Crotty is a 27-year-old right-handed defenseman measuring 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds. He's played three NHL games this season, averaging 11:09 of ice time. In his NHL career, Crotty has played 11 games, one of which came with the Wild in 2024-25.
Crotty spent the majority of his lone season with the Wild in the AHL, where he captained the Iowa Wild. He dressed in 64 games and recorded 10 assists.
Prior to joining the Wild and then the Senators, Crotty was a third-round pick (82nd overall) by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2017 NHL draft. He played just one game with the Coyotes before leaving the organization as a Group-6 UFA.
In the 2025 off-season, Crotty signed a two-year, two-way deal with the Senators carrying an $812,500 AAV. He's now in the second year of his contract and will become a UFA on July 1.
While the Wild deal with injuries to Brock Faber and Jared Spurgeon, who is now on the injured reserve, Crotty will be an extra defenseman if the Wild elect to keep him up with the NHL club. The Wild recalled Carson Lambos as tonight’s extra defenseman, but because Lambos cleared waivers earlier this season, they can move him freely between the NHL and the AHL.
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Despite leading the Belleville Senators and the entire American Hockey League in goal scoring last season, free agent forward Arthur Kaliyev had to wait until late October to find a new team.
According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, Kaliyev is signing a 25-game professional tryout agreement with the Iowa Wild, the AHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild.
Kaliyev scored 40 goals in 70 games with the Belleville Senators last season, becoming the first player in franchise history to win the AHL goal-scoring title. He also added 28 assists for 68 points, finishing tied for third in league scoring and earning a spot on the AHL's First All-Star Team.
Sens GM Steve Staios was asked about the Kaliyev allegations at the start of the 2025 training camp.
It was an outstanding season for the 25-year-old winger, but it wasn't enough to earn him another contract with the Senators organization.
There was already some familiarity between Kaliyev and the Senators' front office. He played junior hockey for the Hamilton Bulldogs when Michael Andlauer owned the team and Steve Staios ran its hockey operations.
Despite his impressive production in Belleville, Kaliyev barely got a cup of coffee in Ottawa. Maybe an espresso. He appeared in two games and got one assist, before being returned to the minors for the rest of the season.
When the summer arrived, he became a free agent and the Senators let him walk. Not many people in Ottawa complained about that, but no one would have imagined that he'd go six months without getting a deal.
Kaliyev's former girlfriend, Lauren Mochem, accused him of defrauding her of more than $50,000 during their relationship, alleging that he used the money to support a gambling addiction. The police and the NHL investigated and found no evidence of any violation.
Kaliyev's offensive ability has never been the biggest question about his game. The former second-round pick has a shot that's elite, even by NHL standards.
His skating and defensive play have been more persistent concerns, helping explain why his success in the AHL hasn't translated into a permanent NHL role.
For now, Kaliyev will attempt to rebuild his career in Iowa, where a 25-game tryout gives him another chance.
It's a weird position for the reigning AHL goal scoring champion to find himself in.
Former New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz will be inducted into the Nashville Predators' Golden Hall on Thursday night against the Washington Capitals.
“This franchise, to me, is everything, really."
A storied career, an unforgettable impact. Celebrating our Golden Hall inductee, Barry Trotz.
Trotz, who won a Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018, joined the Islanders that summer along with former general manager Lou Lamoriello.
In 288 regular season games behind the Islanders' bench, Trotz went 152-102-34, helping the Islanders to back-to-back trips to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2020 and 2021.
Following his dismissal from the Islanders after a rough 2021-22 season, Trotz was named general manager of the Predators a year later, a role he held until he announced his retirement this past June 2nd.
There was shocking NHL news this morning, as Detroit Red Wings coach Todd McLennan announced that Dylan Larkin will not play tonight as the team faces the Chicago Blackhawks.
McLennan said interim GM Shawn Horcoff would address the situation and that the Red Wings would issue a statement. After the announcement, TSN hockey insider Pierre LeBrun said trade talks surrounding Larkin have escalated. While he noted a deal is not imminent, discussions have certainly escalated.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman added that he believes Detroit's plan is not to play the center until a trade is materialized. He later reiterated that report and added that the Red Wings are expected to provide a statement on the matter.
