The Week Ahead: Rantanen and Necas Exchange Teams

The hockey world was rocked Friday night with Mikko Rantanen heading to Carolina, along with Taylor Hall, while Colorado added Martin Necas and Jack Drury in a three-team trade with Chicago.

All statistics are through Saturday's games unless otherwise noted.  

WEEK OF JANUARY 27- FEBRUARY 2

4 Games – Calgary, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York Islanders, Philadelphia, Seattle, Vancouver

3 Games – Anaheim, Boston, Buffalo, Carolina, Chicago, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, Edmonton, Florida, Minnesota, Montreal, Nashville, New Jersey, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Utah, Vegas, Washington, Winnipeg

2 Games – Ottawa, San Jose, Toronto

Los Angeles plays all four games on the road.

Buffalo, Calgary, Edmonton, Florida, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Utah play three games at home.

Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Minnesota, the New York Islanders, Vancouver and Winnipeg play three games on the road.

ANAHEIM

Games this week: @ Seattle, @ Calgary, vs. Montreal

Tired: @ Seattle (Tuesday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Ducks received a solid defenseman when they picked up Jacob Trouba from the Rangers, but his offense has not picked up at all. He had six helpers in 24 games with New York and has five assists in 23 games with the Ducks, ahead of Saturday's tilt versus Nashville...Trevor Zegras returned to action this past week and has an assist in his first two appearances. Zegras is on a line with Leo Carlsson and Alex Killorn, as well as partaking in first power-play action.

BOSTON

Games this week: @ Buffalo, vs. Winnipeg, @ New York Rangers

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Bruins had the best goaltending duo in the NHL over the last two seasons in Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. They traded Ullmark in the offseason and couldn't/wouldn't sign Swayman – who was a restricted free agent – until just before the start of the regular season and he has struggled all season. They are allowing 3.14 goals per game, 21st in the NHL, after they were fifth last season and first in 2022-23. Just saying...Charlie McAvoy has missed six straight games with an upper-body injury and is not close to a return...Mason Lohrei has taken over quarterbacking the first power play in McAvoy's absence.

BUFFALO

Games this week: vs. Boston, vs. Nashville, vs. New Jersey

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Sabres have used Jiri Kulich as their No. 1 center in the last three games. He had a goal and two helpers in a 3-2 win in Vancouver on Tuesday and scored on Saturday in a 3-2 loss in Edmonton. The 20-year-old was selected 28th overall in 2022 and is considered an outstanding prospect...Alex Tuch is turning into a 55-60 point player. That's not bad, but more was expected out of him after a 78-point performance, including 36 goals, in 2022-23.

CALGARY

Games this week: vs. Washington, vs. Anaheim, vs. Detroit, @ Seattle

Tired: @ Seattle (Sunday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Flames play three games in four nights as part of their four-game week...Look for Dustin Wolf to play at least twice with Dan Vladar picking up the remainder of the starts...Jonathan Huberdeau snapped a three-game pointless drought Thursday with a goal and two assists in a 5-2 win over Buffalo. Huberdeau has 19 goals and 35 points in 47 games this season.

CAROLINA

Games this week: @ New York Rangers, vs. Chicago, vs. Los Angeles

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Hurricanes overhauled their forwards Friday, dealing Martin Necas and Jack Drury to Colorado and receiving Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall (from Chicago) in return...Rantanen is expected to play alongside fellow Finn Sebastian Aho on the top line, while Hall – a former Hart Trophy winner – is starting on the fourth line...The move improves the Hurricanes' offense as Rantanen is a top-10 point-producer in the NHL, at worst, while Hall should provide a lot more offense than Drury did.

CHICAGO  

Games this week: @ Tampa Bay, @ Carolina, @ Florida

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Ryan Donato could be dealt at or before the trade deadline. He is having the best season in his NHL career with 14 goals and 13 assists in 45 games and will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season...I'm not sure what the Blackhawks did in accommodating Colorado and Carolina in the Rantanen-Necas deal. Chicago took on 50 percent of the remainder of Rantanen's contract, dealt Hall to Carolina and received only a third-round pick back.

