Four years ago, Juraj Slafkovsky established himself as a dominant force on the international stage, earning the MVP title of the Beijing Olympics hockey tournament. The teenager scored seven goals in as many games as he led Slovakia to a first medal in men’s hockey, the Bronze one. That performance caught the Montreal Canadiens’ eye, and they decided to use the first-overall pick of the 2022 draft on the youngster.
In the run-up to this year’s Olympics, we heard it would be different because the competition would be much better with NHLers being able to take part this time around, but Slafkovsky has been just as dominant, if not more. On the latest edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman summarized it nicely in this way:
If you’re a Montreal Canadiens fan, your nipples have to be erect, seeing how well Juraj Slafkovsky is doing (at the Olympics).
We’ve said time and time again that the future was bright in Montreal, but we’re slowly starting to see that future come into place, and Slafkovsky’s awakening this season has been one of the best stories in town. Not everyone noticed, though, but now that he’s taking center stage at the Olympics, more people are taking notice.
Former NHLer and Slovak player Marian Gaborik was the highest selected Slovak at the NHL draft until Slafkovsky was claimed first overall by the Canadiens, and he’s one of those who’s been paying attention. The Minnesota Wild draft pick at the 2000 draft played 1035 games in the NHL and gathered 815 points, and he’s spending the Olympics commentating on Slovakia’s games on TV.
Juraj is more mature as a player. We see him accomplishing big things on the Olympic ice. He didn’t have that confidence last year or during his other seasons in Montreal. Four years ago in Beijing, he was dominant for Slovakia with seven goals, but he didn’t play such a complete game. Now, he works as part of a team, he controls the puck, he plays well defensively, and he’s skating with intensity to get back to the bench. He keeps his cool when he’s hit, he doesn’t retaliate, I love the way he handles himself.
- Gaborik on Slafkovsky
A Stanley Cup champion with the Los Angeles Kings in 2014, Gaborik even added that the sky’s the limit for Slavkosky. While he’s progressed by leaps and bounds this season, it still feels like he hasn’t reached his ceiling yet, and one has to wonder what that will look like.
It feels like the youngster becomes more confident with each new Olympic game, and in the NHL, he’s on pace for a career year with 45 points in 57 games, on pace for a 64-point season, and his first 30-goal season. Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes must be incredibly glad not only that they selected him in 2022 but also that they were able to ink him to a very reasonable eight-year contract with a $7.6 M cap hit. As the years go on and the cap goes up, that contract could become an absolute steal.
Olympics hockey, just like the NHL, doesn't allow for ties.
A game will go to overtime if it is tied after 60 minutes and there also is the possibility of a shootout if the game remains tied once an overtime period ends.
But there are differences between NHL rules and Olympic rules on how overtimes and shootouts are conducted. The maximum length of a sudden death overtime depends on the round in which the game is being played. And the shootout format is totally different from the one used by the NHL.
Here's an explainer on how overtimes and shootouts work in Olympic hockey:
Olympic overtime rules
If the teams are tied after 60 minutes in the preliminary round, a five-minute sudden-death overtime will be played at 3-on-3. Unlike the NHL, teams don't change ends for overtime.
Overtime in a playoff game, along with the bronze medal game, lasts a maximum of 10 minutes. It's also 3-on-3, as opposed to 5-on-5 in NHL playoff games.
In the gold medal game, teams play 20-minute 3-on-3 overtime periods, separated by 15-minute intermissions, until someone scores. Teams don't change sides for the first overtime but do for subsequent overtimes.
Olympic shootout rules
If overtime doesn't settle a game outside of the gold medal game, there will be a shootout. The winner of a coin toss gets to choose whether their team shoots first or second.
The format differs from the NHL, with five shooters per team instead of three. If nothing is settled after five rounds, then each round is sudden death as in the NHL. But there's another difference. Olympic teams can use the same shooters multiple times during the sudden death rounds (think back to TJ Oshie in the 2014 Olympics). They also can change goaltenders.
In the sudden death round, the team that shot second in the first five rounds will shoot first. The rounds continue until one team finishes with one more goal than the other. That team is declared the winner.
