New York Rangers enforcer Matt Rempe was handed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for his high hit on New Jersey Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler on Monday.
Rempe caught Siegenthaler with an elbow directly to the head.
Newly acquired Devils enforcer Kurtis MacDermid tried to go after Rempe, but the officials intervened. MacDermid received a 10-minute misconduct for his actions.
"He's a young kid in this league. He has a lot to learn still. You don't do things like that when you're in your first year in league," MacDermid said, per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "I lost quite a bit of respect for him tonight."
Rempe was skating in just his 10th NHL game, but he's already made a name for himself by racking up 54 penalty minutes. He's fought four times.
The Rangers rookie was ejected last time he played the Devils, too, catching Nathan Bastian with a high hit. The 6-foot-7, 241-pounder has yet to be suspended, though.
Dan and Sat are joined by Don Taylor of Donnie and Dhali to discuss the impact of losing Demko for a few weeks and the upcoming stretch for the Canucks. Also, hear from Mike Stephens of the NHL Network and the Staff and Graph Podcast to talk about headlines from around the league.
This podcast was produced by Josh Elliott-Wolfe.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.
It's The Open with Dan Riccio and Satiar Shah as they get into the Thatcher Demko injury and the test for Casey DeSmith and the Canucks moving forward. They also get into Carson Soucy's return and how important that has been for the team.
This podcast was produced by Josh Elliott-Wolfe.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.
Ottawa Senators blue-liner Jakob Chychrun survived the deadline without being moved but knows his name will continue to serve as potential trade bait going forward.
"The trade deadline is over, but people are already talking about the summer. It's not like the chatter is going anywhere," Chychrun told The Athletic's Ian Mendes. "It's the reality of the situation with my contract with having one year left. We'll see what happens with my situation moving forward."
In January, Chychrun called trade rumors "ridiculous," but they persisted leading up to the deadline as the Senators fell further out of the playoff race.
"I really don't know what else I can do. I can only focus on the things I can control. And that's easier said than done sometimes," he said. "That's something as a professional that I'm going to deal with and try to not let it affect me."
Chychrun was dealt to the Senators from the Arizona Coyotes before the 2023 deadline after more than a year of speculation on his future. His arrival was supposed to help a rebuilding Ottawa squad become a playoff contender, but the club sits 28th in the league standings. The soon-to-be 26-year-old said some team success could've erased uncertainty about his future with the organization.
"What's disappointing is not the (trade) talks," he said. "It's the way the season has gone for us as a group. If things were different, none of this would be going on. That's the most frustrating thing for me. We all had such high hopes for this group, and we haven't lived up to those expectations. That's the toughest pill to swallow."
Chychrun's notched 36 points in 74 games since joining the Senators. He's under contract through 2025 at a $4.6-million cap hit and has a 10-team no-trade clause, according to CapFriendly.
Noah Hanifin refuted the narrative that he limited the Calgary Flames' trade options to places he'd consider signing long term as a pending free agent.
"I was never holding the Flames hostage," the defenseman said, according to Sportsnet's Eric Francis. "That was one of the more difficult things to hear towards the end because I personally felt I was never doing that. Talking to (Flames general manager Craig Conroy), I don't think either side felt that."
"I only had an eight-team no-trade clause, so I was never going to be able to say no," he added. "I felt I should give Calgary a list of teams I would sign with, and then it got out there I was holding the team hostage and would only sign with one team. I wasn't ever going to sign an extension just anywhere in the league. I don't think any player in the NHL would do that."
Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli suggested in late February that Hanifin's camp was using his leverage as an upcoming UFA to influence where he'd land. The Flames ended up trading Hanifin to the Vegas Golden Knights last Wednesday in exchange for a first-round pick and a conditional third-rounder in 2025, as well as prospect Daniil Miromanov.
Hanifin conceded that he would've preferred a return to the East Coast, but the Boston native knew that'd further shrink the options that would work for both him and the Flames.
"It was positioned almost like I was doing it to spite Calgary, to hurt them," he said. "That was never the case. I was being honest with them.
"Calgary was going to do what was best for them, and I wanted to do what worked best for me and my family, and if that wasn't a fit, that's business."
Hanifin revealed that the Flames tried to sign him again one week before the trade and called his choice to leave Calgary "a family decision."
The 27-year-old has played two games with the Golden Knights, logging two assists while averaging 21 minutes of ice time. Hanifin will return to Calgary when Vegas takes on the Flames on Thursday.
He's not expecting an entirely warm reception from those in attendance.
