Category: Ice Hockey

It looks like the Pittsburgh Penguins' injury woes have trickled down to their farm system. 

On Tuesday, it was announced by the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League that Penguins' defensive prospect Peyton Kettles will be out indefinitely after injuring his shouler. He is scheduled to have surgery Friday in Pittsburgh. 

Kettles was selected 39th overall by the Penguins in this summer's draft, and the big, 6-foot-5 defenseman has a goal and three points in five games this season split between the Swift Current Broncos and the Kelowna Rockets. He played with fellow defensive prospect Owen Pickering at Swift Current for two seasons from 2022-24.

He was traded from Swift Current to Kelowna on Oct. 30 in CHL blockbuster that included defenseman Jackson Gillespie and five draft picks - one of which is a 2027 first-round pick. Kettles had already missed Penguins' training camp due to injury and recently returned from that injury before sustaining this one. 

The Rockets are 8-6-3-1 and are currently ranked eighth in the Western Conference. They will play host to the Calder Memorial Cup Final at the conclusion of the 2025-26 junior season. 

Penguins' Rookie Defenseman Eligible For AHL StintIt has been exactly two weeks since <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' rookie defenseman Harrison Brunicke dressed for a game day.&nbsp;

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The New York Islanders improved to 5-1-0 on their seven-game road trip after a big 3-1 win in the Big D against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night. David Rittich made  saves for his second straight win. 

Bo Horvat broke a 1-1 tie, scoring his 13th of the season at 3:12 of the third after a favorable bounce off the end-wall:

Bo Horvat stays hot in Dallas. 13th goal. pic.twitter.com/u7vlwhBXU7

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) November 19, 2025

Then, after Horvat found himself in the box for a double-minor, also earning himself a 10-minute misconduct, Kyle Palmieri did his best Jean-Gabriel Pageau impression, scoring shorthanded to give the Islanders a 3-1 lead at 7:38 of the third:

Insurance by Palmieri. pic.twitter.com/fb93iQNwz8

— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) November 19, 2025

Horvat was unable to play the final 13:12 of the third. 

The Stars pulled within one, scoring with 1:59 to go in the third with the extra-attacker courtesy of Jason Robertson's second of the game. But that's as close as Dallas would get.

Early in the Calum Ritchie scored at 0:31 of the period for his first goal since joining the Islanders, but Jason Robertson answered 1:55 later:

Calum Ritchie, 20, gets first goal with #Isles vs. #TexasHockey@TheHockeyNewshttps://t.co/DP3jrDCFPZ

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) November 19, 2025

 We await an update on defenseman Alexander Romanov, who was hit from behind by Stars forward Mikko Rantanen with 27.3 seconds to play. Rantanen received a five-minute major and a game misconduct. 

The Stars thought they scored to force overtime with 0.2 seconds to play in regulation -- which they did -- but the league deemed it goaltender interference after a review. 

The Islanders conclude their road trip against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night with puck drop at 7 PM ET on MSGSN2. 

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One of the major storylines for the Detroit Red Wings in their centennial campaign has been the emergence of several rookie players.

On Tuesday evening against the visiting Seattle Kraken, a pair of rookies took center stage. 

Nate Danielson scored his first career goal while adding an assist, while Emmitt Finnie broke a lengthy goal-scoring drought of his own (assisted by Danielson) as part of Detroit's 4-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken at Little Caesars Arena.

Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) on X#REDWINGS WIN!!!! #LGRW

With the victory, the Red Wings improved their record to 12-7-1 and moved into the top spot in the Atlantic Division. 

It was the Kraken who found the back of the net first after team captain Jordan Eberle banged home a loose puck at the side of the net while on the power-play in the first period. 

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Detroit's Lucas Raymond knotted the score early in the second period with his sixth goal of the season and second in as many games.

Not long afterward, it would be Danielson who was credited with his first NHL goal after a shot from fellow rookie Axel Sandin-Pellikka deflected off his shin and past goaltender Joey Daccord. Immediately, rookie Emmitt Finnie retrieved the puck from the net that Danielson will keep forever.

Danielson appeared to have his second career goal just minutes later after he deked around defenseman Adam Larsson and beat Daccord with a power move to the net, though the goal would be taken back after Finnie was ruled to have entered the offensive zone just a fraction too early. 

