PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 05: Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) skates with the puck during the first period in the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres on March 5, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The NHL has ruled, Evgeni Malkin will be out for the next five games on suspension due to his slash against Rasmus Dahlin.
Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin has been suspended for five games for slashing Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin. https://t.co/CJFhMVuZ9k
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) March 7, 2026
From the league:
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin has been suspended for five games, without pay, for slashing Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin during NHL Game No. 977 in Pittsburgh on Thursday, March 5, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.
The incident occurred at 0:35 of the second period. Malkin was assessed a minor penalty for cross-checking, a major penalty for slashing and a game misconduct.
Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Malkin will forfeit $158,854.15. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Malkin will be eligible to return on the March 16th game against Colorado. He will miss games against four teams in currently in a playoff position (Boston, Carolina, Vegas and Utah) as well as tomorrow’s game against Philadelphia.
In response, the Penguins have recalled forward Ville Koivunen from the AHL on an emergency basis. The Pens also acquired forward Elmer Soderblom at the NHL trading deadline. The team will miss the impact of Malkin, their second-leading scorer this season with 47 points in 46 games, especially while their leading scorer Sidney Crosby continues to rehab an injury suffered at the Olympics. Crosby practiced today and the team has been hopeful he is moving in the direction of a return, though he still figures to be a ways away from the initial four week timeline on an injury suffered just over two weeks ago.
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin is set to miss some very important games.
Malkin has been suspended for five games by the NHL's Department of Player Safety for slashing Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin in the head on Thursday.
The slash came after Malkin took a couple of cross-checks from Dahlin.
This suspension comes at a brutal time for the Penguins, who are in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race and are also without captain Sidney Crosby. Crosby returned to practice on Friday, but he won't play this weekend.
Malkin has been having an outstanding season, compiling 13 goals and 47 points in 46 games.
Despite their best efforts, the Senators were quiet on NHL Trade Deadline Day, but shortly after the deadline passed, the Sens did announce an interesting minor-league deal.
The Senators swapped forwards with the Washington Capitals, acquiring Graeme Clarke, a player with strong local ties. Clarke grew up in Ottawa and spent three seasons in the OHL with the Ottawa 67’s before turning pro.
In return, the Senators are sending the Capitals Wyatt Bongiovanni, Belleville's leading goal scorer last season.
Originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the third round (80th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft, Clarke appeared in three NHL games with the Devils, and his AHL career has taken him to Hershey, Binghamton, Utica, and Iowa.
He was part of those outstanding 67s teams whose Memorial Cup potential was derailed by the COVID shutdown, and represented Canada at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, scoring three points in five games en route to a gold medal.
Clarke's younger brother, Brandt, is a defenseman with the LA Kings, and it was Brandt's emergence last season that made Jordan Spence expendable in LA. Clarke's sister, MacKenzie, plays defense for the St. Lawrence University women’s team.
According to his new team, he may make his Belleville debut on Saturday night, when the Sens host the Comets at CAA Arena.
With the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline officially passed, and two trades made today, the Vancouver Canucks have made a handful of roster moves for logistical purposes. This includes sending Cole Clayton back down to the AHL and assigning Nikita Tolopilo to the Abbotsford Canucks and recalling him on an emergency basis immediately after.
Clayton was called-up by the Canucks yesterday, with this taking place only a day after the team traded Tyler Myers to the Dallas Stars. The same day as Clayton’s call-up, Vancouver also traded Jett Woo to the San Jose Sharks for defenceman Jack Thompson. A depth defenceman acquired in the Kiefer Sherwood trade back in January, Clayton has put up two assists in 16 games with Abbotsford.
Since Vancouver traded both Conor Garland and David Kämpf within the past couple of days, the Canucks will only have access to 12 forwards and six defencemen for tonight’s game.
The roster move involving Tolopilo was done in order to ensure he can play in Abbotsford through the remainder of the season if situations call for it, as after the deadline, AHL teams are not allowed to put NHL players on their roster if they are not already on there. This means today’s move counts solely as a paper transaction, as Tolopilo is expected to start for Vancouver tonight when they take on the Chicago Blackhawks at 5:30 pm PT today.
Feb 25, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN;Vancouver Canucks goaltender Nikita Tolopilo (60) makes a save against Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele (55) during first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Simon Fearn-Imagn Images
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Colton Parayko will remain a member of the St. Louis Blues, now and for the foreseeable future.
