The Pittsburgh Penguins are in the middle of a retool. Due to this, they have many young players in their system who they are hoping will be big parts of their future.
Now, a handful of the Penguins' promising youngsters have earned some big praise.
In a recent article for The Athletic, Corey Pronman ranked the top NHL players and prospects who are under 23 years old. Five Penguins were featured on Pronman's rankings, as Benjamin Kindel (No. 18), Harrison Brunicke (No. 100), Will Horcoff (No. 105), Rutger McGroarty (No. 115), and Sergei Murashov (No. 136) all made the cut.
When noting that these five players are viewed as having good upside, it is not surprising in the slightest that they each have made Pronman's rankings. They each have the potential to be nice parts of the Penguins' roster in the future. In fact, Kindel is already cementing himself as just that, as the 18-year-old forward has recorded eight goals and 19 points in 42 games this season for Pittsburgh.
As for Brunicke, Horcoff, McGroarty, and Murashov, it is hard not to feel optimistic about their futures with the Penguins. Perhaps this group and Kindel could help make up Pittsburgh's future core later down the road.
As most Ottawa Senators fans are well aware, the 2020 NHL Draft has panned out quite well for their team. Of course, back then, the day belonged to the New York Rangers, who will host the Senators at MSG on Wednesday night.
After making the playoffs (or at least that weird COVID-induced qualifying round), the Rangers somehow won the 2020 draft lottery and the right to draft QMJHL superstar Alexis Lafreniere first overall.
Lafreniere was everybody's number one that year. The Senators had two lottery tickets, their own and San Jose's, so they had a good shot at number one. Sens fans had their fingers crossed, pleading with the hockey gods that the bingo balls would fall their way.
New Senators goalie James Reimer says he's pumped to get another opportunity in Ottawa.
But even though the Rangers finished 18th overall in the standings, with 17 more points than Ottawa, it was New York that defied their long odds to win the lottery. The Sens ended up "settling" for the third and fifth overall picks.
Now, five and a half years later, Sens fans are thankful for those unanswered 2020 prayers and that things worked out the way they did.
Lafreniere hasn't turned out to be the generational talent that everyone expected. In fact, given the chance, the Blueshirts would probably trade him without hesitation to Ottawa for either Tim Stützle or Jake Sanderson, the two players the Senators selected just minutes after Lafreniere was taken.
The late Alex Trebek made the Stutzle pick, not knowing the Sens were about to pull off a Daily Double.
Stützle has 46 points in 45 games for the Senators, while Jake Sanderson has 33 points and is now regarded as one of the very best defencemen in hockey. Meanwhile, Lafreniere has 24 points in 47 games in his sixth season as a Ranger.
Both Ottawa players are headed for the Olympics next month, while Lafreniere headed for the Rangers' third line on Monday. Head coach Mike Sullivan pulled him out of the top six for Monday's game against the Seattle Kraken, replacing him with a newer model: former Boston College star Gabriel Perreault, the club's 2023 first-rounder.
Sullivan, who's one win away from 500 victories in his head-coaching career, says he wants to see more from Lafreniere.
"Part of my job is trying to provide a pathway for players to thrive and succeed," Sullivan told the New York media on Monday morning. "Laf is an extremely talented player. He's a good player. We think he's capable of next-level play. We're trying to find a way to get him there, and that's part of this process that we're going through.
"Laf is another guy that cares a lot about what's going on here, and he also puts a lot of pressure on himself to contribute in a way that helps the team win. So we're trying to tweak the lineup in ways that we think give us the best chance to win and try to get the most out of certain guys."
Many Sens fans will recall how it was over 30 years ago when another QMJHL prospect named Alex was everybody's number one, a so-called can't-miss prospect. Instead, Alexandre Daigle had himself a good, average NHL career, nothing more. Lafreniere is having a very good career as well, and at 24, his story has only partially been written, but after five and a half seasons, we now have a pretty good sample size to judge his future trajectory.
But that's how it goes sometimes. And as long as the NHL is out here drafting unpredictable 18-year-olds, there are always going to be cases like these that turn draft lottery winners into losers... and vice versa.
Steve Warne The Hockey News Ottawa
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The Detroit Red Wings fulfilled their need for a 13th forward on their roster after sending down John Leonard to the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins when they summoned forward Sheldon Dries.