The Kraken then managed to tie the game on a deflection goal from Ryker Evans, but Detroit would restore the lead after Danielson picked up his second point of the evening with a perfect feed to Finnie, who roofed a shot past Daccord for his first goal since Oct. 25. 

Despite a late push by the Kraken in the third period, the Red Wings iced the game after Dylan Larkin scored into the vacated net, picking up the 600th point of his career in the process. 

Red Wings goaltender Cam Talbot won for the eighth time this season, making 20 saves, while Daccord countered with 23 saves. 

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Reinforcements arrived for the New Jersey Devils ahead of their Tuesday night game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Benchmark International Arena. 

Forward Connor Brown and Evgenii Dadonov, along with defenseman Dougie Hamilton, returned to head coach Sheldon Keefe's lineup. Brenden Dillon, who was a game-time decision after missing Monday's practice, also played. 

The welcomed additions to the lineup caused a shake-up amongst the Devils' forward group, with only one line remaining intact from the prior game. Arseny Gritsyuk was elevated to play with Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt, while Dawson Mercer centered a line with Timo Meier and Brown on his wings. Dadonov began on the fourth line with Paul Cotter and Luke Glendening. 

The new-look Devils looked out of sync for most of the 60 minutes and ultimately suffered a 5-1 loss to the Lightning, with Guentzel scoring a hat trick. 

Guentzel scored the game's opening goal at 11:40 of the first period. Mercer attempted a pass to Meier, but Guentzel picked up the pass and beat Markstrom on the breakaway. 

With 21 seconds left in the opening period, Anthony Cirelli found a wide-open Nikita Kucherov to extend Tampa's lead to 2-0 heading into the first intermission. 

While Luke Hughes was in the penalty box, Tampa extended its lead to 3-0. Guentzel scored his second goal of the game. 

Hischier provided a spark for the team when he scored in the final minutes of the second period. The play was reviewed and confirmed as a good goal. Gritsyuk and Bratt picked up the assists. 

Darren Raddysh's slap shot beat Markstrom 4:49 into the third period, for a 4-1 Tampa lead. Dennis Cholowski turned the puck over to J.J. Moser. He passed the puck up ice to Brayden Point, who found Raddysh. 

With 12 minutes remaining in regulation, Guentzel completed the hat trick, securing a 5-1 victory for the Lightning. He entered tonight's game with 32 points in 33 games against New Jersey. 

The Devils will travel to Sunrise to face the Florida Panthers on Thursday. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jake Guentzel scored three goals for his eighth career hat trick and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New Jersey Devils 5-1 on Tuesday night.

Darren Raddysh had a goal and two assists, and Nikita Kucherov had a goal and assist. Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 31 saves as Tampa Bay improved to 9-3-0 since a 1-4-2 start.

Nico Hischier scored for New Jersey, which got Dougie Hamilton, Connor Brown and Evgeni Dadanov back in the lineup. Jakob Markstrom stopped 24 shots for the Devils, who lost in regulation for the first time since Nov. 2 to end a five-game point streak (4-0-1).

The Lightning played without coach Jon Cooper, who missed the game for what the team described as personal reasons. Cooper, the head coach for Team Canada at the Olympics in February, last missed a game on Dec. 21, 2021, at Las Vegas when he tested positive for COVID.

Jeff Halpern served as the head coach on Tuesday.

Guentzel opened the scoring on a breakaway 11:40 into the game, and added his second of the game at 10:38 of the second period with a power-play goal as he shoveled in a pass from Raddysh. Guentzel completed his third hat trick in a Lightning uniform at 7:48 of the third period from the left post as he again shoveled a puck into the net off a cross-ice pass from Kucherov.

Kucherov moved into third all-time in franchise history with his 366th career goal with 22 seconds left in the first period to make it 2-0. Hischier cut New Jersey’s deficit to 3-1 with 2:13 remaining in the second for his 435th career point to move past Mark Streit for fifth-most by a Swiss-born player.

Up next

Devils: At Florida on Thursday

Lightning: Host Edmonton on Thursday

Offense was hard to come by when the New York Islanders battled the Dallas Stars.  But at 10:31 of the second, Calum Ritchie buried a give-and-go with Anthony Duclair to give his team the lead:

The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) on XFirst goal & point as an #Isles  for Cal Ritchie.