"There were talks in the last 24 hours between Larkin's camp and the Red Wings, both last night and again this morning, and what was communicated from the agents to Detroit was that Larkin feels he's given the team ample time since his trade request in May to get a deal done," said LeBrun. "Larkin has had enough, so decision was made he won't play tonight nor for foreseable future hoping a trade materializes. Fluid situation still. Red Wings circling back to teams with interest, etc., as talks escalate."
The Wild have been heavily linked to Larkin. With connections to Quinn Hughes, Matt Boldy, and Brock Faber, Larkin would have plenty of familiarity with the Wild's lineup. When Larkin announced he had requested a trade, the Wild quickly became frontrunners.
The fit makes lots of sense. The Wild want to add a top-six center, and Larkin's style of play fits the Wild's. Larkin could form a strong one-two punch with Joel Eriksson Ek. Larkin is a solid two-way center, but with the Wild, he could be asked to focus more offensively while Eriksson Ek continues his stellar two-way play.
This season, Larkin has scored two goals and six points in 10 games, averaging 21:41 of ice time. Larkin was stripped of the captaincy before the season started and missed the first few games while recovering from an injury.
The cost to trade for Larkin remains unknown, but many presume a deal could involve Danila Yurov and any of the Wild's upcoming first-round picks. There has also been speculation that the Wild's ability to land Larkin in a trade could impact Hughes' decision to re-sign in Minnesota.
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This will be the third game of the Penguins three-game home stand before they head to Montreal on Saturday. They are 2-0-0 on the home stand with wins over the Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators.
This will also be the second of two meetings against the Mammoth after the latter won the first game 5-4 in Utah on Oct. 19. The Penguins were so close to tying the game in the dying seconds of the third period, but Sebastian Cossa made an outstanding save to rob Ben Kindel.
Since then, the Mammoth have lost two of their last three games, but are still 8-5-0 and in second place in the Central Division. They're also seventh in goals per game with 3.62.
The Penguins will need to defend way better than they did in the first game against the Mammoth if they want to come out on top. They'll get some reinforcements for this game after head coach Dan Muse told reporters after Thursday's morning skate that Ben Kindel, Egor Chinakhov, and Evgeni Malkin are "looking good" to play.
Defenseman Sam Girard is a game-time decision, but will also likely return after taking full contact during Wednesday's practice.
Here are the expected lines and pairs:
Forwards
Novak-Crosby-Rakell
Chinakhov-Kindel-Malkin
Kuzmenko-Lapierre-Koivunen
Dewar-Lizotte-Robertson
Defensive pairs
Stastney-Karlsson
Carlile-Letang
Girard-Korczak
Arturs Silovs will make his fourth consecutive start on Thursday, and it's deserved. He's been very good lately.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Fans can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'
The Minnesota Wild organization is adding some offensive firepower to its American Hockey League affiliate.
According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, forward Arthur Kaliyev is signing a 25-game professional tryout (PTO) agreement with the Iowa Wild.
Kaliyev, 25, is coming off an impressive 2025-26 campaign with the Belleville Senators, Ottawa’s AHL affiliate, where he recorded 40 goals and 28 assists for 68 points in 70 games.
The 6-foot-2, 209-pound winger also appeared in two NHL games with Ottawa last season, recording one assist.
Originally selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft, Kaliyev was once considered one of the organization’s more promising offensive prospects.
He made his NHL debut during the 2020-21 season before becoming a regular in Los Angeles’ lineup the following year.
During the 2021-22 campaign, Kaliyev appeared in 80 games for the Kings, recording 14 goals and 13 assists for 27 points. He followed that up with 13 goals and 28 points in 56 games during the 2022-23 season.
However, his offensive production declined during the 2023-24 campaign, when he managed seven goals and 15 points in 51 games.
Kaliyev eventually moved on from Los Angeles, spending time with the New York Rangers organization before joining Ottawa.
Across 204 career NHL games with the Kings, Rangers and Senators, Kaliyev has recorded 38 goals and 38 assists for 76 points.
Despite struggling to establish himself as a consistent NHL contributor in recent seasons, Kaliyev demonstrated his scoring ability with Belleville last year.
His 40 goals in 70 games represented an average of 0.57 goals per game, while his 68 points marked one of the most productive professional seasons of his career.
For Iowa, the addition provides an opportunity to evaluate a relatively young forward with significant NHL experience and a proven ability to score at the AHL level.