But two days ago, things weren't as clear, when news broke that the Blues and Buffalo Sabres had agreed to the framework that would have sent Parayko to the Sabres, for a reported package of 2025 first-round pick, defenseman Radim Mrtka and a first-round pick, as first reported by TSN's Darren Dreger:
But the problem was, is the deal wasn't actually done. Parayko, who has four more years remaining on his contract at a $6.5 million cap hit, has a full no-trade clause this season and for the next two before it fell off to a modified 15-team NTC.
The player had to sign off on the deal first. The information got out first of a done deal before the player signed off, ultimately which Parayko never did when he invoked his clause and chose not to waive:
Tough decision for Parayko. But, his decision was made after a trade agreement between the Sabres and Blues. Players have the right to do this. https://t.co/GPqgQBGuq3
Needless to say, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong, who has always kept this type of information close to his vest, was not thrilled.
"Any time there's a trade leak, I find it very disappointing," Armstrong said after talking about the trades of Brayden Schenn and Justin Faulk on Friday. "For the people that know me, we run a pretty tight ship as far as communication coming in and out. We did some due diligence as soon as that happened. We checked the phone records of all of our staff, texts and emails and everybody passed the test, not surprisingly. So I was disappointed it got out. I know it didn't come from us."
And just like the Torey Krug situation of 2023 when he invoked his NTC ad vetoed a potential trade to the Philadelphia Flyers, there could be some awkwardness now between the organization and Parayko. But as Armstrong said, this is all business, and since Parayko exercised his right to remain in a city he loves, there's no ill will.
"I don't spend a lot of time on trades that didn't happen. Players negotiate their trade right based on their status on the team and in the league and some players have full no-trade clauses, some players have partial no-trade clauses," Armstrong said. "The Blues are at the lower end at the full no-trade clauses and right about the middle of the no-trade partials combined. We're an average team to sign those players to provide those types of guarantees. I respect when players ... if they decide to invoke the right that they've earned, that's great and that means they want to be here and that's exciting. We've asked players to waive, like Brayden Schenn. With the direction that we were going and the way we explained it to him, he was excited for a new opportunity to go to an upstart Islander team with the most exciting young player with Schaefer and Celebrini, these are the next generation of stars and he has an opportunity to play with him."
And now Parayko will get to usher in the next generation of Blues.
It's a topic that can always be broached again, but at least for now, Parayko's 11-year career in St. Louis continues, and rightfully so.
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Currently in third place in the Atlantic Division, the Detroit Red Wings have put themselves in a position to be buyers at the NHL Trade Deadline for the first time in a decade.
Friday afternoon marked the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, and after the dust had completely settled, the Red Wings made a series of moves that they feel put them in an ideal position to move closer to clinching a postseason berth.
Filling a need on the blue line, the Red Wings acquired veteran defenseman Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues. In return, they sent prospect forward Dmitri Buchelnikov, depth defenseman Justin Holl, a first-round selection, and the San Jose Sharks’ third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
Earlier in the day, the Red Wings acquired that Sharks draft pick from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Elmer Soderblom, whose tenure with Detroit is now over.
Hours earlier on Trade Deadline eve, the Red Wings added depth to their forward group by reacquiring veteran David Perron, who played two seasons in Detroit from 2022 through 2024, from the Ottawa Senators for a conditional 2026 fourth-round draft pick.
While Faulk is expected to join the Red Wings in time to face the New Jersey Devils on Sunday evening in New Jersey, Perron, who underwent sports hernia surgery in January, isn't ready to make his Detroit debut for what will be the second time in his NHL career.
Speaking with media members on Friday afternoon, Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman said the club is fully aware of David Perron’s injury and expected recovery timeline, indicating he should be ready to return in approximately two weeks.
"We know exactly what David's injury is, we know exactly where he is in his rehab, and we anticipate him (being) 14 days away, roughly, from playing," Yzerman said of Perron. "Obviously, we're comfortable doing that and making this trade with him."
Perron instantly became one of the veteran leaders in the dressing room when he first arrived in Detroit during the 2022 offseason, and those traits will only benefit Detroit as they look to return to the playoffs.
“He brings a lot to the table," Yzerman said. "We had him before, and he brought a lot to our team on and off the ice. And in 14 days, we think we'll be back. Setbacks can happen; there is some risk to acquiring a player that is on IR, even a healthy guy could step on the ice tonight and get hurt.
But we know exactly where he's at in his rehab, we know the procedure, and we expect him to be at 100 percent in approximately two weeks. We're okay with it.”
