Combining his own perspective with what he’s heard from people in and around the sport, Senior NHL Writer John Matisz breaks down the hot topics sweeping across the hockey landscape.
Ranking 10 Panarin destinations
Artemi Panarin, the jewel of the Rangers’ retooling trade assets, is in total control.
The pending unrestricted free agent is out of New York’s roster until further notice to avoid injury. His contract includes a full no-move clause. And his representation is speaking directly to interested teams in hopes of facilitating a contract extension in what will surely be a massive trade.
For all intents and purposes, Panarin is a mid-season free agent.
Nearly half the league has would have “He expressed interest” in acquiring the starting point guard, although his $11.6 million cap hit complicates any deal.
To follow up on Panarin by my colleague Sean O’Leary piece of landing points from January 17, here is a ranking of 10 destinations. They are in the order of most likely to call on Panarin, based on what we know about the 34-year-old winger.
- Kings: cosmopolitan city, money to spend, desperate to score points.
- Panthers: winning culture, ties with Russia, good weather, low taxes.
- Sharks: money to spend, young core led by Macklin Celebrini.
- Islanders: no moves required, core led by Matthew Schaefer.
- Lightning: identical to that of the Panthers, but with a better long-term cap picture.
- Red wings: ascendant of the Original Six club.
- Capitals: need a successor to Alex Ovechkin.
- Savage: Stanley Cup contender with the Russians.
- Stars: long window for contesting the Cup.
- Mammoth: need an experienced producer.
Rookie Wallstedt on the trading block?
Earlier this week, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and The Athletic’s Michael Russo brought up Jesper Wallstedt’s name as a potential trade chip for the Wild.
Minnesota selected Wallstedt 20th overall in the 2021 draft. The Swedish goaltender is in the midst of a fantastic rookie season – 0.914 save percentage, four shutouts and 18.7 goals saved above expectations in 22 appearances.
The 31-14-10 Wild are in second place in the Central Division. General manager Bill Guerin needs a top-six center and is motivated to stay aggressive after acquiring Quinn Hughes in a grand slam. Hughes could eventually re-sign, but for now he’s set to hit unrestricted free agency in 2027, meaning the Wild are only guaranteed two playoff runs (at most) with the superstar defenseman.
The Wild have a starting goaltender in Filip Gustavsson, 27, under contract through 2030-31. So I understand why Wallstedt is not an untouchable piece. But trading such a promising 23-year-old would be extremely risky.
“That’s interesting,” one texted a member of the Eastern Conference front office. Having two entry-level goalies under 30 is “an embarrassment of riches that will get expensive quickly, so I can understand taking advantage of that.” Funny thing is, I think I’d probably prefer to keep and build around Wallstedt?
My two cents: Guerin shouldn’t trade Wallstedt unless the returning center is a proven, relatively young first-line center like Robert Thomas of the Blues.
Doughty: “I can definitely create more”
Drew Doughty and Sidney Crosby are the only members of Team Canada with Olympic experience. Both won gold in Vancouver (2010) and Sochi (2014).
Asked Thursday in Buffalo to assess his own game a few weeks before the start of the men’s tournament in Italy, Doughty heaved a deep sigh.
“I’m not doing well at all offensively,” the Kings defenseman told theScore before a 4-1 loss to the Sabres. “But the sad thing is I feel like I’m playing really good hockey. I’m moving better. Yeah, I’m not happy with my production at all, but I’m happy with my defensive game. I need to play really well these last five games.”
Doughty, who turned 36 in December, failed to score a point against the Sabers to extend his pointless streak to 14 games, including all 13 after Canada’s roster was revealed. Is the problem due to luck? A bad game? A mix of the two?
“I definitely could do more. I’m probably not getting some rebounds as well,” Doughty said, before adding that the reduction in power play time isn’t helping.
“But no, it’s my fault,” he continued. “I’m definitely creating chances, but at the same time I can definitely create more. I need to step up.”
For what it’s worth, Doughty sees his Olympic role as strictly defensive.
“That’s all it’s going to be, and I’ve been focusing on that. Every night I have the toughest matchups. I thrive on it and I usually do a pretty good job of eliminating the other team’s best players. And that’s why Team Canada chose me.”
Offside D-man duty is a serious test
Prediction: There will be a lot of discussion about defenders playing their offsides during the Olympics. Canadian Shea Theodore, American Jake Sanderson, Swede Rasmus Dahlin and Finland’s Miro Heiskanen all shoot left, but could easily end up playing the entire tournament on the right side.
There are pros and cons to being a left-handed RD or a right-handed LD.