COLORADO

Games this week: @ New York Islanders, vs. St. Louis, vs. Philadelphia

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Colorado made headlines Friday night when they dealt Mikko Rantanen to Carolina (through the Blackhawks) and received Martin Necas and Jack Drury in exchange...Look for Necas to take over Rantanen's spot on the top line, alongside Nathan MacKinnon, while Drury will fill a role as their third-line center quite nicely...The Avalanche could deal Miles Wood, who has been out of action the last 26 games with an upper-body injury. Wood is receiving $2.5 million per year and still has four-plus seasons remaining on his contract, an awful lot of money for a possible fourth-line center.

COLUMBUS

Games this week: @ Vegas, @ Utah, @ Dallas  

Tired: @ Utah (Friday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Blue Jackets could get Boone Jenner (shoulder) back after the two-week NHL break for the 4 Nations Face-Off in late February...Jenner has missed all season, but he practiced in a regular jersey Saturday...Denton Mateychuk, the Blue Jackets' highly-regarded blueliner, returned to action Saturday after missing three games with an illness. You should pick him up in all dynasty pools.

DALLAS

Games this week: @ Vegas, vs. Vancouver, vs. Columbus  

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Wyatt Johnston got off to a weak start with only two goals and seven points in his first 17 games. But he has been on fire since then, with nine goals and 32 points in his last 31 games, including a current six-game point streak in which he has one goal and eight helpers...Roope Hintz is currently centering the third line, between Logan Stankoven and Sam Steel and has also moved down to the second power-play unit. Hintz has lost a lot of fantasy value after spending the last two seasons on the top line with Jason Robertson.

DETROIT

Games this week: vs. Los Angeles, @ Edmonton, @ Calgary, @ Vancouver   

Tired: @ Vancouver (Sunday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Red Wings head out to Western Canada after a home game against the Kings...They play four times this week, including three games in four nights...Look for Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon to share the net...Vladimir Tarasenko has been a terrible disappointment this season. He has only six goals and 20 points in 47 games. While the Red Wings didn't necessarily think they were getting the six-time 30-plus goal scorer that Tarasenko used to be, they were expecting much more than the 10 goals he is averaging this season.

EDMONTON

Games this week: vs. Seattle, vs. Detroit, vs. Toronto

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Oilers complete a six-game homestand this week...Connor McDavid is slated to return to the lineup Monday versus Seattle after sitting out a three-game suspension for his hit to the head on Vancouver's Conor Garland...Evan Bouchard has two goals and 12 points in his last 14 games. The blueliner has eight goals and 37 points in 49 games, a pace that will give him 62 points on the season, far below the 82-point campaign of last year.

FLORIDA

Games this week: vs. Los Angeles, vs. Chicago, vs. New York Islanders

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Aaron Ekblad has missed the last seven games with an upper-body injury, but he practiced Friday and re-entered the lineup Saturday versus San Jose...Spencer Knight has started three of the last five Panthers games and has allowed only three goals on 93 shots (.968 save percentage) far outplaying veteran Sergei Bobrovsky, who continues to struggle this season with a 2.83 GAA and an .897 save percentage.

LOS ANGELES

Games this week: @ Detroit, @ Florida, @ Tampa Bay, @ Carolina

Tired: @ Tampa Bay (Thursday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Kings play all four games on the road this week, including three contests in four nights...Darcy Kuemper should get three starts while David Rittich starts once...Kuemper continues to excel this season as he is 5-2-0 with a 1.15 GAA and a .957 save percentage in January. Overall, the veteran netminder is 14-4-5 with a pair of shutouts, a 2.06 GAA and a .922 save percentage...Drew Doughty has been out all season with an ankle injury that required surgery, but he is practicing in a regular jersey this week and could return to the lineup shortly.