The 25-game PTO allows Kaliyev to join Iowa without the organization immediately committing to a standard contract for the remainder of the season.
It also gives Kaliyev an opportunity to showcase his offensive abilities as he looks to work his way back into the NHL.
While the agreement is strictly with Iowa and does not place Kaliyev on Minnesota’s NHL roster, his performance could make him an intriguing organizational depth option moving forward.
For now, the former second-round pick will look to build on his 40-goal campaign and prove that he still has more to offer at the professional level.
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McLellan told reporters that interim general manager Shawn Horcoff would explain why. No update was given as of 1 p.m. ET. The Red Wings' home game begins at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Larkin, 30, had missed Wednesday's practice, but the team later said it was a maintenance day.
The center had requested a trade following the end of last season after the Red Wings' playoff drought hit 10 seasons, though he hasn't revealed his reason.
He agreed to report to training camp but was stripped of his captaincy. He missed the start of camp with an injury and was booed by fans during introductions at the home opener. But he has played since returning from the injury and has six points in 10 games.
Larkin, who originally had the Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights on his trade list, has expanded that list to 10 teams.
That includes the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals, according to the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. ESPN reported on Oct. 20 that the Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils and Utah Mammoth were added to the list.
Without much surprise, Erik Karlsson and Rickard Rakell were among the Penguins' players on Kypreos' trade board. It is understandable, as both players have been in the rumor mill for a while.
Yet, Kypreos also included a new Penguins forward on his trade board: Justin Brazeau.
"Big and strong with a set of hands, Pittsburgh will try to sell Brazeau off based on the production he had during the first half of last season. With so many prospects in the system, look for the Penguins to potentially use him as a trade chip, though he needs to get healthy first. Brazeau has not played a game this season," Kypreos wrote.
Brazeau has not been discussed very often as a trade candidate. Yet, with the Penguins having a surplus of NHL forwards and Brazeau being in the final year of his contract, it is fair to wonder about his future in Pittsburgh.
Brazeau was recently activated off injured reserve and assigned on a conditioning loan to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. With this, the big winger is inching closer to returning for the NHL club.
Brazeau could generate some interest from teams looking to boost their forward group. When playing at his best, he has shown that he can be a solid power forward. This was certainly the case last season, as he set career highs with 17 goals, 17 assists, and 34 points in 64 games for Pittsburgh.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if the Penguins end up moving Brazeau at some point this season.
The Chicago Blackhawks are already involved in trade rumors. 18 teams had scouting representatives at the United Center for Chicago’s match vs the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday, and a total of 25 teams out of 32 have been there since Sunday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens.
Frank Seravalli has reported that the Blackhawks are looking to add a big scoring winger during all of this as well, which has added to the rumor mill.
Kyle Davidson has been actively looking for "shoot-first, scoring wingers with size." If the Blackhawks slide continues, "count on something bigger perhaps in the works." pic.twitter.com/zIOZngJ5aS
The conversation around a trade like that includes centers like Frank Nazar and Oliver Moore. Teams around the league want centers, which is an area where the Blackhawks have a surplus. There is development left to go for most of Chicago's young centers, but the upside is there to intrigue teams.
Rumors of Teuvo Teravainen and Kevin Korchinski being moved have also swirled. With the Blackhawks being 4-8-0 through their first 12 games of the season, it isn’t surprising to hear these names in the rumor mill as the team looks to shake things up before going the route of firing anyone.
If Moore and Nazar both stick with Chicago in the long term, one of them is likely going to have to make a full-time transition to the wing, and neither would say that is their first choice of position.
In the case of Kevin Korchinski, he is a young defenseman who doesn't get the playing time he needs in order to further his development. Sending him to the AHL would require waivers, and the Blackhawks would almost certainly lose him for nothing.
As for Teravainen, it would depend on another team taking him at this stage of his career. He went from being a healthy scratch on opening night to running their top power-play unit in the absence of Bowen Byram, which does give him value. On a contender, he'd make a wonderful secondary playmaker in the middle of a lineup.
Anything can happen, as it is all just rumors right now, but there can be fire where there is smoke in the NHL. Connor Hellebuyck was already traded from the Winnipeg Jets to the New Jersey Devils. Next is almost certainly going to be Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings. After that, the trade market may open up in a big way.
