Ahead of Friday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline, deals involving the top available NHL skaters bookended Thursday's action. Pittsburgh shipped out Guentzel minutes before midnight in a blockbuster swap with Carolina.
The deal: the Hurricanes receive forward Guentzel and defenseman Ty Smith, while the Penguins acquire forward Michael Bunting; prospects Ville Koivunen, Cruz Lucius, and Vasili Ponomarev; and two conditional draft picks.
Pittsburgh gets a 2024 second-round pick that upgrades to a 2024 first-rounder if Carolina makes the Stanley Cup Final. If the Hurricanes win the Cup, the Penguins are awarded an additional 2024 fifth-rounder.
The Penguins are retaining 25% of Guentzel's salary, lowering his $6-million cap hit to $4.5 million. Bunting, the only other NHLer in the deal, also makes $4.5 million, so it's a money-in, money-out transaction for the Hurricanes.
Let's discuss how each team fared in this high-profile swap.
Hurricanes' side of deal
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Of all the trades leading up to deadline day, Guentzel to Carolina might be the best player-team fit. A sniper is exactly what the 37-19-6 Hurricanes need.
Guentzel is an extraordinarily smart player - we're talking top 10 in the NHL in hockey IQ - and uses his smarts and silky hands to wreak havoc around the opposition's net every shift. Heading into Thursday's contests, Guentzel ranked second in the league in expected goals per game (0.67 in 50 games) and fourth in inner-slot shots per game (1.48), according to Sportlogiq.
Unlike so many of Carolina's forwards over the past handful of seasons, Guentzel finishes his chances; he's a two-time 40-goal scorer and has racked up 22 markers this campaign for a 36-goal pace over 82 contests. What stopped the Hurricanes from advancing past the Eastern Conference Final in recent years is their inability to score timely goals, and Guentzel's production rate is even better in the playoffs - 34 goals in 58 career games.
Guentzel's dealing with an upper-body injury but is expected to return soon. That's ultimately a non-issue. However, something to remember is that Guentzel has played most of his career on Sidney Crosby's wing. He's a tremendous player in his own right, yet we don't know what he can do over an extended period away from an all-time great. I wouldn't label that a "red flag" for Carolina. Maybe just a yellow one.
Glenn James / Getty Images
Coach Rod Brind'Amour can slide Guentzel onto the first line with star Sebastian Aho or have him team up with Martin Necas on the second. Either way, this acquisition injects star power into Carolina's lineup. As for Smith, he's been in the AHL all season. There's nothing wrong with seeing if a change of scenery can help the 23-year-old offensive defenseman return to the NHL.
Carolina entered the season as a popular Stanley Cup pick. The club started slow but has dominated since December's holiday break. The Canes rank third in points percentage since Dec. 27, winning 20 of 28 games.
This trade is a massive win for the franchise in the big picture. Carolina often strikes out on acquiring big-name players (Elias Pettersson, Erik Karlsson, Matthew Tkachuk, etc.) but can pursue blockbuster trades because it's so well-managed. Under general manager Don Waddell, the Canes have become peerless across the NHL at simultaneously contending for the Cup, keeping salaries down, and stockpiling draft capital and good prospects.
I make this trade every day of the week if I'm Waddell (though I'm docking him slightly because, at the end of the day, he forked over five or six assets).
Grade: A-
Penguins' side of deal
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Let's start with the positives.
This trade brings in a top-nine winger (Bunting) on a reasonable contract through the 2025-26 season. It also brings in three promising prospects, plus one, potentially two draft picks.
In a vacuum, that's a solid package for a pending unrestricted free agent, especially since Pittsburgh desperately needed to deepen its prospect pool.
Now for the negatives.
I'm borderline shocked the Penguins moved Guentzel without a guaranteed first-round pick coming back the other way. Sure, the Hurricanes are one of a handful of teams in the Eastern Conference with a legitimate shot of making the Cup Final, so that second could turn into a first. But the playoffs are unpredictable.
The three prospects also aren't blue-chippers. The Athletic's Scott Wheeler recently ranked them sixth (Ponomarev), seventh (Koivunen), and ninth (Lucius) among Carolina's prospects. Pittsburgh may see more value in these forwards than Wheeler, but the main point remains: GM Kyle Dubas didn't reel in a player destined to become an NHL star.
Icon Sportswire / Getty Images
No needle-moving NHLer. No first-rounder. No sure-thing prospect.
Similar to the return package for Hanifin, Guentzel yielded quantity. The high-end rental market has been kind to buyers over the past few days.
The Penguins are attempting to make the most out of the final years of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang. It's a tight window, and this trade doesn't bring them appreciably closer to contending for the Cup next season.
This is likely the first step of many for Dubas as he tries to aggressively retool. It's not a nightmare result. But it isn't a dream return, either.
Grade: C+
John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).
The Calgary Flames sent the defenseman to the Vegas Golden Knights late Wednesday in a three-way trade looping in the Philadelphia Flyers.
Here are the high-level details:
VGK receives
CGY receives
PHI receives
D Noah Hanifin
F Daniil Miromanov
5th-round pick (2024)
F Mikhail Vorobyov
1st-round pick (2025)
3rd-round pick (2025)
The Flyers joined the party solely to retain a chunk of Hanifin's salary. Teams must send an asset back in retention trades, hence Vorobyov's inclusion. He's a 27-year-old Russian center currently playing in the KHL.
With the Flames also retaining, Hanifin, a pending unrestricted free agent, arrives in Vegas with a cap hit of $1.24 million (down from $4.95 million).
Both draft picks heading to Calgary have conditions attached. If the 2025 first is traded again this week, or if the pick's in the top 10, the Flames instead receive the Golden Knights' 2026 first. And, if Vegas wins a playoff round this season, the 2025 third upgrades to a 2025 second.
Got it all? Let's assess Calgary's and Vegas' work here.
Golden Knights' side of the deal
Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images
One thing we've learned about the Golden Knights in their seven-year existence is that they're almost always pursuing the marquee name available.
Jack Eichel. Mark Stone. Alex Pietrangelo. Max Pacioretty. Robin Lehner.
And now Hanifin, the top defenseman on the trade market all season.
Vegas won the bidding war - like they always seem to do with trades and signings. As usual, general manager Kelly McCrimmon is using long-term injured reserve space to jam as much talent as possible onto the books. Make no mistake, the 33-22-7 Golden Knights aren't cheating. The NHL allows teams to operate this way. Vegas is simply exploiting the loophole better than others.
Hanifin, 27, is the type of player who doesn't wow with one or two elite skills. Instead, the Boston native gets above-average marks in virtually every category. He's a do-everything defenseman who'll inject quickness and puck-moving ability into a blue line that's mostly filled with defense-first guys.
Jeff Vinnick / Getty Images
Speaking of that defense corps, man, is it exceptionally deep. A new top pair of Hanifin and Pietrangelo. Alec Martinez (when he returns from injury) and Shea Theodore on the second pair. Some combination of Nicolas Hague, Brayden McNabb, and Zach Whitecloud on the third. Those are some massive dudes (four of seven guys, including Hanifin, are at least 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds), and they can work as a unit to grind teams down in the playoffs.
Vegas is trying to repeat as Stanley Cup champions and, on Wednesday, they didn't give up an NHLer to acquire a No. 2-caliber defenseman. I don't see a downside to this trade for them. And if Hanifin excels - and if he signs an extension between now and July 1 - this move will become a grand slam.
It's wild to think that, after picking up forward Anthony Mantha (for two picks) on Tuesday and Hanifin a day later, McCrimmon still has his first-rounder in 2024 to dangle in another trade ahead of Friday's 3 p.m. Eastern deadline.
Grade: A+
Flames' side of the deal
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The Flames traded an impact defenseman having a career year offensively for a first-round pick, a minor-leaguer with NHL potential in Miromanov, and a third-rounder which, in all likelihood, will become a second come draft weekend.
That return is by no means terrible. But it feels ... slightly underwhelming.
Part of the reason it feels mediocre is because this isn't the first time Calgary GM Craig Conroy has opted for quantity over quality.
The recent Chris Tanev and Elias Lindholm return packages also lacked a player of significance. Sure, Miromanov has some promise, but his ceiling isn't super high. Same goes for Artem Grushnikov (Tanev trade). Hunter Brzustewicz (Lindholm trade) has the best chance of becoming a top-of-the-lineup player, but it's not as if he's one of the NHL's premier prospects.