With the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano-Cortina wrapping up later this week, the NHL season is one step closer to resuming.
And when it does resume on Feb. 25, the chaos will ensue.
The Pittsburgh Penguins may not take the ice again until a day later on Feb. 26, but - as is the case for many other teams across the league - the business side of things figures to pick up right away. And it’s because the NHL trade deadline is just eight days after that on Mar. 6.
As has been widely chronicled this season, the Penguins are in a great position heading into the home stretch, as they sit second in the Metropolitan Division standings with a game in hand on the division-leading Carolina Hurricanes, who they also play three times in March.
But even if they already have a pretty deep roster on the forward front, they could still use some solid depth options on their blue line, especially with veteran right defenseman Kris Letang’s status uncertain for return-to-play after having surgery just prior to the Olympic break. So, if the Penguins are going to add for their playoff push, it will likely be on the blue line, but they probably won’t want to pay and arm and a leg for premium talent right now.
So, that said, here are five potential trade targets for the Penguins to bolster their blue line by the deadline.
Murphy, 32, is obviously not one of the youngest defensive options on the trade market, but Chicago Blackhawks’ blueliner is definitely one of the more reliable ones.
The veteran right defenseman could help bring more stability to Pittsburgh’s third pairing, and he is also a good buffer in case one of Erik Karlsson or Kris Letang goes down. He is solid and steady in his own zone, good at the net front, and uses his 6-foot-4, 214-pound frame to win puck battles in the defensive zone. He also has a touch offensive ability with four goals and 12 points in 57 games this season.
Murphy is on an expiring contract at $4.4 million, meaning the Penguins have plenty of room for him, and they could certainly use some true depth on their right side behind Karlsson and Letang. He will be one of the top right defensemen available on the market, though, so the Penguins may have to throw in a small sweetener to best their competition if they want to land him.
Rentals probably aren’t going to be super enticing for Kyle Dubas and the Penguins, but depending on the cost, Murphy would be worth it.
Another name to potentially keep an eye on is the 29-year-old Whitecloud, who went to the Calgary Flames in the deal that sent Rasmus Andersson to the Vegas Golden Knights earlier this season.
Think a right-side Parker Wotherspoon-lite here: Whitecloud has long been a solid bottom-four presence, as he simply goes about his business doing most of the small things right. He isn’t as unspectacularly spectacular as Wotherspoon, but he boasts a solid enough defensive resume and the track record to make him another attractive depth option on the right side for the Penguins.
He makes just $2.75 million, and he’s under contract for two more seasons. Like Murphy, he would be one of the top right-side defenders on the trade block, so the Penguins won’t be the only ones vying for his services.
Shifting to the younger side of the spectrum, one of the more fascinating cases is 24-year-old New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider.
Schneider, like the Rangers, has failed to truly establish consistency in the NHL, even if there is still a lot of upside to consider for the young right blueliner. He has struggled defensively so far this season and still hasn’t quite lived up to expectations set for offensive production, as he has just two goals and 11 points this season - his fourth full season at the NHL level.
With the Rangers transitioning into a rebuild, Schneider - a pending-UFA and former first-round pick (19th overall in 2020) - may be a player they are willing to part with for the right price. He seems to fit the “younger player, change of scenery” situation Dubas has sought lately, and if he shows he fits with Pittsburgh in their stretch run, he could be part of their future on the blue line.
It’s no secret that Dubas leans into familiarity when it comes to both the draft and the trade market. And he has some of that familiarity with Liljegren, who was with the Toronto Maple Leafs for parts of four seasons during Dubas’s time as general manager there.
He, like Schneider, has not quite hit his potential at the NHL level. And like Schneider and Murphy, he is also on an expiring contract at $3 million average annual value. This is another “take a chance” situation on a guy who could pan out and a blueliner who, although a right defenseman, is versatile and capable of playing on both sides.
The Penguins could use all the defensive depth they can get their hands on, and Liljegren should be a relatively low-risk, low-cost option for them. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound defenseman has one goal and 11 points in 42 games with the San Jose Sharks this season.