Dries, who has yet to appear in a single NHL game for the Red Wings this season, has since been returned back to Grand Rapids.
A native of Macomb, Michigan, Dries played four seasons for the Western Michigan Broncos and has over 100 games of NHL experience with the Colorado Avalanche and the Vancouver Canucks.
Dries, who signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Red Wings in July 2024, has contributed to the record-breaking success of the Griffins this season. He's appeared in 26 games and tallied 11 goals while adding 14 assists.
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The Philadelphia Flyers are set to face off against the Buffalo Sabres on Jan. 14. The Flyers will be looking to get back into the win column after losing each of their last three games.
The Flyers are certainly going up against a hot Sabres club, as Buffalo has won 13 out of their last 15 games. This included the Sabres defeating the Flyers by a 5-3 final score on Dec. 18.
However, ahead of their contest against the Sabres, the Flyers announced some good news. The Metropolitan Division club shared that defenseman Jamie Drysdale has been activated off injured reserve.
Drysdale has not played since receiving a dirty hit from Anaheim Ducks forward Ross Johnston on Jan. 6, which forced the Flyers blueliner to exit the game. Yet, with Drysdale now being activated off injured reserve, he is now available to play against Buffalo.
Drysdale being ready to return is excellent news for the Flyers, as he is a very important part of their blueline. The 23-year-old defenseman is in the middle of a solid year with Philadelphia, as he has posted three goals, 15 assists, 18 points, and a plus-1 rating in 41 games so far this season.
It took him a while to notch his first NHL goal, but since then, Berkly Catton has been on a tear, showing anyone who doubted he belonged in the NHL with the Seattle Kraken wrong.
In Catton’s 28th career NHL game, he finally notched his first career goal. He threw the monkey off his back and scored his second career goal in the same game. Since his first tally, the 20-year-old (turning 20 years old today) has scored four goals in his last four games.
Prior to scoring his first NHL goal, the belief was that Catton was doing a lot of things right on the ice, but it just wasn’t translating to production. His speed, skating, and creativity with the puck were evident every time he touched the ice, and the consensus was that a breakthrough was imminent.
We are now experiencing that breakthrough.
“Some of the other games, I thought I was even better than (I’ve been) in the games I’ve been scoring,” said Catton about his play as of late. “Sometimes that’s the way hockey works, and when they’re going in, they’re going in.”
Catton’s rookie totals now see him with four goals and nine points in 31 games. He’s played more so on the third line this year, averaging 12:58 of ice time. Catton’s strength is still something he needs to work on to become a high-end NHL player, but with the skillset he possesses, there’s no reason to believe that when that does come, he can be the Kraken’s top offensive threat.
“100 percent,” Catton said when asked about whether he’s improved on battling for pucks in front of the net and in the corners. “When you come in and those first couple games and those first couple months, it’s kind of an eye opener how strong guys are. How hard you have to compete, especially as maybe not the biggest guy on the ice, having to use your skating ability and edges.”
He’s been skating on a line with Shane Wright and Jared McCann recently, two offensievly gifted players but also two players with attentiveness to the defensive side of the game. They’ve helped Catton recently as much as he’s helped them.
The key for Catton is to keep the momentum going. The more he plays, the more he’ll learn, and right now, that’s all they can ask out of their rookie.
Additionally, Berkly Catton has not only burned a year on his entry-level contract but also accrued a season towards unrestricted free agency, having been on the NHL active roster for 40 games.
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The Ottawa Senators are in New York to face the Rangers on Wednesday night, trying to build on Tuesday’s 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.
The game will mark the official beginning of James Reimer's time in Ottawa, though it's not clear yet whether Reimer will start or back up against the Rangers. We do know that Hunter Shepard was sent back down to the AHL’s Belleville Senators on Wednesday morning, which leaves only Reimer and Leevi Merilainen on the NHL roster.
Merilainen played on Tuesday night in the victory over the Canucks and, if not for an awful, unforced giveaway by Dylan Cozens, he'd be savouring a shutout right now. But the last time the Sens tried to trot the young Finn out there in back-to-back games, he was part of an 8-2 shelling in Colorado.