While the Red Wings were rumored for weeks to be in the mix for other NHL forwards, including Vincent Trocheck (New York Rangers), Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks), and Robert Thomas (St. Louis Blues), the asking price and need for his club didn't match Yzerman's vision.
“I can't comment on other teams' players, but I would say for what we felt our needs were, we talked to every team that had players with our needs, and talked about the possibility of a deal, explored trades, what the fits were, what we were willing to do," Yzerman explained of his interest level in additional forward help. "Sometimes, there's just no fit in what the other team was looking for; we didn't have that."
Others, the deal just wouldn't work," he continued. "So, safe to say, all of our needs, we talk to every team that has those types of players, and were willing to move them.”
Ultimately, Thomas, Pettersson, and Trocheck were not moved by their respective teams and remain in place.
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Call it the changing of the guard, if you will, again.
Having gone through a similar experience in 2023 when the St. Louis Blues traded away their core assets from winning the Stanley Cup in 2019, they shed a pair of veteran players on Friday into assets they may use for the future or as trade assets.
One of them is a leftover from the Stanley Cup days when the Blues first traded their captain, forward Brayden Schenn, to the New York Islanders, then not long after, flipped defenseman Justin Faulk to the Detroit Red Wings on trade deadline day.
In trading the 34-year-old Schenn, the Blues acquired a 2026 first-round pick (which belongs to the Colorado Avalanche), a 2026 third-round pick (the New Jersey Devils pick), winger Jonathan Drouin and goalie prospect Marcus Gidlof, and right before the deadline time of 2 p.m. (CT), they moved the 33-year-old Faulk for a 2026 first-round pick, a 2026 third-round pick (belonging to the San Jose Sharks), veteran minor league defenseman Justin Holl and 2022 second-round pick Dmitri Buchelnikov.
It turns out to be quite the haul for the Blues, who know the situation they're in at 23-29-9 heading into a Friday night game against the San Jose Sharks, 30th in the NHL standings and virtually no chance of reaching the Stanley Cup playoffs.
"I'd like to start off by thanking Justin Faulk and Brayden Schenn for their services with the St. Louis Blues," Armstrong said. "Obviously 'Schenner' and myself go way back, prior to our Stanley Cup and then our Stanley Cup and him being a captain. A great St. Louis Blue and good friend. And Justin Faulk is someone we had gotten in and had some success with. I wished them nothing but the best in the new areas. It seems to be a turning of the page to move forward with some younger players and acquired some draft picks and move forward."
The Blues, who didn't make rumored deals for Jordan Binnington, Robert Thomas (which I still found odd) and Jordan Kyrou, among other players who could have been made available due to a floundering season, are ready to turn over a new leaf after not being able to double down off the hope of building off last year's finish.
"We're excited where we're at," Armstrong said. "Obviously we now have [Philip] Broberg and [Dyllan] Holloway with [Joel] Hofer and [Jake] Neighbours. We have some younger players that we're going to start to continue to build around. We've added a lot of draft picks over the last three seasons, first round picks. So we're in a good spot. We've moved our veteran players obviously to create space to create opportunity. We were functioning on a retool. I wouldn't say this is a rebuild in a sense that we don't have quality players that are going to compete, but we no longer have that veteran presence that maybe we had five hours ago.
"We have some good, young players that are taking big roles. [Logan] Mailloux coming in, I've seen his growth. I've seen growth from Broberg from last year to this year moving forward. Holloway has had an up-and-down season due to injury. Jake Neighbours has taken a big role, Hofer's taken a bigger role. We have [Otto] Stenberg and [Theo] Lindstein, first-round picks from a couple years ago that are in the American Hockey League having good years t hat will get some opportunities. Are are putting younger players into our group. We have veteran players around here still. Obviously Jordan Binnington is a rock solid goaltender that has been here a long time with Kyrou and [Pavel] Buchnevich and Thomas, still relatively young in NHL standards, they're now more of the veteran players on our team. This is a great opportunity for people who expand their leadership roles, expand their playing roles. It's a good time."
As for the capital acquired on Friday, it certainly gives the Blues options, and really, if they want to expedite where they're at now, they have the ability to either flip these picks for NHL-ready capital at the upcoming draft or perhaps even package picks to move up, if they're able to.