A few months ago, there was a lot of talk about Mintyukov potentially being a trade chip for the Anaheim Ducks, who - like the Penguins - were not necessarily expected to be pushing for the playoffs. But, as they sit in the second wild card spot in the Western Conference, it’s safe to say that they’ll be making a playoff push in the last month and a half of the season.
Therefore, it’s unclear whether the 22-year-old left defenseman is even going to be on the market. His situation hasn’t changed all that much, since Jackson LaCombe and Olen Zellweger have passed him on the depth chart, and has played the entire season on the third pairing. But he is a pending-RFA, and he has been playing better as the season has bore on - even if he hasn’t matched the production pace of his encouraging rookie season with six goals and 15 points in 51 games this season.
He isn’t someone the Ducks should want to give up on yet, but if Mintyukov wants out, the Penguins and Dubas should be calling. The cost would be relatively high, and there is still a lot to be built on in terms of his defensive game.
But he is a puck-moving, mobile blueliner who helps in transition and has a lot of offensive upside, and he is still very young. If the price is right - and if the Penguins could swing a deal - he could become a cornerstone piece of their future, and perhaps a new system and environment would do wonders.
Teuvo Teravainen is the only player on the Chicago Blackhawks’ active roster participating in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, taking place in Milano Cortina. Adam Gajan, who is a Blackhawks prospect playing at the University of Minnesota Duluth, is the third-string goalie for Team Slovakia.
There were a handful of Blackhawks players who could have been chosen to make their respective teams, but only Teravainen earned a spot in the end.
The number of Blackhawks participating is likely to increase by the time the games reach France in 2030. If all goes well, these three players should find themselves earning spots on Olympic rosters by then:
Connor Bedard - Canada
Connor Bedard was on the cusp of making Team Canada this time around, but an injury at the worst time didn’t help his case. At the time of the injury, Bedard was keeping pace with the league’s leading scorers, but missing about a month took him out of that race.
Right now, Bedard is one of the best young players in the NHL. By the time he is in his seventh NHL season, if he stays healthy, Bedard will be one of the best in the world. He is already an All-Star caliber player, but making the hardest team in the world to make is something he will achieve in his career.
Last summer, Bedard was committed to working on some of the deficiencies in his game, and a lot of it appears to be corrected so far this year. Bedard came in faster, stronger, and more willing to play a 200-foot game. All of these skills will only help his Team Canada case down the line.
Spencer Knight - USA
For the 2026 Olympic Games, Team USA just went with the three goalies that they brought to the 4-Nations Face-Off in 2025, which includes Jeremy Swayman, Connor Hellebuyck, and Jake Oettinger. Chances are that they will be looking in another direction by 2030.
Spencer Knight had a case to make it this year, based on his play with an up-and-down Blackhawks team. Knight covers up for a lot of Chicago’s defensive issues, and he’s only 24. When he’s 28 in 2030, he should be at the height of his powers by then.
When you look at the landscape of goaltending around USA Hockey, Knight is right in the middle of it. By that time, he may even be at the forefront of all goalies in the NHL, competing for Vezina Trophies and playoff positioning. Being a part of Team USA in the future must be on his checklist, and rightfully so.
Anton Frondell - Sweden
The Chicago Blackhawks selected Anton Frondell with the 3rd overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Frondell’s national team is Sweden, which is one of three countries (United States, Canada) icing an entire roster of NHL players in the 2026 Winter Olympics. However, he could have easily fit in on that team with the skills he possesses.
At the World Junior Championships representing Sweden, Frondell played incredible hockey and led them to a Gold Medal. You’d have to think that more international dominance is in his future.
Frondell is likely to make his NHL debut at some point this season, and he should be a lock for the Olympics by the time 2030 rolls around.
Sweden is deep, but it is hard to see them being deep enough to keep a kid like Frondell off their roster, especially if he is an NHL regular by then.
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MILAN – After player feedback and feedback from the NHL, the banners at Milano’s Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena are expected to be changed to a lighter color, multiple NHL sources confirmed Monday night. ESPN’s Emily Kaplan was the first to report.
The new banners are expected to be pasted on in time for the men’s hockey qualification round Tuesday, the league sources say. Arena staff began removing the current banners immediately following Monday night’s women’s hockey semifinal between Canada and Switzerland.
