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The Vancouver Canucks have announced that they have hired former Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Jack Johnson as a pro scout. 

With Johnson being hired as a scout by the Canucks, this indicates that the veteran defenseman's playing career is over. Now, he will focus on helping the Canucks as they continue to move toward the future. 

Johnson attempted to play a 20th season in the NHL when he joined the Minnesota Wild at training camp on a professional tryout (PTO). However, he did not get a contract from the Wild for the season and also did not sign with another club. 

Johnson spent his final season in the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he posted six assists, 21 hits, and 35 blocks in 41 games. 

Johnson was a member of the Blackhawks during the 2022-23 season, where he served as a solid mentor for the club's young players. In 58 games with the Blackhawks during that campaign, he recorded four assists, 75 hits, and 96 blocks. The Blackhawks would then trade him to the Avalanche ahead of the 2023 NHL trade deadline. 

Former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Jack Johnson's playing career is over, as the 38-year-old has now landed a new job.

The Vancouver Canucks have announced that they have hired Johnson as a pro scout. 

After not landing a contract for the 2025-26 season from his professional tryout (PTO) with the Minnesota Wild, Johnson did not sign a deal elsewhere. Now, the longtime NHL blueliner will be beginning his off-ice career with the Canucks organization after landing this scout position. 

Johnson spent two seasons with the Penguins from 2018-19 to 2019-20. In 149 games with the Penguins over that span, the left-shot defenseman posted four goals, 20 assists, 24 points, and 416 hits. 

Johnson's time with the Penguins ended when they bought him out ahead of the 2020-21 season. From there, he went on to sign a one-year contract with the New York Rangers in free agency.

In 1,228 career NHL games, Johnson recorded 77 goals, 265 assists, and 342 points. 

John Gibson made 35 saves as the Detroit Red Wings took down the Ottawa Senators 5-3 on Monday night. James Van Riemsdyk led Detroit with a three point effort, but it was the veteran Gibson who was the difference, badly outperforming the comparatively untested Ottawa duo of Leevi Merilainen and Hunter Shepard.

Merilainen was replaced by Shepard at the start of the second period after allowing three goals on eight shots. The Sens goals came from Claude Giroux, Dylan Cozens, and Brady Tkachuk.

We chronicled this game live here at The Hockey News-Ottawa. Here's your recap.

First Period

0:38 - The Senators go on the power play early with some fresh ice to work with as Marco Kasper takes a tripping minor on Brady Tkachuk. Ottawa runs a highly effective power play, firing seven shots, but Red Wings goaltender John Gibson turns them all aside.

4:06 - Thomas Chabot barely keeps the puck in at the Detroit blue line, charging forward and dishing it to Stephen Halliday, who sends it right back. Chabot then finds David Perron with a cross-ice pass, and Perron’s shot goes in off Nick Cousins. After a lengthy coach’s challenge for offside, the goal is overturned. Apparently the NHL had an angle we didn’t. Either way, nothing fans love more than goals coming off the board because of a millimetre offside.

5:08 - Brady Tkachuk threads the needle to Dylan Cozens on a 2-on-1 break. Cozens tries a forehand-backhand move but whiffs on the backhand and fails to get a shot away.

5:57 - Lucas Raymond breaks down the wing and gets a clear shot on Leevi Meriläinen, using his linemate as a decoy. Meriläinen makes a nice save, deflecting the puck out of play.

7:06 - GOAL: Tyler Kleven attempts to dump the puck in from center ice, but it clips Andrew Copp’s stick. Copp gets a breakaway and beats Meriläinen glove side to open the scoring. Detroit leads 1-0.

10:36 - Jordan Spence makes a great move along the boards and finds Claude Giroux alone in the slot. Giroux snaps a shot that just misses John Gibson’s glove and sails over the net.

13:10 - David Perron takes a minor penalty for slew-footing (tripping) Mason Appleton.

13:51 - GOAL: Dylan Larkin scores immediately for the Red Wings. Former Senator Alex DeBrincat fires a shot from the point. Meriläinen makes the initial save, but the rebound kicks out to James van Riemsdyk. JVR sends it across to Larkin, who has a wide-open net. 2-0 Detroit.