"We've added Detroit's first-round pick in 2026, Colorado's first-round pick in 2026, New Jersey's third-round pick in 2026, San Jose's third-round pick in 2026, a player that we had 20th on our list a few years ago in Buchelnikov, a second-round pick from the Red Wings and a goaltender that we liked from a couple years ago too," Armstrong said. "We've added depth to our group. Those picks can he used as selections, they can be used for trades and then we've added experienced players in Drouin and Holl to help with that transition moving forward. When you look at the three first-round picks we had a few years ago, since then we've taken [Adam] Jiricek and [Justin] Carbonneau and three more this year, we're hoping to build a solid stable that can grow together."
I don't spend a lot of time on trades that didn't happen. Players negotiate their trade right based on their status on the team and in the league and some players have full no-trade clauses, some players have partial no-trade clauses. The Blues are at the lower end at the full no-trade clauses and right about the middle of the no-trade partials combined. We're an average average team to sign those players to provide those types guarantees. I respect when players ... if they decide to invoke the right that they've earned, that's great and that means they want to be here and that's exciting. We've asked players to waive, like Brayden Schenn. With the direction that we were going and the way we explained it to him, he was excited for a new opportunity to go to an upstart Islander team with the most exciting young player with Schaefer and Celebrini, these are the next generation of stars and he has an opportunity to play with him.
Any time there's a trade leak, I find it very disappointing. For the people that know me, we run a pretty tight ship as far as communication coming in and out. We did some due diligence as soon as that happened. We checked the phone records of all of our staff, texts and emails and everybody passed the test not surprisingly. So I was disappointed it got out. I know it didn't come from us.
I probably won't share much. One of the things is when you're in the situation that we're in the league as a team, you have to explore everything. That's part and parcel of the position that the St. Louis Blues organization was in. It's an unfortunate time because there's more non-truth out there than there is truth. I think ... I would say a lot of that stuff was fictional, but I guess it makes for good clickbait for the people.
When we brought in Broberg and Holloway, we thought we were going to navigate through it quicker. This year we couldn't do that and I wouldn't say change direction. We haven't moved young players to make this work and try to expedite it. We've stayed consistent and now we've taken another step today by bringing in first-round picks, third round picks, young drafted players that are going to fit into the age bracket. Obviously going into the season, I was hoping this was going to be a very smooth sail for my last year as a manager. We'd be competing in a playoff spot and jockeying and adding players. It didn't work that way so we reacted to the reality of where we are as an organization.
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The Ducks acquired Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson in a trade on Thursday night ahead of the NHL trade deadline on Friday. (Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
The Ducks proved they are all-in for a push to their first playoff berth in eight years by acquiring defenseman John Carlson ahead of Friday’s NHL trade deadline. The Kings, meanwhile, started building for the future, making acquisitions and trades to address their depth and bolster their number of draft picks.
The Ducks (34-24-3), who entered Friday second in the Pacific Division, just a point behind Vegas, haven’t had a winning record since 2018. But general manager Pat Verbeek signaled the team’s long rebuild is over, trading first- and third-round draft picks — the kind of picks he has long hoarded — to Washington late Thursday for Carlson, 36, an offense-minded blue liner who led the Caps with 36 assists and is the franchise's all-time leading defenseman scorer.
“What we've been doing the last three years is adding assets,” Verbeek said. “I looked at giving this group another extra push and helping us make this push to where we want to go. And so ultimately if we get into the playoffs and we can have a nice run, it's worth it. It's worth it to give this group experience, give them a chance to make the playoffs and to do well in the playoffs.
“I think we have enough draft picks. We have enough prospects coming. Is it worth it to give up a conditional first-rounder? Yes it is to get the quality of player [like] John Carlson, it made sense.”
The move could prove to be a gamble, though, since Carlson, in the final year of his contract, may be nothing more than a short-term rental. Verbeek said he didn’t start talking to Washington about a deal until this week but the negotiations progressed quickly. Carlson said he was asleep when he was traded but a cousin heard about it and called to tell him he was headed to Anaheim.
“The middle of the night is not the best way to find out some very altering news like that,” said Carlson, who is expected to join the team Saturday. “It’s been a crazy day packing, getting ready, saying good-byes. It’s getting more and more exciting.”
In addition to adding Carlson, the Ducks also sent center Ryan Strome to Calgary. Strome, 32, had three goals and six assists in 33 games with the Ducks this season. The Ducks will get a seventh-round pick in 2027 in return.