The banners were going to be changed all along due to wear and tear, but players and NHL officials have pointed out to the IOC how the darker green color specifically in different areas of the boards could be problematic for sight when it comes to finding a black puck.
In the U.S.-Denmark game, United States goalie Jeremy Swayman said he couldn’t see a puck coming at him fired from near the Denmark bench.
“It was a flash screen and it was just the perfect height right between the stands and board level, and I truly lost it,” he said.
The CBC and NBC broadcast crews wondered aloud during the telecast whether Swayman lost the puck because of the color of the boards in the vicinity of where the puck was shot.
To Swayman’s credit, he didn’t use it as an excuse, joking after the game that he was colorblind, so it didn’t matter to him anyway.
“It’s something all of us always have to face and we play in different arenas every night in the NHL, so this is just one, another one, and it’s a challenge that we have to embrace,” Swayman said.
Former Florida Panthers goaltender Brandon Bussi has signed a three-year contract extension with the Carolina Hurricanes.
The 27-year-old will earn $1.9 million annually starting in the 2026-27 season. Bussi has been one of the best stories of the season so far and has earned the job as the No.1 goaltender in Raleigh.
Bussi started the season with the Panthers, signing a one-year deal with the Panthers in the off-season. The goal was for Bussi to serve as the third-string goaltender and spend most of the season with the Charlotte Checkers.
This season, Bussi had posted a .908 save percentage and a 2.16 goals-against average in 27 games. Additionally, he’s posted a 23-3-1 record with two shutouts.
Although the Panthers would have loved to see him remain with the organization, there wasn’t going to be much of an opportunity for Bussi to make such a lasting mark. With Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov remaining relatively healthy through the season, the Panthers would have seen no purpose in recalling Bussi to the NHL.
In all, it’s a happy moment for Bussi, who is a perfect example of never giving up on your dreams and of hard work helping you accomplish what you desire.
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With a little bit of help and guidance from Vladislav Gavrikov, Artemi Panarin pinpointed the Los Angeles Kings as the team he wanted to be traded to.
Panarin and his agent, Paul Theofanous reportedly, spoke to multiple teams about a potential contract extension as the New York Rangers made their intentions not to re-sign Panarin public with the hope to trade him before the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline.
It was Panarin's full no-move clause that allowed him to dictate exactly where he wanted to play and treat this process almost as if he were already a free agent.
Eventually, Panarin gave the Rangers the green light to trade him to Los Angeles, and a deal was finalized with the Kings on February 4.
It’s unclear exactly why Panarin specifically wanted to play for the Kings, but he admitted that conversations with Gavrikov, who played for the Kings from 2023-2025, helped sway his decision.
“I tried to find a team for myself, where I want to be, so it was kind of about feeling,” Panarin said. “Obviously, you look at the players, and then I spoke with Gavrikov the last couple days a lot.
“He introduced me to a great organization, great teammates in there and obviously a great spot to live. I just want to play for these guys, for that organization. Other teams were on the list too, but I actually never wanted to go anywhere else.”
While Gavrikov’s high praise of the Kings organization may not have been the deciding factor in Panarin’s ultimate choice to sign a two-year, $22 million contract extension with the Kings upon being dealt, it certainly helped guide the 34-year-old forward in the direction of Hollywood.
If Skinner passes through unconditional waivers unclaimed, he will then become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) and have the chance to look for a new home elsewhere.
Skinner had become the odd man out in the Sharks' forward group, as he has been the subject of several healthy scratches. His last appearance as a member of the Sharks was back on Jan. 11 against the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Sharks signed to a one-year, $3 million contract during this past off-season. This was after the Toronto, Ontario native posted 16 goals, 13 assists, and 29 points in 72 games during this past season with the Edmonton Oilers.
In 32 games with the Sharks this season, Skinner recorded six goals, seven assists, 13 points, and a minus-8 rating. Overall, the six-time 30-goal scorer had a pretty quiet stint with the Sharks.
Fans of the Detroit Red Wings have every reason to feel excited about what lies ahead, thanks to their intriguing tandem of goaltending prospects, Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine.