James Reimer addresses the Ottawa media for the first time this week (Senators YouTube)
After previous stops in Toronto, San Jose, Florida, Carolina, Detroit, Buffalo, and Anaheim, this will be the eighth NHL jersey that Reimer has officially thrown on in his well-travelled career. He actually had two different stints in San Jose and also tried to return to Toronto back in the fall but didn't get a contract.
“I went to Toronto in case there was a need there, and it turned out there wasn’t something that would work out for both sides,” Reimer told the media this week. “But it was a good opportunity to go get some reps and work out.”
After that, Reimer went back home and kept his conditioning up by skating with some BCHL junior clubs.
Over the holidays, Reimer got an opportunity to play for Team Canada at the Spengler Cup, getting into two games. However, when the quarterfinals rolled around, Canada opted to go with former Carleton Place Canadian Connor Hughes.
Not long after he got home, opportunity knocked in Ottawa, which has a good young team but has struggled mightily in goal, especially since Linus Ullmark stepped away on a leave of absence over the holidays. So the 37-year-old signed a one-year contract with the Senators on Monday worth an AAV of $850,000. TSN's Darren Dreger reported yesterday that there's a chance Ullmark could be back as early as next week.
Since they played on Tuesday night, the Senators didn't skate on Wednesday morning, so we don't have any game day info yet from head coach Travis Green. But he seemed quite content with his club's performance versus the Canucks, so he's probably not going to change much against the Rangers, who've lost four in a row, including a 10-2 loss to Boston on Saturday.
The main question will be whether Green wants to push young Merilainen into a back-to-back or go with a rusty 37-year-old who just got here and hasn't played in nine months.
The latter option is certainly a much better storyline, especially since Ottawa's starter will be facing Jonathan Quick on Wednesday. If it's Reimer, this will go down as one of the oldest goalie matchups in Sens history because Quick is the league's oldest goalie at 39, and turns 40 next week. Reimer is now the third oldest at 37, while former Senator Cam Talbot stands second at 38.
The old-timers' meeting begins at 7:30 pm at MSG.
Steve Warne The Hockey News Ottawa
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With the 2025-26 NHL season just over the halfway mark, it's time to look back at the Colorado Avalanche's 2025 NHL Entry Draft selections and see how they are doing in their first season after being drafted. Prospects haven't been the best area for the Avalanche, as they've either been traded in the past couple of seasons to try to compete or lower-end prospects with a tough climb to make the roster.
Looking back at the 2025 draft, the Avalanche selected only three players: in the third, fourth, and seventh round; the rest of their picks were traded before the draft. Let's take a brief look at how they are doing this season and how they are helping their team in their respective league.
Round 3: Francesco Dell’Elce (D) UMass (NCAA)
Coming off his rookie season with UMass, where he finished with seven goals and 17 assists for 24 points, the Avalanche, with their first selection of the draft, took Dell’Elce in the third round, 77th overall in the draft. Coming in at 6-foot-1 and 181 pounds, he is a puck-moving defenseman who shoots left-handed with some sneaky, explosive skating. Here is what EliteProspects said in their 2024 NHL Draft Guide:
“Dell’Elce’s an offensive-minded left-shot defender with NHL-level mobility and a projectable shot. His vision under pressure is absurd, connecting on long-bomb outlets with forecheckers only feet away. He will even go as far as baiting forecheckers deeper into the defensive zone just to explode past them”
In his second season, he currently has three goals and 10 assists for 13 points in 20 games. He is third on the team in points, first by a defenseman, fifth in goals, and fourth in assists. All three of his goals are game-winning goals and are tied for the most on the team.
He is also third on the team in blocks with 24. Currently playing with notable top prospect Vaclav Nestrasil (Blackhawks), who was selected 25th overall in Round 1 of the 2025 draft, he has helped UMass to a 10-10-0 record halfway through the season
Round 4: Linus Funck (D) London Knights (OHL)
The Avalanche go back-to-back with defensemen in the draft, but this time lean toward a more physical, two-way defenseman with Funck. Playing in Sweden pre-draft with Lulea HF J20 in the J20 Nationell league, Funck finished with five goals and 23 assists for 28 points as a 17-year-old.