Toronto Maple Leafs center Scott Laughton skates with the puck during a game against the Dallas Stars in December. (LM Otero / Associated Press)
The Kings didn't make any moves to substantially improve their roster. Although they signed forward Mathieu Joseph, a Stanley Cup winner with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and acquired center Scott Laughton from the Toronto Maple Leafs, they also unloaded forwards Corey Perry and Warren Foegele in exchange for draft picks.
Joseph, 29, comes to L.A. after recording two goals and 11 points in 39 games with the St. Louis Blues before agreeing to have his contract terminated Thursday. He had been assigned to Springfield of the AHL, where he appeared in two games.
Laughton, 31, had eight goals and four assists for Toronto and joins the Kings as a depth piece following the losses of Perry and Foegele. In return, the Maple Leafs will get a third-round pick, which will become a second-round pick if the Kings make the playoffs.
For the Kings, the trade deadline came down to asset management: The contracts of Joseph and Laughton expire at the end of the season while the Foegele deal clears $3.5 million from the payroll next season. The team also protected its young talent while adding two draft picks.
Perry, 40, the former Ducks winger who signed with the Kings as a free agent last summer, went to Tampa Bay on Friday in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2028 draft while Foegele, 29, the third King to request a trade this season, was shipped to Ottawa on Thursday for a second-round pick in this summer’s draft and a conditional swap of third-round picks.
The Kings (25-22-14), who lost to Edmonton in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, started Friday sixth in the eight-team Pacific Division but just three points behind Seattle for a wild-card berth.
General manager Ken Holland made a splash just ahead of the 18-day Olympic break by acquiring forward Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers and signing him to a two-year $22-million extension. But then the team lost Kevin Fiala for the rest of the season to a fractured leg in the Olympic tournament and saw winger Andrei Kuzmenko undergo surgery last week to repair torn meniscus in his right knee, hampering an offense that ranks 28th in the 32-team league in goals.
Holland followed those two events by firing coach Jim Hiller last Sunday and replacing him on an interim basis with assistant D.J. Smith. The Kings have gone through five coaches and three general managers since the end of the 2016-17 season and haven’t won a postseason series since 2014, the last time they won the Stanley Cup.
The Philadelphia Flyers have spent the past several seasons methodically reshaping their roster, trying to build a sustainable core rather than chasing quick fixes. That long-term approach often requires difficult decisions—especially when the player involved is someone the organization helped develop from the ground up.
The trade sending Bobby Brink to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for defenseman David Jiricek represents exactly that kind of decision. It was not a move rooted in dissatisfaction with Brink but in the reality of roster construction. For the Flyers, the deal reflects the intersection of two organizational priorities: managing a growing surplus of wingers and investing in young defensemen with high ceilings.
The Difficult Part: Parting With a Homegrown Player
From the Flyers'—and specifically Danny Briere's—perspective, this was not a transaction made lightly. Brink’s development has been closely watched within the organization, and his growth over the past two seasons made him an increasingly reliable contributor.
Briere made that clear when discussing the move.
“It was not an easy [decision]," he said on Friday. "I was part of the development staff when Bobby came along. We had some long discussions about his future and his career, so to have been a part of that and then to see him blossom into the play he has become—there’s, selfishly, a lot of pride in that.”
Danny Briere said that the decision to trade Bobby Brink was “not an easy one” and said he “selfishly” had a lot of pride in Brink’s development since he was part of the development staff that helped Brink blossom. Ultimately it came down to managing the Flyers winger logjam.
Brink’s progression had been evident on the ice. After entering the NHL with questions about how his size and skating would translate, he worked to carve out a role through intelligence, puck movement, and creativity.
His playmaking instincts became particularly effective on a line with Noah Cates and Tyson Foerster, where Brink’s vision complemented Cates’ two-way reliability and Foerster’s shooting ability.
That trio often functioned as one of the Flyers’ most analytically sound lines, capable of maintaining offensive-zone pressure and creating scoring chances through controlled puck movement rather than pure speed.
In short, Brink had proven he belonged on an NHL roster.
The Roster Reality: A Crowded Wing
The challenge for the Flyers was not Brink’s performance, but the organizational depth chart for Brink's position.
Philadelphia has steadily accumulated a significant number of wingers, both on the current roster and in the prospect pipeline. According to Briere, the organization felt the need to start managing the logjam.
“When you look at the way our team is coming along and you look at the depth we’re building on the wing—Konecny, Michkov, Tippett, Zegras, and then you have Tyson [Foerster], who’s going to come back next season," he said. "You have Martone that’s getting close, you have Barkey who surprised us this year with how well he’s played, you have Alex Bump and other young guys that are also pushing.”