Augustine, who is playing in his junior season with the Michigan State Spartans, ranks near the top of the NCAA in all major goaltending statistical categories, including wins, goals-against average, save percentage, and shutouts.
Meanwhile, Cossa continues to have a stellar campaign for the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL, helping them set multiple records for the best start in AHL history.
Coreau, who previously played at Northern Michigan, signed with the Red Wings as an undrafted free agent and spent several seasons with both the Griffins and the ECHL affiliate Toledo Walleye before making his NHL debut with Detroit during the 2016–17 season.
He would ultimately post a record of 5-4-3 with a 3.46 goals-against average and a .887 save percentage, along with two shutouts in his first taste of NHL action.
He appeared in just 21 NHL games during his career, which continued primarily in the AHL with multiple clubs before he eventually moved overseas to play in Austria, Slovakia, and Sweden.
While Coreau was not viewed as a potential long-term goaltender of the future for the Red Wings, both Cossa and Augustine carry that potential, and their performances could be a strong indicator of even greater things ahead.
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With the preliminaries now over and the number one seed secured, Team Canada will now sit back and watch Czechia and Denmark duke it out on Tuesday in the Olympic Qualification Playoff round.
The good news for the winner of that game? They get to advance to the quarterfinals, where they'll be one win away from the semis and a chance to play for an Olympic medal. The bad news? They'll have to play the very next day against a well-rested, powerhouse Canadian team.
But lest we forget, Czechia and Denmark have both given Canada trouble in the recent hockey past.
THN's Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy both agree the Olympic tournament format could use some work.
At the World Juniors, Czechia has been up in Canada's face for three years now, eliminating them in each of the last three tournaments, while the Czechia men's national team won the World Hockey Championships in 2024.
And don't sleep on Denmark either.
Many of the current Canadian Olympians, like Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Macklin Celebrini and Jordan Binnington, were on the Canadian team that fell to the Danes 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the 2025 World Hockey Championships.
Ottawa Senators veteran Lars Eller wasn't a member of that Denmark team, but as the only Danish player ever to win a Stanley Cup, he knows a thing or two about big games.
Eller was also Denmark's captain during Olympic qualification in 2024 when they defeated Norway, Great Britain and Japan to get to Milan for just the second Olympic appearance in their history. Eller led the Danes with two goals and two assists through those three games. In these games, he has one assist, along with 4 penalty minutes and a -2 rating.
The 36-year-old was joined on the team by Belleville Senators goalie Mads Sogaard, who played 51 minutes against the Americans before leaving the game with an injury. He made 33 saves on 38 shots in a 6-3 loss.
He and Eller are two of only six players on Denmark's roster who've played NHL games this season. The others are Nikolaj Ehlers, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Oscar Moelgaard, and starting goalie Frederik Andersen.
Frank Dichow has never played in the NHL, but he was in goal for last spring's quarterfinal shocker against Canada, and is also available for what the Danes hope will be a back-to-back situation this week.
If they do get to the quarters, the Danes will be badly outmatched, playing on short rest, and because of last spring's historic upset, there won't be a single player in Canada's locker room looking past them. Being on the wrong end of one of the greatest upsets in hockey history isn't something you soon forget.
As he prepared to make his Olympic debut earlier this month, Eller fondly recalled his childhood, watching the NHL's return to the Olympics in 1998 all the way to the 2010 games in Vancouver, when he was breaking in with the AHL's old Peoria Rivermen.
“Every Olympics is pretty memorable," Eller said in an interview with Senators writer Andrew Wilimek. "You remember flashes and players from those eras, so that’s pretty cool to think back on that, and now you’re going to be on that stage yourself.”
Meanwhile, if Canada's opponent is to be Czechia (1-1-1), which will be the favourite in Tuesday's Qualification Playoff matchup with Denmark, the Czechs bring a lot more NHL experience to the table, not to mention two former Senators.
Filip Chlapik, Ottawa's 2015 second-round draft pick, is Czechia's second-leading scorer with two goals and an assist. They also have forward Dominik Kubalik, one of the players acquired from Detroit in the Alex DeBrincat trade. Kubalik was ineffective in his one season in Ottawa and hasn't done much yet in his two games.