He led all defensemen in points and ranked fifth on the team. Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 194 pounds, he shoots right. Although moving his game to North America might affect his scoring, his strong defensive skills and height should help him transition more smoothly without relying heavily on scoring. Here is what EliteProspects said in their 2024 NHL Draft Guide:
“Funck uses his reach to kill rushes on top of the blue line and creates breakups along the wall with his physical presence. He is also highly effective on retrievals, mostly through smart first-touch passes.”
Now in North America with the London Knights after he was signed to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement, he has three goals and 10 assists for 13 points in 39 games, including one power play goal and two power play assists.
While the Knights might have lost a lot of talented prospects, including four of their five top point producers from last season in Sam Dickinson (Sharks), Denver Barkey (Flyers), Easton Cowen (Leafs), and William Nicholl (Oilers), the Knights are still off to a solid start to the season, sitting fifth in the Western Conference at 23-15-3-0 (49 points).
As the youngest player selected by the Avalanche in the draft, at 18 years old, turning 19 on May 10, Funck will have plenty of time to work on his game with the Knights, who have an excellent reputation for development programs in the CHL and getting him more comfortable in the North American style and gameplay.
Nolan Roed (C/LW), St. Cloud State University (NCAA)
With their final pick in the draft, the Avalanche go with a forward in Roed that shows a lot of skill that has room to grow and develop. Finishing his second season with the Tri-City Storm in the United States Hockey League (USHL), he finished with 27 goals and 33 assists for 60 points, leading the team in goals, assists, and points heading into the 2025 draft.
Taken with the 11th last pick of the draft is questionable considering his skills and intangibles he can bring to a team. A player who can play both Center and Left-Wing confidently and shows excellent skills as a playmaker while having great hands as a puckhandler, who can also shoot the puck pretty well. Even EliteProspects has a good breakdown on what you can expect from his game.
“In sustained pressure, Roed is a force. He’s constantly moving without possession, dipping behind defenders and popping into space for chances. With possession, he has both shooting and passing skill, amplified by his ability to get off the wall and build downhill speed. Interchanging with his defencemen, he gets all of his teammates involved as he controls the game.”
Unfortunately, a significant factor affecting his game and how it translates to the NHL level is his height of 5-foot-11. Coming in at 185 pounds isn’t bad. Still, when you have that height difference and face off against centers and a defenseman standing over 6-foot-4 and taller, unless you can find separation to get your shot off or beat defenders with your skill, it's going to be hard to get the same level of production.
In his first season at St. Cloud State University, he has two goals and nine assists for 11 points in 22 games. A league that translates very differently from the WHL, and with Roed, who just turned 20 past October 25, it's probably going to be one or two more years to really either show off how much his skill has grown or show growth in other areas of his game before he signs his ELC and plays with the Eagles.
The Colorado Avalanche prospect pool is suffering because of their recent success in the NHL. Very rarely will you see an NHL team compete for the Stanley Cup every season while having a top-ranked prospect pool. Three picks in the last draft show a bit of promise in each player. We shall see what the Avalanche do at the trade deadline, as they have seven draft picks, but two are in the fourth round, three in the fifth round, and three in the seventh round.
The Kings host the Golden Knights tonight as they look to get back into a playoff spot and close the gap on Vegas, which currently sits atop the Pacific Division. The Kings are coming off a 3-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Monday. Their schedule has recently pitted them against some of the best NHL teams, and tonight's game is no different, as Vegas currently sits 9th in the NHL. Vegas is coming off a 7-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks and is looking for its 5th straight win.
The Kings will be without Corey Perry tonight due to a family matter. With Perry out and Jacob Moverare in, the Kings will have 11 forwards and 7 defencemen in tonight's matchup. Kopitar, Armia, and Moore all had on-ice workouts but will not be playing in tonight's game. The goaltending matchup looks to be Kuemper vs Schmid, as the Knights are without Hart and Hill, both out due to lower-body injuries.
Key Factors
The Kings' schedule has not been kind to them recently, as they have faced some of the NHL's best teams, yet they have been able to hold their own. Vegas is a tough opponent, and the Kings can close the gap with a win tonight. With the Kings having only 11 forwards in tonight's game, they will once again look not only to their big guys to provide offence but also to their depth skaters to provide energy.