Philadelphia Flyers forward Trevor Zegras (46). (Megan DeRuchie-The Hockey News)
At some point, depth becomes redundancy, and teams rarely have the luxury of holding excess talent at a single position while other areas of the roster require reinforcement.
For the Flyers, the imbalance was becoming clear. The wing position featured a growing list of established players and extremely promising prospects, while the organization continued searching for long-term solutions on the blue line.
Those circumstances forced a difficult question: which winger could be moved to address another need without disrupting the core of the forward group?
Brink, despite his clear development, ultimately became the logical candidate.
Why David Jiricek Fits the Flyers’ Vision
In acquiring Jiricek, the Flyers are taking a calculated swing.
The 22-year-old defenseman has long been viewed as a player with considerable upside—size, strength, and the kind of physical profile teams covet on the blue line. Philadelphia had previously shown interest in Jiricek but believed he was unlikely to become available.
Briere said that the Flyers had previously been interested in David Jiricek when he first got traded to Minnesota but didn’t think he’d be available, so the interest is not out of the blue. Said they’re going to dedicate a lot of effort to help Jiricek grow his game here.
When the opportunity emerged, the Flyers recognized the potential value.
“When that came in yesterday, we started thinking about the chance to add a big, young, strong defenseman like [Jiricek], we felt that was a good opportunity for us to look towards the future," Briere said. "We felt it was a good swing to take on a promising young defenseman.”
With his size (6-foot-4, 204 lbs.) and right-hand shot, Jiricek is not dissimilar to current Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, but Briere made it clear that they're in no rush to get him into the NHL lineup, choosing instead to work with him to develop his game and ensure he's fully prepared to take that step into becoming a regular NHL defenseman.
"I can't say David or Oliver Bonk are ready today," Briere admitted. "To come in, especially in the top four position—it's one thing to come in a play in a bottom pairing at the start, but they haven't even done that yet. I think they need a little bit more time and we need to protect them a little bit.
"[Ristolainen] is playing on that top pairing with Sanheim right now. I don't think it would be fair to ask David or Oliver to play those minutes yet. We hope that at one point it comes to that, but I don't think they're ready for that role yet... We hope they get there, but we want to protect them as well along the way."
A Trade That Reflects Organizational Strategy
Viewed in isolation, trading a young forward who has shown steady improvement might seem counterintuitive to what the Flyers are building. But roster construction rarely exists in isolation.
The Flyers’ decision ultimately reflects a broader strategy. With such a crowded group of talented wingers, opportunities for ice time were likely to become increasingly limited, which ultimately doesn't benefit anyone.
Meanwhile, acquiring a young defenseman with upside addresses an area where the organization still seeks long-term answers.
So, in that context, the Brink-for-Jiricek trade becomes less about losing a productive player and more about reallocating assets in pursuit of balance.
Brink leaves Philadelphia as a player who successfully proved his NHL ability and contributed meaningfully to the Flyers’ progress. Jiricek arrives as a project with potential—a player the Flyers believe could grow into an important piece of their future.
(And the Flyers won't have to wait long to see Brink again, as they travel to Minnesota for a game on March 12.)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - JUNE 26: Nazem Kadri #91 of the Colorado Avalanche lifts the Stanley Cup after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in Game Six of the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Final. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In what looked to be a pretty quiet deadline day for the Avs, as they had already gotten most of their business taken care of in the weeks and days leading up to the deadline, they managed to get a deal into the queue before the official cutoff to bring home a very familiar face and one of the biggest names on the trade market for this deadline: Nazem Kadri.
This is the big trade that Avs fans have been talking about wanting to happen leading up to the deadline, and Colorado actually managed to pull it off. Kadri is and has been a fan-favorite player for years and years now, and of course, was a massive part of the 2022 Stanley Cup-winning team. Calgary did retain 20% of Kadri’s AAV for the remainder of his contract in this deal as well, which brings his contract down to $5.6M through the 2028-29 season. This means that the Avs were actually able to make the money work, especially with big financial commitments looming, such as Cale Makar’s extension.
In the biggest deal of the day and perhaps of the entire trade deadline period, thr Avalanche give up a conditional 2028 first round pick, a conditional 2027 second round pick, depth forward Victor Olofsson and unsigned prospect Max Curran. We previously discussed how with Curran electing to go to college as a 2024 draftee his rights likely wouldn’t not extend and is a good candidate as a trade chip. The Avalanche will have to address the opportunity cost of dwindled assets at next years trade deadline but this is a fair price to pay and even hints at Calgary doing Kadri a favor with this deal.
