We're less than two months away from the NHL trade deadline, and a new tantalizing chip has become available: Ivan Provorov. A report Tuesday indicated the Philadelphia Flyers are fielding calls on the defenseman.

Provorov's availability is at least somewhat surprising as he turns just 26 years old on Friday and is signed through 2024-25 with a $6.75-million cap hit. Of course, it's no guarantee a player with term gets moved the same season he becomes available (hello, Jakob Chychrun). However, a breakup between the player and team may be inevitable considering both sides are reportedly frustrated with the other.

Speaking of Chychrun, Provorov's availability will likely affect his market. Chychrun is the superior player and makes $2.15 million less per season, so he'll surely be in higher demand, but there are a lot of similarities between the two. They're both left-shot two-way defensemen in their mid-20s who've proven they can handle top-four minutes and come with two additional years of term.

Teams that strike out on Chychrun could turn to Provorov as a consolation prize, or clubs may prefer Provorov if the asking price is cheaper. It's also possible Provorov's availability drives down Chychrun's asking price.

But Provorov comes with red flags. He's posted poor underlying results over the last three seasons.

The Flyers have been a porous team in that time, and the franchise has asked Provorov to log heavy minutes with a cast of rotating partners. Before that, he was one of the NHL's top young defensemen, and he even received down-ballot Norris Trophy votes in 2019-20.

Provorov is also a workhorse, averaging over 24 minutes of ice time per contest over his seven-year career while missing only three games (all of them last season).

He clearly has a lot of upside left, and a change of scenery might be all it takes to unlock his elite form again. Here are five teams that should target Provorov in a trade.

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings are among the most heavily rumored destinations for Chychrun - and arguably the most fitting. They'd be a sensible spot for Provorov, too.

L.A. has a need for a left-handed top-four defenseman. It has four quality right-handed rearguards, which is forcing Sean Durzi to play his off side. Adding Provorov while dealing from the surplus of right-shooting blue-liners would provide some much-needed balance to the Kings' back end.

They're also in go-for-it mode. General manager Rob Blake has done a tremendous job building the organization back up after the two Stanley Cups. But Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar aren't getting any younger. And with a lush farm system, Los Angeles has as much trade bait - or more - than any buyer in the league to swing a major deal.

While Blake would have to get a bit creative to accommodate Provorov's contract, the Kings have enough expendable assets in the $1-million to $3-million range to make the deal work from a cap perspective.

Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers have reportedly expressed interest in Matt Dumba and just about every available defenseman. They're likely one of the teams that have already contacted the Flyers about Provorov.

A right-handed defenseman would be ideal for Edmonton, but a lefty would still help. It would just require Provorov, Darnell Nurse, or Brett Kulak switching to their off side.

It would be tight from a cap perspective for Edmonton to fit Provorov. Jesse Puljujarvi - who also needs a fresh start - and his $3-million cap hit would be a good starting point to make the trade work moneywise.

The Oilers have struggled to keep the puck out of their net this season as they battle for a playoff spot. Adding an established blue-liner like Provorov could be the missing ingredient.

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings are a long shot for the playoffs this campaign, but they could still be aggressive on the trade market adding players with term for future seasons.

Detroit has two young right-handed defensemen to build around in Moritz Seider and Filip Hronek, and it could use a lefty like Provorov to complement them. The Wings also have plenty of cap space and trade assets.

GM Steve Yzerman was aggressive this offseason in free agency to help the Red Wings make strides. The time could be nearing for him to make a splash on the trade market.

Ottawa Senators

The Senators are also reportedly interested in Dumba. However, adding someone with term, like Provorov, would make a lot more sense than a rental considering their playoff hopes are slim.

Next season could be the year the Sens take the next step. The blue line needs help, though. A righty would be ideal to pair with Thomas Chabot or Jake Sanderson, but adding another lefty would be worth it if someone is comfortable moving to their off side.

The Sens would have no issue fitting Provorov in from a cap perspective if they can find a way to convince the Flyers to take on the remainder of Nikita Zaitsev's contract. Including Zaitsev in a deal would only make Provorov's price higher.

Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres are a team on the rise. They've already exceeded expectations this season by hanging around in the playoff picture. A postseason berth is still unlikely, but they're set up well for the future.

Buffalo has one of the league's most potent offenses, but it sometimes struggles to defend. The future of its blue line is very promising with Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Mattias Samuelsson. However, the club could use one more blue-liner to round out a dynamite top four. Enter Provorov.

