineup. Levshunov has nine points in 12 AHL games since being reassigned – a major uptick on his 13 points in 38 games prior. With 22 points in 50 games across the full season, Levshunov ranks ninth among AHL rookie defensemen in scoring.

The Blackhawks controversially opted for Levshunov’s stout defense over the dynamic scoring of winger Ivan Demidov and the physical presence of center Cayden Lindstrom with their top pick in last year’s draft. The decision came after Levshunov fought his way into the role of number-one defenseman for the Big Ten’s Michigan State University, after transferring from the USHL to college hockey late into the 2023 summer. The quick move was just one year after Levshunov moved from Belarus’ juniors league to the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers. He adjusted quickly to both junior hockey and collegiate hockey – and now seems to be bringing along his scoring at a pro level too.

Chicago will get a chance to bank on Levshunov’s hot streak with this recall. The Blackhawks have a glaring hole on right-defense after trading star defender Seth Jones ahead of the Trade Deadline. Jones’ minutes have been filled by Louis Crevier and Connor Murphy in the immediate wake of the deal, but have allowed an average of 37 shots-against in their four games since the Jones trade. That’s a ton of pressure for new acquisition Spencer Knight in net, and while he’s handled it well – finding a way to stop up the barrage of shots will be a top priority for Chicago’s remaining season. The stout two-way play of Levshunov could be exactly what Chicago needs, and gives the Blackhawks an even better chance to lean into their future amidst a punted season.

Utah’s Connor Ingram Enters NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program

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Utah goaltender Connor Ingram entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program today and will be out indefinitely, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports. In a corresponding move, the club recalled netminder Jaxson Stauber from AHL Tucson earlier Sunday.

Ingram, now 27, missed most of the 2020-21 season after entering the program while a member of the Predators organization. He later told NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin that he sought help after dealing with undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder throughout his career. After moving to the Coyotes in the 2022 offseason, he emerged as their starter for the 2023-24 campaign and won the Masterton Trophy for the “player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey” after a 23-win, six-shutout campaign.

Now the No. 2 option to Karel Vejmelka in Utah, Ingram missed over a month with the team initially termed an upper-body injury earlier in the season. Upon his return, he informed reporters his mother had passed away and, understandably, took extended time off (via Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune).

In 22 starts for the Club this season, Ingram has a 9-8-4 record, .882 SV%, and a 3.27 GAA. The 25-year-old Stauber has done quite well when called upon to elevate from his minor-league starting role, posting a .925 SV% and 2.23 GAA in four appearances earlier this season.

All of us at Pro Hockey Rumors wish Ingram the best as he takes time away from the lineup. He’ll be eligible to return to play upon the determination of program administrators.

Sabres Remain Intent On Extending JJ Peterka

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One of the more intriguing players to hit the rumor mill in the days leading up to Friday’s deadline was Sabres winger JJ Peterka. Amid yet another disappointing season in Buffalo, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff initially reported last week the pending RFA was drawing interest on the market and then seconded a report from Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News that the Rangers were interested in making a deal for the 23-year-old.

Of course, the 2020 second-round pick stayed put in Buffalo. It was still an eventful deadline for Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams, who extended wingers Jordan Greenway and Jason Zucker while swapping Dylan Cozens for Joshua Norris down the middle in a trade with the Sens. However, he reiterated Friday to Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald that he was never interested in nor close to moving Peterka.

“Zero, zero truth to that, anything around JJ in terms of looking to move him or any of that stuff,” Adams said. “I think JJ’s a guy that’s a young player still. We’re going to sit down after the season, we’ll get to his agent immediately, say, ‘OK, where do we go from here?’ I just think he’s one of our core young guys. We need him to continue to get better, and we need to make sure that we’re also explaining to him how we’re going to make the team better.”

That extension could be a rich one if Buffalo hammers down on a longer-term deal with Peterka, a prudent decision to ensure they avoid a contentious negotiation in a few years amid what’s hopefully a rise back to playoff relevance. AFP Analytics projects a six-year deal worth north of $6.5MM per season, but with Peterka now producing at a 26-goal, 70-point pace over 82 games this year, it’s easy to imagine him landing more.

The Munich native is arguably the only member of Buffalo’s young core forwards that have met or exceeded expectations this season. He’s already set a new career-high in points (51) in 60 games, eclipsing last year’s 50-point breakout. He’s done so while playing over 18 minutes per game, earning his way up to a consistent top-line role for much of the campaign. A good chunk of his production has come at even strength, and he’d likely be hovering around a point per game if the Sabres had a league-average power play instead of their 27th-ranked 16.8% success rate.

His 14.1 shooting rate this year is also a career-high but doesn’t jump out as being particularly unsustainable. He’s also been one of Buffalo’s best possession players, controlling 52.4% of shot attempts when on the ice at even strength. That’s fourth on the team behind Zach Benson (56.3%), Rasmus Dahlin (55.5%), and Tage Thompson (52.7%).

All of that points to Peterka as an undeniable top-six piece long-term for the Sabres, one they’d struggle mightily to replace if they dealt him. While little has gone right for Buffalo in their continued attempts to exit rebuild mode over the last decade, he’s proven himself a must-have contributor as they look toward next season.

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