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It didn't take long for former Winnipeg Jets defenceman Jack St. Ivany to make an impression with his new club.
Just four days after being claimed off waivers by the Washington Capitals, the 27-year-old recorded two assists and earned third-star honours in his Washington debut Wednesday night, helping the Capitals to a 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Photo by Charles LeClaire/USA Today
St. Ivany made his presence felt almost immediately, picking up a helper on Alex Tuch's opening goal just 1:50 into the first period. He added another assist later in the contest, finishing with two points, a plus-two rating and 14:44 of ice time.
The performance came less than a week after the Jets placed the 6-foot-4 blueliner on waivers Friday, with Washington claiming him the following afternoon.
Winnipeg had acquired St. Ivany from the Pittsburgh Penguins on June 29 in exchange for forward David Gustafsson. He appeared in four games with the Jets to begin the 2026-27 season, recording no points, six hits and five blocked shots while averaging 13:31 of ice time.
He joins Johnathan Kovacevic, Eric Comrie, Luca Sbisa, Jansen Harkins and Declan Chisholm as players the Jets have lost via Waivers since returning to Winnipeg.
The California native had previously spent parts of three NHL seasons with Pittsburgh, including a career-best seven-assist campaign over 20 games in 2025-26.
Washington's decision to claim St. Ivany came as the Capitals dealt with injuries on their blueline, including the absence of Vincent Desharnais, who is recovering from an appendectomy, Rasmus Sandin and Winnipegger Dylan McIlrath.
St. Ivany was paired with rookie Cole Hutson for Wednesday's matchup, giving Washington another right-shot option on defence.
Originally selected by Philadelphia in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft, St. Ivany enjoyed his memorable Capitals debut against the very organization that drafted him.
With two assists in his first appearance, St. Ivany has already surpassed his offensive production from four games with Winnipeg this season, making an immediate case for an extended opportunity in Washington's lineup.
PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 22: Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (58) looks on during the second period in the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Florida Panthers on October 22, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Over the past couple of years, defenseman Kris Letang seemed to be the one member of the Pittsburgh Penguins big-three that had slowed down the most. Not only in terms of offensive production, but just general, overall impact. Father time was catching up, and the adjustment to that did not seem to be going well. There were even more signs of that over the first couple of games of the 2026-27 season.
But over the past couple of weeks there are some encouraging signs that maybe Letang still has some game left, and that maybe he is adjusting to his new limitations and what he can and can not do.
That has especially been the case since he has not been paired up with Trevor van Riemsdyk, an early-season pairing that just did not seem to click the way the Penguins might have hoped.
While Letang has not really made a significant contribution offensively with just six asssists (and zero goals), his defensive impacts have been shockingly strong.
When he has been on the ice during 5-on-5 play, the Penguins have allowed just four goals in 198 minutes of hockey, and only 1.96 expected goals per 60 minutes.
That expected goal number is the lowest among the team’s defensemen (minimum 100 minutes played), and the third-lowest of any player on the team (trailing only forwards Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte).
Among 186 defensemen across the NHL, it is 11th.
Those are promising numbers. The Penguins do have an extremely high save percentage with Letang on the ice (over .940) which is probably not a sustainable number, so there might be some additional goals against to come his way just through some regression, but the fact there are not a lot of chances being allowed is an encouraging sign that could help mitigate that somewhat.
It is also eye-opening how much more effective he has been paired with literally any other defenseman on the roster outside of van Riemsdyk.
There are some small sample sizes here with each of these pairings, but the overall performance is pretty consistent among the pairings.
Pairing
Minutes Played
GF
GA
xGF/60
xGA/60
xGF%
Kris Letang-Trevor van Riemsdyk
57.57
1
1
2.32
3.39
40.7
Kris Letang-Spencer Stastney
53.52
1
0
2.70
1.03
72.3
Kris Letang-Ilya Solovyov
36.58
1
0
1.61
1.49
51.9
Kris Letang-Sam Girard
16.27
0
2
3.23
1.59
67.0
Kris Letang-Declan Carlile
16.16
1
1
5.12
1.59
76.2
I am going to chalk this up to three things that are likely working in harmony here to produce these results.