Dahlin, Power, and Samuelsson are all lefties. Dahlin has already shown the ability to play his off side. If one of the others could as well, they could form one of the league's best back ends.

GM Kevyn Adams has a staggering $18 million in cap space and one of the league's deepest prospect pipelines to deal from.

(Cap source: CapFriendly)

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Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher is out for a minimum of six weeks due to a lower-body injury, the team announced Wednesday.

Gallagher received a timeline of two weeks on Friday.

The 30-year-old has been limited to 25 games this season by various injuries. He's tallied four goals and nine points while playing 14:12 per game, the lowest average time on ice of his career since his rookie campaign.

The Canadiens are last in the Atlantic Division with a 16-22-3 record. Montreal faces the Nashville Predators on Thursday.

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The NHL named the bench bosses for the 2023 All-Star Weekend in Florida on Wednesday.

The head coach of each division's leading team in points percentage through Jan. 11 gets the nod to guide the respective All-Star rosters: Jim Montgomery of the Atlantic Division's Boston Bruins, Rod Brind'Amour of the Metropolitan Division's Carolina Hurricanes, Peter DeBoer of the Central Division's Dallas Stars, and Bruce Cassidy of the Pacific Division's Vegas Golden Knights.

Montgomery's led the Bruins to an NHL-best 32-4-4 record. The 53-year-old is in his first season as Boston's coach after two seasons as an assistant with the St. Louis Blues. It's his first time coaching at the All-Star Game.

Brind'Amour will be behind the Metropolitan Division bench for the second consecutive season. His Hurricanes have a 25-9-7 record, thanks in large part to a franchise-record 11-game win streak that was snapped on Jan. 4.

DeBoer is the most experienced All-Star coach of the group, heading to his third All-Star Weekend with a third different team. He went as a member of the San Jose Sharks in 2017 and the Golden Knights in 2022. DeBoer's Stars have impressed with a 25-11-6 record, tied for the Western Conference lead in points.

Cassidy makes his second All-Star appearance after featuring on the Atlantic Division's bench in 2020 as coach of the Bruins. The Golden Knights have had a resurgent season under Cassidy, boasting the most wins in the Western Conference with a 27-13-3 record.

All-Star Weekend is set for Feb. 3-4.

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Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe announced star Auston Matthews will miss his first game of the season Wednesday against the Nashville Predators, according to TSN's Mark Masters.

Matthews is dealing with an undisclosed injury. He participated in the optional skate Wednesday morning after not practicing Tuesday.

Keefe said that Matthews' ailment has "been bothering him for a while," according to SI Media Group's David Alter.

The 25-year-old has 20 goals and 47 points in 41 games this season.

William Nylander is expected to play center and Pierre Engvall is set to join the Maple Leafs' top six in Matthews' absence based on yesterday's lines at practice, per the Toronto Sun's Terry Koshan. Bobby McMann is anticipated to make his NHL debut.

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With just four games scheduled for Wednesday night's slate, there isn't a ton of value on the board.

Thus, we're going to use both sides and props for the day's best bets. Let's get right to it.

Capitals (-175) @ Flyers (+150)

The Washington Capitals didn't put forth their best effort last time out, but that didn't stop them from getting yet another positive result.

They have posted a 13-2-2 record since early December and they've been full value for it, slotting third across all situations with an expected goals share well above 55%.

What the Capitals have done is nothing short of remarkable considering the injuries they've faced. Key players like John Carlson, T.J. Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom, and Tom Wilson, among others, have all missed an abundance of time.

Although the former remains out, the three forwards very recently returned to the lineup. Having those guys back gives the Capitals three lines that can score and makes them extremely difficult to match up against.

I don't think the Philadelphia Flyers are well-equipped to slow them down. They don't have much defensive talent on paper and rank near the bottom of the league in terms of preventing shots and expected goals at five-on-five.

The Flyers also give up a lot of opportunities on the penalty kill, which is not ideal against Alexander Ovechkin and Co.

Carter Hart is likely going to be tested early and often in this game, something that finally seems to be catching up to him. He was one of the best goaltenders in the league over the first couple months of the season but his play has really dipped of late.

Hart owns an .893 save percentage over the past month and has conceded five more goals than expected during that stretch.

Bet: Capitals in regulation (-115)

Alex Ovechkin over 4.5 shots (+105)

While I prefer to back Ovechkin on home ice - his floor and ceiling are higher in Washington - the Great Eight is building-proof. In fact, no player has recorded more shot attempts or shots on goal on the road this season than Ovechkin.

