Category: Sports News

The Buffalo Sabres have 23 days before the NHL’s trade deadline arrives on March 6. And other than goaltending (which has the most depth), the Sabres can make trades to address their two areas of need – at forward, and on ‘D’.

Trading one of Alex Lyon or Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen would clear up the logjam between the pipes, but goalie depth is important, so Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen might decide to hold on to his netminding depth.

But Kekalain has to add a strong, experienced and capable defenseman. For instance, would Winnipeg Jets blueliner Luke Schenn be an option? It says here he absolutely should. Schenn is a no-nonsense, physical defenseman who still has stuff left in the tank. There could be other options on ‘D’, but Schenn fits the mold of the type of player Sabres coach Lindy Ruff likes. Oh, and he won’t cost an arm and a leg to trade for.

Meanwhile, up front, there’s also a need Kekalainen should address on the trade market. A veteran winger for Buffalo’s second line would be ideal. And given that Buffalo will have $8.5-million in salary cap space, Kekalainen can and should be able to pluck someone to give his team a different look. 

For instance, would Vancouver Canucks winger Jake DeBrusk be a target for the Sabres? DeBrusk does have a full no-trade clause in his contract, but it’s not working out for him in Vancouver, and he looks like a change of scenery will do him good.

Sabres Are Back On A Win Streak, But Buffalo GM Must Still Make Notable Additions Via TradesDespite the Buffalo Sabres getting a new win streak going, Buffalo GM Jarmo Kekalainen must acquire veteran talent before the trade deadline to solidify the Sabres' playoff aspirations and address the team's depth. Because standing pat would be a major mistake.

Or what about taking a run at another Canuck – winger Kiefer Sherwood? He’s a far less-expensive gamble at $1.5 million, and he’s a UFA at the end of the season, so he could be a pure rental, or you could sign him to an extension.

In any case, we use these examples to show you there’s plenty of talent out there to bid on if you’re Kekalainen. And the boost the Sabres would get from adding one or two of these players would make it worth whatever Buffalo had to give up to get them. 

If Sabres Are Going To Trade Tuch, Rangers Star Forward Should Be Their TargetThe Buffalo Sabres may not want to give star winger Alex Tuch a lucrative contract extension, considering a Tuch trade instead. Could New York Rangers' forward Vincent Trocheck be the perfect acquisition for the Sabres?

The Sabres are far from a perfect team, and they’ll still have their issues regardless of what happens to them trade-wise. But Kekalainen can send his group of players a message – that message being, “I believe in you, and here’s a gift of a talented player to make the team even better.”

Kekalainen has to act soon, lest he miss out on trades he should’ve been in on. Being proactive is going to get Buffalo the experienced hands they need to make a Stanley Cup playoff push. And if Kekalainen can pull that off, he’s going to get the gratitude of Sabres fans desperate to see this team make it to the post-season.

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin continued to climb the NHL's all-time goals list on Tuesday night. 

His tying goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning was the 524th goal of his career, good for 38th all-time alongside Bryan Trottier, who won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 1991 and 1992. 

Malkin's goal was a perfect shot and it came after a lot of hard work in the offensive zone with the goaltender pulled. The goal secured the Penguins a point before they lost 2-1 in a shootout. 

GENO IN BEAST MODE 😤 pic.twitter.com/b5RtIUhKzO

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 14, 2026

Malkin's next goal would be his 525th and would put him in a tie with Marian Hossa for 37th on the NHL's all-time goals list. Malkin has two goals in his last four games, so it won't be long until he passes Hossa on this list. 

Malkin also has three points in his last four games and will try to help the Penguins break their three-game losing streak on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers. 

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The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that goaltender Dan Vladar is out for the remainder of the club's matchup against the Buffalo Sabres due to an injury.

The Flyers also shared that Vladar will be re-evaluated following the team's contest against the Sabres. 