One player who can provide that spark for them is Kuzmenko, who has been moved up and down throughout the lineup. With him on the 3rd line alongside Kevin Fiala, that line will be looked to for depth scoring against a Vegas team that has deep depth throughout its roster.
Darcy Kuemper has not been his usual self over the last 3 games; in that span, he is 0-2-1, allowing 11 goals. Also, in those 3 games, he has not posted a save percentage higher than .900; in one of those games, he posted a .688, so the Kings will need him to be at his best tonight against a strong offensive Vegas team.
Overall, if the Kings can stay smart defensively and have the depth forwards provide good offensive chances alongside the top lines, they can walk away with a win.
My prediction for tonight's game is a 4-1 Kings win.
The 2026 NHL Trade Deadline is 51 days away, but that hasn’t stopped the Vancouver Canucks from wanting to make moves before then. Vancouver shopped franchise defenceman Quinn Hughes in mid-December and are eyeing more trades including more than just their pending UFAs, according to a sit-down that Patrick Johnston of The Province had with Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford.
“When we started the process […] the intent at the start was to not get into any core player. It may very well end up staying that way,” Rutherford told Johnston. “But it certainly would not make any sense for Patrik [Allvin] to not listen to anybody.”
Rutherford’s claims come after reports circulated earlier today that players like Elias Pettersson and Nils Höglander could be up for grabs, while veterans like Tyler Myers or Filip Hronek are more likely to be safe. However, today he confirmed that Vancouver isn’t going to shy away from listening to calls on any of their players.
“We may end up saying no to offers, certainly, but we’re not going to say no to having conversations about any player. This is about improving this team without taking shortcuts.”
Another idea shared by Rutherford in Johnston’s article is the importance of having veterans in their lineup. Notably, this clashes with ideas that management has shared in the past regarding the push for youth in their roster.
“I think signing veteran players is actually necessary,” Rutherford added. “You can’t just take a bunch of 22-year-olds and throw them to the wolves. It’s a tough, tough league.”
Jan 13, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson (40) celebrates with teammates after a goal in the third period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images
Regardless of which players — young or old — end up remaining with the team, one thing is certain; Vancouver is pushing for a rebuild, the length of which could be anywhere from two years to 10. Rutherford would much prefer the former.
“If we can just keep adding to young assets, hopefully we can do this in two or three years. It’s not an easy process, we have to be very methodical,” the Canucks’ President of Hockey Operations said. “You can’t lose patience because you’re losing some games.”
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After returning to the Los Angeles Kings following a short absence to tend to a family matter, right winger Corey Perry is returning to his home again.
A family member of Perry's is currently ill, and last week, he missed a couple of games to be available for his loved ones.
However, as he heads back home, he'll be out of the lineup indefinitely and will miss Wednesday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights.
In his first time of absence, the Kings made roster moves to fill in the holes of the lineup. At the same time, captain Anze Kopitar and right winger Joel Armia were, and still are, dealing with injuries.
Los Angeles recalled Taylor Ward and Andre Lee from the AHL's Ontario Reign. For this instance, the Kings will play with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, with Jacob Moverare slotting in on the team's back end.
When available, Perry has been excellent for the Kings in his first season with the team. He has played 37 games, scoring 10 goals and accumulating 23 points. With that, the 40-year-old ranks fourth on the team in goals and points.
Corey Perry (Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images)
Furthermore, in his last seven appearances, the Peterborough, Ont., native has put up eight points. That includes a three-point performance against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 1.
Looking ahead at the schedule, the Kings have back-to-back affairs with state rivals, and Perry's former team, the Anaheim Ducks, following Wednesday's contest with Vegas. It's unclear how long the veteran will be out of the lineup for, but he may miss those outings in the short term.
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For the first time in more than two weeks, the Colorado Avalanche will have their full goaltending tandem available when they host the Nashville Predators on Friday.
The Avalanche activated starting goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood from injured reserve on Wednesday, clearing the way for his return to the lineup after missing six games. Blackwood is expected to be a full participant in Thursday’s practice. In a corresponding roster move, Colorado reassigned Trent Miner to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles.
Blackwood has not appeared since Dec. 31, when he stopped 12 of 13 shots in a 6–1 win over the St. Louis Blues. He was placed on injured reserve ahead of a three-game road trip, during which the Avalanche went 1–2–0 while also dealing with additional injuries to Gabe Landeskog and Devon Toews.