But the Czechs, despite their 5-0 loss to Canada, do have serious NHL game breakers in David Pastrnak (3 pts) and Martin Necas (5 pts). They also have Tomas Hertl, Ondrej Palat, Filip Hronek, Radko Gudas, and a solid goaltending tandem of Dan Vladar and Lukas Dostal.
On paper, Canada should be able to handle either nation in Wednesday’s quarterfinal (10:40 a.m. ET), but single-elimination hockey has a way of ignoring the script.
Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was first published at The Hockey News-Ottawa. Read more Senators features and articles from THN Ottawa here:
The Carolina Hurricanes have signed goaltender Brandon Bussi to a three-year, $5.7 million contract extension the team announced on Monday.
Bussi, 27, was claimed off of waivers by the team before the start of the season and has quickly evolved into one of the best stories in the entire league.
The New York native has had a tremendous start to his NHL career, with a 23-3-1 record, 0.908 save percentage, two shutouts and has shattered multiple records along the way.
“Before we brought him to Raleigh, Brandon had been successful at every level from the USHL to college to the AHL," said Carolina GM Eric Tulsky in a press release. “Given the opportunity at the NHL level this season, he’s proven to be a winner here too. We are thrilled that he will continue to provide a steady presence in the crease for this team into the future.”
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The Buffalo Sabres are expected to be buyers ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline as they look to end their 14-year playoff drought.
The Winnipeg Jets, on the other hand, are likely to be sellers due to their struggles this campaign.
With this, let's take a look at two Jets players whom the Sabres should consider targeting leading up to the 2026 NHL trade deadline.
Luke Schenn
It is no secret that the Sabres would be wise to add another right-shot defenseman by the deadline. It is clear that their right side could use a boost, and the Jets have an interesting option to consider in blueliner Luke Schenn.
Schenn would give the Sabres another solid, hard-nosed defenseman to work with for their bottom pairing and penalty kill if acquired. The 18-year veteran and two-time Stanley Cup champion would also be a good mentor for the Sabres' younger players if brought in.
Logan Stanley
The Jets have another interesting trade candidate defenseman in Logan Stanley. While Stanley is a left-shot defender, he would still have the potential to be a nice addition for a Sabres club that could use more depth on their blueline.
Like Schenn, Stanley is well-known for playing a heavy game, so he would give the Sabres' defensive group more bite. Furthermore, the 6-foot-7 defenseman is having an excellent year for Winnipeg, as he has set career highs with nine goals, nine assists, and 18 points in 55 games.
BUFFALO, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 5: Avery Hayes #85 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates with teammates after scoring his first career goal during the first period of an NHL against the Buffalo Sabres game at KeyBank Center on February 5, 2026 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Joe Hrycych/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There’s a famous story in sports about how in 1925 the first baseman for the New York Yankees, Wally Pipp, showed up to the ballpark with a headache.
Miller Huggins, the Yankees’ manager, noticed this, and said “Wally, take the day off. We’ll try that kid Gehrig at first today and get you back in there tomorrow.” Gehrig played well and became the Yankees’ new starting first baseman. This story first appeared in a 1939 New York World-Telegram on Gehrig’s career, in which Pipp was interviewed. Pipp was later quoted to have said, “I took the two most expensive aspirin in history.”
For the non-baseball fans (or young) out there, Lou Gehrig would go onto play in a then-record 2,130 straight games. And thus, getting “Wally Pipp’d” became a point for the last hundred plus years in sports about a replacement stepping in and never looking back.
Avery Hayes might not go down in history to the same degree as the legendary ‘The Iron Horse”, though after Hayes’s two-goal NHL debut it’s worth thinking about the situation for where he might go from here for the rest of the season. That debut was partially brought on, ironically enough, in a fourth line right wing spot because the typical holder in the lineup of that position, Noel Acciari, was sick for a game. It won’t cost Acciari his spot forever, though it has opened up a door that will be worth further exploring this season.
Hayes was sent back to the AHL for the Olympic break, he still looks on a high, recording a hat trick in his first game back. Last night Hayes picked up an assist and dropped former Penguin Zach Aston-Reese in a fight with a mean short left.
