The Philadelphia Flyers are unexpectedly in a playoff spot at the All-Star break, putting an anticipated trade-deadline seller in an unclear position.

One Flyer who may still be on the market is forward Scott Laughton. General manager Daniel Briere isn't eager to trade the 29-year-old but is taking calls to gauge interest from other teams, TSN's Darren Dreger reports.

Laughton has five goals and 20 points in 50 games this season after tallying a career-high 18 goals and 43 points in 2022-23. He's signed for two more years at a $3-million cap hit and has no trade protection.

As the Flyers have trended upward in the standings, Laughton's underlying metrics have gone in the opposite direction. His 44.2% Corsi For rating at five-on-five ranks second-last on the Flyers, according to Natural Stat Trick. He's been outscored 17-32 at even strength as well.

Laughton is one of the Flyers' top penalty killers, ranking second among Philadelphia forwards with 1:51 of shorthanded time per game.

A left-handed center, Laughton has won 49.7% of his 578 faceoffs this season. He's a career 49.8% at the dot.

The Flyers have been busy reshaping their roster since Briere took over in March 2023. Last summer, Philadelphia dealt Ivan Provorov and Kevin Hayes. Recently, disgruntled prospect Cutter Gauthier was traded for a package including Jamie Drysdale.

Briere also took care of a pair of restricted free agents on Jan. 26, signing Owen Tippett to a six-year pact with a $6.2-million average annual value and Ryan Poehling to a two-year deal with a $1.9-million cap hit.

The Flyers sit third in the Metropolitan Division with a 25-19-6 record.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

New York Rangers forward Filip Chytil will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season, the team announced Sunday.

Chytil sustained a setback in his recovery from a concussion during Friday's morning skate and needed help off the ice from a pair of teammates, reports NHL.com's Dan Rosen.

The 24-year-old tallied six assists in 10 games this season prior to sustaining the ailment on Nov. 2 when he collided with Carolina Hurricanes forward Jesper Fast.

Chytil recorded a career-high 22 goals and 45 points in 2022-23. New York drafted him with the 21st overall pick in 2017.

The Rangers already have his $4,437,500 cap hit on long-term injured reserve, per CapFriendly.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Defenseman David Jiricek voiced his frustration with how the Columbus Blue Jackets have handled him this season.

"I played good hockey in the NHL," Jiricek told The Athletic's Aaron Portzline on Friday. "I'm an NHL player right now. That's my opinion: that I should be in the NHL right now."

Jiricek was drafted sixth overall by the Blue Jackets in 2022. He's played 36 games with Columbus this season, recording one goal and nine points. He was sent down to the Cleveland Monsters on Jan. 18 in the middle of a Blue Jackets road trip.

The 20-year-old Czech native looks to two blue-liners from the top 10 of the 2022 class as examples of the opportunity he would like to get in Columbus.

"I see guys from the same draft, like Simon Nemec and (Kevin) Korchinski ... they get a chance on the power play," Jiricek said. "They play a ton of minutes in the NHL. Those are different teams, so different situations, but I can compare with them. I just want a chance to play like that."

Since a December recall, Nemec, the 2022 second overall pick, has 13 points in 26 games while playing 20:46 per game. Korchinski, who was taken one pick after Jiricek by the Chicago Blackhawks, has tallied nine points in 44 games. He's averaged 19:53 per contest.

Jiricek was playing 14:47 a game with the Blue Jackets. He's played just 25 seconds on the man advantage in the NHL this season, compared to Korchinski's 102:10 and Nemec's 34:58 total ice time on the power play.

The Blue Jackets scratched Jiricek in three straight games after a 5-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 9 prior to his demotion to the AHL.

"They told me the last game was not good enough for me," Jiricek explained. "I told them I don't think so, but that's your opinion. I was out of the lineup after that."

Blue Jackets head coach Pascal Vincent said he believes the demotion is best for Jiricek's growth as a player.

"We're trying to build a 200-foot defenseman, an elite defenseman who will play heavy minutes against top opponents," Vincent said. "In order to do that, he needs reps. For him to develop those skills, the best way to do it right now - having been in the NHL for 36 games - (the AHL) is the best route for him."

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, the league announced Sunday.

Laine will be unavailable indefinitely while receiving care. He can return to on-ice competition after receiving clearance from program administrators.

"Patrik has our complete support, and our sole concern is his well-being," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement. "Out of respect for Patrik, we will have no further comment."

Laine has missed significant time this season with multiple injuries. He has five goals and eight points in 17 games.

The 25-year-old hasn't played since sustaining a broken clavicle on Dec. 14. Head coach Pascal Vincent told reporters Friday that Laine had a setback in his recovery and was sent back to Columbus.

Laine reportedly rejoined teammates in practice two weeks ago and hoped to return to game action before the end of the Blue Jackets' road trip Tuesday.

Kekalainen is apparently willing to listen to trade offers for Laine. He's signed through 2025-26 at a $8.7-million cap hit.

Laine has 204 goals and 388 points in 480 career games between the Winnipeg Jets and Blue Jackets.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves will make his return to the lineup Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets, head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed to The Hockey News' David Alter.

