The St. Louis Blues have activated defenseman Alex Pietrangelo off injured reserve.
Pietrangelo has missed the past nine games after suffering a right knee injury in the Blues' win over Minnesota on Feb. 6.
The 26-year-old has recorded three goals and 23 points in 55 games this season, and is expected to return to the lineup for Sunday's game in Carolina.
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The Philadelphia Flyers have signed winger Colin McDonald to a two-year contract extension, according to general manager Ron Hextall.
The deal is believed to be worth $1.275 million at the NHL level.
Two-year, two-way contract for PHI Colin McDonald, $625K/$350K and $650/$350K: https://t.co/0aZOCHfPt6
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 28, 2016
McDonald has recorded 11 goals and 10 assists for 33 games with the Flyers' AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He currently serves as the Phantoms' captain.
The 31-year-old has also appeared in five games for the Flyers this year after signing a one-year, two-way contract last summer. He has scored one goal with Philadelphia.
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The Edmonton Oilers appear to be setting the table for something bigger.
General manager Peter Chiarelli pulled off a trio of trades over the past 24 hours, all of which involved dealing expiring contracts in exchange for draft picks:
While Chiarelli's team appears headed towards another high first-round selection, possibly even the first overall pick, it doesn't mean he'll necessarily be heading to the podium when the picks he acquired Saturday come up at the 2016 draft.
"It doesn't necessarily mean we'll use them for drafting." GM Chiarelli on #Oilers potentially using picks to trade for roster players
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) February 28, 2016
Chiarelli added he may not be done dealing prior to Monday's trade deadline, and that the next couple of days could also be used to set the groundwork for other moves to come.
Part of the issue, the GM said, is not having had the ability to assess his roster at full strength, as centers Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Leon Draisaitl have rarely been in the lineup at the same time this season.
The potential draft-day addition of Auston Matthews would certainly create a glut of talent at the position - something that Edmonton could solve, should they be put in the situation, by using the potential excess of talent at center to fill holes elsewhere.
Defenseman Eric Gryba represents the lone impending unrestricted free agent remaining on the Oilers' roster, and is a candidate to be dealt prior to Monday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline.
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This could throw a wrench in some trade plans.
Toronto Maple Leafs winger P.A. Parenteau, who's expected to be dealt prior to Monday's trade deadline, left Saturday's game against the Montreal Canadiens and will not return, the club confirmed.
The injury does not appear to be serious.
PA Parenteau suffering from muscle cramping. #tvasports
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) February 28, 2016
Following the trading of James Reimer earlier in the day, Parenteau represented Toronto's last great hope of reeling in draft picks or prospects at the deadline, but the idea of sitting him out to protect his value doesn't appear to have been in consideration.
I asked Mike Babcock yesterday if there was any thought to sitting a player for this game because of trade scenarios. His answer: "No."
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 28, 2016
The 32-year-old has recorded 16 goals and 16 assists in 59 games this season.
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The Nashville Predators finally have the look of a formidable foe in the Western Conference landscape.
But their season wasn't always tracking down that path.
The Predators, who have never been known as an offensive powerhouse, pulled off an early January trade that brought bona fide No. 1 center Ryan Johansen to the Music City, at the cost of blue-chip defenseman Seth Jones. But even as Johansen began to put up points in his new threads, it was the goaltending - or rather, a lack thereof - that remained Nashville's biggest cause for concern this season, and the primary reason behind their dropping from a potential Stanley Cup contender to a playoff bubble team.
Pekka Rinne, a three-time Vezina Trophy finalist, began this season sharp enough, posting a record of 6-1-2 with a .925 save percentage in October. Over the next three-and-a-half months, however, his performance fell off substantially. Even Rinne himself couldn't pinpoint what was going wrong.
If the past five games are any indication, however, the Rinne of old is back - and just in time, too.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Shots Against | Saves | Sv% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 18 | Boston | W 2-0 | 29 | 29 | 1.000 |
| Feb. 20 | Los Angeles | L 2-1 (OT) | 30 | 28 | .933 |
| Feb. 22 | Montreal | W 2-1 (SO) | 29 | 28 | .966 |
| Feb. 25 | Chicago | W 3-1 | 39 | 38 | .974 |
| Feb. 27 | St. Louis | W 5-0 | 28 | 28 | 1.000 |
Saturday's 5-0 shutout win over St. Louis gave the Predators a secure hold on the first wild-card spot in the West; they're now five points ahead of Colorado, and nine clear of Minnesota. Nashville has gone 6-1-3 over its past 10 games, and Rinne - who's been leading the way with strong play between the pipes - has credited two seemingly opposite feelings for the team's strong run of late.
Why are the Predators playing their best right now? "I think it's just desperation and confidence," Pekka Rinne said.
— Adam Vingan (@AdamVingan) February 27, 2016
With Johansen solidifying the center spot, a solid defense corps still intact despite the subtraction of Jones, and the emergence of Filip Forsberg as a potentially elite goal-scorer who's been virtually unstoppable of late, Rinne's resurgence should be what ultimately gives the once-desperate Predators a healthy measure of confidence as the postseason approaches.
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