Ethan Miller / Getty Images
How much of this can be chalked up to the Flames unloading former GM Brad Treliving's baggage at a bad time for sellers? How much of this is subpar negotiating by Conroy? How much of this is poor luck, with none of Lindholm, Tanev, and Hanifin signing an extension with their new club at the time of the trade, thus making them a pure rental?
Hard to say. It may be a perfect storm of all three issues.
Circling back on the Hanifin deal: the return would look markedly better if Miromanov was either a fully formed NHLer or a high-end prospect. A first, a third that may turn into a second, and a young player with serious upside? Oh yeah, that's a much better outcome. Miromanov, who signed a two-year extension with Calgary following the trade, may blossom into an everyday NHLer. He's right-handed, huge, and physical. But he's also already 26.
On a sunnier note, Conroy now has two first-round picks in 2024 and 2025.
Grade: B-
John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).
The Calgary Flames sent the defenseman to the Vegas Golden Knights late Wednesday in a three-way trade looping in the Philadelphia Flyers.
Here are the high-level details:
VGK receives
CGY receives
PHI receives
D Noah Hanifin
F Daniil Miromanov
5th-round pick (2024)
F Mikhail Vorobyov
1st-round pick (2025)
3rd-round pick (2025)
The Flyers joined the party solely to retain a chunk of Hanifin's salary. Teams must send an asset back in retention trades, hence Vorobyov's inclusion. He's a 27-year-old Russian center currently playing in the KHL.
With the Flames also retaining, Hanifin, a pending unrestricted free agent, arrives in Vegas with a cap hit of $1.24 million (down from $4.95 million).
Both draft picks heading to Calgary have conditions attached. If the 2025 first is traded again this week, or if the pick's in the top 10, the Flames instead receive the Golden Knights' 2026 first. And, if Vegas wins a playoff round this season, the 2025 third upgrades to a 2025 second.
Got it all? Let's assess Calgary's and Vegas' work here.
Golden Knights' side of the deal
Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images
One thing we've learned about the Golden Knights in their seven-year existence is that they're almost always pursuing the marquee name available.
Jack Eichel. Mark Stone. Alex Pietrangelo. Max Pacioretty. Robin Lehner.
And now Hanifin, the top defenseman on the trade market all season.
Vegas won the bidding war - like they always seem to do with trades and signings. As usual, general manager Kelly McCrimmon is using long-term injured reserve space to jam as much talent as possible onto the books. Make no mistake, the 33-22-7 Golden Knights aren't cheating. The NHL allows teams to operate this way. Vegas is simply exploiting the loophole better than others.
Hanifin, 27, is the type of player who doesn't wow with one or two elite skills. Instead, the Boston native gets above-average marks in virtually every category. He's a do-everything defenseman who'll inject quickness and puck-moving ability into a blue line that's mostly filled with defense-first guys.
Jeff Vinnick / Getty Images
Speaking of that defense corps, man, is it exceptionally deep. A new top pair of Hanifin and Pietrangelo. Alec Martinez (when he returns from injury) and Shea Theodore on the second pair. Some combination of Nicolas Hague, Brayden McNabb, and Zach Whitecloud on the third. Those are some massive dudes (four of seven guys, including Hanifin, are at least 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds), and they can work as a unit to grind teams down in the playoffs.
Vegas is trying to repeat as Stanley Cup champions and, on Wednesday, they didn't give up an NHLer to acquire a No. 2-caliber defenseman. I don't see a downside to this trade for them. And if Hanifin excels - and if he signs an extension between now and July 1 - this move will become a grand slam.
It's wild to think that, after picking up forward Anthony Mantha (for two picks) on Tuesday and Hanifin a day later, McCrimmon still has his first-rounder in 2024 to dangle in another trade ahead of Friday's 3 p.m. Eastern deadline.
Grade: A+
Flames' side of the deal
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images
The Flames traded an impact defenseman having a career year offensively for a first-round pick, a minor-leaguer with NHL potential in Miromanov, and a third-rounder which, in all likelihood, will become a second come draft weekend.
That return is by no means terrible. But it feels ... slightly underwhelming.
Part of the reason it feels mediocre is because this isn't the first time Calgary GM Craig Conroy has opted for quantity over quality.
The recent Chris Tanev and Elias Lindholm return packages also lacked a player of significance. Sure, Miromanov has some promise, but his ceiling isn't super high. Same goes for Artem Grushnikov (Tanev trade). Hunter Brzustewicz (Lindholm trade) has the best chance of becoming a top-of-the-lineup player, but it's not as if he's one of the NHL's premier prospects.
Ethan Miller / Getty Images
How much of this can be chalked up to the Flames unloading former GM Brad Treliving's baggage at a bad time for sellers? How much of this is subpar negotiating by Conroy? How much of this is poor luck, with none of Lindholm, Tanev, and Hanifin signing an extension with their new club at the time of the trade, thus making them a pure rental?
Hard to say. It may be a perfect storm of all three issues.
Circling back on the Hanifin deal: the return would look markedly better if Miromanov was either a fully formed NHLer or a high-end prospect. A first, a third that may turn into a second, and a young player with serious upside? Oh yeah, that's a much better outcome. Miromanov, who signed a two-year extension with Calgary following the trade, may blossom into an everyday NHLer. He's right-handed, huge, and physical. But he's also already 26.
On a sunnier note, Conroy now has two first-round picks in 2024 and 2025.
Grade: B-
John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).
The NHL trade deadline's on Friday, at 3 p.m. ET ... right?
Anxious general managers completed five trades Wednesday afternoon. Amid the chaos: Sniper Vladimir Tarasenko is off to Florida via Ottawa, and two-way center Alexander Wennberg is off to New York to join the Rangers via Seattle.
Let's break down the other swaps - two of which featured 38-20-5 Colorado.
Walker, Mittelstadt sent to Avalanche
Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images
Trade 1 details: Colorado receives defenseman Sean Walker and a 2026 fifth-round pick. Philadelphia receives forward Ryan Johansen and a top-10-protected 2025 first-rounder.
In adding Walker and subtracting Byram, the Avalanche's blue line is balanced better for the stretch run and playoffs. Heck, coach Jared Bednar might now have the best overall mix in the NHL, with Devon Toews, Samuel Girard, and Jack Johnson on the left, and Cale Makar, Walker, and Josh Manson on the right. Byram might have the higher ceiling, but Walker is the better fit right now.
Walker, a pending UFA, suits Bednar's uptempo playing style. He's good in transition, and while he isn't a stalwart defender, he does a few things very well, namely killing plays. Heading into this week, Walker ranked second among everyday NHL defensemen in blocked passes per 20 minutes of five-on-five action, according to Sportlogiq. Translation: His defensive stick is elite.
Johansen was included in the Walker deal for salary-cap reasons. The Flyers put the struggling center on waivers shortly after the trade went through.
If I'm Philly general manager Daniel Briere right now, I'm patting myself on the back for getting the correct first-rounder. The 2025 draft class is projected to be better than 2024's. The condition on the pick (top-10 protected) is a downer, though the chances of Colorado bottoming out are slim to none.
The Walker trade was reported first, so initially I wondered if Avs GM Chris MacFarland would have enough draft capital and desirable prospects to acquire a difference-making center. I got my answer quickly, as MacFarland instead weaponized the club's sudden surplus of quality NHL defensemen.
I love this second deal - a true "hockey trade" - for the Avs. They've been desperate for somebody to fill the spot behind Nathan MacKinnon, and from my vantage point, Mittelstadt's breakout is no fluke. It took the 2017 eighth overall pick a while to get to this point, but he's a legitimate top-six playmaker. He was pacing Buffalo in assists (33) and points (47) through 62 games, and in Colorado, he'll be well-insulated alongside stud wingers like Valeri Nichushkin.
There's risk in parting with a player as talented as the 22-year-old Byram. He was the top defenseman in the 2022 Cup Final and has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his four-year NHL career. But - and this is a big but in the grand scheme - Byram has a history of concussions. Is he one hit away from another extended leave? Hopefully not, but that was likely part of the calculus here.
From Buffalo's perspective, I get why they moved Mittelstadt. The pending restricted free agent was stuck behind Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens at center and is due for a solid raise. I also get why the Sabres want to take a chance on a potential top-pair guy like Byram, concussion history be damned.
It feels like this is just one shake-up move of many for the Sabres over the spring and summer. The team's top four now includes four lefties in Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson, and Byram. That's fine - lefties can play the right side - but the asymmetry is notable. GM Kevyn Adams seems to have a master plan as Buffalo's playoff drought nears 13 years.
