The trade deadline's come and gone, and the New York Islanders will have a new face in their lineup Thursday. Only thing is, he's one of their own.
Joshua Ho-Sang - drafted 28th overall in the first round in 2014 - will make his NHL debut Thursday in Dallas against the Stars, head coach Doug Weight confirmed.
"He will be in the lineup and he's earned the right to be up here," Weight said.
The 21-year-old comes up from the AHL with 10 goals and 36 points in 48 games during his first minor-league season.
"I'm super excited," Ho-Sang said Wednesday, writes NHL.com's Brian Compton. "I'm just going to take it and run with it. I've been waiting for this moment my whole life. Getting the call-up is one thing, but playing a good game is another."
The Islanders are one point back of Toronto for the second wild-card playoff spot in the East, but sat on the sidelines during the deadline. With prices sky high and few impact players available, Garth Snow and Co. instead chose to stay in-house.
Ho-Sang made headlines in 2014 training camp - after he was drafted - when he slept in and was sent back to the OHL. He told Compton he's made a lot of changes to his lifestyle, and that's why he's where he is today - on the cusp of fulfilling a dream.
The forward wasn't dealt before the NHL's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline Wednesday, and that's due to the fact he's battling an undisclosed injury that will require season-ending surgery, general manager Jim Nill announced. The ailment prevented a trade.
Sharp's been playing through the injury and will continue to do so, Nill said, which is why the Stars won't disclose it.
The 35-year-old is playing out the final season of his contract, earning $5.9 million, and will be free to sign with any team on July 1.
Injuries have derailed Sharp's season. He has only seven goals and eight assists in 37 games.
Here's why the deal is a big win for the Panthers:
Got him cheap
Not only did the Panthers land Vanek, a pending unrestricted free agent who has 15 goals and 38 points, they got the Red Wings to cover 50 percent of what the forward is owed for the rest of the season.
Vanek will cost the Panthers only $289,000 for the rest of the regular season, according to NHL Numbers. That's nothing for one of the more productive players who was available on the market.
The 33-year-old joins a resurgent Panthers club that only recently got healthy, seeing Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau return to the lineup after lengthy absences. A deep group up front just got deeper.
A third-round pick isn't nothing, but the Panthers had two in the coming draft. For now, they're sending their own third-rounder to Detroit. If Florida makes the playoffs, which is clearly the club's goal, Detroit will receive Arizona's third-round pick in 2017, which Florida acquired in a trade that sent Dave Bolland and Lawson Crouse do the desert.
As for McIlrath, he played only five games for the Panthers this season, and saw fewer than 10 minutes of ice time in four of those games. He clearly wasn't part of Florida's long-term plans.
So consider it a third-round pick for Vanek, and that's a fair price for a rental player, and Florida will undoubtedly hand over Arizona's pick with a smile come spring.
Vanek produced as rental in 2014
Vanek's been through this before.
He was a trade-deadline acquisition by the Montreal Canadiens in 2014, after the New York Islanders sent him packing, and it was, for the most part, a fruitful move.
Vanek had six goals and 15 points in 18 games with the Canadiens down the stretch, playing 18:11 a game. He chipped in five goals and five assists in 17 games for the Habs in the playoffs.
While the days of Vanek logging a ton of ice time are over, he can still put the puck in the net, and he's going to have every opportunity to do so in Florida, surrounded by highly skilled players.
The Panthers won the Atlantic Division last year. They're hell bent on going back to the playoffs and winning a round this time.
The Sabres captain said Tuesday that despite pending unrestricted free agency, he wants to remain with Buffalo.
"I'd like to stay here," Gionta said, writes Buffalo Hockey Beat's Bill Hoppe. "I'd like to be here going on in the future. I want to see this thing through."
That would be the Sabres' rebuild. Buffalo was hoping to take big strides this season, but is on track to miss the playoffs for the sixth straight season.
Gionta's 38 and has given the Sabres a list of five teams he'll accept a trade to ahead of Wednesday's 3 p.m. deadline. He's producing, with 13 goals and 29 points in 63 games. He could bring back a middle-of-the-road draft pick.
The undersized winger is playing out the final season of his contract, earning $4.25 million.
Gionta's one of four Sabres who are set to become UFAs and who've no doubt heard or read their names in trade rumors. Defenders Cody Franson and Dmitry Kulikov, and goaltender Anders Nilsson could be on the move Wednesday, as well.
Put Franson in Gionta's camp - he wants to stay in Buffalo, too, beyond this season.
Kevin Shattenkirk wants to hit unrestricted free agency for more reasons than money. He wants to be a No. 1 defenseman.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Jeremy Rutherford has more on the eventual split between Shattenkirk and the Blues, with general manager Doug Armstrong shedding more light on how things eventually led to a trade to the Washington Capitals.
St. Louis was considering an eight-year max deal for Shattenkirk last summer, but in talks heading into the defender's final season of his contract, it became clear that money wasn't going to be the most significant factor with respect to his future.