Condition update: – '28 1st converts to a '29 1st if either its a Top 10 pick or the '28 is transferred to TOR from the Roy trade
The 35-year old center is having a slight down year, with 12 goals and 29 assists in 61 games for the Flames so far. That said, Kadri will undoubtedly have a better supporting cast in Colorado compared to Calgary and should be more than fine playing and producing on this team.
Ultimately, I don’t know how you feel anything other than great about this move. As I said, Kadri has been a fan-favorite player for years and years now, and people have wanted him to come back to Colorado since he signed in Calgary in the 2022 offseason. Now, he’s back and gets another chance to chase another Stanley Cup. I think I speak for a lot of Avs fans when I say I’m so excited for him to be back, and I’m extremely excited to watch this team after the deadline for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs. It’s going to be a ton of fun.
The New York Rangers have reportedly traded Brennan Othmann to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Jacob Battaglia.
Othmann was selected by the Rangers with the 16th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, marking Chris Drury’s first draft pick as Rangers president and general manager.
Despite being drafted with high expectations, Othmann struggled to carve out a sustainable role with the Rangers.
He spent much of his time with the organization playing for the Harford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.
Over the past two seasons, the 23-year-old forward has played a total of 39 NHL games, recording one goal, two assists, and three points.
“I just think it has been a little bit of an inconsistent game,” Mike Sullivan of Othmann said shortly after the Rangers sent him down to the AHL. “There’s been times when he’s made a positive impact on the game, there’s been others when he hasn’t. We’ve talked a lot to him about attention to detail, bringing in a reliable conscientious game.”
The Flames selected Battaglia in the second round with the 62nd overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
The 19-year-old forward currently plays for the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League. In 22 games this season, Battaglia has recorded 12 goals, four assists, and 16 points.
Battaglia also served as captain of the Kingston Frontenacs before being traded to the Firebirds.
Brennan Othmann #78 of the New York Rangers warms up before a game against the Boston Bruins.
Brennan Othmann is getting a fresh start.
The Rangers traded Othmann, the 16th-overall pick in 2021, to the Flames before Friday’s 3 p.m. deadline, per a league source. In exchange, the Rangers received wing prospect Jacob Battaglia from Calgary.
Both skaters needed a change of scenery, and this deal made it possible.
Brennan Othmann #78 of the New York Rangers warms up before a game against the Boston Bruins. NHLI via Getty Images
Othmann has been on the trade block for a majority of this season. Over 42 games with the Rangers across parts of three seasons, the 23-year-old was unable to establish himself at the NHL level. It took him 34 games to score his first goal, but it finally happened this season against the Flyers on Jan. 17.
He finishes his Rangers tenure with one goal and two assists while averaging 9:52 of ice time per game.
Battaglia was drafted 62nd overall in 2024 by the Flames, but he has yet to make his NHL debut. This season in the Ontario Hockey League, the 19-year-old was traded from the Kingston Frontenacs to the Flint Firebirds in early January.
Jacob Battaglia #88 of the Kingston Frontenacs skates against the Ottawa 67’s. Getty Images
In 58 OHL games this season between the Frontenacs and Firebirds, Battaglia has posted 26 goals and 17 assists.
For the Florida Panthers, this year’s deadline was far less eventful than in recent seasons.
That’s not terribly surprising considering this is the first time in several years that Florida is not poised to enter the Stanley Cup Playoffs with an eye on competing for a championship.
The Panthers were viewed as sellers, with pending unrestricted free agents Sergei Bobrovsky and A.J. Greer garnering the most interest.
Ultimately Florida decided to stand pat on both.
Bobrovsky, who is wrapping up the seven-year, $70 million deal he signed with the Panthers in 2019, is reportedly looking to sign an extension to seemingly finish his career in South Florida.
It’s something that the Panthers would also be interested in exploring, according to GM Bill Zito.
"Sergei is a part of our franchise, a part of our core, and we want to try and keep him,” he said. “He’s a consummate professional. I want Sergei to stay. and I’m looking forward to having him back.”
Bobrovsky will be 38 years old on Opening Night next season.
As for Greer, Florida received interest right up until the 3 p.m. deadline.
That’s also not a surprise as Greer is enjoying a career season, setting new highs in goals (11) and points (22) through just 61 games played, and he’s nine shots on goal away from a new career high in that department as well.