Blackwood at a recent morning skate.
In total, Colorado posted a 3–2–1 record during Blackwood’s absence. Scott Wedgewood handled all three starts on the road and remained in net when the Avalanche opened their seven-game homestand against the Ottawa Senators. Miner was called upon for the final two games, recording his first career NHL win with a shutout of the Columbus Blue Jackets before following it up with a 4–3 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Before the injury, Blackwood had been one of the league’s most effective goaltenders. Through 16 appearances, the 29-year-old owns a 13–1–1 record with a .924 save percentage, while his 2.07 goals-against average led the NHL at the time he was sidelined. Serving as a tandem option alongside fellow Canadian Scott Wedgewood, Blackwood provided Colorado with steady, high-level goaltending throughout the season’s first half.
A veteran of eight NHL seasons, the Thunder Bay, Ont. native has compiled a career record of 116–104–29, with previous stops in San Jose and New Jersey before joining the Avalanche midway through the 2024–25 campaign. He carries a career .907 save percentage and a 2.91 goals-against average.
Blackwood rejoins an Avalanche team riding strong form in the standings. Colorado enters Friday’s matchup with a 33–8–4 record through 45 games, sitting atop the NHL with 74 points — 11 clear of the Dallas Stars, who have played two additional games.
The Avalanche will look to build greater consistency as they continue an eight-game homestand, having gone 3–2–1 so far in January. Friday’s contest against the Predators marks the fourth game of that stretch before Colorado eventually heads back out on the road for four games.
Just one week after being placed on injured reserve with a concussion, it looks like forward Rutger McGroarty might soon be back in the fold for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
And an even better sign is that he was able to stick around for team practice wearing a white non-contact jersey. Even though it's a positive step in his recovery process, Penguins' head coach Dan Muse emphasized that they're still just taking things day by day.
"It's just another step," Muse said. "Non-contact there today, great to have him on the ice. Obviously, with a concussion, too, we always want to take our time. But, that is the next step, and so it was good to have him out there. No change in status."
McGroarty, 21, was injured through all of training camp and in the first month and a half of regular season action. After a successful five-game AHL stint, he was recalled to the NHL level, where he has notched two goals and three points in 16 games.
At the AHL level this season, he recorded four goals and seven points in those five games. Upon his return, the Penguins will have a decision to make in terms of whether or not they want to keep him on the NHL roster or send him back to the AHL, where he is likely to get more consistent playing time.
It's worth noting that defenseman Caleb Jones - who has been on injured reserve since late October - is currently on an AHL conditioning stint. With McGroarty skating as well, it's possible that the Penguins may just want to keep a roster spot open in anticipation of the return of one of those guys.
They next play Thursday, when they host the Philadelphia Flyers at PPG Paints Arena. It will be interesting to see if they decide to make another move before then.
Jones is also a left defenseman, which would make that side a bit crowded if he returns soon.
"Just based on how Gravy's been playing down there, based on his experience, based on what he's done in the past, all those things," Muse said. "We've had it where guys have their off-side before. I think if we want to have that as an option, it's something that we can explore again. [Brett] Kulak has a lot of experience playing over there on the right. There's other options there as well."
Forwards Rickard Rakell - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust Evgeni Malkin - Tommy Novak - Egor Chinakhov Anthony Mantha - Ben Kindel - Justin Brazeau Connor Dewar - Blake Lizotte - Noel Acciari
Defensemen Brett Kulak - Kris Letang Parker Wotherspoon - Jack St. Ivany Ryan Shea - Connor Clifton
Goaltenders Stuart Skinner, Arturs Silovs
It stands to reason that Skinner will likely get the call against the Flyers. In his NHL career against Philadelphia, Skinner is 4-1-1 with a .923 save percentage in six appearances.
According to Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff, forward Josh Dunne will be out for the next four to six weeks due to a middle-body injury.
Ruff also noted that Dunne's injury will not require surgery.
Dunne has played in a career-high 28 games so far this season with the Sabres, where he has recorded one goal, three assists, four points, 34 penalty minutes, 34 hits, and a minus-4 rating. This is after he played in just two games last season for Buffalo, where he had zero points and five penalty minutes.