Avalanche cumulative grade: A Flyers grade: B+ Sabres grade: B
Henrique, Carrick acquired by Oilers
Andreea Cardani / Getty Images
Trade details: Edmonton receives forwards Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick, a 2024 seventh-round pick, and the signing rights to goaltender Ty Taylor. Anaheim, which retained 50% of Henrique's and Carrick's salaries, receives a 2024 first-rounder and a conditional 2025 fifth. Tampa Bay, also retaining 50% on Henrique, receives a conditional 2025 fourth.
The Oilers' top priorities coming into deadline week were as follows: add scoring punch and versatility up front and add reliable depth on the back end.
This trade checks off that first task - at a fair price, too.
Henrique, whose cap hit has been reduced from $5.8 million to $1.5 million, is a well-rounded forward likely bound for Edmonton's third line. An incredibly smart player, the pending unrestricted free agent can line up at center or wing and not miss a beat. He's recorded 42 points and won 53% of his faceoffs in 60 games this year. He's a capable penalty killer who blocks plenty of shots.
It's nice to see Henrique head to such a promising Stanley Cup contender. The 34-year-old is respected across the league for his honest play and leadership skills but has appeared in just 28 playoff games over 14 seasons.
Jaylynn Nash / Getty Images
Carrick, 32 and also a pending UFA, is a less impactful piece. The physical center may find a spot on the fourth line and penalty kill. The Oilers rank 14th in the NHL in penalty-kill percentage, which means shorthanded play isn't a glaring issue. Having options on special teams never hurts, though.
Henrique and Carrick don't add up to Jake Guentzel or Pavel Buchnevich, but Oilers GM Ken Holland presumably didn't have the assets to pull off a seismic trade. Props to him, then, for doing something of consequence. The Oilers can't waste another year of Connor McDavid's and Leon Draisaitl's primes.
All of that said, I also like this deal for Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek. In other years, Henrique and Carrick probably wouldn't fetch a first-round pick near the deadline (especially since the number of buyers was probably limited thanks to Henrique's 10-team no-trade list). However, with few impact centers on the market, the rebuilding Ducks were able to reel in that premium asset.
Verbeek, who's on a mission to reshape the Ducks and might not be done dealing, now has two first-rounders and two seconds in the upcoming draft. Assistant GM Martin Madden has a long track record of finding hidden gems.
The Lightning retaining salary is no biggie because Mikhail Sergachev's $8.5-million cap hit is on long-term injured reserve. Why not add a mid-round pick?
The trade deadline is one giant puzzle for the NHL's 32 general managers.
Each of them must contemplate what's right for their team in the moment and for seasons to come, decide on a plan, and be prepared to pivot to Plan B, C, or Z. Those pivots tend to come on the heels of another executive's actions.
Consider what's happened since late January. Vancouver acquired center Elias Lindholm. Winnipeg responded a week later by picking up Sean Monahan, who's basically Lindholm lite. Then Dallas jumped the line on defensemen with Wednesday's crafty Chris Tanev trade. A day later, Toronto completed a trade for another right-handed blue-liner, Ilya Lyubushkin.
Andy Devlin / Getty Images
Buyers have been forced to recalibrate. With the deadline a week away, three Western Conference teams in particular need to act before it's too late.
Edmonton: Leon Draisaitl's contract expires after next season. Connor McDavid is up in the summer of 2026. There are no guarantees that either re-signs. The Oilers must continue to acquire as much talent as possible to make the most of this era. Their priorities are adding a scoring winger and defensive defenseman.
CapFriendly estimates that general manager Ken Holland has around $2 million in cap space. That's enough to yank Jake Guentzel out of Pittsburgh if the deal involves heavy salary retention. Plan B could be Anaheim's Adam Henrique, who's slightly cheaper. Plan C could be Washington's Max Pacioretty, who's even cheaper. Perhaps defenseman Joel Edmundson could be packaged with Pacioretty to kill two birds with one stone. As for outgoing assets, the Oilers have their first- and second-round picks in 2024 and 2026, as well as their first in 2025. However, the prospect pool isn't deep.
Colorado: The 2022 Stanley Cup champions have been riding the Nathan MacKinnon MVP wave. Realistically, though, they're too top-heavy at forward. Even with Valeri Nichushkin returning from the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program and Gabriel Landeskog potentially joining the squad for the postseason, Colorado needs outside help - preferably the versatile Henrique.
The Avalanche could also use a more experienced goalie than Justus Annunen to back up Alexandar Georgiev. Montreal's Jake Allen fits the profile. In any impact trade, the Avs will almost certainly need salary retained by the other team or a third party, or move the underperforming Ryan Johansen and his $4-million cap hit, as CapFriendly estimates around $1.2 million in space is available for GM Chris MacFarland. Like Edmonton, Colorado owns plenty of high picks in 2024 and beyond but doesn't boast many enticing prospects.
Justin Berl / Getty Images
Vegas: The defending champs are, quite famously, obsessively aggressive. They've redefined what going "all-in" means for multiple years. Right now, thanks to star forwards Mark Stone and Jack Eichel landing on injured reserve, CapFriendly estimates GM Kelly McCrimmon has around $6.8 million in cap space. For the typically cap-strapped Golden Knights, that's oodles of cash.
Vegas should be in on Guentzel and the other point-producing forwards believed to be available for a steep price - guys like St. Louis' Pavel Buchnevich, Seattle's Jordan Eberle, and Pittsburgh's Reilly Smith, who's an original Golden Knight. None of those deals would be simple to pull off, so maybe McCrimmon settles for two experienced and useful forwards. Think Nic Dowd and Pacioretty in Washington, or Alex Wennberg and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (another original) in Seattle. Vegas is motivated to beef up and owns the draft capital and prospects to pull off something meaningful.
Sorokin's super underrated year
Ilya Sorokin won't win the Vezina Trophy, and I'm not here to argue that the Islanders starter should be named goalie of the year over Connor Hellebuyck.
But Sorokin deserves some recognition for what he's accomplished this season.
Michael Mooney / Getty Images
The traditional statistics used to evaluate goalies don't paint a compelling picture of him. Among the 48 goalies with 20 or more starts, Sorokin is tied for 12th in wins (19), tied for 16th in save percentage (.909), and 32nd in goals-against average (3.11).
However, dig into a few layers of context, and it's obvious Sorokin's constantly swimming upstream. Islanders goalies play behind the league's second-worst defensive environment, according to Sportlogiq's expected goals model. The analytics company's model factors in the quantity and quality of scoring chances generated throughout the season.
Sorokin, who finished second in Vezina voting last season, has faced the most shots in the league this campaign, as well as the most shots from the inner-slot area. In other words, Sorokin's being peppered every night and shooters are often getting to the most dangerous pockets of the offensive zone.
Darcy Finley / Getty Images
All of these Grade-A scoring chances would normally break a goalie down (see: John Gibson in Anaheim). Sorokin's instead fought back in a huge way. Despite the volume, his .848 inner-slot save percentage is tops in the NHL.
Sorokin, 28, is second in the NHL with 23.8 goals saved above expected in 43 appearances, and he's third in goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (which accounts for varying workloads). Another illuminating data point: Sorokin is third in a metric called steal percentage. He's recorded a "steal" (which is awarded when a goalie's goals saved above expected value in a game is the difference in the final score) in a league-leading nine of his 19victories.
Based on Sportlogiq's data, Sorokin has been a top-five goalie in 2023-24.
It's amazing how a little nuance can add so much to goaltending evaluation.
Walman feasting on opportunity
Josh Lavallee / Getty Images
The longer I cover this sport, the stronger I believe that dozens of NHL-caliber players are stuck competing in lower leagues. What's typically blocking these players from securing full-time NHL work is opportunity. An opening. A GM or head coach who believes in their potential.
Jake Walman is a prime example.
He was drafted by the Blues in the third round of the 2014 draft, developed well at Providence College and in the AHL, then hit a wall. Win-now St. Louis had an abundance of older blue-liners, which meant ice time was scarce. And, in those limited minutes, Walman wasn't entirely himself. He'd play to impress.
Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman acquired Walman in a March 2022 trade that sent Nick Leddy (another veteran D-man) to St. Louis. Walman flourished almost immediately in his new home and is now a first-pairing defenseman.
"It really means a lot when you're in a place that wants you, and I'm wanted here in Detroit," Walman, who's in the first season of a three-year contract extension, told theScore this past December. "It's a totally different feeling than St. Louis. I feel like I fit in here, and I just love playing for this team."
Icon Sportswire / Getty Images
Walman's role is plainly defined under head coach Derek Lalonde. While his "Griddy" goal celebrations command attention (rightfully so, they're fun), Walman makes his biggest contribution on rush defense. He also blocks a bunch of shots, moves the puck well, and unleashes 100-mph howitzers.