You can bet Penguin management has to be intrigued. The question now becomes just how much they’ll be looking to do to get Hayes a chance to get back into the NHL lineup. It’s a legitimate question since the current forward group figures to leave the break with full health with the normal fourth line featuring Acciari, Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte playing with an abundance of chemistry and success together.
Josh Yohe wrote a good line in The Athletic today, saying: “the second you think pieces of your fourth line are unmovable, you’ve got yourself a problem”. That would apply to moving in or out of the lineup, or even status on the team itself.
One area working in the Pens’ favor is the 23-player roster maximum disappears after the NHL trade deadline. Teams just have to be mindful to stay under the salary cap (no problem at all there for Pittsburgh) and the limitation of four post-deadline call-ups (which is also no problem since emergency recalls if a team needs them due to injury as also allowed), all of which should definitely open up the possibility to get Hayes and his good pal Rutger McGroarty back with the NHL squad after the March 6th deadline. From there it won’t be too difficult to rotate out a player like Acciari or Dewar at times to get some younger blood in the lineup.
That could also be an audition for next season. Both of Acciari and Dewar are impending free agents this summer. Hayes and McGroarty are waiting in the wings as natural, younger replacements for next season, if the management team decides to go in that direction.
Another alternative could be to consider moving one of Dewar or Acciari in a trade. The wisdom of doing that when the team is clicking and remove a piece of their success is questionable at best. Trade value on both players won’t be high either, likely making the reward not worth the potential risk of damage it could do to this team’s morale and unity. Had this season unfolded like the previous few in Pittsburgh, it would be easy to trade veterans as their contracts near expiry (including Lizotte, who has already re-signed) and move onto younger players. This Pens team is fourth in the Eastern Conference with a .625% points percentage, they’ve earned keeping their group together a while longer.
The good news for the Penguins is that it’s a good problem to have right now where they have about 14 forwards that, all things considered, they’d probably like to have dressing for an NHL game on any given night. The problem pops up in that only 12 can actually dress. That offers them a lot of options on what to do next in the course of managing the excess of players they have available now at their disposal, building in some comfort to hedge against future injuries.
One of those angles will certainly be how much they decide to work Hayes back in for NHL opportunities down the stretch. The Pens are starring down a very difficult upcoming March that sees 17 games in 31 days against many of the best teams in the league. They have a real grind coming up, the post-March 6th ability to have fresh bodies like Hayes and McGroarty on hand could be a real blessing to keep players fresh and inject the lineup with new options as they go along.
Based on that timeline a transition wouldn’t be as immediate or impactful as a Hall of Famer like Gehrig entering the picture and never leaving it, but as Wally Pipp knew all too well opening the door to a new option can lead to changes that end up lasting longer than just a single game. Hayes is making a strong case to be in the NHL picture down the stretch in some form, the answer to just how much opportunity he’ll get will be one of the more intriguing little storylines for the Penguins in the final sprint of their 2025-26 season.
The Hockey News’ Frank Zawrazky caught up with Montreal Canadiens prospect and Laval Rocket Goaltender Jacob Fowler at the AHL All-Star Classic and asked him about a couple of topics.
The 21-year-old is in his first full professional season and has spent most of the season in the AHL with the Rocket, but the Canadiens’ goalie woes have led to a surprise call-up to the big team, where he played his first 10 NHL games. Still, he spent enough time in the AHL to earn his first invite to the All-Star Classic with a 17-7-0 record, a 2.21 goals-against average, and a .916 save percentage. Asked about what it meant for him to be an All-Star, he replied:
Yeah, it’s special. Obviously, every time you get to be a part of something like this, it’s cool. It’s the first in my career, and I’m just proud to represent this organization. There are a lot of people who have helped me get here, and I want to have a positive reflection on the organization.
- Fowler on taking part in the AHL All-Star Classic
An upper-body injury kept him from taking part in on-ice activities, but he still made the trip, sporting a brand-new mask for the occasion. Asked why that new mask features a Quebec license plate on the back plate, the goaltender explained:
It was a little touch: I’ve always had a license plate on the back with Florida, which is where I’m from, and for an event like this, I thought it would be cool to do the Quebec license plate because it’s my new home now. I think it’s turned out pretty nice.
