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The Calgary Flames have placed forward Martin Pospisil on the long-term injury list and assigned him to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers on a conditioning loan, marking a significant step in his return-to-play process.

Pospisil has yet to appear in a game for the Flames this season, and until recently, it remained uncertain whether he would return at all. Given his history with concussions, the organization has continued to take a cautious, measured approach with the 26-year-old forward, as timelines surrounding similar injuries can often be unpredictable.

The conditioning stint suggests Pospisil is progressing toward game readiness, allowing him to ease back into competition in a controlled environment. While the Flames have not indicated when — or if — he could rejoin the NHL roster, the move itself is a positive signal after an extended absence.

There may also be international implications. Team Slovakia general manager Miroslav Šatan recently hinted at the possibility of Pospisil being part of Slovakia’s roster for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. The timing of this assignment could indicate that both the player and the Flames are preparing him for potential Olympic participation later this season.

Selected by Calgary in the fourth round (105th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft. Over 144 NHL games across two seasons, he has recorded 12 goals and 49 points while playing an energetic, physical style that has resulted in 193 penalty minutes. He also finished last season with a plus-14 rating, highlighting his effectiveness at five-on-five.

For now, the focus remains on health and gradual reintegration. How Pospisil responds during his time with the Wranglers will go a long way in determining his NHL future — and potentially his availability on the international stage later this winter.

On Friday morning, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that the Carolina Hurricanes are open to dealing center Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

In Friedman's blog, he shared that Kotkaniemi has already been pitched in trades that ultimately went in the other direction. 

The Hurricanes were in on ex-Vancouver Canucks D-man Quinn Hughes, who was moved to the Minnesota Wild. Kotkaniemi was mentioned in that deal.

Furthermore, when the Los Angeles Kings were in the process of trading away Phillip Danault, Carolina was involved in that discussion, with Kotkaniemi on the table. However, Danault was traded to the Montreal Canadiens instead, in exchange for a second-round pick.

On Saturday, The Hockey News posted three potential trade destinations for Jeperi Kotkaniemi. On that list were the Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, and the Kings.

Three Potential Trade Fits For Hurricanes' Jesperi KotkaniemiThe Carolina Hurricanes are reportedly listening to offers for Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Which teams could make sense as potential landing spots for the 25-year-old center?

The connection can be made with the Kings who dealt a center in the Danault and picked up another, younger center in Kotkaniemi. However, that doesn't mean it's a great idea.

After this season, Kotkaniemi still has another four years on his current contract. His deal pays him $4.82 million in average annual value in what was inked as an eight-year ticket.

That price wouldn't be so hefty if the 25-year-old contributed at a sufficient level. But with the Hurricanes this season, he only has two goals and six points to show for it.

As a result, he's been demoted to the fourth line this year, and hasn't scored a goal in 14 games.

An indication of how poor and disappointing Kotkaniemi has been as of late would be the lack of representation he's had for Finland.

He was left off the Olympic roster for the upcoming tournament in February, and wasn't even included on Finland's 4 Nations Face-Off roster either.

Not only does acquiring Kotkaniemi not make sense for the Kings from a quality and performance standpoint, but there also isn't a true spot in the lineup for Carolina's center.

With Danault in Montreal, Kings center Alex Turcotte has been given an elevated role, moving from the fourth line to the third line. Bringing in Kotkaniemi would just complicate Turcotte's role once again.

There isn't much more time in Turcotte's development as a young player. Turning 25 years old in February, he could use all the opportunities he can get in order to blossom as an effective NHL player, and the Kings organization should roll with that.

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The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that defenseman Adam Ginning has been loaned back out to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. 

Flyers announce that Adam Ginning has been loaned back to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Interesting move after Tocchet said today that Jamie Drysdale was a "possibility" to come back to the lineup on Wednesday.

— Siobhan Nolan (@SGNolan) January 13, 2026

Ginning was recalled to the Flyers on Jan. 9 after Jamie Drysdale was placed on Injury Reserve retroactive to Jan. 6, after suffering a brutal hit from Anaheim Ducks forward Ross Johnston that caused Drysdale to exit the game early with an upper-body injury. 

Recently, though, Drysdale has been participating in practices and morning skates in a non-contact jersey, and updates from Rick Tocchet suggested that the 23-year-old was moving in a positive direction regarding his recovery. 

On Tuesday, when asked if Drysdale and Bobby Brink (who also left the Anaheim game early with an upper-body injury) would be available for the Flyers' game against the Buffalo Sabres on Jan. 14, Tocchet said that both players would be a "possibility."

Through 41 games played in the 2025-26 season, Drysdale has recorded 18 points (3G, 15A) and had been showing significant improvements in several aspect of his game, most notably his five-on-five play.

"I think he's a big loss sometimes, when things get a little hectic going on there," Tocchet said of Drysdale on Tuesday. "He does settle things down."

The Flyers are heading into a back-to-back on the road, against the Sabres on Jan. 14 and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jan. 15. 

The Tampa Bay Lightning are bringing their 10-game winning streak into Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.

The Lightning are fresh off a 5-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night and will try to win their 11th straight game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. 

These two teams met in Tampa Bay back on Dec. 4, and it was a wild affair. The Penguins held on for dear life in a 4-3 win after they had a 3-0 lead for most of the game. Evgeni Malkin scored the game-winning goal late in the third period. 

The Lightning will start Andre Vasilevskiy on Tuesday after backup Jonas Johansson started on Monday. Vasilevskiy has been sensational this season, winning 18 games with a 2.33 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. He's a big goaltender and takes up a ton of space in the crease, so creating traffic in front will be paramount for the Penguins. 