The Stars answered off the rush less than a minute later to even the score at 1-1. 

That was Ritchie's first goal and first point as a member of the Islanders since being acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in the Brock Nelson blockbuster trade from last season's trade deadline. 

Ritchie, 20, had no points with the Islanders through his first nine and just one goal through his first 16 career NHL games. 

Detroit Red Wings rookie Nate Danielson delivered the most memorable performance of his young career Tuesday night, scoring his first NHL goal, seeing his second waved off, and later adding a smooth power play assist to former Griffins linemate Emmitt Finnie for a two point night against the Seattle Kraken.

Danielson officially got on the board by giving Detroit a 2-1 lead early in the second period. Fellow rookie Axel Sandin Pellikka sent a low shot from the point that changed direction twice.

Milestone: Red Wings Rookie Nate Danielson Scores First NHL Goal (VIDEO) Detroit Red Wings rookie forward Nate Danielson has scored his first National Hockey League goal, netting the milestone on Tuesday evening.

It first deflected off Seattle forward Mason Appleton and then off Danielson’s knee pad as he battled for position in front of the crease. The redirected puck slipped past Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord and shifted the momentum in Detroit’s favor.

Minutes later it looked as though Danielson had scored again. He pressured a Kraken defenseman into a turnover at the blue line, collected the puck and skated in alone.

He pulled the puck through his legs and beat Daccord with a quick forehand move for what appeared to be a highlight reel tap in.

Ryan Hana (@RyanHanaWWP) on XNate Danielson with a beautiful play to score his 2nd career goal (under 3 minutes after his 1st), but sadly it was called back after offside review. Cruel. #LGRW

The celebration was short lived when officials reviewed the play and ruled it offside because rookie winger Emmitt Finnie had entered the zone ahead of the puck.

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Danielson quickly shook off the disappointment. On a Detroit power play later in the period he delivered a sharp cross crease pass to Finnie, who converted for the Red Wings. The play reunited the chemistry the pair displayed with the Grand Rapids Griffins and added another milestone to Danielson’s night.

Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) on XBeauty.

His path to this moment has been steady as Detroit drafted Danielson ninth overall in 2023 after an impressive junior career with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL. In his final season he led the team with 33 goals and 45 assists for 78 points in 68 games.

The year before he produced 57 points and he finished his WHL career with 150 points overall. In his first full professional season with Grand Rapids the previous year he recorded 12 goals and 27 assists for 39 points in 71 games.

Detroit signed him to an entry level contract in July 2023. He impressed again in the 2024 preseason with a goal and two assists in three games before an upper body injury sidelined him. Once cleared he returned to Grand Rapids and immediately contributed one goal and four assists in his first four AHL games.

"Fun To Get In There": Alex DeBrincat Reflects On Wild Finish To Victory Over Rangers The Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers engaged in an on-ice melee in the moments following Detroit's 2-1 victory, an experience that forward Alex DeBrincat enjoyed.

The Red Wings recalled him November 9 and he made his NHL debut that same day against the Chicago Blackhawks. After going scoreless in his first four NHL outings he broke through on Tuesday with a performance that showcased the skill, confidence and poise Detroit has envisioned since drafting him.

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The Philadelphia Flyers are impressively continuing to find ways to turn water into wine with what has been a rather quiet NHL trade market thus far.

On Monday, the Flyers traded veteran defenseman Dennis Gilbert to the Ottawa Senators for unsigned prospect Maxence Guenette, which was yet another example of a rebuilding team doing exactly what they should be doing.

But, what does that mean?

Gilbert, 29, is a career tweener and journeyman who has played a total of just 111 NHL games across seven seasons. He finished training camp well behind Flyers teammates Noah Juulsen, Egor Zamula, and Adam Ginning, and, while Emil Andrae failed to make the cut initially for whatever reason, he, too, bypassed Gilbert with time.

Gilbert played four games for the Senators last season, so he returns to a team that has a use for him and knows what he can bring. At 29, the former third-round pick is what he is, and the competition the Flyers felt they needed to bring with Gilbert's signing in free agency no longer exists.

On the other side of the fence, the Flyers got five years younger with Guenette, 24, a former seventh-round pick with eight games of NHL experience and 236 games of AHL experience.