This season, Walman and partner Moritz Seider have been tasked nightly with facing the stiffest competition. The pair takes a beating in shot-attempt and expected-goal shares, but the two hold their own in actual goals: 35 goals for and 38 against in the 724 five-on-five minutes they've logged together.
"There's a time and a place for everything. You have to pick your spots. If we need a goal or we need offense, I don't have a problem playing more offensively," Walman said. "But there's also times when you've got to manage the game and know what the team needs from you. Playing against the top guys every night is not easy, and you can't lose focus of that responsibility."
Call Walman a late bloomer. Or a case study in player development. He may be both. Most of all, though, he's someone who feasted on his first legitimate NHL opportunity and hasn't slowed down. The 33-21-6 Wings benefited from that hunger last season and - crucially for their trajectory - this campaign, too.
Parting shots
Total Ek-ache: Aleksander Barkov seems to be the front-runner to win the first Selke Trophy of the post-Patrice Bergeron era. There are a ton of other worthy candidates, including Sidney Crosby, Anze Kopitar, and Sean Couturier. That means, as of now, I'm completely undecided on which five forwards will fill out my ballot in April. That said, Joel Eriksson Ek of the Wild certainly has my attention. While the Swedish center's underlying numbers aren't spectacular, he passes the eye test with flying colors. His ability to minimize the other team's top offensive threat is real: he's always in the star's face, always giving maximum effort in puck battles, always issuing minor bumps all over the ice. Always being annoying. "He's a pain in the ass to play against," is how former Wild coach Bruce Boudreau put it in 2021. Eriksson Ek, 27, isn't a flashy player or marquee name. But he's damn effective in all three zones.
They were looking for Eriksson Ek's teeth after he got a high stick to the face 😅 pic.twitter.com/Wd4SrB0GGv
Poor Jeff: The Sabres are barreling toward an NHL record 13th consecutive season of missing the playoffs. The most depressing thing about that reality: Jeff Skinner's personal playoff drought is longer. The smiley Buffalo winger is on track to miss a 14th straight postseason. Skinner is 16 regular-season games from 1,000, yet he hasn't had a taste of playoff hockey in Carolina or Buffalo. How rare is this kind of personal drought? Extremely. Every one of the 1,000-game club's 382 members has some level of playoff experience. Retired Finn Olli Jokinen is Skinner's closest comparable: 1,231 regular-season games for 10 teams but only six playoff games. Oilers forward Sam Gagner is close, too, at 11 playoff games in 1,041 games for seven clubs.
PWHL: One word sticks in my mind when I think of the new women's hockey league's debut season: enormous. Enormously successful and enormously innovative. The attendance record has been broken multiple times. The 3-2-1 scoring system just - hmm, how do I frame this? - makes so much sense. The "jailbreak" rule, where a shorthanded goal frees the penalized player from the box, is awesome. The league announced earlier this week that four teams make the playoffs, and semifinal matchups will be determined by the No. 1 seed, which will choose to face either the third- or fourth-place squad. The draft order will follow the Gold Plan (full rundown of the concept here), which is neat. Aside from teams not having distinct nicknames or logos, no major complaints on the launch. Thumbs-up to the PWHL, its teams, and its players.
Credit to the PWHL for trying the things that other leagues won’t. I think the gold plan might be more meaningful when the league adds a couple of additional franchises, but no need to wait to implement it. https://t.co/3OwDbSnXF6
We hear plenty about pending unrestricted free agents - so-called "rentals" - at this time of year. The NHL trade-deadline hoopla revolves around that group of players.
Every season, though, a handful of players under team control also change teams midseason. Usually, these younger players have fallen out of favor with their organizations by failing to meet expectations. A change of scenery, the thinking goes, could serve them well.
theScore's Kyle Cushman recently wrote about prospects who could be on the move ahead of the March 8 deadline. Below are five more established players in the same boat.
Alexander Holtz, Devils
Rich Graessle / Getty Images
Holtz was put on this earth to zip hockey pucks past goalies.
OK, that's a tad dramatic. Still, the 22-year-old right-shot winger is very good at finding unoccupied areas of the offensive zone and deploying his absolute rocket of a shot once the puck finds him.
On the flip side, Holtz is perceived as a liability defensively, and his usage this year has suffered because of it. "If you want to play more, don't get scored against," Devils coach Lindy Ruff said earlier this season when asked about Holtz's ice time, which through 58 games is only 11:39 per night.
Holtz, the seventh pick in the 2020 draft, has 13 goals and added 11 assists in his first full NHL season while largely skating on the Devils' fourth line and second power-play unit. Among New Jersey forwards, he ranks 11th in five-on-five usage (10:06) and eighth in power-play usage (1:21).
Elsa / Getty Images
It's hard to decipher from afar whether Ruff is simply offering tough love or the organization truly feels Holtz is a poor long-term fit. Regardless, if Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald wants to acquire a decent goalie ahead of the trade deadline, putting Holtz on the trade block would spice up talks with rival executives. There's no doubt several teams would take a flier on the Swede.
Holtz's counting stats through 86 career games are nothing special - 16 goals and 14 assists. So, unless he breaks out in a major way, the cap hit on Holtz's second contract, which would start in 2025-26, won't be terribly high.
Arthur Kaliyev of the Kings is another young, shoot-first winger who could use a change of scenery. Like Holtz, Kaliyev's overall skill set has gaping holes that'll drive pretty much any NHL coach bananas. However, he also boasts a bomb of a shot. It takes just one enamoured club to jumpstart trade talks.
Spencer Knight, Panthers
An NHL franchise can never have too many good goalies.
That said, it was strange to see the Panthers use the 13th pick in 2019 on Knight, then sign Sergei Bobrovsky to an eight-year, $80-million deal 10 days later. Selecting a netminder in the top half of the first round is one thing; immediately blocking that hyped prospect's path to the starter's net for the foreseeable future is another. The sequence of events didn't quite add up.
Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images
It's fair to say that signing Bobrovsky panned out. The Panthers competed in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, and with Bobrovsky and backup Anthony Stolarz playing at an elite level this year, Florida's primed for another deep playoff run.
Which brings us back to Knight: If GM Bill Zito wants to bolster his lineup before the deadline, the 22-year-old goalie would be one of his top trade chips. Remember, Florida doesn't have a first-round pick in 2024 or 2025, and it doesn't have many high-end prospects. (The Athletic's Scott Wheeler recently ranked its prospect pool 24th in the NHL.)
While Knight's stock isn't what it used to be (he owns an .894 save percentage through 34 AHL games this year), he could be flipped for forward depth. Once billed as a future franchise pillar, Knight is still incredibly young by goalie standards and thus worth pursuing. He's back on track after spending a chunk of 2023 in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.
The biggest hurdle for Zito would be finding another GM to take on Knight's contract: $4.5 million per year through 2025-26.
Adam Boqvist, Blue Jackets
Chicago drafted Boqvist with the eighth pick in 2018, and he arrived in Columbus in the 2021 Seth Jones trade. He's since been unable to stay healthy enough to play a full season, with this year bringing a shoulder strain, and then a facial injury (thanks to an errant puck). Making matters worse, Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent has occasionally scratched a healthy Boqvist.
Boqvist's a distressed asset. The 23-year-old could use a blank slate elsewhere.
Jason Mowry / Getty Images
The smooth-skating right-handed defenseman moves the puck well and could provide value in a sheltered role at a $2.6-million cap hit through next season.
Interestingly, Columbus appears to be showcasing No. 27 of late. Boqvist is skating alongside Zach Werenski on the first pairing at even strength and manning the point on the first-unit power play. This is all happening while defense prospects Denton Mateychuk and David Jiricek continue to excel in lower leagues. Both could see full-time NHL duty as early as this fall.
Boqvist could draw interest from rebuilding or retooling teams that, when they squint hard enough, see untapped potential and (maybe?) an eventual top-four blue-liner. A heavy investment in player development would be key.
Jake Bean, another Columbus defenseman, finds himself in a similar situation on the depth chart. The 25-year-old is headed toward restricted free agency.
Pavel Buchnevich, Blues
Icon Sportswire / Getty Images
Buchnevich is the outlier in this group of change-of-scenery guys.
He doesn't check the usual boxes of underperformance or low usage. Currently thriving, he may end up spending the rest of his career in St. Louis.