17:10 - Ben Chiarot takes a delay-of-game penalty for shooting the puck over the glass while trying to clear the zone. David Perron and Drake Batherson both get wide-open looks, but Gibson shuts the door on each chance.

19:43 - GOAL: James van Riemsdyk ends up with the puck on his stick amid traffic in front. He spins and fires, and Meriläinen never sees it. The puck goes in off Merilainen's skate. It's 3-0 Wings.

End of the first period:

Detroit 3, Ottawa 0.

The Senators outshoot the Red Wings 17–8.

Second Period

0:00 - After giving up three goals on seven shots, Meriläinen’s night is over. Backup Hunter Shepard comes in to start the second. This is just the 30-year-old’s sixth NHL game. He does have a habit of winning, though, with two AHL titles and two NCAA championships. Anyone up for a Huntburglar run?

4:18 - Tyler Kleven moves further into the doghouse, taking a tripping penalty on Lucas Raymond.

4:48 - Larkin rings one off both the crossbar and the post. He thinks he scored, but play continues. Given how the night’s gone, the entire building is waiting for the replay booth to sound the horn and award a goal—but it never comes.

6:07 - Shane Pinto gets a shorthanded 2-on-1 and has all day to pick his spot on John Gibson. But Gibson turns him away. Ottawa’s sluggish penalty kill gets the job done.

7:33 - GOAL: The Senators are finally on the board after great work by Fabian Zetterlund below the goal line behind the Detroit net. He backhands a puck out front to Claude Giroux, who outmuscles Dylan Larkin and crams home Ottawa’s first goal of the game. Detroit 3 Ottawa 1

8:29 - Shepard makes his first big save of the night, flashing the glove on a slot shot from Patrick Kane.

11:10 - Takes a shot off the leg. Red Wings fans would call it instant karma after a pretty solid cross-check moments earlier on Marco Kasper.

11:45 - Ridly Greig makes friends with the Red Wings in front of their net, taking a few shoves and looking completely in his element.

12:22 - Another skilled Senator blocks a shot. This time Drake Batherson takes one off the skate. He appears OK but skates off slowly.

13:06 - Thomas Chabot rifles a one-timer from the top of the circle. Gibson sees it all the way and makes a nice glove save.

13:57 - Michael Rasmussen goes off for tripping Nick Cousins in front of the Detroit net. The Wings feel Cousins went down a bit easily, but Ottawa heads to the power play.

14:10 - GOAL: Jake Sanderson fires a wrist shot from the top of the circle. Gibson kicks out the rebound right onto the stick of Dylan Cozens, who buries it to cut Detroit’s lead to 3–2.

After the ensuing center-ice faceoff, Detroit quickly gets a 2-on-1, but Sanderson makes a perfect breakup. A huge play to keep Ottawa’s momentum going—and a reminder of why Sanderson is Olympic-bound.

15:42 - GOAL: A bad hop along the boards in the Ottawa zone leads to Detroit possession. The Senators get puck-focused, and Lucas Raymond snaps a shot through Chabot’s legs and past Shepard to make it 4–2.

16:59 - Ottawa’s fourth line generates some chances. David Perron fires a hard shot that Gibson stops. Stephen Halliday gets the rebound but can’t stuff it in.

17:14 - Detroit goes back to the power play after Brady Tkachuk is called for breaking a stick.

17:33 - Giroux finds Stützle alone in front, but Gibson shuts the door. That’s been the difference tonight—Gibson making big saves, while Ottawa’s chances have only been okay.

18:21 - Kane snaps a shot from the circle that beats Shepard but hits the post. The Senators survive the penalty kill.

End of the second period:

Detroit 4, Ottawa 2.

The Senators outshooting the Red Wings 26-17. Tied at 9 in the second.

Third Period

2:34 - Claude Giroux hooks Dylan Larkin in the neutral zone and gets called for tripping. Giroux is furious, smashing his stick on the boards as he heads to the box. Larkin may have sold it a bit, but honestly, it wasn’t the worst call I’ve ever seen. The Senators kill the penalty, although Pinto nearly gets caught for another delay-of-game call when his clearing attempt comes just inches from going over the glass.