Flyers Star's Olympic Chances Just Received a Major BoostWith Jack Hughes injured, Philadelphia Flyers star Trevor Zegras can seize a golden opportunity to make Team USA's roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Guenette is on the older side for a prospect, but he has at least shown some promise in the past. In the 2022-23 season, the 6-foot-2 blueliner racked up five goals, 35 assists, and 40 points in 72 games with the Belleville Senators.

With Andrae presumably staying for the Flyers for the foreseeable future, Guenette can and should help bring further offense to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms' back end.

This is not the first time the Flyers have made a move like this, either.

On Oct. 29, the Flyers traded Samu Tuomaala to Dallas for defenseman Christian Kyrou, who, like Guenette, is a right-shot defender.

Kyrou, 22, has already managed a goal, eight assists, and nine points in seven games with the Phantoms and is pacing well to smash his career-high of 23 points in 57 games, set back in the 2023-24 season with the Texas Stars.

How Guenette fits in the Phantoms' lineup remains unclear; the Flyers added Kyrou, still have Helge Grans, and just got Ethan Samson back from injury. Oliver Bonk could soon return from an injury of his own, which makes four right-shots for three lineup spots.

It would be unrealistic to expect Bonk to come back and hop right into contention for an NHL roster spot, but anything is possible.

At the end of the day, though, even if the Flyers turned nothing into nothing, they got a younger player in Guenette, provided he clears waivers, who has an outside chance of growing beyond his previous circumstances.

That's a smart play from GM Danny Briere and Co., regardless of the outcome.

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It's been a season of milestones for the Detroit Red Wings during their centennial campaign, as multiple rookies have not only made the team but also tallied their first of hopefully many goals at the NHL level.

And now, Nate Danielson can add his name to the list. Danielson, whom the Red Wings made their opening round selection (ninth overall) in 2023, scored the first goal of his NHL career on Tuesday evening against the Seattle Kraken. 

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Danielson redirected a shot from fellow rookie Axel Sandin-Pellikka past Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord for the historic tally. Immediately, rookie Emmitt Finnie retrieved the puck for a keepsake souvenir:

Just minutes later, Danielson would score what appeared to be a highlight-reel goal, only to have it ultimately waived off after Finnie was ruled to have entered the offensive zone an instant too early. 

While the Kraken would knot the score at 2-2 just minutes afterward, Danielson then collected an assist on a goal from Finnie, his first goal since Oct. 25. 

The Red Wings now have eight total goals scored by rookies so far this season, which is good for a three-way tie with the St. Louis Blues and New York Islanders for the second most in the NHL. 

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The Calgary Flames announced today that the organization has claimed forward John Beecher off waivers. The 24-year-old centre joins the club after spending the start of the season with the Boston Bruins.

Beecher, originally selected 30th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, brings size, speed, and a responsible two-way game down the middle. Standing 6’3” and 220 pounds, he provides the Flames with a young, pro-ready option for depth at centre, particularly in a fourth-line role.

Beecher has appeared in 136 NHL games, recording 11 goals and 22 points over parts of three seasons. He is currently on a one-year contract valued at $900,000 and will be a restricted free agent at season’s end.

Sitting 32nd in the league standings, the Flames held top priority on the waiver wire and secured Beecher’s rights upon submitting their claim.

Beecher will join the Flames in Buffalo and will be available, if needed, against the Sabres.

The New York Rangers are set to play the Vegas Golden Knights tonight at 10 PM EST at T-Mobile Arena. 

Here’s all you need to know ahead of this matchup: 

Projected Lineup:

Forwards:

Will Cuylle - Mika Zibanejad - J.T. Miller

Artemi Panarin - Vincent Trocheck - Alexis Lafrenière

Jonny Brodzinski - Noah Laba - Conor Sheary

Juuso Parssinen - Sam Carrick - Taylor Raddysh

Defensemen:

Vladislav Gavrikov - Adam Fox

Carson Soucy - Will Borgen

Matthew Robertson - Braden Schneider

Goaltenders: 

Igor Shesterkin 

Jonathan Quick 

Notable Storylines: 

• Igor Shesterkin is set to start for the Rangers. 
• The Rangers are coming off of a 2-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. 
• Will Borgen is set to return to the lineup after missing two games with an upper-body injury.
• Juuso Parssinen will slot into the lineup in place of Adam Edström.
• Mike Sullivan has rejoined the team after a one-game absence due to personal reasons. 
• The Rangers currently hold a 10-8-2 record.
• The Vegas Golden Knights are coming off of a 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild

Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff provided an update defenseman Michael Kesselring, who left the Sabres 5-4 overtime victory over Detroit on Saturday early in the third period and was seen walking in a boot on Monday. 