But moving Buchnevich would arguably be the best outcome for both player and team. His current contract - a bargain $5.8 million a year through 2024-25 - doesn't align with the Blues' competitive timeline. He's chasing his first Cup ring, yet St. Louis isn't tracking for a deep run this year or next. Even if the Russian winger loves the franchise and city, he theoretically could be traded and then return as a 30-year-old UFA in 2025.
The motivating factor for Blues GM Doug Armstrong would be the demand for Buchnevich. He could reel in a hefty package of picks and/or prospects.
It's easy to picture rival execs salivating over Buchnevich's playoff-tailored skill set. The 6-foot-1, 196-pounder is fantastic along the boards, in transition, and in front of the net. He's averaged a point per game over almost three seasons with the Blues (St. Louis acquired him from the Rangers in 2021). Buchnevich could be an ace third wheel for a top-six scoring line on a contender.
This isn't an easy situation for Armstrong to navigate, and Buchnevich has some power of his own - his contract includes a 12-team no-trade list.
Elvis Merzlikins, Blue Jackets
Jason Mowry / Getty Images
Merzlikins' chances of playing out the remainder of his five-year, $27-million contract in a Blue Jackets uniform are slim. If his cap hit was a bit lower than $5.4 million, or his term was a bit shorter than three years beyond this season, he'd probably already be stopping pucks for another team.
The 29-year-old's career statistics hint that he's an average or slightly below-average NHL starter prone to stretches of poor play. He's talked openly about seeking "a new scenario" where he's the No. 1 option, not a backup. Yet the situation is complicated.
Blue Jackets president John Davidson is searching for a new GM after firing Jarmo Kekalainen. How do Davidson and this new GM view Merzlikins? Do they give the fiery Latvian a fresh start internally and double down on a Merzlikins-Daniil Tarasov tandem? Trade him? Buy him out?
As for the market, goalie-starved New Jersey reportedly expressed interest in Merzlikins, who's holding down a decent .902 save percentage through 33 starts in front of a porous skater group. Clubs that have abundant cap space and runway to work with him - the Blackhawks, for instance - could be fits as well.
John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).
Takes, Thoughts, and Trends is theScore's biweekly hockey grab bag.
When Travis Konecny heard back in June 2022 that John Tortorella was the new head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, he reacted like anyone who didn't know the man but had seen his tense press conferences might.
"I was like, 'Here we go, this is gonna be a long couple of years,'" Konecny recalled in an interview earlier this month at All-Star Weekend in Toronto.
"But it couldn't be further from the truth," the forward quickly added. "First of all, if you're one of Torts' guys, he protects you. Because he loves his players. The other thing I found out early on is that as long as you're following the structure he teaches and demands that he has, he lets you play your game and he leaves you alone. As long as you're working hard, he's happy."
Almost two years into Tortorella's tenure, Konecny is definitely in the coach's good graces. The Flyers earlier this week named Sean Couturier team captain and Scott Laughton and Konecny his alternates. Konecny's in the middle of his finest season yet: he leads Flyers skaters in goals (26) and points (51) through 55 games, and paces the forward group in average ice time (19:49).
Mitchell Leff / Getty Images
The 29-19-7 Flyers are one of the top rush teams in the league, and no Flyer rushes the puck as often or effectively as Konecny. The 5-11 winger's 1.26 scoring chances off the rush per game ranks sixth in the NHL, according to Sportlogiq.
"He's really grown into the player he is over these last two years. I think he's really taken a big step forward," Couturier said of his "little brother."
A fearless competitor, Konecny's evolved into the rare player who can record a Gordie Howe hat trick (goal, assist, fight) and receive minimal fanfare, like he recently did against the Jets. It's basically expected. That's TK being TK, as his teammates and coaches say. He's always in the mix.
"The intensity he plays with - he's such a catalyst for us," center Morgan Frost said. "You don't always see your top goal-scorer getting into scrums after every other whistle, or chirping a lot. But he does and it makes an impact."
Jaylynn Nash / Getty Images
"He's by-example," Tortorella said of Konecny's leadership qualities. "He's got an engine on him that doesn't stop. He's made big plays at key times. He does everything for us. He's a penalty killer for us, now power-play (minutes). I'd hate to think where we'd be if we didn't have his energy in our lineup."
Philly may be missing a superstar (perhaps Russian Matvei Michkov, drafted seventh overall in 2023, is the long-term answer), but it seems like the club's ticked off several other boxes in the search for a fully formed nucleus. This season's been a real eye-opener.
Couturier: elite two-way center. Owen Tippett: game-breaking sniper. Frost and Joel Farabee: playmakers. Travis Sanheim, Jamie Drysdale, and Cam York: building-block defensemen. Samuel Ersson: (potential) starting goalie.
And, of course, Konecny: goal-scoring catalyst, rush-chance catalyst, energy catalyst. You can probably add "Torts catalyst" to the list.
3 GMs who'll shape trade market
All eyes are on Craig Conroy as March 8's trade deadline approaches.
Calgary's general manager could move three major pieces: starting goalie Jacob Markstrom, plus top-four blue-liners Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev. This Flames' crossroads period has been well-documented.
As for other GMs to watch, three leap off the page.
Jeff Vinnick / Getty Images
Steve Yzerman will have several decisions to make on pending unrestricted free agents if Detroit's playoff positioning doesn't solidify soon. Forward David Perron and goalie James Reimer, both 35, could be useful depth for contenders. Bottom-six sniper Daniel Sprong and offensive defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere could help provide tertiary scoring elsewhere, too.
Then there's Patrick Kane, who the Red Wings signed to a one-year, $2.75-million contract in November. With 20 points in 22 games, Kane will likely be open to waiving his no-trade clause if Yzerman enters sell mode. Kane didn't come back to miss the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Flyers GM Daniel Briere is in an enviable spot - or unenviable, depending on how you look at it. The retool is ahead of schedule, but the roster remains under heavy construction. Defensemen Sean Walker and Nick Seeler, two pending UFAs who seemed destined to be flipped midseason, are playing well enough to warrant contract extensions. Laughton's situation is essentially the reverse: he's under contract through 2025-26 at a $3-million cap hit, but trade packages may be too hefty to pass up.
Despite the Flyers' success, Briere probably won't be a deadline buyer.
Gerry Thomas / Getty Images
Briere's Metropolitan Division counterpart, Tom Fitzgerald, on the other hand, may be motivated to swing for the fences. Fitzgerald's Devils are in desperate need of a goalie and reportedly tried to acquire Markstrom.
Prominent goalies rarely move midseason. But with John Gibson, Juuse Saros, Jake Allen, Elvis Merzlikins, and Marc-Andre Fleury also potentially available, Fitzgerald isn't necessarily boxed into a corner here. If he truly wants a goalie, he can likely pull off something spicy - even if he strikes out on Markstrom.
Hypothetical 2025 Team Europe roster
The 4 Nations Face-off will be in full swing at this time next year.
The in-season tournament pits four nations - Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the U.S. - against each other in a nine-day, seven-game event. Russia (geopolitical reasons), Czechia, Germany, and other hockey nations won't be participating in this slimmed-down, likely one-off international competition.
Patrick Smith / Getty Images
This also means a multi-country All-Star team won't be competing - despite Germany's Leon Draisaitl pushing for the return of Team Europe, which lost to Canada in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey final.
What if Team Europe did return?
For fun, here's a 23-man Team Europe roster featuring players from the same countries that comprised the 2016 team (Germany, Switzerland, Slovakia, Norway, Latvia, and Slovenia). Hint: This squad wouldn't be a pushover.
Forwards
Line 1: Tim Stutzle - Draisaitl - Nikolaj Ehlers
Line 2: Kevin Fiala - Anze Kopitar - JJ Peterka
Line 3: Juraj Slafkovsky - Nico Hischier - Oliver Bjorkstrand
Line 4: Timo Meier - Marco Rossi - Mats Zuccarello
Extra: Lars Eller
Defensemen
Pair 1: Roman Josi - Moritz Seider
Pair 2: J.J. Moser - Simon Nemec
Pair 3: Jonas Siegenthaler - Erik Cernak
Extra: Martin Fehervary
Goalies
Starter: Elvis Merzlikins
Backup: Frederik Andersen
Extra: Philipp Grubauer
Lowry line's underrated impact
The Jets have lost six of 10, but they're still riding high overall with the third-best points percentage in the Western Conference.
Connor Hellebuyck's brilliance between the pipes, another stellar year for defenseman Josh Morrissey, and the entire team buying into Rick Bowness' defensive style are three obvious driving forces behind their 32-14-5 record.
Jonathan Kozub / Getty Images
Further down the list but no less important: an extremely valuable third line led by captain and center Adam Lowry. Lowry, Nino Niederreiter, and Mason Appleton - three imposing, two-way veteran forwards - tend to handle shutdown duties so the two top lines can focus on offense.