"I'm sure there are certain people who were upset reading that I was screwing over the team," Hanifin said. "I never felt I was, or that it was real, but some of them may boo, like they have for other players who left town. But there are lots of others who I had relationships with who will support me."
Vegas Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon has dismissed criticism that he's exploited the NHL's long-term injured reserve system to bolster his team heading into the playoffs.
"Google 'lacerated spleen' and see if you can tell when a player is going to be back," he told "The Jeff Marek Show," referring to the ailment that's sidelined captain Mark Stone since late February. "It's ridiculous to suggest that these weren't significant injuries or aren't significant injuries.
"Furthermore, the National Hockey League polices all of this. The rules are the rules, the NHL watches this very carefully."
Stone has been ruled out for the remainder of the regular season. With the veteran forward and his $9.5-million cap hit on LTIR, Vegas was able to make the biggest splash at this year's deadline by picking up Anthony Mantha, Noah Hanifin, and Tomas Hertl.
However, Stone's postseason status is uncertain. The Golden Knights could activate him without issue since the salary cap doesn't apply in the playoffs.
The situation is similar to what happened last campaign. Vegas made some big deadline acquisitions after Stone's regular season ended in January due to a back injury, although he went on to appear in all of the Golden Knights' postseason games.
"Last year ... we acquired Ivan Barbashev, Jonathan Quick, and Teddy Blueger (at the deadline)," McCrimmon said. "I would suggest to you we probably could have acquired all three players without Mark Stone's LTIR. This year, it happened that there were opportunities available to use that space, so that's what we did.
"The flip side is to have $9.5 million of LTIR space as a general manager and sit on your hands, and I don't think that's doing our job the way that we should."
McCrimmon maintains that his organization hasn't done anything outside of what's allowed in the collective bargaining agreement.
"LTIR is collectively bargained between the Players' Association and the NHL," he said. "The idea behind it is, if you have a player suffer a significant injury, you can replace that player. Obviously from there, it's the timing of injuries."
The reigning Stanley Cup champions currently occupy the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with a 34-23-7 record. They've lost nine out of their last 12 games.
The Devils have dropped plenty of games lately, but the process has been strong. They have routinely generated more shots and chances than their opponents only to be sunk by awful goaltending.
That shouldn't be as much of a problem moving forward with veterans Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen replacing youngsters Nico Daws and Akira Schmid. The newcomers aren't world-beaters but are certainly more experienced and reliable than what the Devils were putting out each night.
I think this is a good spot to buy low on the Devils. Timo Meier's re-emergence has raised the team's offensive ceiling, and the Rangers are vulnerable defensively right now.
The Rangers rank 32nd in shot suppression over the last 10 games. They also rank 30th in expected goals allowed, meaning this isn't a case of allowing quantity but keeping it to the outside; the quality looks have been there.
The Devils rank second in expected goals generation over the same period. Teams are having a difficult time preventing chances against them, and life will only be harder for the Rangers with Norris-winning defenseman Adam Fox and captain Jacob Trouba set to miss this game.
New York is also expected to start Jonathan Quick, who has cooled down of late, to preserve Igor Shesterkin for a big divisional clash against the Hurricanes.
Add it all up and there's real value in backing the Devils as healthy road underdogs.
The Jets have been excellent at responding to defeat. Since the beginning of December, there's only one stretch - a five-game skid at the end of January - where the Jets have lost multiple games consecutively.
There were eight other instances in that span where the Jets dropped a game and responded immediately with a win. Each win came within 60 minutes.
Winnipeg is coming off what head coach Rick Bowness called its worst game of his tenure. His veteran-laden team seems to respond every time Bowness pushes its buttons, and he's undoubtedly looking for that to happen again versus Washington.
The expectation is that deadline acquisitions Tyler Toffoli and Colin Miller will be available. Those two players should not only improve the squad's quality but breathe some life and excitement into the lineup.
The Jets will be a difficult team for the Capitals to compete with. The Caps have enjoyed plenty of success of late, but their last four wins have come against the Blackhawks, Penguins (no Jake Guentzel or Bryan Rust), Flyers (Samuel Ersson conceded five on 21 shots), and Senators (seven-game losing streak).
I don't think they're as good as they have looked of late. They've just taken advantage of a very weak point in the schedule.
Look for the well-balanced Jets to come out hungry after an ugly loss and take care of business within 60 minutes.
Bet: Jets in regulation (-140)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.
Demko made 12 saves Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets before exiting with 13 minutes remaining in the second period. It was his 49th start of the campaign, which ranks third league-wide.