- Fowler on the new back plate on his mask
On the goalie coach changes in Laval and Montreal, the netminder said:
Obviously, I’m happy for Marco (Marciano), he deserves it, he’s great, he’s been awesome for me. Very fortunate to have the people that we do in our organization, it’s exciting times in Laval.
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The netminder added that he still keeps in touch with Marciano, but he wasn’t sure if he was going to work with him during the Olympic break as initially planned, since Ilia Ejov has now been named interim goalie coach with the Rocket.
Fowler was cleared to play Laval’s first game after the All-Star break, and he backstopped the team to a 6-1 win over the Hershey Bears, saving 23 of the 24 shots he received. On Valentine’s Day, he acted as Kaapo Kahkonen’s backup in the game against the Toronto Marlies.
The Rocket is currently first in the Northern Division and fourth overall in the AHL. Fowler is having a great first professional season, and with what he showed during his call-up with the Canadiens, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him in the NHL sooner rather than later. The future looks bright in the Montreal crease, not only because of Fowler, but there are two Canadiens prospects amongst the nominees for the Mike Richter award in the NCAA.
The NHL may be on its Olympic break, but the AHL season is still in full swing, coming off the AHL All-Star festivities.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins got crushed 5-0 by the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday and were trying to bounce back with a win against the Cleveland Monsters on Sunday, but it wasn't meant to be. WBS trailed three times during the game and came back to tie it each time before falling in overtime, 4-3.
Rutger McGroarty tied the game at one in the first period after poking the puck in from the net-front. Avery Hayes took the initial shot, and McGroarty was able to finish the play off.
McGroarty was assigned to WBS after the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 in their last game before the NHL's Olympic break. Before being sent back, McGroarty was playing really well in the NHL and continues to look even faster. He's also improved defensively and is making quicker decisions with the puck on his stick. He's going to be a full-time NHL player very soon.
The Monsters took a 2-1 lead later in the first period before Ville Koivunen tied the game with a little over a minute remaining in the period. The Monsters turned the puck over behind the net, leaving Koivunen with a wide-open cage. He made no mistake with the puck, making it a 2-2 game heading into the first intermission.
Koivunen has had a couple of NHL stints this season and scored his first NHL goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning back on Dec. 4. It was a long time coming since he was getting plenty of chances in other games, but wasn't getting the bounces to go his way.
He has played in 27 NHL games this season and, according to Natural Stat Trick, has been on the ice for 57.7% of the shot attempts, 58.8% of the expected goals, 58.9% of the scoring chances, and 57.2% of the high-danger chances. The process is there, but now it's about fine-tuning the smaller details of his game so that the results come. He's still a player who will be back in the NHL soon.
Emil Pieniniemi scored his first AHL goal to tie the game at three in the third period. He ripped the puck from the left circle, and it was a no-doubter.
Pieniniemi has played in six games for WBS this season, compiling one goal and three points. This is his first full professional season after he finished the 2024-25 season with 10 goals and 60 points for the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL.
Avery Hayes didn't score in Sunday's game, but he still made his presence felt when he dropped the gloves with former Penguin Zach Aston-Reese. He delivered some big right-hand punches and got credit for the takedown. What can't he do at this point?
Hayes recently scored a hat trick for WBS and scored two goals in his NHL debut against the Sabres. It won't be long until he's a full-time NHLer.
Despite the back-to-back losses this weekend, WBS is still in good shape in the Atlantic Division. WBS has a 32-13-3-2 record, good for 69 points and second place behind the Providence Bruins. The next closest team is the Charlotte Checkers, who are 14 points behind the Penguins.
WBS will try to snap this two-game losing streak on Wednesday against the Springfield Thunderbirds, who are in seventh place in the Atlantic Division with an 18-24-4-2 record. They'll then have a home-and-home against the Bridgeport Islanders next weekend.
MILAN – After player feedback and feedback from the NHL, the banners at Milano’s Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena are expected to be changed to a lighter color, multiple NHL sources confirmed Monday night. ESPN’s Emily Kaplan was the first to report.