Lowry's line has logged 432 five-on-five minutes, which ranks eighth among any NHL trio. Its outscored the opposition 17-11 in those minutes, with a 22-16 edge in expected goals, according to Evolving-Hockey.
Those are good numbers against scrubs. Yet the line's 10 most-common opponents list is littered with stars: Alex DeBrincat, Jason Robertson, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, and Mitch Marner.
"They really use their size to their advantage. All of them are bigger bodies. They're good at protecting the puck," Jets defenseman Neal Pionk said. "And then the chemistry that they've built is such a huge component: Appy and Lows have played together for three or four years now, and they've taken Nino in as their left winger. Their chemistry and their size are the biggest things."
Parting shots
Chase update: The hockey world is a better place when Alex Ovechkin is wiring pucks past goalies. The Capitals captain has turned it on after a miserable first half, potting a goal in each of his last six games. He's up to 836 for his career, or 58 behind Wayne Gretzky's record 894. Ovechkin's shooting and scoring rates have never been lower, at 3.47 shots and 0.29 goals per game. If he maintains that pace down the stretch, he'll finish with 274 shots and 23 goals in 79 games - lousy full-season numbers by his standards. However, if he can start next season 49 goals behind Gretzky, it won't take a Herculean effort to make history. Contractually, his runway is two years, minimum. Surely No. 8's good for another 50 goals before calling it quits.
Alex Ovechkin has scored in six straight games. He’s got 17 points in his last 16 games. He’s back! pic.twitter.com/jatWNwYFCG
Bring it on: On-ice drama from the last week or so includes the Ridly Greig-Morgan Rielly empty-net fiasco; Jack Hughes flipping out on Viktor Arvidsson; and Nikita Zadorov impersonating Jake Walman's "Griddy" celebration. All three incidents have created significant discussion and debate. All three are kind of hilarious, too. The regular season is 1,312 games long - players and fans need drama to keep them engaged. It's unrealistic to expect a high level of entertainment in all 1,300. But as long as nobody's getting seriously injured, the hostility, chirping, and general crankiness should be welcomed. Especially at this time of year: the season's dog days.
Henrique-Avalanche fit: Expect a bidding war for Adam Henrique after the Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan trades thinned the list of available rental forwards. If the Ducks retain a chunk of the pending unrestricted free agent's $5.825-million cap hit (there's no reason to believe they won't), Henrique could easily be flipped for a first-round draft pick, and that's a price worth paying for contending clubs, like Colorado. Henrique's a dependable all-situations forward capable of playing center or wing. He's positionally sound, strong at faceoffs, and a 15% career shooter. The Avalanche's depth has been shaky all year, and now top-six winger Valeri Nichushkin is away indefinitely while in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. Henrique can fill a hole for multiple teams (Bruins? Rangers?), yet the Avs seem to be the most logical landing spot. There could be a fit beyond this year, too, if all goes well.
Adam Henrique: underrated. Would be an interesting pickup for somebody, especially with retention. pic.twitter.com/byd0r8McU8
Welcome to the fourth edition of the All-Nobody Team.
This exercise scans all 32 NHL teams for previously obscure players who've begun to make meaningful names for themselves. With the All-Star break over, which relative nobodies can we now call somebodies?
As in years past, the player pool is limited to those who 1) were drafted after the second round or not at all, and 2) entered the season with fewer than 500 regular-season minutes played. (We expanded the workload threshold of goalies to 1,500 minutes.)
Below are the three forwards, two defensemen, and one goalie of the 2023-24 All-Nobody Team. Perhaps the next Carter Verhaeghe (2020-21), Michael Bunting (2021-22), or Matias Maccelli (2022-23) is in this eclectic group.
Dmitri Voronkov, Blue Jackets, F
Ben Jackson / Getty Images
New continent. New language. New culture. New teammates. New systems.
For Voronkov, North America and the NHL were completely foreign heading into training camp. He arrived in Columbus not knowing a soul and unable to speak English. The giant forward spent the first 22 years of his life playing in his native Russia, most recently for the KHL's Ak Bars Kazan.
Homesick in November, Voronkov debated a return to Russia despite making a strong impression on the ice. He opted to stick it out and it appears he made the right call. Right now, he's worthy of down-ballot Calder Trophy votes.
Voronkov's recorded 12 goals and 13 assists through 44 games. Those 25 points are tied for seventh among rookies - an excellent ranking for Voronkov considering he averages only 13:21 of ice time. (His 2.55 points per 60 minutes trail only Connor Bedard's 2.66 per 60.)
Passed over in the 2018 draft, Voronkov was selected in the fourth round, 114th overall, in 2019. He's been paired basically all season with fellow countryman and unofficial interpreter Kirill Marchenko. Yegor Chinakhov joined Voronkov and Marchenko for a stretch to give Columbus an all-Russian line.
Next time you're watching the Jackets, isolate Voronkov and pay attention to how he takes his routes. No. 10 is very efficient and stealthy. He'll scoot into open space in anticipation of a pass on the attack, and later in the same shift, as a defender, he'll close out open spaces the opponent's eyeing.
"I don't know how I can describe him other than he's extremely smart," head coach Pascal Vincent said during Columbus' trip to Toronto in December.
Vincent had trouble comparing Voronkov to another active NHLer because of his unique profile. He can play center or wing; is listed at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds; has playmaking chops; moves around fine; and is a bit of an agitator.
Vincent coached former defenseman Dustin Byfuglien for a few years in Winnipeg. Byfuglien was a rare breed and Voronkov is "that kind of guy" now.
Alex Laferriere, Kings, F
John Russell / Getty Images
Alex Laferriere is best known for two things a half-season into his career:
Having a weirdly similar name to 2020 first overall pick Alexis Lafreniere
Participating in a spirited fight during his NHL debut
"His family is in the stands! This dude went to Harvard! Big-brain fella slugging it out with the Avalanche!" ESPN personality Pat McAfee yelled at the camera back in October, narrating Laferriere's fight with Colorado's Logan O'Connor.
What an introduction for Laferriere, one of the Kings' two third-round picks in 2020. The winger's toned down the extracurricular activity, fighting one other time over his first 47 NHL games. However, he's found ways to make an impact for L.A. most nights, providing speed off the rush and tenacity along the boards while pitching in a respectable six goals and nine assists.
Laferriere was 5-foot-4 and skinny at 16. Now he's 6-1 and 205 pounds. There's no doubt two years at Harvard, where a lighter game schedule in the NCAA allows for extra off-ice training, helped the 22-year-old fill out.
Making the Kings out of camp was no small feat. Sure, general manager Rob Blake needed cheap help, but L.A. came into this season as a serious Stanley Cup contender. Laferriere, a New Jersey native who cheered for the Bruins as a kid thanks to his dad's Massachusetts roots and ties to Boston College, is skating around 13 minutes a night, often alongside center Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Don't be surprised if this "big-brain fella" carves out a 15-year NHL career.
Martin Pospisil, Flames, F
There's no better proof Pospisil's upgraded his status from "nobody" to "somebody" than the document he autographed earlier this week: a two-year, $2-million contract extension with Calgary.
"We have seen tremendous growth and maturity in Martin's game since we drafted him in 2018," Flames GM Craig Conroy said in a statement.
Steph Chambers / Getty Images
That growth and maturity has been undercut by injuries. Over four AHL seasons, the Slovak often made progress, got injured, made progress, and got hurt again. A concussion shortened his 2022-23 season, but Pospisil was raring to go at Flames training camp last fall. By January? Injured, again.
A healthy Pospisil has wheels, a scoring touch around the net (four goals and eight assists), and the courage and physical traits to deliver crushing body checks. The fourth-round pick is second on the team and fifth among all rookies in hits (104) - even though he's appeared in only 35 of Calgary's 50 games.
While his edgy style is turning Pospisil into a fan favorite, coach Ryan Huska surely would prefer if the winger minimized his time in the penalty box. Pospisil's racked up 39 minutes so far, including a five-minute major for cross-checking Brad Marchand, and owns a minus-five penalty differential.
Michael Kesselring and Sam Malinski, D
This year's rookie class is littered with impact defensemen.
Brock Faber, Luke Hughes, Pavel Mintyukov, and Simon Nemec are on star trajectories - and they're also first- or second-round picks. A bunch of other intriguing rookie blue-liners - Ryan Johnson, Jackson LaCombe, and Kaedan Korczak among them - don't fit our All-Nobody Team criteria, either.