Early season small sample size noise that is, to some degree, driven by on-ice save percentage. You can’t just ignore that possibility, especially given the larger sampling of of performance we have had from him over the previous year or two. Even though there have not been a lot of chances against, some of those pucks that are getting through to the goalies are going to find their way in the back of the net at some point. The expected goal against numbers are highly encouraging, but I think we do need to see more of that over an extended period of time before we can say for certain that it’s a for-real improvement.
Less is more. And by that I mean, less ice-time. A smaller role. He is averaging just a little more than 20 minutes of ice-time per game, which is the lowest number since his rookie season. Even as recently as two years ago the Penguins were asking him to play 23 minutes per game. In the first half of the 2025-26 season, that number was still up in the 22-23 minute per game range. He’s a borderline Hockey Hall of Famer. He has had the best career of any defenseman in a Penguins uniform. He’s been great for a long, long time. But at some point you are not capable of playing that sort of role anymore. Everybody needs to adjust to that. He needed to adjust his game. The Penguins needed to adjust their expectations and role for him.
Just getting him with the right partner. Or in this case, not putting him with the wrong partner. I liked the idea of signing van Riemsdyk in free agency because he has been such a solid defender throughout his career. Nothing flashy; just steady. But even when Letang was at his peak and one of the best skaters in the league, he never, ever, at any point, played well next to defenders like van Riemsdyk. The Brooks Orpik-Rob Scuderi pairings never worked well. The idea of putting him with “a safety net” never played out. He was always at his best next to players that could skate well, move the puck, and could complement his style of play. Stastney, Solovyov, Girard and even Carlile to some extent are significantly better at playing that style of game than van Riemsdyk is.
If nothing else, it is an encouraging development to see from a player that the Penguins are going to need to play well. Let’s see how it plays out.
Washigton Capitals legend Alex Ovechkin is starting slowly in his 22nd and final season. The Colorado Avalanche haven't shown last season's dominance and the Pennsylvania teams have struggled, along with Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Bowen Byram. Plus, there's no contract extension for Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes.
Is it time to hit the panic button? USA TODAY takes a look.
Alex Ovechkin showing his age?
Ovechkin, 41, entered this season needing 11 goals to break Wayne Gretzky's record of 1,016 combined regular season and playoff goals. He needed five assists to break Nicklas Backstrom's team record of 762 career assists. But he's at one goal and three assists after 11 games, the worst start of his career.
A couple things have been working against Ovechkin. He was injured heading into training camp and the Capitals' offseason acquisitions have cut into his ice time. He's no longer playing all two minutes of the power play and is averaging a career-low 13:47 per game. According to NHL Edge, his hardest shot is down 4 mph from last season and his fastest skating speed is down 2 mph. He's on pace for a career-low 122 shots.
Ovechkin has a history of starting slowly, so it's a matter of waiting to see if he'll break out again.
Colorado Avalanche off to slower start
The Avalanche were sitting at 6-5-1 heading into Wednesday's game after winning the 2025-26 Presidents' Trophy.
They are built around Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Martin Necas but they dealt away some of their depth before giving Makar a record contract extension.
Valeri Nichushkin, Ross Colton and Jack Drury were traded. The Avalanche signed free agent Jaden Schwartz, who had six points in his first four games before going without a point in his next five games.
MacKinnon, Makar and Necas are doing their part, but they'll need more depth scoring to push for another division title. They got a start on Wednesday, Oct. 28, when Schwartz, Parker Kelly, Nazem Kadri and Gabriel Landeskog joined MacKinnon in scoring in a 5-2 win against the New Jersey Devils.
But slow starts leave the Penguins and Flyers at 14th and 16th, respectively, in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers were sunk by a team-worst 0-6-3 start in which they struggled to score. Penguins forwards Andrei Kuzmenko (death of his father) and Ben Kindel (vasovagal episode) have missed time.
One highlight for the Flyers is that Matvei Michkov, who struggled last season, has picked up nine goals in October.
Blackhawks' Bowen Byram has disappointing start
Byram was stuck behind Makar and Rasmus Dahlin early in his career, and the Blackhawks made a big bet he'd be a productive No. 1 defenseman if given the opporunity.
The Blackhawks sent the fourth overall pick to the Buffalo Sabres in a trade for Byram and gave him a $12.5 million-a-year contract extension.
But Byram has one point in six games and is a minus-7. Several things have worked against him. The Blackhawks were without injured top player Connor Bedard at the beginning of the season and Byram missed a game to fly home for the birth of his twins. He played one game with Bedard, picking up his lone point, then has been out with an upper-body injury. He's considered day to day.