Brayden Point got injured during Monday's game and his status for Tuesday is up in the air. He needed help getting off the ice after scoring a goal to make it 3-0.

Brayden Point helped off of the ice after this play here.

Olympics are in less than a month..

pic.twitter.com/DTThkBEc2k

— PuckEmpire (@puckempire) January 13, 2026

Nikita Kucherov and Jake Guentzel are still doing their things this season. Kucherov has compiled 23 goals and 67 points in 40 games, while Guentzel has 20 goals and 47 points in 44 games. 

Brandon Hagel has also been great, racking up 22 goals and 41 points, ditto for Darren Raddysh, who has 12 goals and 39 points as a defenseman.

The Penguins are set to get Bryan Rust back after missing the weekend back-to-back with an injury. He was a full participant during the morning skate. 

However, they'll now be without star defenseman Erik Karlsson for at least two weeks. The Penguins announced that he'd be out with an undisclosed injury before Tuesday's morning skate.

This is a major loss since Karlsson is having an outstanding season. He does it all on the blue line and has been elite at generating offense in the offensive zone. 

Here's a look at the expected lines for this game:

Forwards

Rakell-Crosby-Rust

Malkin-Novak-Chinakhov

Mantha-Kindel-Brazeau

Dewar-Lizotte-Acciari

Defense

Kulak-Letang

Wotherspoon-St. Ivany

Shea-Clifton

Arturs Silovs will start in goal for the Penguins after he was the first goaltender off during the morning skate.

Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh and fans can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'

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The Winnipeg Jets have been rumored for some time to be exploring a partial tear down this season, with the organization potentially shifting focus toward the future. The idea would be to move veteran players, open roster spots for younger talent from the minors and junior ranks, and use the remainder of the season as an evaluation period ahead of next year and beyond.

While speculation has surrounded the Jets for weeks, a clearer picture of who could be on the move is beginning to emerge. Pending free agents such as Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn remain widely expected to be dealt, even though they were not included in the most recent report. However, new insight from NHL insider Chris Johnston has added several notable names to the discussion.

On The Chris Johnston Show, Johnston reported that Nino Niederreiter, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Gustav Nyquist are all potential trade candidates as the Jets weigh their options ahead of the deadline. All three are veteran forwards who could appeal to Stanley Cup contenders looking to bolster their depth for a playoff run.

Niederreiter, 33, still has two years remaining on his contract but has seen his offensive production dip into the 30 to 40 point range after peaking with a 57-point season for Minnesota in 2016–17. While no longer a top-line contributor, he remains a reliable, experienced forward who could be moved for a lower-round draft pick. Teams like San Jose, Montreal, and Seattle could value his leadership, while an intriguing possibility exists with the New York Islanders, the club that drafted Niederreiter fifth overall in 2010. With the Islanders pushing for a playoff spot, a reunion could make sense for both sides.

Namestnikov, also 33, is enduring one of the most difficult seasons of his career and, like Niederreiter, is signed for two more seasons. Known for his versatility, Namestnikov can play up and down the lineup and finished last season with a career-high 27 assists. In the right situation, he could rediscover his game as a middle-six contributor. San Jose, Montreal, and Seattle again stand out as potential fits, but Tampa Bay presents an especially compelling option. 

The Lightning drafted Namestnikov 27th overall in 2011, and with Brayden Point recently sidelined by injury, Tampa Bay could be looking for flexible depth. The organization has a history of adding veteran forwards before playoff runs, making Namestnikov a logical depth target.

The most challenging contract to move may belong to Gustav Nyquist. After posting a career-best 75 points two seasons ago, Nyquist struggled mightily last year and hoped for a fresh start in Winnipeg yet that turnaround has not materialized.

Former Jets Head Coach Comes Out Of Retirement, Becomes Blue Jackets Head CoachVeteran bench boss Rick Bowness emerges from retirement, bringing decades of NHL wisdom and a proven formula to guide the Blue Jackets.

Nyquist is once again having a difficult season and is on pace to finish below the 20-point mark. He carries a $3.25 million cap hit as a pending free agent, which complicates trade discussions. Still, Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff is expected to explore every avenue to either recoup some value or simply move the contract before season’s end.

For Jets fans, the emergence of these names is an encouraging sign that the organization may finally be committing to a youth movement. If veterans are moved, it could open the door for prospects to earn meaningful NHL opportunities. Combined with the likely departures of defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn, Winnipeg could accumulate valuable assets and create much-needed flexibility heading into the offseason.

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A former Vancouver Canucks forward was traded in the KHL over the weekend, as Daniel Sprong has been moved from CSKA Moscow to Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg for monetary compensation. Sprong, who was CSKA’s points leader, played in nine games for the Canucks during the 2024–25 season and scored a goal and two assists. 

Sprong signed a one-year deal with CSKA Moscow during the 2025 off-season. In his time with CSKA, he scored 12 goals and 19 assists in 29 games and was named an assistant captain for the team. Sprong joins an Avtomobilist roster that includes former Canucks defenceman Nikita Tryamkin.

A former second-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2015, Sprong has played with seven different NHL teams throughout his career including the Detroit Red Wings and the Seattle Kraken, who he was traded to from Vancouver. He amassed 87 goals and 79 assists in 374 games played at the NHL level. 

As mentioned, the Canucks moved on from Sprong after nine games at the start of 2024–25. Vancouver traded him to Seattle in exchange for future considerations, though the Kraken later sent him to the New Jersey Devils for a 2026 seventh-round pick at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. 

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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