Wayne Simmonds announced his retirement from the NHL on Monday.
Simmonds, 35, will sign a one-day contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on April 13, the team announced. He played eight years with the Flyers, racking up 203 goals and 378 points in 584 games.
"It's hard to describe my emotions on a day like this, but one of my very first thoughts as I look back is my life in Philadelphia and playing for the Flyers," Simmonds said. "Taking the ice in a Flyers sweater is a special feeling and it's one that I'm truly proud of. The history of this franchise and standard of being a Flyer that was set is unique and one that I hold in the highest regard.
"Perhaps the biggest reason for that is the way the fans embrace this team. It was a thrill to play for you all these years, and you mean so much to me."
The Scarborough, Ontario native spent the last three seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was an unrestricted free agent and hadn't played a game this campaign.
Simmonds was a lethal presence on the Flyers' power play in his prime. From 2011-12 through 2017-18, only Alex Ovechkin scored more than Simmonds' 86 power-play goals.
The power forward eclipsed the 30-goal mark twice and reached a career-high of 60 points on two occasions. His best campaign came in 2015-16, when he scored 32 goals, 60 points, and racked up a career-most 147 penalty minutes.
Simmonds was drafted 61st overall in 2007 by the Los Angeles Kings. After three seasons in L.A., he was dealt to the Flyers in the Mike Richards trade.
His Flyers tenure ended in 2019 when he was traded to the Nashville Predators before the deadline. Simmonds signed with the New Jersey Devils that offseason and was moved to the Buffalo Sabres at the 2020 trade deadline.
Simmonds finished his career with his hometown Maple Leafs. He played 128 games with Toronto over three seasons, totaling 12 goals, 27 points, and 190 penalty minutes.
Over his 1,037-game career, Simmonds accumulated 263 goals, 526 points, and 1,313 penalty minutes. He won the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2019.
The Toronto Maple Leafs signed forward Bobby McMann to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $1.35 million, the team announced Wednesday.
McMann has 10 goals and 18 points in 40 games this season. After clearing waivers to begin the campaign, the 27-year-old has become a fixture in the Maple Leafs' lineup since mid-November.
The Wainwright, Alberta, native has eight goals and 11 points in his last 14 games, highlighted by a hat trick against the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 13.
McMann went undrafted out of the Alberta Junior Hockey League and played four seasons at Colgate University. He signed an AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies in 2020.
The 6-foot-2 winger earned an NHL contract with Toronto in 2022 after scoring 24 goals and 35 points in 61 games, setting the Marlies' record for rookie goals.
McMann was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. He cost $762,500 against the salary cap this season, less than the league minimum of $775,000.
The Carolina Hurricanes activated forward Jake Guentzel from injured reserve on Tuesday, paving the way for the marquee trade deadline acquisition to make his debut with the team.
Guentzel has been sidelined with an upper-body injury since Feb. 14. He practiced alongside Martin Necas and fellow deadline addition Evgeny Kuznetsov before his activation.
"He'll take warmup and we'll see where it goes," Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour told team reporter Walt Ruff ahead of the team's clash with the New York Rangers on Tuesday. "But all indications are I think he will (play)."
The NHL announced the schedule for the 2024 Global Series on Tuesday.
The Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils will open the 2024-25 regular season on Oct. 4 and 5 in Prague, Czechia at The O2 Arena. The following month, the Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers will clash in Tampere, Finland at Nokia Arena on Nov. 1 and 2.
Additionally, the Sabres will play an exhibition contest against Red Bull Munich on Sept. 27, which will serve as the grand opening game for Munich's SAP Garden.
Dallas has never played an international game. New Jersey traveled to Gothenburg, Sweden in 2018, while Buffalo and Florida have each played international games twice. The Sabres last featured in Stockholm, Sweden in 2019 and the Panthers starred in Helsinki, Finland in 2018.
The Devils roster Czechia natives Ondrej Palat and Tomas Nosek, though the latter is a pending unrestricted free agent. Simon Nemec, the 2022 second-overall pick, is from neighboring Slovakia.