Head coach Rick Tocchet said postgame that the injury wasn't believed to be serious.
Despite his abbreviated start Saturday, Demko was named the NHL's third star of the week after posting a .961 save percentage in three games.
The 28-year-old currently has a career-best .917 save percentage, and he set a new career mark Saturday with his 34th win of the campaign.
Vancouver backup Casey DeSmith has played only four games since the start of February. The 32-year-old has a .898 save percentage and an 8-4-5 record in 19 appearances.
At the 2024 NHL trade deadline, the Golden Knights traded their top prospect, the Hurricanes used their pool of intriguing young talent to land the best player available, and several teams completed one-for-one swaps.
Here's an intro to all 17 prospects dealt over the past week.
David Edstrom, C, 19, Golden Knights ➡️ Sharks
Teams don't often trade their top prospect at the deadline, but that's exactly what the Golden Knights did this year.
Edstrom adds to the Sharks' growing core of Swedish prospects, joining William Eklund, Filip Bystedt, Mattias Havelid, and Magnus Chrona.
A 6-foot-3 center with impressive results in the Swedish men's league, it's easy to see what the Sharks like in Edstrom.
The 32nd overall pick in last summer's draft, Edstrom's tallied 19 points in 42 games with Frolunda. Most impressively, he leads the team in goal differential and has outscored the opposition 15-5 in his even-strength minutes.
Edstrom's a two-way pivot who projects to play a top-nine role in the NHL. He'll need to show more offensive upside to become a top-six player and will have a chance to showcase that at the 2025 world juniors.
Ville Koivunen, LW, 20, Hurricanes ➡️ Penguins
Andy Devlin / Getty Images Sport / Getty
It's understandable if you were underwhelmed by the package the Penguins received for Jake Guentzel. General manager Kyle Dubas opted for quantity over quality, welcoming four good - but not great - assets to Pittsburgh.
Each piece has top-nine upside, with the best of the bunch being Koivunen.
Koivunen's 55 points in 58 games are the most by an under-21 player in the Finnish league since Saku Koivu in 1995. Additionally, he leads his team with a 55.7 Corsi For rating.
It's fair to have some reservations considering Koivunen didn't do much in his AHL stint at the end of last season and barely scored in two world juniors. That said, he's having a legitimately great season in Finland as a 20-year-old.
As a highly intelligent, dual-threat winger, the Penguins likely hope Koivunen can help the NHL club sooner than later after his breakout campaign.
Jack Thompson, RHD, 21, Lightning ➡️ Sharks
It was impressive work from GM Mike Greir to snag Thompson in the Anthony Duclair trade.
Thompson is a 6-foot-1 right-shot defenseman who's been a captain in the OHL, featured on Team Canada's blue line at the world juniors, and has been productive in two AHL seasons.
He ranks top five among AHL defenders with 17 power-play points this season after featuring on the Syracuse Crunch's top unit. Thompson's not afraid to let it fly, as his 250 shots on goal are top 10 among the same group since he turned pro in 2022-23.
The San Jose Barracuda are already playing him on their top pairing with Shakir Mukhamadullin, a duo we could see with the Sharks before long.
Right-shot blue-liners are always in demand, so getting a prospect with No. 4-5 upside is quality business from San Jose, especially considering the minuscule cost to acquire Duclair in the summer.
Quick hits
Jan Mysak, RW, 21, Canadiens ➡️ Ducks
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
The Czech forward struggled significantly in his first two AHL seasons, tallying just 11 points in 62 games. A hard forechecker, he has 13 goals in 48 contests this season and will look to build on that positive momentum in San Diego.
Riley Damiani, C, 23, Stars ➡️ Flames
After winning AHL Rookie of the Year in 2021 with 36 points in as many games, Damiani's production has slipped each season since. He gets a fresh start in Calgary, where there will be a much better chance to get into the NHL lineup.
Artem Grushnikov, LHD, 20, Stars ➡️ Flames
A very good skater and strong defender, Grushnikov adds a different element to Calgary's system. The significant lack of offense is a concern, but his intriguing defensive tools make him a better prospect than his numbers let on. The hope is he can become a top-four, shutdown defender - though he's more likely to top out as a No. 6 or depth option.
Ty Smith, LHD, 23, Penguins ➡️ Hurricanes
A member of the NHL's 2021 All-Rookie team, Smith has fallen off the past two seasons since being traded to the Penguins. He's been predictably productive in the AHL but hasn't shown much defensive growth. Smith will remain with the Penguins' affiliate through the end of the season, but a new start at Carolina's training camp in the fall can give him a needed boost to make it back to the NHL.