At the top of the advantages: it is infinitely easier to trigger a unique, high-quality timer.
“The challenges are more on the defensive side,” said Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, who frequently played offside during his 10-year career.
Sergachev is a left-handed defenseman, meaning his right hand controls his stick in all defensive situations. If he’s tasked with swarming the puck carrier on the right side of Utah’s zone, for example, his stick goes toward the goal line, not the blue line. This subtle difference opens up a passing lane on his left side, allowing the offensive player to more easily funnel the puck into the slot.
“It’s difficult for me in this specific situation because my stick points outward (away from the high danger zone), not inward,” Sergachev said.
Overall, a defender playing his offside is often forced to use his backhand – to pick up pucks off the wall, break up zone entries, make passes in transition – which is not ideal. It’s embarrassing, unnatural and anxiety-inducing.
There is limited time and space in NHL games. If the 4 Nations showdown was a preview of what Olympic hockey could look like, oh boy, are we in for two weeks of fast-paced, tight action. Good luck, offside D-men.
Schaefer offers the complete package – and more
Matthew Schaefer is apparently a man of his word.
The Islanders swept their season series with the Rangers for the first time since 2017-18 — just as Schaefer half-jokingly predicted during the 2025 draft.
“We’re going to beat the Rangers every time we play them,” the No. 1 overall pick said last June. THURSDAY, Schaefer added this playful shot after a 2-1 victory for the Isles at Madison Square Garden: “Our fans are a lot louder than theirs.”
In addition to passing the eye test every night, Schaefer tallied 14 goals and 22 assists for 36 points in 54 games while skating 24 minutes a night. The Isles are +13 with him on the ice at five-on-five – best on the team.
Infectious personality, superstar talent: what’s not to love about this kid?
My favorite bit: Schaefer, the youngest player in the NHL, leads all defensemen in penalty differential. He took 29 minor penalties – behind only Connor McDavid (32) and Macklin Celebrini (31) – while taking 14 himself. That plus-15 rating is almost double No. 2 defenseman Philip Broberg’s plus-eight mark.
Blowouts that fuel Buffalo’s run
The Sabers are on fire – 20 wins in 24 games since December 9.
Two weeks ago, I wrote about Josh Doan, 23, and his two-way impact from shift to shift helps the rest of the forward group fall into place. Noah Ostlund is another kid who’s having a blast – albeit in a more low-key way.
Ostlund, who is up to 18 points in 41 games at center and wing, was best known early in the year for his offensive instincts and creative play. But the 21-year-old rookie has earned a reputation as a savvy player without the puck. He leverages his hockey IQ to be in the right place at the right time.
“He reads the play very well and supports the puck very well in the defensive zone,” Sabers forward Beck Malenstyn said. “If you find yourself in a situation where you’re under pressure, by scrambling a little bit, you can be sure that he’s going to go exactly where the coaching staff wants a player in that scenario to go. If we’re trying to run an east-west breakout play and I get stuck in the corner, I can be sure that he’ll be there as a safety valve.”
On the one hand, former general manager Kevyn Adams has to look at his face every time he listens to a Sabers broadcast. He was fired three games into this epic series.
On the other hand, Adams will be able to highlight the trajectories of Doan, Ostlund and other young studs in his next job interview. He brought these kids to Buffalo.
No weak link (yet) in the deep Atlantic
We’ve been waiting for years for this kind of season in the Atlantic Division, one where old guards and new guards compete to wreak havoc in the standings.
The 2025-26 Atlantic is shaping up to be one of the deepest divisions in the NHL since the four-division format was introduced in 2013-14. All eight teams, from first-place Tampa Bay (.692) to last-place Toronto (.528), have a points percentage of .500 or higher about two-thirds of the way through the season. Toronto has a higher PTS percentage than seven teams in the league.
The 2013-14 Central, 2014-15 Central, 2018-19 Central and 2019-20 Central are the only divisions with comparable depth of one through eight. The ’14-15 Central, which featured the Cup-winning Blackhawks, was absolutely packed:
| Central 2014-2015 | Points | % of points |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis | 109 | .665 |
| Nashville | 104 | .634 |
| Chicago | 102 | .622 |
| Minnesota | 100 | .610 |
| Winnipeg | 99 | .604 |
| Dallas | 92 | .561 |
| Colorado | 90 | .549 |
The 2025-26 Atlantic is a slightly different story, as the seventh-ranked Maple Leafs and Senators stay afloat primarily through overtime losses.
Given Toronto’s current skid (one win in nine games) and general direction (likely sellers at the trade deadline), the Leafs will likely fall below .500 soon.
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