Vladar exiting early due to injury against the Sabres is undoubtedly concerning for the Flyers. The 28-year-old netminder has been a notable reason for the Flyers' success so far this season, as he has proven to be an excellent addition to their roster. As a result of this, the Flyers will be hoping that Vladar's injury is not serious. 

Vladar has appeared in 27 games so far this season with the Flyers, where he has recorded a 16-7-4 record, a 2.42 goals-against average, and a .907 save percentage. With numbers like these, he has given the Flyers some much-needed stability between the pipes this campaign. 

In 132 career NHL games split between the Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, and Flyers, Vladar has a 65-41-20 record, a 2.88 goals-against average, a .897 save percentage, and four shutouts. 

Injury update: Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar will not return to tonight’s #PHIvsBUF game due to injury. He will be re-evaluated after the game.

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) January 15, 2026

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One of the most beloved former members of the Detroit Red Wings is goaltender Chris Osgood, who has his name on the Stanley Cup three times as a member of the club. 

Not only did Osgood back up Conn Smythe Trophy winner Mike Vernon in 1997 despite getting the bulk of starts in the regular season, but Osgood then would lead the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup as a starter ten years apart, both in 1998 and 2008. 

It was on this day in 1999 that Osgood picked up the 150th victory of his NHL career, which at that point had been played exclusively in Detroit. The Red Wings picked up a 2-1 win at Joe Louis Arena over the expansion Nashville Predators thanks to the game-winning tally scored by former Russian Five member Slava Kozlov. 

In doing so, he became just the third goaltender in Red Wings history to achieve the feat.

Ozzy! #OTD x @CocaColapic.twitter.com/aDr3532ZKk

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 14, 2026

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Red Wings fans well remember the acquisition of Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek (acquired from the Buffalo Sabres for Kozlov) in the legendary summer of 2001, during which they also brought aboard Luc Robitaille and Brett Hull.

After initially participating in Training Camp and part of the pre-season with the Red Wings, Osgood was exposed on waivers and subsequently claimed by the New York Islanders, whom he would lead not only to the Stanley Cup Playoffs but within a victory of a first round upset of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Osgood, who would later play a stint with the rival St. Louis Blues, returned to the Red Wings as an unrestricted free-agent in 2005. He'd play the rest of his career with the Red Wings, which included not only winning the Stanley Cup in 2008 and coming within a victory of repeating in 2009, but the 400th victory of his NHL career in December 2010, which fittingly came against the Colorado Avalanche. 

It's one of the more contested debates in hockey circles as to why Osgood, the second winningest goaltender in Red Wings history and who won the Stanley Cup twice as a starter, hasn't been yet inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. 

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The Montreal Canadiens are in a good place right now. At the time of this writing, they have a 26-14-7 record and are third in the Atlantic Division standings. They are also only two points behind the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic. 

With the Canadiens being one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, they should be buyers at the 2026 NHL trade deadline. One area that they could look to address is down the middle, as they could use a legitimate top-six center. 

One name who has been floating around the rumor mill who would be an amazing addition to the Canadiens' roster is St. Louis Blues star center Robert Thomas. 

The Blues are having a nightmare season, as evidenced by their 18-21-8 record. Due to this, several of their players have entered the rumor mill as trade candidates, with Thomas being the most notable. The 26-year-old was also recently included on NHL insider Chris Johnston's latest trade board for The Athletic.

With Thomas being on the right side of 30, a proven top-six center, and signed until the end of the 2030-31 season, the Canadiens would need to come up with a big trade offer to have any chance of landing him. Yet, he could very well be worth it when noting that he is a legitimate star and could make the Canadiens become top contenders. 

Thomas is having a down year for his standards with the Blues in 2025-26, but he isn't getting much offensive support around him. In 42 games, he has a team-leading 22 assists and 33 points. His 11 goals also have him tied for first on the Blues with Justin Faulk and Jake Neighbours. 

Thomas' recent seasons also show that he is capable of being a major difference-maker when playing at his best. During this past season with St. Louis, he had 21 goals, 60 assists, and 81 points. This was after he recorded 26 goals and a career-high 86 points in 82 games for the Blues in 2023-24.