Quinn Hughes hasn't signed extension
The Minnesota defenseman is off to another tremendous season, but he has yet to agree to a contract extension in the final year of his contract. He gave a positive update recently.
"My two feet are planted in Minnesota and, you know, something could happen soon. I'm not really too sure," he told reporters on Oct. 24. "I'm really enjoying playing here."
GM Bill Guerin addressed Hughes' contract situation Wednesday on "The Chad Hartman Show," saying he hasn't talked to Hughes' agents recently.
“There’s nothing really to talk about right now," he said. "What am I going to do? Like going, ‘Please, please, please, please.' This is a unique situation. I think Quinn needs to wrap his head around a couple things. ... Quinn's situation will resolve itself at some point in time. This does not keep me awake at night."
Guerin said there's no date for Hughes to sign or for the GM to consider other options.
"At some point in time, I'll have to try to figure things out and see what's best for the team," he said. "I know one thing for sure. Having Quinn on our team is what's best for the team. ... I don't know what's gong to happen. I don't know what I'm going to do."
Tonight’s matchup between the Vancouver Canucks (3–10–1) and San Jose Sharks (6–6–1) will feature the tale of two rebuilds. Vancouver, obviously just entering theirs, comes into tonight’s match riding the high of a 6–5 overtime win against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday, which saw them end a 10-game losing streak that started on October 4. The Sharks, who seem to have put their rebuild in the rear-view, have something to prove heading into tonight’s matchup, as they were shut out by the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday and have dropped their past two.
The Canucks team that enters SAP Center for tonight’s matchup is undoubtedly at the beginning of their rebuild. They have their young talent in players like Zeev Buium, Tom Willander, and Jonathan Lekkerimäki, though most of the recent high-end prospects they’ve acquired are still developing in other leagues. From both a team and individual perspective, there’s still lots of room to grow.
San Jose, on the other hand, boasts a lineup that has seen their fair share of losing seasons and been rewarded greatly for it. Four of their current rostered players — Will Smith (4th-overall, 2023), Macklin Celebrini (1st-overall, 2024), Michael Misa (2nd-overall, 2025), and Ivar Stenberg (2nd-overall, 2026) — were picked within the top-five of the four most recent NHL Entry Drafts. While they’re still a young team, it’s clear their contention window is just beginning to open.
Players To Watch:
Jonathan Lekkerimäki
Jonathan Lekkerimäki was one of the Canucks’ strongest players on Tuesday night, scoring his team’s fourth and fifth goals with less than four minutes in regulation to earn the tie and send the game to overtime. His effort in the win propelled him to a tie for second on his team in points with 12. Given his performance on Tuesday, which saw him skate in a career-high of 19:55 minutes, it will be interesting to see if Lekkerimäki ends up being rewarded with an increased role or a boost in ice time compared to his averages on the season.
Ivar Stenberg
Tonight’s matchup will provide the Canucks with a first NHL-look at the second-overall pick of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. While he’s still only 19, Stenberg appears to be fitting into the NHL well. His three goals and six assists currently tie him with Tyler Toffoli for second on their team in points. He also sits tied for second in the NHL’s rookie scoring race for points, with only Gavin McKenna ranking ahead of him.
Vancouver Canucks (3–10–1):
Points:
Elias Pettersson: 4–11–15
Jonathan Lekkerimäki: 6–6–12
Brock Boeser: 4–8–12
Filip Hronek: 1–9–10
Linus Karlsson: 3–6–9
Goaltenders:
Leevi Meriläinen: 2–3–1
Kevin Lankinen: 1–7–0
San Jose Sharks (6–6–1):
Points:
Macklin Celebrini: 5–10–15
Tyler Toffoli: 4–5–9
Ivar Stenberg: 3–6–9
Will Smith: 4–4–8
Jacob Trouba: 2–6–8
Goaltenders:
Alex Nedeljkovic: 3–1–1
Yaroslav Askarov: 3–5–0
Game Information:
Start time: 7:00 pm PT
Venue: SAP Center
Television: Sportsnet
Radio: KiSS West Coast
Apr 11, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks defenseman Dmitry Orlov (9) and Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson (40) battle for control of the puck during the first period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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The Columbus Blue Jackets are on the road to face the Carolina Hurricanes tonight at 7:00 PM.