So, we've landed on Arizona's Kesselring and Colorado's Malinski.
Jeff Vinnick / Getty Images
Kesselring, who joined the Coyotes for a nine-game stint to end last season, was called up in November to fill in for an injured Travis Dermott and took full advantage of the opportunity. Through 32 games, he has 11 points - impressively all at five-on-five - while playing third-pairing minutes.
The 24-year-old is one of eight NHL-caliber defensemen on the Coyotes roster. None are currently under contract beyond this season, though Kesselring, a pending unrestricted free agent, will almost certainly be part of the club's future. He's won over coach Andre Tourigny by displaying poise with the puck and using his long reach to ward off opposing attackers.
The Oilers drafted Kesselring in the sixth round in 2018 (coincidentally, he became junior teammates with Laferriere the following season). Edmonton moved him to Arizona in the Nick Bjugstad trade in March 2023.
Michael Martin / Getty Images
Malinski never heard his name called at the draft. A self-described late bloomer, the 25-year-old signed with the Avalanche in 2022 as a college free agent (he was Cornell's outgoing captain and top point-getter on defense).
So far this season, Malinski's split his time between the AHL and NHL, but he may end up forcing Colorado GM Chris MacFarland's hand with how quickly he's developing. The puck-mover gives the Cup-contending Avs necessary depth on the right side. He can hold his own on the third pair.
Samuel Ersson, Flyers, G
It's not easy for any goaltender to win over coach John Tortorella, let alone an inexperienced one. Yet Ersson seems to have done it following 35 career starts, including 25 largely impressive performances so far this season.
"He has a mental capacity for that position that is so strong," Tortorella told reporters Tuesday after Ersson stopped 20 shots in a tight 2-1 Flyers win.
Len Redkoles / Getty Images
Ersson's become the starter in Philadelphia with Carter Hart away from the team after being charged with sexual assault. The chances of third-stringer Cal Petersen outperforming Ersson are slim to none, at least down the stretch.
While the Swede's .903 save percentage is roughly league average, when he's on, he's really on. Ahead of Friday's games, Ersson ranks fourth in the NHL with a 20% steal rate, according to Sportlogiq. Goalies record a "steal" when their goals saved above expected value is the difference in the final score, and Ersson's racked up five steals.
Flyers GM Daniel Briere inked Ersson to a two-year extension before the season, which means if all continues to go well, the club will pay its starter $1.45 million in 2024-25 and 2025-26. That would be tremendous value for Briere, and considering Ersson's only 24 and a former fifth-round pick who spent his early 20s outside the NHL, he's probably not complaining, either.
John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).
TORONTO - By definition, All-Star Weekend is a congregation of the very best hockey players on earth. Those involved tend to touch down in the host city on a high. After all, they're stars.
Nathan MacKinnon arrived at this year's event on what can only be described as a tear. He's posted 77 points in 41 games since Nov. 1, including seven goals and four assists in the Avalanche's final three games before the break. He's finished 10 games this season with three or more points, and has failed to record a point only seven times. The game's slowed down for him.
"I just think I'm seeing things well out there right now," MacKinnon said Thursday to a large group of reporters. "Plays are developing a little bit slower - in a good way. It's a fast game, so I can kind of see things as they come and try to make the best decision I can."
Dave Sandford / Getty Images
Talk about nightmare fuel for the Avs' remaining regular-season opponents and who they draw in the playoffs. MacKinnon, a two-time runner-up for the Hart Trophy, is an MVP front-runner right now. His 84 points trail only Nikita Kucherov's 86. He's second in shots on goal and offensive-zone puck possession, and he has six more five-on-five points than anybody else.
All for a Colorado squad that's dealt with a string of injuries.
"When you see him elevate his game in the playoffs, you just don't think that he can find another level and he somehow does," Penguins superstar and close friend Sidney Crosby said.
"Everybody looks at Nate right now and how well he's doing, and it's weird, because in my mind I still feel like he's got another gear," teammate Cale Makar said of the 2022 Stanley Cup champion. "That's the crazy part. He's been playing absolutely incredible and carrying our team at the moment."
Like Crosby, almost everything about MacKinnon is a combination of power and grace. On the ice, the 28-year-old deploys a forceful, borderline violent skating stride - yet his silky hands and vision make him a finesse player, too. Off the ice, he has this unmistakable rockstar vibe, punctuated by a maniacal dedication to fitness - yet he isn't rude or attention-seeking.
Each of MacKinnon's contemporaries - Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Auston Matthews, and Kucherov - have won the Hart. If he keeps up his torrid pace, and the hockey gods believe in justice, MacKinnon will get his this year.
All-Stars react to Olympic news
David E. Klutho / Getty Images
Kucherov answered a question with a question Friday night.
"Is Team Russia going?" he said when asked for his reaction to the NHL finally sending players to the Olympics again.
No, he was told. As of now, due to geopolitical reasons, Russia won't be part of the 2026 Olympics in Italy, the first time NHL players will participate in the Winter Games since 2014.
"When Team Russia is not out there, it's not the same," Kucherov said.
"I want to go," the Lightning star added. "I think everybody wants to go. It definitely means a lot for the country. Ever since I was a kid, I was watching the Olympics and was dreaming to be part of it one day. It sucks to not participate in one."
David Pastrnak, the affable Bruins sniper, had a different take on Saturday's double announcement regarding international hockey. He's fired up about the Olympics in 2026 and 2030 but less enthused about the 4 Nations Face-Off, which doesn't include his country. But, hey, beggars can't be choosers.
"I'm disappointed. There's a lot of players disappointed. I understand," Pastrnak said of only Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States competing in the 2025 event. "At the same time, you get the bad news and good news, right? We got the good news with the Olympics. The bad news is, Czech won't be able to play 4 Nations. At the same time, if you tell me we're gonna be at 4 Nations but we won't play Olympics, I would (be less happy)."
Dave Sandford / Getty Images
Pastrnak, Kucherov, and Germany's Draisaitl headline a robust group who won't be part of the nine-day 4 Nations event. It isn't best-on-best. The 2016 World Cup featured two gimmick teams in Team North America and Team Europe. Was Draisaitl pushing for Team Europe's return?
"Of course I was," he said. "There were different ways of putting something like this together, but at the end of the day, it's the league that makes these calls, right? It's unfortunate, but I'm happy with hopefully (Germany) being able to go to the Olympics."
From a fan's perspective, it's probably best to look at the 4 Nations Face-Off as a bonus, because the NHL being back in the Olympics is the truly significant development. The Canada-U.S. rivalry alone will be gripping. Imagine, too, seeing McDavid, Connor Bedard, and Crosby together.
"With all the uncertainty that's been around in years prior, and just how great of an experience it is, it's just awesome news," Crosby, 36, said.
Canadiens double-dip on Monahan
Win-win.
That's how I viewed Wednesday's Calgary-Vancouver Elias Lindholm swap (though I definitely liked the Canucks' side of the deal more). And that's how I see Friday's Montreal-Winnipeg Sean Monahan deal. Monahan, roughly a poor man's Lindholm as far as player type and overall impact, is off to the Jets for Winnipeg's first-round draft pick in 2024 (plus a conditional third).
It's a tidy piece of business for Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes, who bought low and sold high. In August 2022, Hughes acquired Monahan (then making $6.375 million a year) and a first-rounder so Calgary could clear salary. Now, after Monahan showed he's still a strong middle-six option when healthy, Hughes picked up another first. Monahan's digestible $1.985-million cap hit was a driving force behind the trade - again, kudos to Hughes.
Icon Sportswire / Getty Images
Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis and the club's development staff deserve praise, too. Monahan, now 29, was a distressed asset in need of a reboot. He was given plenty of ice time and responded with 52 points in 74 games.
While I love this deal for the Habs (A grade), I merely like it for the Jets (B).
There's been a lack of centers available on the trade market, and Monahan's cheap and useful, especially on the power play. Winnipeg smartly responded to Vancouver's aggressive Lindholm pursuit and now boast a 1-4 center group of Mark Scheifele, Monahan, Adam Lowry, and Vlad Namestnikov. Not great, sure, but also definitely not bad for a team with finishers on the wing.
The catch: if Monahan can't stay healthy, the Jets just wasted their 2024 first.
The 'magic' of Kucherov and Point
Mark LoMoglio / Getty Images
Kucherov's been a menace all season.
His stat line looks like it's from the 1980s: 32 goals and 53 assists for 85 points in 49 games. For context, the Blackhawks and Sharks - entire teams - have scored 105 goals in 50 games and 107 goals in 51 games, respectively.