With this, there is no question that Thomas would be a fantastic player for the Canadiens to bring in if they want to upgrade down the middle immediately. It will be intriguing to see if they target him from here. 

New York Rangers prospect Gabe Perreault is a player who the Original Six club is expecting to be a big part of their future. It is understandable, as the 20-year-old forward undoubtedly has the potential to become a very good NHL player. 

Now, Perreault's potential has led to him receiving some praise.

Perreault was the only Ranger who made Corey Pronman's latest NHL players and prospects under 23 rankings for The Athletic. Perreault was given the No. 120 spot on Pronman's list. 

When noting that Perreault has the tools to become a top-six forward in the NHL, it makes sense that he has been ranked among the top young players in the sport. 

Perreault has shown promise during his first full professional season in 2025-26. In 20 games with the Rangers' AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, he has recorded 10 goals, seven assists, and 17 points. With numbers like these, he has certainly demonstrated his offensive upside at the AHL level.

Perreault's success in the AHL has also allowed him to get chances on the Rangers' roster this season, too. In 14 games this season with the Rangers, the 2023 first-round pick has recorded one goal, four assists, five points, and an even plus/minus rating. 

It will now be interesting to see how Perreault performs as the season rolls on. There is no question that he has a bright future with the Blueshirts. 

Flyers suffer season-worst fourth straight loss as Vladar exits with injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

This one felt like a perfect storm for the Flyers.

They lost their No. 1 goaltender to an injury and their losing streak hit a season-worst four games as they fell to the Sabres, 5-2, Wednesday night at KeyBank Center.

Dan Vladar exited after the first period with an undisclosed injury. The Flyers were down 2-0 when he departed and trailed 4-1 at second intermission.

Owen Tippett and Trevor Zegras provided the team’s goals.

The Flyers (22-15-8) are 0-3-1 on this skid and have been outscored 19-6.

Buffalo has won 14 of its last 16 games, a stretch that has included two victories over Rick Tocchet’s club. The Flyers went 1-2-0 in their regular-season series with the Sabres (25-16-4).

• Vladar allowed two goals on five shots in the first period.

The Flyers fell down 1-0 for the 31st time in 45 games. Cam York was whistled for crosschecking and Rasmus Dahlin took advantage 14 seconds later on Buffalo’s power play.

The Sabres made it 2-0 when Mattias Samuelsson scored seven seconds after Zegras committed a neutral-zone turnover.

“You can’t come back all the time,” Tocchet said Tuesday. “I know we’ve had one of the better records coming back, but it’s too hard to play that way, we don’t have the team to do that, so we’ve got to buckle down.”

Samuel Ersson took over at the start of the second period and converted six saves on eight shots. Buffalo’s final goal was an empty-netter.

It probably goes without saying that the Flyers are in trouble if Vladar has to miss time. He has been arguably the most important player to their playoff push, while Ersson is going through the toughest stretch in his NHL career.

Sabres netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 20 of the Flyers’ 22 shots. He robbed Nikita Grebenkin just 6:05 minutes into the game with a glove save, which allowed Buffalo to strike first about three and a half minutes later.

• Jamie Drysdale returned to the lineup after missing the last three games with an upper-body injury.

He played in place of Rasmus Ristolainen, who was a late scratch because of an upper-body injury. The Flyers are considering him day to day.

The 31-year-old defenseman had been out until mid-December recovering from a second triceps tendon rupture.

Bobby Brink missed a fourth straight game with an upper-body injury. Denver Barkey was also not in the lineup as the Flyers gave the 20-year-old rookie a night to watch.

• The Flyers are right back at it Thursday when they visit the Penguins (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

The Pittsburgh Penguins are in the middle of a retool. Due to this, they have many young players in their system who they are hoping will be big parts of their future. 

Now, a handful of the Penguins' promising youngsters have earned some big praise. 