"His response at that time was he felt he needed a different challenge. With (Colton) Parayko and (Alex) Pietrangelo, I think he was hoping to get more responsibility in different areas," Armstrong said.
Shattenkirk played 61 games for St. Louis this season and ranked fourth among defensemen and on the team in ice time, averaging 19:51 in ice time per night.
Defenseman
Average Ice Time
Pietrangelo
24:54
Jay Bouwmeester
22:19
Parayko
21:12
Shattenkirk
19:51
Based on the table above, you can see where Shattenkirk's coming from. In fact, Shattenkirk's ice time was down this season from 22:25 in 2015-16 and 22:34 in 2014-15. That could have been the Blues knowing the 28-year-old wasn't in the team's long-term plans, as it was clear he was - and is - going to test the market, an opportunity he's certainly earned.
What Armstrong also told Rutherford is that there are no hard feelings; that Shattenkirk was nothing but a professional. He simply wanted more responsibility, and he can't be taken to task for that.
"There was not going to be a long-term extension here with the group of players we had here. I respected his honesty," Armstrong added.
Armstrong praised Shattenkirk's competitiveness - he should want to be on the ice to close out games, to be on the power play, and the penalty kill, to play 23-to-24 minutes a night. He added that Shattenkirk's earned the right to hit the market.
The Blues received a package that included first- and second-round draft picks and 22-year-old prospect Zach Sanford, a second-round selection by Washington in 2013.
Jannik Hansen was a late scratch Tuesday for the Vancouver Canucks, and he and his teammates knew what was coming next - a trade.
It happened late Tuesday, Hansen traded to the San Jose Sharks for prospect Nikolay Goldobin and a conditional fourth-round pick - that becomes a first if the Sharks win the Stanley Cup.
Drafted by the Canucks, there were obviously conflicted emotions for Hansen.
"I'm overwhelmed right now," the veteran said. "I'm excited to be going there, but leaving (Vancouver) is tough. I like it here. I waited in the dressing room postgame and got to see everyone. It's not goodbye, it's see you soon."
Hansen added that Vancouver's run to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, which the Canucks lost in a heartbreaking seven games, is the most fun he's ever had playing hockey.
"It was a tremendous year."
Hansen played 565 regular-season games in Vancouver, scoring 105 goals and 235 points. He had three goals and six assists in 25 games in the spring of 2011, on that special Canucks playoffs run.
Another longtime veteran is gone in Vancouver, as the club turns the page. If Hansen does have thoughts of coming back, it won't be until July 1, 2018, when he's slated to hit unrestricted free agency.
Desharnais, 30, has only known the Canadiens in the NHL, having spent the first eight years of his career in Montreal. He had a career-high 52 points in 2013-14, but after posting only 29 last season he's carried over those struggles to 2016-17. The pivot heads west with only four goals and six assists in 31 games.
"I would like to thank David for all his years as a Montreal Canadien," general manager Marc Bergevin said in a release. "He developed and matured within our organization providing valuable services. We wish him the utmost success with the continuation of his career."
Peter Chiarelli on Desharnais: "I know he's undersized, but he's strong on the puck".
The Canadiens were thought to be in the market for a center, so trading one will undoubtedly increase speculation that another move is on the horizon, as Bergevin continues to tinker with Montreal's roster.
The Oilers were looking for a center, too, and get one with a positive possession rating in Desharnais. He's at 51.39 percent this season, according to Corsica Hockey.
Davidson, 25, joins Nikita Nesterov and Jordie Benn as defensive additions to Montreal since late January. There's no denying the club boasts impressive depth on the blue line.
A sixth-round pick in 2010, Davidson's been limited to 28 games this season by injury, and has only one assist. He played 91 games for Edmonton over the past three campaigns, scoring five goals and adding eight assists.
Edmonton was expected to lose Davidson in the coming expansion draft, and instead get a pending unrestricted free agent in Desharnais, who's playing out the final year of his contract, which pays him $3.5 million.
Davidson will be a restricted free agent after the 2017-18 season, and is on the books for $1.425 million.
And while the pair will forever cherish the opportunity to play together in the NHL, both are looking forward to what Jordie will do with his new team.
"Now he can be Jordie Benn and not Jamie Benn's brother," said Jamie. "I think this is going to be great for him, and he can move on and move forward with his career."
Jordie acknowledged his brother's superstar status when talking to the Montreal media for the first time, and echoed Jamie.
"I just get to come here and I get to be Jo-Benn, and not Jamie Benn's brother," Jordie said.
Jordie's signed through 2018-19 at $1.1 million per season, so barring another trade, he'll be in Montreal for the foreseeable future. And that's just fine by him.
"I'm just a kid living a dream and obviously to play in Montreal is pretty exciting," he said.
Jordie's a stay-at-home defenseman, a veteran of 302 regular-season games. He has two goals and 13 assists in 58 games this season.