What's caught my eye while watching the Lightning lately is how Kucherov's chemistry with longtime center Brayden Point has become almost twin-like.
"Yeah, I guess that's a way to put it," Lightning coach Jon Cooper told theScore with a laugh in late January. "You could put Kuch and Point on other lines and they'd be fine. But, when they're together, they make magic."
Both are elite skaters. Both have sky-high hockey IQ. Kucherov is particularly sharp and also on the short list for most gifted offensive talent of this generation (even if his performance in Friday's skills event was subpar).
Like all prolific producers, Kucherov and Point attack the slot area. At the All-Star break, Kucherov ranks first in the league with 4.39 slot passes per game, while Point - who's a nightmare to defend against off the rush, cycle, and forecheck - sits tied for 11th in slot shots per game, according to Sportlogiq.
Mark Blinch / Getty Images
A nugget from Stathletes that emphasizes the pair's chemistry: Kucherov has passed the puck to Point directly before 98 of Point's 249 shot attempts this season. Those 98 shot attempt "assists" - that's what we'll call them - are tied with Mitch Marner (passer) and Matthews (shooter) for the league lead.
Simply put: Kucherov and Point feed off each other, and their magic isn't easily replicable.
"Everyone says, well, hey, I can go play with McDavid. Well, you have to be able to play at top speed like he can in order to keep up," Cooper said.
"That's what Kuch can do, what Point can do, and what the greats in the league can do. They make plays at top speed, with their feet and their mind. Now that they've played together for so long, they know where each other are going to be. It's a great luxury to have, when you have two guys like that, who work as hard as they do as well."
Parting shots
Coyotes heat: Commissioner Gary Bettman's All-Star press conference Friday was dominated by Hockey Canada questions. (Read the latest on the scandal here.) The other contentious issue was expansion and relocation, which always brings about two things: name-dropping and damage control. The name-dropping this time around: not only have groups in Salt Lake City, Atlanta, Quebec City, Kansas City, and Houston recently reached out about bringing the NHL to town, but apparently Cincinnati and Omaha (of all places) have as well. The damage control: Bettman said he's "reasonably confident" the Coyotes will purchase land in Phoenix to build a new arena. Like he did in November, NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh expressed extreme disappointment in the state of the Coyotes, who continue to embarrassingly play out a 4,600-seat NCAA arena. "This is not the way to run a business," Walsh said - and he's absolutely, 100% correct. Walsh, who's more assertive than old PA boss Donald Fehr, doubled down, stating he'd support relocation if the arena situation isn't resolved ASAP. He's pissed off and isn't afraid to show it, which is exactly the type of leadership Coyotes players need right now.
Just listened to NHLPA director Marty Walsh just absolutely murder the Coyotes for five minutes. Holy shit.
"Chosen One" doc: I found the new Alexandre Daigle documentary to be entertaining and enlightening. Daigle, picked first in the 1993 NHL Draft, was hailed as a savior for the one-year-old Ottawa Senators before turning out to be something of a bust. The doc includes plenty of honesty from Daigle, who talks about battling depression as he failed to live up to expectations. There was far more stigma around mental health in the '90s; even speaking with a sports psychologist was viewed as a sign of weakness. That in mind, I wonder how Daigle's career would have unfolded had he played in this era. Would he have entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, recovered, then found his way? Maybe that's oversimplifying a complicated career and life. Maybe it isn't. At any rate, I recommend "Chosen One," which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in Canada and ESPN+ in the U.S.
Watching “Chosen One: Alexandre Daigle” and being reminded Chris Pronger and Paul Kariya were picked later blows my mind I feel for him, but am still blown away
Puzzle piece: Canucks coach Rick Tocchet found out about the Lindholm trade while in transit to All-Star Weekend. The way Tocchet sees it, Lindholm's jack-of-all-trades profile changes the complexion of Vancouver's forward group. "I'm a puzzle guy, and he's a big piece," Tocchet said Thursday. "He fits the puzzle for us. To win, you have to have those guys who can play 200 feet. They can score and also defend." Tocchet reached out to one of Lindholm's old linemates, Matthew Tkachuk, for his take. Tkachuk couldn't have been more complimentary. "When Matthew Tkachuk loves a guy, you know he's a good player," Tocchet said. Credit to Vancouver's front office for being so decisive. Last season, the Canucks didn't like where things were headed in the short term and offloaded Bo Horvat five weeks from the deadline. This year, they like what they see, and acquired Lindholm five weeks out.
On Wednesday night, Elias Lindholm landed in Toronto for All-Star Weekend as a member of the Canucks. The Flames traded the veteran forward to Vancouver in exchange for forward Andrei Kuzmenko, defensive prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo, the Canucks' 2024 first-round pick, and a conditional 2024 fourth-rounder. (If Vancouver advances to the Western Conference Final, the fourth becomes a third.)
It's a reunion of sorts for Lindholm. Canucks president Jim Rutherford selected the 6-foot-1, 202-pound Swede fifth overall at the 2013 NHL Draft.
Let's take a look at the deal from both perspectives.
The Canucks
Gerry Thomas / Getty Images
For starters, props to the Canucks for beingaggressive on the trade market.
Other contenders could have gobbled up the marquee names and forced Vancouver into Plan B or C. Instead, it's Vancouver - unexpectedly first in the Western Conference with 71 points through 49 games - setting the tone.
So, from a very high level, a big swing like this, this early, makes sense.
What takes the trade from "cool, they're being aggressive" to "oh, this might actually put them over the top" is the fit between player and team. Lindholm, a 29-year-old unrestricted free agent, was exactly what the Canucks needed: a right-handed center to slot in comfortably behind superstar Elias Pettersson.
Lindholm can absorb some of the defensive load Pettersson's carrying on a night-to-night basis. A 55.5% faceoff guy this year, he can help the Canucks improve their 16th-ranked success rate in the circle. He can also boost the penalty kill, which is tied for 15th. As a bonus, there's a spot for Lindholm on the top power play unit (sorry, Pius Suter, your time on PP1 is effectively over).
Perhaps best of all, Lindholm can go back to skating with high-end producers. He scored a career-high 42 goals in 2021-22 alongside Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau. Since that trio broke up, offense has been harder to come by. Part of that's on Lindholm. Part of it's on Yegor Sharangovich, Andrew Mangiapane, and Jonathan Huberdeau being his most common linemates.
Jeff Vinnick / Getty Images
We'll see how Canucks coach Rick Tocchet moves bodies around, but there's a strong chance Lindholm starts with JT Miller, who's fourth in the league in points, and 30-goal man Brock Boeser. Or maybe Lindholm, who finished second in Selke Trophy voting two years ago, ends up on Pettersson's line.
Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin weren't gifted Lindholm, of course. Trading a first, a third or fourth, two prospects, and Kuzmenko is not nothing for a pending UFA. Yet, that's what's required to reel in one of the best forwards available five weeks ahead of the trade deadline on March 8.
Amazingly, the Canucks gained a bit of financial flexibility here. Lindholm's $4.85-million cap hit is $650,000 less than Kuzmenko's $5.5 million.
Grade: A
The Flames
Derek Cain / Getty Images
This swap is a pure volume play for Flames GM Craig Conroy. None of the five pieces coming to Calgary qualify as a premium asset - which, on one hand, is unfortunate, and on the other, is not the end of the world during a retool.
Given the Canucks' success, the first-rounder will be in the 20s or 30s.
Kuzmenko is a flier. He went from bagging 39 goals as a rookie alongside Pettersson to eight goals in 43 games so far as a sophomore. He seemed to find a permanent home in Tocchet's doghouse. A change of scenery could do Kuzmenko good. If not, the sharp-shooting Russian winger is a UFA in 2025.
Brzustewicz is a legitimate NHL prospect. He leads all OHL defenseman in points this season - no small feat. A smart, right-shot puck-mover, the 19-year-old is closer stylistically to the cerebral Rasmus Sandin than dynamic Cale Makar. Brzustewicz could blossom into a top-four D-man down the road.
Jurmo, a 6-foot-3 Finnish blue-liner, is a long shot to make a serious impact in the NHL, and the other pick - a third- or fourth-rounder - is a lottery ticket.
Again, no asset in the package blows you away. But a few have potential.
Lindholm wasn't re-signing in Calgary and didn't have an extension in place with Vancouver before the deal. So, realistically, the ceiling on the return was never going to be exceptionally high. The Flames could have waited until closer to the deadline to see if something better materialized, but Conroy also has Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, and (possibly) Jacob Markstrom to shop.
The overall haul is, in a word, solid - especially given the circumstances.
Grade: B-
John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).