6:55 - GOAL. A gorgeous play by the Sens' best. Stützle takes a drop pass from Batherson at the top of the circle and he finds Tkachuk driving the net for the easy tap in. The Sens cut the lead to 4–3.

7:50 – Some great cycling down low by the Senators. Kuchuk and Batherson are alone in front, but the pass ends up in Batherson’s skates and he can’t get a clean shot away.

9:03 – Albert Johansson is called for tripping Shane Pinto. Ottawa heads to the power play, looking to tie the game.

11:09 – Just after the Red Wings kill off the first penalty, former Senator Jacob Bernard-Docker is called for slashing Shane Pinto. Pinto draws his second penalty in just over two minutes.

12:53 – GOAL – Not only do the Senators come up empty on two straight power plays, but at the end of the second one they give up a 2-on-1. Michael Rasmussen beats Shepard with a snapshot to restore the two-goal lead. Detroit 5-3.

13:16 – Shane Pinto appears to make it 5–4, but the goal is initially waved off with Ridly Greig positioned behind Gibson. Travis Green opts to challenge the call. It looks like Bernard-Docker may have forced Greig into the crease, but it also appears Greig caught Gibson on the mask with the shaft of his stick. After review, the call on the ice stands and the Sens have to kill off a penalty. They do.

14:46 – Simon Edvinsson is called for elbowing Tim Stützle as he tries to get past him in the neutral zone. Ottawa goes back to work on its sixth power play of the night, three of them in the last five minutes.

The Senators pull their goalie for a sixth skater but never really get close.

Final score: Detroit 5 Ottawa 3

The Senators closed their four game homestand with a 2-2-0 mark and now head out for a two game trip in Utah Wednesday and Colorado Thursday.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

After just six days, it appears the Pittsburgh Penguins are cutting ties with their newest player. 

On Monday, the Penguins placed newly-acquired defenseman Egor Zamula on waivers for the purpose of contract termination. This comes less than a week after Pittsburgh acquired the 25-year-old from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for forward Philip Tomasino and just three days after the team suspended him for failing to report to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS), their AHL affiliate. 

Once Zamula clears waivers, the Penguins will no longer be responsible for Zamula's $1.7 million that he is owed this season, and he would be eligible to sign a new deal with any organization. 

The 6-foot-3, 201-pound blueliner from Chelyabinsk, Russia went undrafted after spending four seasons in the WHL between the Regina Pats and Calgary Hitmen. He joined the Flyers' organization in the 2020-21 season and spent parts of six seasons with the team, registering eight goals and 41 points in 168 career NHL games. 

Penguins Suspend Newly Acquired DefensemanIf fans have been paying attention to the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> this season, this one might sound a bit familiar.&nbsp;

Zamula - reportedly - had no interest in playing at the AHL level this season, and according to Josh Yohe of The Athletic, Penguins' GM Kyle Dubas was aware this was a possibility when Zamula was acquired. And with the trade shedding Tomasino's NHL cap hit - he was playing in WBS at the time - plus Zamula's, Pittsburgh has gained $3.45 million in cap space and will be $21.65 million below the cap, according to Puckpedia. 

Pittsburgh has won five straight games and sits in the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. They next face the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. 

Takeaways: Penguins Roar Back From Three-Goal Deficit, Beat Blue Jackets In OTThe Pittsburgh Penguins extended their winning streak to five games in dramatic fashion against the Columbus Blue Jackets, which is just another indication that this team may be better than anyone thought.

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!   

Former Montreal Canadiens center Christian Dvorak has landed himself a very nice payday.

The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that they have signed Dvorak to a five-year, $25.75 million contract extension. Starting next season, Dvorak will have a $5.15 million cap hit with the Flyers. 

It was well-known that the Flyers were looking to sign Dvorak to a contract extension, and they have now successfully done just that. The former Canadiens forward will now continue to be a good part of the Flyers' roster for multiple years because of it. 

Dvorak's time with the Canadiens came to an end during the 2025 NHL off-season when he signed a one-year, $5.4 million contract with the Flyers in free agency. This is decision that has benefited both the Flyers and Dvorak tremendously. 

Dvorak has cemented himself as an important part of the Flyers' top six this season. In 39 games so far this season with Philadelphia, he has recorded nine goals, 16 assists, 25 points, and a plus-8 rating. With this, he is currently on pace to have a career year with the Flyers. This is after he had 12 goals and 33 points in 82 games during his final season with the Canadiens in 2024-25. 