Lukas Rousek is Buffalo's lone Czech player, but the team has top prospect Jiri Kulich, who could crack the Sabres' lineup by next season.
The NHL has played seven games in Czechia, all held at The O2 Arena.
The matchup in Tampere features significantly more local talent. The Stars' roster boasts four Finns: Roope Hintz, Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, and Jani Hakanpaa. Only Hakanpaa isn't signed for next season.
This will mark the second time the NHL has gone to Tampere, the hometown of both Barkov and Hintz. The league has played nine total games in Finland.
The exhibition contest in Munich will see JJ Peterka return to his hometown. The 22-year-old suited up for Red Bull Munich from 2019-21 and developed in the nearby RB Hockey Academy before making the big club.
The 2023 NHL Global Series saw the Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes play preseason games in Melbourne, Australia. The Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators, and Toronto Maple Leafs featured in Stockholm, Sweden during the regular season.
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.
Ottawa Senators forward Josh Norris is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery, head coach Jacques Martin confirmed Monday, according to TSN's Claire Hanna.
Norris, 24, was injured on Feb. 27 against the Nashville Predators. He'd collected 16 goals and 30 points in 50 games.
Norris underwent shoulder surgery in January 2023, which ended his 2022-23 campaign after playing just eight contests. He missed three games at the start of this season after reinjuring his shoulder during training camp.
The Michigan native is in the second season of an eight-year, $63-million contract signed in July 2022. He's appeared in 58 of the 144 games the Senators have played since his deal commenced.
Norris has 70 goals and 123 points in 183 career games.
Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness had harsh words following his team's 5-0 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
"Whatever my message was before the game was clearly wrong," Bowness said, according to Sportsnet. "So it starts with that, I guess. Listen, the bottom line is: That's the worst game we have played in my two years here, by far. Cause we didn't have one player play a good game, not one. So it starts there and it ends there, it's as simple as that."
The Canucks jumped out to a 3-0 advantage before the end of the first period. Elias Pettersson made it 4-0 with a power-play marker less than five minutes into the middle frame.
"(The Canucks) played a great game, but it's the same team we came in here three weeks ago and played, so that's on us," Bowness said.
The Jets beat Vancouver 4-2 on Feb. 17.
Bowness added: "We had nobody going, it's that simple. Don't overanalyze anything other than that."
Top defenseman Josh Morrissey finished the night a minus-four, his worst mark of the campaign. Vezina trophy candidate Connor Hellebuyck gave up five goals for the first time since Feb. 19 against the Calgary Flames.
Neither of the Jets' trade deadline acquisitions, winger Tyler Toffoli and defenseman Colin Miller, were in the lineup.
Winnipeg remains in a heated race for the Central Division title with the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche, as well as for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with the Canucks.
The Jets are four points behind the Stars and now trail Vancouver by six points. They have three games in hand on both teams.
The Winnipeg Jets acquired defenseman Colin Miller from the New Jersey Devils for a 2026 fourth-round pick, the team announced Friday.
Miller, 31, has four goals and eight points in 41 games this season. He carries a cap hit of $1.85 million and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
He's played 15:55 per contest this campaign, his lowest total since 2016-17 with the Boston Bruins.
Miller has played 40 career playoff games, accumulating four goals and 12 points. He made the Stanley Cup Final with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018.
The Calgary Flames acquired defenseman Nikita Okhotiuk from the San Jose Sharks for a conditional 2024 fifth-round pick, the teams announced Friday.
San Jose will receive the better of the Blackhawks' two fifth-rounders.
Okhotiuk, 23, has one goal and eight points in 43 games this season. He's played 16:27 per contest in his first campaign.
He's in the final season of his entry-level contract and is set to become a restricted free agent this summer. The New Jersey Devils drafted him 61st overall in 2019.
Okhotiuk landed with the Sharks at last year's trade deadline in the Timo Meier deal.
He's the third Russian blue-liner the Flames have added in the past two weeks, as they also traded for Artem Grushnikov and Daniil Miromanov.