Carolina Hurricanes- 10-2-2 - 22 Points - Won 2- 1st in the Metro
Columbus Blue Jackets - 5-5-0 - 8 Points - Won 2 - 7th in the Metro
Player Notes Per CBJ PR
Matthew Knies has 1-4-5 in 9 career GP and has 2 multi-point efforts in his last 3 games against Carolina (1-3-4).
Charlie Coyle has posted 5-8-13 in 27career games and notched a four-point effort last season on Mar. 17 with 1-3-4 against Carolina at Nationwide Arena.
Adam Fantilli has 1-4-5 in nine career games, with two multi-point efforts in his past five contests against the Hurricanes (1-4-5).
Sean Monahan has 6-12-18 in 23 career GP, with assists in three of his last five meetings (0-5-5) and points in six of his past nine contests against Carolina (1-7-8).
Valeri Nichushkin has 5-7-12 with four multipoint efforts in 13 career games, including points in four of the past five contests (4-3-7).
Zach Werenski has 6-12-18 in 35 career GP with assists in six of the last nine games against the Hurricanes (2-7-9).
Blue Jackets Stats
Power Play - 11.1% - 30th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 72.7% - 23rd in the NHL
Goals For - 25 - 32nd in the NHL
Goals Against - 33 - 6th in the NHL
HurricanesStats
Power Play - 23.5% - 10th in the NHL
Penalty Kill - 83.3% - 11th in the NHL
Goals For - 53 - 4th in the NHL
Goals Against - 33 - 5th in the NHL
Series History vs.Hurricanes
The Blue Jackets are 30-33-0-5 overall, and 13-18-0-3 on the road in Carolina.
Columbus went 1-3-0 in 2025-26.
The home team has won nine of the last 10 meetings and 13 of the last 16 dating back to Feb. 25, 2022.
The winning team has scored four-plus goals in each of the past nine contests (including SO goals) and in 17 of the past 19 since Oct. 23, 2021.
The winning team has won by three or more goals in eight of the past 10 meetings of the series.
The teams have combined for six-plus goals in 10 of the last 14 overall games of the series.
Who To Watch For TheHurricanes
Sebastian Aho leads the Hurricanes in Goals(8), assists(11), and points (19).
Logan Stankoven has 8 goals and 11 points.
Pyotr Kochetchov is 8-0-0 with a a SV% of .918. He's won 8 straight games.
Brandon Bussi is 2-2-2 and his last start was on 10-22.
Injured Reserve & Other Injuries
Isac Lundestrom - Achilles Surgery - LTIR - 10 Games Missed
Ivan Provorov - Lower Body - IR - 10 Games Missed - Lightly skating. Could return soon
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 33
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be simulcast on The Blue Jackets Hockey Network and 97.1 The Fan, with Steve Mears behind the mic doing the play-by-play.
TV: CBJHN - Spectrum HD Ch. 320/1320; IP Ch. 349; Prime Video, Fubo. DirecTV Ch. 660 (streaming), 660-1 (satellite). U-Verse (1735/735)
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PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 14: Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins battles against Mikhail Sergachev #98 of the Utah Mammoth at PPG PAINTS Arena on December 14, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Who:Utah Mammoth (8-5-0, 16 points, 2nd place Central Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (5-6-1, 11 points, 6th place Metropolitan Division)
When: 7:00 p.m. ET
How to Watch: Locally televised game on Sportsnet Pittsburgh and Utah16, broadcast in Canada on SN and TVA, streaming for out of market at ESPN+
Pens’ Path Ahead: The Penguins are hitting the road Saturday for a game against the Montreal Canadiens before returning home next week for a Tuesday game against the Vegas Golden Knights and Thursday game against the Boston Bruins.
Opponent Track: This is the first matchup of a six-game road trip for the Mammoth, which most recently conceded a 3-1 loss to the visiting Minnesota Wild. After starting the season 7-3, Utah hasn’t won in regulation since beating the Penguins back on Oct. 19 (they’re 1-2-0 with an overtime victory since).
Season Series: This will mark the last time the Penguins see the Mammoth this regular season. Pittsburgh is looking to spit the series for a second straight year.