In a recent article for The Athletic, Corey Pronman ranked the top NHL players and prospects who are under 23 years old. Five Penguins were featured on Pronman's rankings, as Benjamin Kindel (No. 18), Harrison Brunicke (No. 100), Will Horcoff (No. 105), Rutger McGroarty (No. 115), and Sergei Murashov (No. 136) all made the cut.

When noting that these five players are viewed as having good upside, it is not surprising in the slightest that they each have made Pronman's rankings. They each have the potential to be nice parts of the Penguins' roster in the future. In fact, Kindel is already cementing himself as just that, as the 18-year-old forward has recorded eight goals and 19 points in 42 games this season for Pittsburgh. 

As for Brunicke, Horcoff, McGroarty, and Murashov, it is hard not to feel optimistic about their futures with the Penguins. Perhaps this group and Kindel could help make up Pittsburgh's future core later down the road. 

As most Ottawa Senators fans are well aware, the 2020 NHL Draft has panned out quite well for their team. Of course, back then, the day belonged to the New York Rangers, who will host the Senators at MSG on Wednesday night.

After making the playoffs (or at least that weird COVID-induced qualifying round), the Rangers somehow won the 2020 draft lottery and the right to draft QMJHL superstar Alexis Lafreniere first overall.

Lafreniere was everybody's number one that year. The Senators had two lottery tickets, their own and San Jose's, so they had a good shot at number one. Sens fans had their fingers crossed, pleading with the hockey gods that the bingo balls would fall their way.

But even though the Rangers finished 18th overall in the standings, with 17 more points than Ottawa, it was New York that defied their long odds to win the lottery. The Sens ended up "settling" for the third and fifth overall picks.

Now, five and a half years later, Sens fans are thankful for those unanswered 2020 prayers and that things worked out the way they did.

Lafreniere hasn't turned out to be the generational talent that everyone expected. In fact, given the chance, the Blueshirts would probably trade him without hesitation to Ottawa for either Tim Stützle or Jake Sanderson, the two players the Senators selected just minutes after Lafreniere was taken.

The late Alex Trebek made the Stutzle pick, not knowing the Sens were about to pull off a Daily Double. 

Stützle has 46 points in 45 games for the Senators, while Jake Sanderson has 33 points and is now regarded as one of the very best defencemen in hockey. Meanwhile, Lafreniere has 24 points in 47 games in his sixth season as a Ranger.

Both Ottawa players are headed for the Olympics next month, while Lafreniere headed for the Rangers' third line on Monday. Head coach Mike Sullivan pulled him out of the top six for Monday's game against the Seattle Kraken, replacing him with a newer model: former Boston College star Gabriel Perreault, the club's 2023 first-rounder.

Sullivan, who's one win away from 500 victories in his head-coaching career, says he wants to see more from Lafreniere.

"Part of my job is trying to provide a pathway for players to thrive and succeed," Sullivan told the New York media on Monday morning. "Laf is an extremely talented player. He's a good player. We think he's capable of next-level play. We're trying to find a way to get him there, and that's part of this process that we're going through.

"Laf is another guy that cares a lot about what's going on here, and he also puts a lot of pressure on himself to contribute in a way that helps the team win. So we're trying to tweak the lineup in ways that we think give us the best chance to win and try to get the most out of certain guys."

Many Sens fans will recall how it was over 30 years ago when another QMJHL prospect named Alex was everybody's number one, a so-called can't-miss prospect. Instead, Alexandre Daigle had himself a good, average NHL career, nothing more. Lafreniere is having a very good career as well, and at 24, his story has only partially been written, but after five and a half seasons, we now have a pretty good sample size to judge his future trajectory.

But that's how it goes sometimes. And as long as the NHL is out here drafting unpredictable 18-year-olds, there are always going to be cases like these that turn draft lottery winners into losers... and vice versa.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

This story is from The Hockey News Ottawa. You can visit the site here or click on one of their latest articles below:

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