Dunne has also played two games this season with the Sabres' AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, where he has one goal.
With Dunne sidelined, the Sabres will now be without one of their bottom-six forwards for at least the next month.
In 44 career NHL games split between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Sabres, Dunne has recorded one goal, four points, and 49 penalty minutes.
St. Louis Blues winger Jimmy Snuggerud and center Dalibor Dvorsky might not be in the Calder Trophy race as some people predicted, but that doesn’t mean their rookie seasons haven’t been successful up to this date.
The 21-year-old Snuggerud sustained a left wrist injury that required surgery and missed 12 games because of it. The initial timeline given to him was longer than the time he was out, and since his return, he’s notched two goals and four points in nine games.
The Blues defeated the Carolina Hurricanes last night 3-0, highlighted by a three-goal second period. The Blues scored a short-handed goal, an even-strength goal, and a power play goal, with two of the goals coming from rookies Dvorsky and Snuggerud.
Dvorsky and Snuggerud’s goals highlighted their strengths: their shots. Dvorsky didn’t necessarily rip one past the goaltender from range. Still, he got himself open in tight on a transition opportunity and was able to get the puck up over the goaltender quickly enough to notch his seventh goal of the season.
The 20-year-old has found his home now in the NHL, and he doesn’t look like he’s going back to the AHL anytime soon. He’s assumed a centerman’s role on the Blues and is only getting better.
“I thought it was excellent,” coach Jim Montgomery said of Dvorsky’s line. “Dalibor Dvorsky’s had some really good games, that might have been his best 200-foot game. He was really good in the D-zone, he was moving his legs, he was winning a lot of 1-on-1 battles and it started in that goal. They win that battle, 72 to 72 to 54 low and then we move the puck up and great execution. What a great pass by Jordan Kyrou on the entry to find 75 and then down to 63 and a real poised play that we’re used to seeing Jake Neighbours make in and around the net and a good finish.”
Snuggerud’s tally, which was also his seventh of the season, displayed his shot to a tee. On the power play, the Blues forced a turnover and went down the ice with numbers. Jordan Kyrou dropped the puck back to Snuggerud, who took one stick handle before firing the puck into the top corner from just inside the right faceoff circle.
Jimmy Snuggerud (Joe Puetz-Imagn Images)
When the Blues selected Snuggerud 23rd overall in the 2022 NHL draft, goals like the one he scored last night were what the Blues envisioned on a nightly basis. Snuggerud doesn’t need much time or space to show off his shot.
He can beat goaltenders with a one-timer or a catch-and-release. The youngster is averaging over two shots per game this season, but is converting just 9.7 percent of his attempts. The shooting percentage should increase, and the goals will come more easily, sooner rather than later.
It’s almost the opposite of Dvorsky. The Blues coaching staff wants Dvorsky to shoot the puck more, as he’s fired just 48 shots in 37 games. While the other aspects of his game look strong, allowing himself to be a true shot threat at 5-on-5, rather than just the power play, could take his game to the next level.
In all, Snuggerud is on pace for 14 goals and 30 points in 70 games, while Dvorsky is on pace for 14 goals and 20 points in 72 games. They might not be Calder Trophy-winning numbers, but they are solid starts to what the Blues hope are long careers in St. Louis.
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The Montreal Canadiens have announced that they have signed forward Alexandre Texier to a two-year, $5 million contract extension. Starting next season, Texier will have a $2.5 million average annual value (AAV) with the Habs.
Seeing the Canadiens sign Texier to a contract extension is not surprising in the slightest. Since signing with the Canadiens after mutually terminating his contract with the St. Louis Blues in November, the 26-year-old forward has proven to be an excellent fit in Montreal.
In 25 games since signing with the Canadiens, Texier has recorded seven goals, nine assists, 16 points, and a plus-7 rating. With numbers like these, he has certainly given the Canadiens solid offensive production.
Texier has only been heating up even more as the season rolls on, though. Over his last five games, the 2017 second-round pick has recorded four goals and eight points. With this, he has been making a big impact for the Canadiens, and he has earned this nice two-year contract extension with Montreal because of it.
In 265 career NHL games over seven seasons split between the Columbus Blue Jackets, Blues, and Canadiens, Texier has posted 47 goals, 60 assists, and 107 points.