Exiting the lineup is forward Calle Jarnkrok, who'll be out week-to-week with a broken knuckle sustained during practice on Friday.

Reaves last played on Dec. 14 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He sustained a lower-body injury during the game on an awkward collision into the boards.

The 37-year-old recently noted his frustration about not getting into the lineup. Despite being on injured reserve until Tuesday, Reaves said he's been ready to play "for a couple weeks."

Reaves, who was signed to a three-year, $4.05-million contract on July 1, has one goal and 16 penalty minutes in 21 contests with the Maple Leafs. His minus-11 rating is the worst on the team.

Jarnkrok ranks fifth on Toronto with 10 goals. The 32-year-old versatile winger has played 15:18 per contest, accruing 19 points on the campaign.

Forward Bobby McMann was placed on injured reserve with a lingering injury, Keefe confirmed to TSN's Mark Masters on Friday.

McMann's and Jarnkrok's injuries leave the Maple Leafs with 12 available forwards on the active roster.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ottawa Senators defenseman Jakob Chychrun was blunt when addressing his name coming up in recent trade rumors.

"I think it's ridiculous, if I'm being honest," Chychrun told The Athletic's Ian Mendes on Tuesday. "I went through it in Arizona and that was a different situation. But to see it now is a bit ridiculous. And I don't think it's based off anything."

Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch reported last Thursday that Senators general manager Steve Staios has listened to teams interested in the 25-year-old blue-liner.

"It's people shooting blind darts at a board and hoping they hit," Chychrun added. "People have a right to say what they want, but to act like they have their sources is a joke. And people like to get their clicks on social media. If they have to use my name to do it, go ahead. But I'm not going to let it affect me."

Chychrun was traded to the Senators last March after being the subject of trade rumors for a prolonged period with the Arizona Coyotes. Ottawa sent a first-round pick and two second-round picks to the Coyotes in the deal.

Despite his feelings about the recent speculation, Chychrun admitted the NHL is "a crazy business and anything can happen."

In 54 total games with the Senators, Chychrun has accumulated nine goals and 32 points. He's signed through the 2024-25 season at a $4.6-million cap hit and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2025, but he said he isn't looking for a change of scenery.

"I feel at home here," Chychrun said. "I bought a house and it's five minutes from my sister and 10 minutes from my grandpa. ... I've just been cherishing my time here because not everybody gets that opportunity to play in front of family and loved ones."

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes and forward J.T. Miller were the final two participants voted into the NHL All-Star Skills Competition, the league announced Saturday.

Hughes and Miller join 10 previously selected participants that will compete for the $1-million prize on Feb. 2. Here are all 12 players involved in the skills portion of All-Star Weekend:

Now that Hughes and Miller were voted in, the Vancouver Canucks lead the way with three participants.

Each player will compete in four of the first six events: Fastest skater, hardest shot, stick handling, one-timers, passing challenge, and accuracy shooting.

From there, the top eight point-earners advance to the seventh round, where players will choose which goaltender to shoot against in a shootout.

The final round features the top six point-earners in an obstacle course, where points will be doubled. The player with the most points after all eight rounds wins the $1-million prize.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury sustained an upper-body injury in the team's 6-4 win against the Florida Panthers on Friday.

Fleury exited in the second period after the Wild scored their fourth power-play goal. The Panthers pulled Sergei Bobrovsky at the same time.

Panthers forward William Lockwood collided with Fleury early in the first period.

Wild head coach John Hynes provided no update on Fleury's status after the victory but noted that the veteran netminder felt OK initially after the hard collision before later pulling himself from the game, according to The Athletic's Joe Smith.

Fleury stopped 10 of 11 shots before leaving the game. Filip Gustavsson made 25 saves on 28 shots in relief.

Coming into Friday's contest, Fleury had a .897 save percentage in 22 games. The 39-year-old passed Patrick Roy for second on the NHL's all-time wins list on Monday.

Wild forward Connor Dewar also exited with a lower-body injury.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL Department of Player Safety suspended Seattle Kraken forward Yanni Gourde two games on Friday for charging Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm.

Gourde, who delivered the hit on Ekholm with 3:34 remaining in the third period of Thursday's game, was assessed a five-minute major on the play.

Oilers superstar Connor McDavid had an exchange with Gourde just prior to the hit.

Gourde was suspended two games in March 2019 for an illegal check to the head of Carolina Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal.

The 32-year-old has seven goals and 19 points in 45 games this season.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, the league announced Monday.

Nichushkin will be away indefinitely while receiving care. He can return to the team when cleared for competition by the program administrators.

"I have made the decision to seek help and enter the player assistance program," Nichushkin said in a statement released by the Avalanche. "My goal is to address my issues and prevent any negative outcomes once and for all.

"I want to thank my wife and family, my friends, the Avalanche organization, and all of our fans for their understanding and support. I will do everything I can to get back on the ice and join my teammates as soon as possible."

The 28-year-old has tallied 22 goals and 42 points through 40 games this season. Nichushkin's 21:49 time on ice per contest ranks fourth among all forwards league-wide.

Nichushkin's $6.125-million cap hit continues to count against Colorado's cap while he's away from the team.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.