"He's gonna be out an extended period of time, on the longer side……weeks,” Ruff said after the club’s practice on Tuesday.   

Kesselring was the main piece in the Sabres trade with Utah for winger JJ Peterka in June, but his Sabres career thus far has been hampered by injury. He missed a month after suffering an unspecified injury near the end of training camp, and after returning in late October, he played eight games before being sidelined again.  

Jacob Bryson took Kesselring’s spot in the lineup against Edmonton, playing the left side while Owen Power shifted to his off-side on Monday.  

Other Sabres Stories

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Ruff also provided some optimistic news on winger Zach Benson, who was also seen walking in the press box wearing a protective boot on Monday. 

“I talked to him this morning,” Ruff said. “I think he’ll join the morning skate (on Tuesday), so he’ll be that close.”

The 20-year-old had a quick start this season after recovering from an infection of a facial cut that required an overnight hospital stay. Benson had eight assists in eight games before suffering a lower-body injury.

Center Josh Norris and winger Jason Zucker participated in practice wearing grey non-contact jerseys on Tuesday, and Ruff indicated on Monday that the veteran winger could be available as soon as this weekend, when the Sabres play Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday and the Carolina Hurricanes in a rare Sunday afternoon matinee. 

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With the second-overall pick of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks selected defenseman Artyom Levshunov. The 6-foot-2 blueliner is viewed as a massive part of the Blackhawks' future, as he has very high upside.

Levshunov appeared in his first 18 career NHL games this past season with the Blackhawks, where he posted six assists and a minus-13 rating. Overall, the young blueliner naturally had some growing pains during his first NHL action. However, he is now already showing clear signs of breaking out for the Blackhawks early on this season. 

In 17 games so far this season with the Blackhawks, Levshunov has already recorded 10 assists, with five of them coming on the power play. He has also posted 15 blocks, 20 hits, and a plus-2 rating so far this season for the Central Division club. 

Yet, what's more encouraging about Levshunov's play is that he is only heating up as the campaign rolls on. Over his last five games, he has recorded five assists. He has also posted eight assists in his last nine games, so there is no question that he is feeling it right now.

If Levshunov can continue to set up his teammates offensively and improve his all-around game, he could be in for a very big year with the Blackhawks. It will be interesting to see how he builds on his hot streak, but there is no question that he is impressing. 

Ahead of the 2025-26 season, the Buffalo Sabres claimed goaltender Colten Ellis off of waivers from the St. Louis Blues. This was after the 25-year-old netminder posted a 22-14-3 record, a .922 save percentage, a 2.63 goals-against average, and three shutouts with the Blues' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, this past season. 

The decision to claim Ellis off of waivers is already looking like a great move by the Sabres, as the 2019 third-round pick is making an impact early on for Buffalo. 

In four appearances so far this season with the Sabres, Ellis has recorded a 3-1-0 record, a .914 save percentage, and a 2.76 goals-against average. This included him stopping 32 out of 33 shots he faced against the Edmonton Oilers in his most recent appearance on Nov. 17, which equates to a .970 save percentage.

If Ellis can continue to play this well for the Sabres as the season rolls on, the Sabres' decision to bring him in will only keep looking better. It will be fascinating to see how he builds on his strong start to his Sabres tenure, but right now, he is certainly impressing as a waiver wire pickup. 

As the NHL reaches the quarter-mark of the season, it's time to look at the league's Norris Trophy race.

After last week’s Hart Trophy ranking, we move on to the current top five candidates to take home the Norris, awarded "to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position."

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar won his second Norris Trophy last season, and it won’t be a surprise to see his name at the top again this time around.

Here are my top five NHL Norris Trophy candidates, as of Nov. 18.

5. Matthew Schaefer, New York Islanders

Matthew Schaefer has been quite impressive in the first quarter of this campaign for the New York Islanders.