Dvorak appeared in 232 games over four seasons with Montreal, where he recorded 38 goals, 65 assists, and 103 points. 

The Ottawa Senators hope to continue their modest charge up the NHL standings on Monday night when they host the Detroit Red Wings (7:30 pm on Prime). The Sens have won two straight games, and despite being in second last place in the Atlantic, they're the only team besides first-place Tampa Bay with a positive goal differential.

Entering play on Monday, only eight points separates the Atlantic Division's eight teams.

Both teams are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games.

The Senators beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-2 on Saturday, but Detroit is coming off a sluggish 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, managing only 12 shots in the loss. The Wings hope that AHL callup John Leonard might provide a little more offence. Leonard stands second in the AHL with 20 goals, one behind the leader, Arthur Kaliyev from Ottawa's top farm club in Belleville. 

Tim Stutzle will try extend his point streak to 13 games. He has some work to do to catch Dany Heatley, and in fact, he's still a couple of games away from what he did just last year.

Leevi Meriläinen gets the start in goal again as the Sens hit the exact midway point of the season with this one. They'll line up their chess pieces like this:

Zetterlund-Stutzle-Giroux
Tkachuk-Cozens-Batherson
Greig-Pinto-Amadio
Cousins-Halliday-Perron

Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Jensen
Kleven-Spence

Merilainen
Shepard

Steve Warne
The Hockey News - Ottawa

The Winnipeg Jets are entering a critical stretch of the season. As they reach the halfway mark, the organization faces a key decision: continue pushing for a playoff spot and a potential championship or focus on building for next season. With core players like Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, and Connor Hellebuyck still in their prime, the Jets cannot afford to let this season slip away without decisive action.

According to multiple sources, including Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Winnipeg has been exploring ways to add scoring at the trade deadline. Friedman noted that the Jets are focused on players with term rather than short-term rentals, and the process is complicated by some players’ no-trade clauses. Despite limited options, there are several intriguing targets the Jets could pursue to spark a turnaround or acquire a player who can contribute long-term.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi

One option for Winnipeg could be Carolina Hurricanes center Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The 25-year-old, a former third overall pick, has experience and potential but is currently buried on Carolina’s fourth line. Friedman reported that Carolina has previously explored moving Kotkaniemi in trade talks involving Phillip Danault and Quinn Hughes, showing a willingness to part with him under the right circumstances.

Kotkaniemi is a reclamation project who could thrive in a fresh setting. With Winnipeg, he could slot into a second-line role alongside Cole Perfetti, with Gabe Vilardi providing additional offensive support. The Jets could leverage assets such as former first-round pick Brad Lambert to acquire him, making Kotkaniemi a relatively low-risk, high-upside addition capable of boosting a late-season playoff push while contributing in future seasons.

Nick Robertson

Another potential target is 24-year-old forward Nick Robertson from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Robertson has posted 20 points in 39 games, putting him on pace for a career-high 41. With Toronto dealing with injuries and seeking defensive depth, Robertson has been linked to trade discussions.

The Jets could offer 27-year-old defenseman Stanley, who is having a career-best season with 30 points, more than double his previous high, and whose six-foot-seven frame fits the physical style favored by Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube. Such a trade would benefit both teams. Toronto would gain a reliable defenseman and future draft capital, while Winnipeg would acquire a young winger with high upside who could develop alongside Cole Perfetti for years to come.

Rickard Rakell

Finally, the Jets could look at proven winger Rickard Rakell of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 32-year-old Swedish forward is coming off a career-high 70-point season and is currently on pace for 45 points this season. He carries a $5 million cap hit with three years remaining, fitting into Pittsburgh’s salary structure.

The Penguins’ recent strong play makes it unlikely they would move a key veteran at the moment. If Pittsburgh falters and begins slipping out of playoff contention, they could reconsider trading Rakell. For Winnipeg, the timing of such a move would be crucial. If possible, Rakell could replace much of the scoring lost with Nikolaj Ehlers’ departure while providing immediate impact and stability for years to come. The trade could also give Brad Lambert a fresh start with Pittsburgh.

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