Hidden Stat: Two fights took place in a 90-second span of the Mammoth’s Tuesday loss to the Wild, a game that marked the first Utah game in history featuring three fights. The Mammoth now lead the league with eight fights in 13 games this season.
Potential scratches: John Marino (week-to-week), Daniil But, Artem Duda
Injured Reserve: Michael Carcone (upper body), Maverick Lamoureux
Former Penguins defenseman John Marino is considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
Liam O’Brien could be making his season debut against the Penguins after appearing in his first game of the campaign against the Wild. He was one of three players who dropped the gloves Tuesday against the Wild.
Special teams notes
The Mammoth have seen very different results from their different special teams through this early stretch of the season.
Utah is heading into the matchup ranked 29th in the league with a 67.4 percent penalty kill success rate.
Head coach André Tourigny said after his team gave up two power-play goals against in Tuesday’s 3-1 loss his team learning more “discipline” would be key going forward.
The Mammoth are meanwhile overall averaging 3.62 goals per game, a number that is good for the sixth-most in the NHL and that has been inflated by the team’s success on the power play.
Utah ranks second in the NHL with a 34.8 percent power play success rate, although the unit went 0-for-4 Tuesday against the Wild. Nick Schmaltz’s five man-advantage goals in 13 games are still tied for the second most in the NHL.
On the other hand, the Mammoth are tied with the Penguins and two other teams for 11th in 5v5 scoring. Utah is also looking for a rebound performance offensively after being most recently held to just one extra-attacker goal in the final two minutes of regulation in their loss to the Wild.
The Mammoth rank third in the NHL with a 54.8 percent face-off rate so far this season, while the Penguins rank 30th after going 45.6 from the dot. Vincent Trocheck has won an impressive 62.8 percent of his face-offs over this early stretch.
Mikhail Sergachev, who is tied with Clayton Keller for the points lead in Utah, is riding a five-game point streak (1-5—6) into tonight’s matchup. Logan Cooley meanwhile has three goals in two games.
Goaltending uncertainty
It hasn’t been a particularly strong start to the season for either Mammoth goaltender. Only the Vancouver Canucks have recorded a lower team save percentage than Utah’s mark of .866. Both Karel Vejmelka and Sebastian Cossa rank bottom-11 in the league (out of 71 goaltenders) in goals saved above expected, per HockeyStats.com.
Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos said last week the Mammoth are not “sold on Karel Vejmelka being the No. 1” who could lead his team on a playoff run (h/t NHL Rumor Report), although Tourigny said after the Tuesday loss to the Wild he felt Vejmelka was “back on track.”
Utah was tied to an interest in Connor Hellebuyck before he was traded to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a haul including four players and two draft picks. How Vejmelka performs as this early stretch of the season continues could impact whether the Mammoth eventually take a swing at upgrading their goaltending ahead of the deadline.
And now for the Pens
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Tommy Novak – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell
Egor Chinakhov – Ben Kindel – Evgeni Malkin
Andrei Kuzmenko – Hendrix Lapierre – Ville Koivunen
The Penguins could be getting a few players back from health issues after their four-day break. Sam Girard and Egor Chinakhov are back at practice after missing three and two games, respectively. Ben Kindel looks ready to slot back into the lineup for the first time since the Penguins’ last game against the Mammoth.
It's important for Ben Kindel to shift his focus ahead after what he experienced last week.
"I'm definitely not dwelling on anything or have anything holding me back coming into this weekend."
More roster updates: Rutger McGroarty was absent from Wednesday’s session and could be a scratch. Avery Hayes and Chase Pietila were re-assigned to the AHL on Wednesday. Justin Brazeau has also been sent to Wilkes/Barre on a conditioning stint after getting activated from IR, while Elmer Soderblom replaced him on the list.
Forward Justin Brazeau has been activated from Injured Reserve and assigned to @WBSPenguins (AHL) on a conditioning loan.
Forward Elmer Soderblom has been placed on IR.
Forward Avery Hayes and defenseman Chase Pietila have been re-assigned to WBS. pic.twitter.com/JIjtKM9eXM
The Penguins were running a top power-play unit of Sidney Crosby, Erik Karlsson, Ville Koivunen, Tommy Novak and Rickard Rakell, while slotting Chinakhov and Kindel alongside Andrei Kuzmenko, Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin on the second unit at Wednesday’s practice.