In 19 games, the rookie has 15 points, tied for eighth in scoring among D-men. More impressively, he leads all blueliners in goals with seven and eight assists to go along with it. Schaefer has the third-most goals on his team and is tied with Mat Barzal for second in points, only behind Bo Horvat’s 23.

In addition to his scoring, he’s been putting the Islanders in great spots to win hockey games. At the moment, they hold the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. 

A contributor to that has been Schaefer’s ability to draw penalties and be on the right side of the puck. He's tied with Connor McDavid for the second-most penalties drawn in the NHL, with 12.

More telling, Schaefer leads the NHL in net penalties (penalties drawn minus penalties taken), at nine.

BetMGMNorris Trophy odds: 51.00/+5000

Islanders’ Matthew Schaefer Takes On Miro Heiskanen After Battling Cale MakarAfter a strong showing against the league's best defender, Schaefer battles another elite blueliner.

4. Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets

Winnipeg Jets’ Josh Morrissey is playing his way on Team Canada’s Olympic team after a great 4 Nations Face-Off campaign.

This season, he has three goals and 16 assists for 19 points in 18 games. With that, he’s on a five-game point streak and has points in 10 of his last 11 games. Morrissey is one of four D-men in the NHL full-time who average more than a point per game.

At 1.06 points per game, he’ll be challenging the 70-point mark for the second time in his career and the 80-point mark for the first time.

Morrissey is third in defensemen scoring and tied in second for the most primary assists from his position with nine.

Along with his scoring prowess from the back end, he leads the Jets in plus-minus with a plus-seven rating, sharing that top spot with defenseman Logan Stanley.

BetMGMNorris Trophy odds: 61.00/+6000

3. Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars

It feels that one of these seasons, Miro Heiskanen will win something. It could be a Norris Trophy or a Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars, which have been sniffing around the final for years.

Nonetheless, Heiskanen has been a key contributor to the team’s success and ability to get far into the post-season.

The closest the Stars defenseman has been to a Norris Trophy was in 2022-23, when he finished seventh in voting. He scored 73 points in 79 games that season. Last year, he didn’t receive a vote as he was forced to play just 50 games because of a knee injury and scored 25 points.

Heiskanen, 26, has already recorded three goals and 14 assists for 17 points this campaign, nearing last season’s point totals in much fewer games.

The Finnish D-man is not far removed from a six-game point streak, where he put up a goal and 11 assists. 

Additionally, Heiskanen is fifth in the NHL among all skaters in average ice time at 25:18.

BetMGM Norris Trophy odds: 26.00/+2500

2. Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks

Despite the Vancouver Canucks sitting sixth in the Pacific Division, Quinn Hughes has been a breath of fresh air for them.

With one goal and 19 assists, he’s second in scoring among D-men, totalling 20 points. He’s also tied with Makar for the most assists by a blueliner this season.

Among defensemen who have played a minimum of 50 minutes this season, Hughes has a 58-percent on-ice expected goals percentage, according to moneypuck.com. When he’s off the ice, the Canucks’ expected goals percentage decreases to 34.6 percent, the lowest among all D-men.

In English, the Canucks captain is vital to the team’s success offensively, even from the back end.

Furthermore, Hughes averages the most time on ice among all NHL blueliners, at 26:58 per game.

BetMGM Norris Trophy odds: 4.00/+300

NHL Hart Trophy Rankings: Bedard And Celebrini Crack A Surprising Top FiveAre the kids taking over? Bedard and Celebrini are among our top five NHL Hart Trophy front-runners so far, but there's no doubt two Avalanche superstars are crucial to their team's success.

1. Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche

It should surprise no one to see Cale Makar leading the way in these Norris Trophy rankings. He leads in enough categories that make his case to be named defenseman of the year in back-to-back seasons stronger than anyone else.

For starters, he leads all D-men in points with 25 in 19 appearances. The 27-year-old has six goals and 19 assists, leading the league with 12 primary helpers.

Makar also leads defensemen in plus-minus at plus-17, even-strength goals (six) and points (18). Incredibly enough, even with how much he does offensively, he only has 19 giveaways, according to moneypuck.com. For reference, Zach Werenski and Morgan Rielly lead in that category with 38 giveaways each.

Based on the start he’s had to this season, Makar is a candidate not just for the Norris Trophy but the Hart Trophy as well.

BetMGM Norris Trophy odds: 1.30/-333

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