Zakhar Bardakov, C, 23, Devils ➡️ Avalanche
SOPA Images / LightRocket / Getty
A good defensive center playing on an elite KHL team in SKA St. Petersburg. He plays a physical game, and though he's unlikely to be anything more than an NHL fourth-liner, Bardakov is still a moderately interesting addition to a thin Avalanche prospect pool.
Graham Sward, LHD, 20, Predators ➡️ Avalanche
The 6-foot-3 defender is a hilarious plus-85 since being traded to the WHL's Winnipeg Ice (now Wenatchee Wild) last season. He's taken a big step offensively in his final year of junior hockey to lead WHL defenders in scoring. The Avalanche will need to sign him by June or he'll become a free agent.
Emilio Pettersen, LW, 23, Flames ➡️ Stars
The Norwegian has been a consistent AHL scorer since turning pro in 2020, but as an undersized winger who has yet to become a dominant offensive player at that level, he's unlikely to ever feature for Dallas.
Dmitry Ovchinnikov, LW, 21, Maple Leafs ➡️ Wild
A speedy winger who has struggled to find his groove in the professional ranks, Ovchinnikov will reportedly stay with the Toronto Marlies rather than join the Wild's affiliate. He'll likely return to Russia this summer and should remain on Minnesota's reserve list in case he ever breaks out in the KHL.
Luke Toporowski, LW, 22, Bruins ➡️ Wild
Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Bruins after an impressive AHL rookie season, Toporowski has taken a step back as a sophomore. He'll be fine organizational depth playing with the Iowa Wild, which is a cool story considering he was born in the state.
Jacob Perreault, RW, 21, Ducks ➡️ Canadiens
Debora Robinson / National Hockey League / Getty
The son of former NHLer Yanic Perreault, Jacob's development was interrupted due to COVID. The first-rounder jumped to the AHL two seasons before he typically would as a result and was solid but has since hit a plateau. It's easy to wonder how his career would look if he had those two extra years in the juniors. An offensive project with a lethal shot, he's an upside swing by the Canadiens.
Jeremy Hanzel, LHD, 21, Avalanche ➡️ Predators
A combined plus-96 rating across the WHL regular season and playoffs got Hanzel drafted last summer. Though his Seattle Thunderbirds aren't the juggernaut they were a season ago, the 6-foot-1 blue-liner has still done well to lead his team in scoring.
Cruz Lucius, RW, 19, Hurricanes ➡️ Penguins
Average size and mediocre skating make Lucius' projection to the next level tricky. At the very least, he's shown that his skill and smarts make for a high-end player in the NCAA, with back-to-back point-per-game campaigns as Wisconsin's top scorer.
Vasili Ponomaryov, C, 21, Hurricanes ➡️ Penguins
The Russian pivot can step into the Penguins' lineup sooner than later - after all, he's already got two points in two NHL contests. Ponomaryov's unrelenting motor and consistent scoring at the AHL level make him the most NHL-ready prospect in the Guentzel trade.
Cade Webber, LHD, 23, Hurricanes ➡️ Maple Leafs
He's 6-foot-7 and 216 pounds, so that's really all you need to know. Webber's a zero offensively, but he broke the NCAA record for blocks in a season, so Toronto believes in his defensive game. The Maple Leafs will need to sign him by Aug. 15 or he'll become an unrestricted free agent.
Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad will miss at least two weeks with a lower-body injury, head coach Paul Maurice announced Monday, according to team beat reporter Jameson Olive.
The bench boss added that Ekblad will be considered day-to-day after that, with the team targeting a return date in late March or early April.
"We're going to wait until he's 100%," Maurice said.
Ekblad got hurt in the first period of the Panthers' 5-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday. He collided with new teammate Vladimir Tarasenko at center ice and was later ruled out of the remainder of the contest.
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) March 9, 2024
The blue-liner has chipped in with four goals and 17 points in 47 outings this season while averaging just over 21 minutes of ice time per contest.
Ekblad missed the Panthers' first 16 games of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery in June. He racked up two tallies and six helpers in 20 playoff games during Florida's unlikely run to the Stanley Cup Final this past spring.
On top of a dislocated shoulder, Ekblad revealed he also had a broken foot and a torn oblique in the postseason.
The Panthers are currently first place in the league with a 44-17-4 record and .708 points percentage. They'll take on the Dallas Stars on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