But what I really like is this matchup. The Flyers are prone to giving up shots in bulk and, as alluded to above, I expect the Capitals to control the run of play and generate more than their fair share in this game.

Even with some key players returning, Ovechkin remains priority No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 for Washington when it comes to shooting the puck. The superstar winger leads the Capitals in attempts - by nearly 30 - over the last 10 games.

Ovechkin has seen John Tortorella's Flyers twice this season, generating nine and 14 attempts in those games. With that kind of volume, I'm happy to take my chances on Ovechkin coming through at plus money.

Darnell Nurse over 2.5 (-130)

The Anaheim Ducks have been a constant target for shot props all season and there is no reason to get away from that.

Over the last 10 games, they're a distant 32nd in shot attempts allowed per 60 while at even strength and killing penalties. They simply can't stop bleeding shots in any game state.

They have also conceded more shots to defensemen than any other team - yes, even the Blue Jackets - during that stretch.

That should be music to the ears of Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse, who enters play having gone over his shot total in eight of the last 10 games.

With a mouthwatering matchup and Nurse expected to log around 24 minutes of ice time, he should be able to get the job done once again in Anaheim.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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The Philadelphia Flyers are fielding calls from teams about the availability of defenseman Ivan Provorov, multiple sources told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

Provorov, 25, has two goals and 12 assists in 41 games this season while ranking second on the Flyers in average ice time (23:12) behind only Tony DeAngelo.

The 2015 seventh overall pick wouldn't be a rental for any interested parties: Provorov has two years remaining on his current pact after this season at a cap hit of $6.75 million.

He posted a career-high 41 points during the 2017-18 season - his second in the league - but endured a frustrating stretch as of late. Provorov put up nine goals and 22 assists in 2021-22 but was a minus-20 on the campaign, the second-worst mark among all Flyers defensemen.

The Russian rearguard expressed frustration with the media's criticism of his play during last season's exit interviews.

"No matter what I say, you guys are gonna give me your own grades," Provorov said last May. "It doesn't matter, you're all experts on hockey, so you're gonna give me your super experienced grades. I don't think my opinion really matters to you guys."

He's also had to contend with a series of rotating partners after Matt Niskanen retired in October 2020. The acquisition of Ryan Ellis could've helped stabilize the blue line, but he was only able to play in four games last season due to injury and isn't expected to suit up at all in 2022-23.

Provorov has spent the majority of his time on a pair with DeAngelo this campaign.

The Flyers have had a rough ride through the first half of the 2022-23 campaign - their first under hard-nosed head coach John Tortorella. Like last season, Philadelphia enjoyed a promising start. It went 5-2-0 right out of the gate, but a 10-game losing streak in November sent the team crashing back down to earth.

Philadelphia currently sits in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 16-18-7.

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The Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators are interested in Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba, TSN's Darren Dreger reported Tuesday.

Dumba carries a $6-million cap hit and will be an unrestricted free agent at season's end. He recorded four goals and seven assists in 39 games this season while averaging 21:07 of ice time per contest. His underlying numbers have been poor this year.

But the 10-year veteran and former seventh overall pick comes with plenty of pedigree. His best season came in 2017-18 when he racked up 14 goals and 36 assists. He's struggled with injuries and inconsistency in the five years since, never cracking 30 points or 70 games.

He also shoots right - a trait among defensemen that's often appealing to teams.

Minnesota is currently in a playoff spot and entered Tuesday sitting third in the Central Division with 47 points. As The Athletic's Michael Russo noted in December, it may require a lateral move or "hockey trade" for the Wild to move Dumba, rather than the typical seller's ask of draft picks and prospects.

The Oilers entered Tuesday hanging on to a wild-card spot, and defense is a clear area of need. Edmonton general manager Ken Holland has scoured the blue-line market, inquiring about the Arizona Coyotes' Jakob Chychrun, the Montreal Canadiens' Joel Edmundson, and just about every potentially available defenseman, The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reports.

The Senators, meanwhile, sit seventh in the Atlantic Division and 13th in the Eastern Conference at 18-19-3. That's not the status of a typical buyer, so they may look to extend Dumba as part of a trade.

Ottawa hasn't been shy about its interest in upgrading the blue line. GM Pierre Dorion was unsuccessful in his search for a top-four defenseman in the summer, and the team was linked to Chychrun in September.

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