“I think with almost any player, and I say this a lot, you always listen,” said Zito. “When the phone rings, you answer, because you don’t know what could happen.”
Now the Panthers will head into the final 20 games of the season knowing that while this season did not go anywhere near how they’d hoped, there is still plenty to be excited about beyond 2025-26.
That starts as soon as this summer’s NHL Entry Draft. Florida’s 2026 first-round pick is lottery protected, meaning if the Panthers do not make the playoffs, they’ll be entered into the NHL Draft Lottery and the pick will remain theirs.
With 20 games left, Florida is next-to-last in the Eastern Conference. They’re 10 points back of the final Wild Card spot and would have to climb over seven teams to obtain it.
Impossible? No.
Improbable? Quite.
So odds are, Florida will end up with a first-round pick for the first time since 2021. Not a bad asset for a team as set up to ‘win now’ for the foreseeable future as the Panthers are.
“You'd love to say you could be strategic, but you can’t,” Zito said of the draft pick. “The team will play as hard as they can every single night, and whatever happens, happens.”
Once the season comes to an end and Zito can assess exactly where his team and his players are, the decisions can be made regarding how to move forward with the high-end asset.
“We’ll react once the season is over, and we know (where we stand),” Zito said. “But we're playing for both scenarios.”
Photo caption: Jun 14, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Florida Panthers forward A.J. Greer (10) celebrates with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) after the third period against the Edmonton Oilers in game five of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place. (Perry Nelson-Imagn Images)
The Winnipeg Jets have activated defenseman Josh Morrissey from injured reserve as the team begins to get healthier heading into an important stretch of the season.
In addition to Morrissey’s activation, Winnipeg has recalled forwards Brad Lambert and Isak Rosen from the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League.
Morrissey had been sidelined with a lower-body injury suffered while representing Canada men's national ice hockey team during the opening game of the Olympic tournament against Czechia men's national ice hockey team. The injury forced the Jets’ top defenseman out of the remainder of the event.
Since returning to Winnipeg, Morrissey has missed five consecutive games, but the Jets have managed to stay on track in his absence. During that stretch, the club posted a 3-0-2 record, including a surprising 4-1 victory Thursday over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Josh Morrissey is likely to return to the lineup Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks. Depth forwards Brad Lambert and Isak Rosen, who was acquired in the trade that sent Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn the other way, could also draw into the lineup. The two may help fill the gaps left after Tanner Pearson was dealt to the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline and with Nino Niederreiter still on injured reserve.
Rosen, 22, is a former 14th overall pick at the 2021 NHL Draft and has been unable to carve out a roster spot, recording eight points in 31 NHL games. The Swedish winger has spent most of his time playing in the AHL, where this season he has been a standout with 25 goals and 18 assists for 43 points in 37 games.
Lambert, 22, was hoping to be moved at the deadline after feeling stuck within the Jets organization but after being recalled on Friday, he may finally get long runway to earn a main roster spot. So far this season, Lambert has a goal in four NHL games as well as 13 points in 34 AHL games with the Manitoba Moose.
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In a final bit of business ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline, the Rangers dealt forward Brennan Othmann to the Calgary Flames and defenseman Derrick Pouliot to the Chicago Blackhawks.
New York will add RW Jacob Battaglia in the deal with Calgary, and LW Aidan Thompson from Chicago.
Othmann, 23, appeared in 17 games with the club this season, scoring just one goal (minus-4) while averaging 9:53 time on the ice.
Selected 16th overall by the Blueshirts in 2021, Othmann tallied just three points (one goal, two assists) and a shade under 10 minutes of ice time over his 42 career games with the club.
The return will be Battaglia, a 19-year-old who Calgary took in the second round (62nd overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft. He has been with the OHL's Kingston Frontenacs for the last three seasons before being sent to the Klint Firebirds midway through this year. He had been the captain with Kingston before being dealt.
Pouliot, 32, hasn't played in the NHL since the 2023-24 campaign, and never suited up for the Blueshirts. He had signed a two-year, $1.55 million deal last July.
Thompson, 24 as of last month, was the 90th overall selection (Round 3) by the Blackhawks in 2022. He was on the Denver Pioneers when they were the collegiate champions in 2023-24.
The two moves cap a busy period for Chris Drury and the Rangers after dealing Sam Carrick to the Sabres on Thursday, Artemi Panarin to the Kings, and Carson Soucy to the Islanders. But the club held onto Vincent Trocheck.