MINNESOTA

Games this week: @ Toronto, @ Montreal, @ Ottawa  

Tired: @ Montreal (Thursday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Wild are in Eastern Canada for three games this week...Kirill Kaprizov returned to action Thursday after missing 12 games with a lower-body injury. He was -1 with three shots on goal in 16:39 of action in a 4-0 loss to Utah...Filip Gustavsson is in a slump. The 26-year-old netminder is 0-4-0 in his last five starts and has allowed 23 goals on only 147 shots (.844 save percentage). Thanks to his outstanding start to the season, Gustavsson's stats still look good, as he is 18-10-3 with a 2.63 GAA and a .913 save percentage, but he has been losing starts to Marc-Andre Fleury.

MONTREAL

Games this week: vs. Winnipeg, vs. Minnesota, @ Anaheim

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Minnesota (Thursday)

Notes: Arber Xhekaj has gone his last 17 games with nary a point...Juraj Slafkovsky has three goals and two assists in his last six games, giving the winger seven tallies and 21 assists in 46 contests. He is playing on the top line, as well as the first power play...Nick Suzuki is on pace to equal or better his 77-point performance of last season as the Canadiens' top pivot has 15 goals and 50 points in 49 outings this season...Mike Matheson's offensive production is way down from last season when he had 62 points in 82 games. This season he has only 22 points in 47 games as he has taken a back seat to defense partner Lane Hutson.

NASHVILLE

Games this week: vs. Vancouver, @ Buffalo, @ Pittsburgh

Tired: @ Pittsburgh (Saturday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Predators have won five consecutive games ahead of Saturday's contest in Anaheim...Thomas Novak has two goals and six points in his last three games, giving him seven goals and 15 points in 38 games this season...Steven Stamkos is on a five-game streak with five goals and eight points. After a troubling start in which Stamkos had one goal in his first eight games as a Predator, he has 16 goals and 32 points in 39 games.

NEW JERSEY

Games this week: @ Philadelphia, vs. Philadelphia, @ Buffalo

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Devils play a home-and-home series against the Flyers...Should there be any rough stuff, look for Brenden Dillon to add to his penalty minute total...Jacob Markstrom is out 4-6 weeks with an MCL sprain. The good news is that two of the weeks will be an NHL break for the 4 Nations Face-Off...Isaac Poulter was recalled and will back up Jake Allen in the interim, but look for Nico Daws to be recalled early in the week.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Games this week: vs. Colorado, @ Philadelphia, @ Tampa Bay, @ Florida

Tired: None

Rested: @ Philadelphia (Thursday)

Notes: The Islanders play three games in four nights as part of their four-game week...Expect to see Ilya Sorokin get three starts with Marcus Hogberg starting once...The Islanders surprised most pundits by signing Tony DeAngelo to a contract for the remainder of the season. DeAngelo is an offensive force, but his personality has not been a hit in any dressing room, including his 2024-25 stint in the KHL where he was released from his contract last week. The Islanders do need offense from their blue line with Noah Dobson out of action with a lower-body injury, but I'm not sure that DeAngelo was the way to go.

NEW YORK RANGERS

Games this week: vs. Carolina, @ Boston, vs. Vegas

Tired: vs. Vegas (Sunday)

Rested: None

Notes: Vincent Trocheck has only one assist in his last six games. Trocheck had 77 points last season but has only 30 points in 48 contests this year...Adam Fox has two points in each of his last three games, giving the former Norris Trophy winner three goals and 40 points in 48 games...Igor Shesterkin is returning to form in a big way. The 29-year-old netminder is 6-0-1 in his last seven appearances, with a microscopic 1.39 GAA and a just as impressive .948 save percentage. He has moved the Rangers into playoff contention once again as they are just one point out of the second Wild Card spot before the start of Saturday's games.

OTTAWA 

Games this week: vs. Washington, vs. Minnesota

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Senators only play twice this week...They are hurting on the blue line as Jake Sanderson (lower body) and Nick Jensen (undisclosed) remain questionable...David Perron returned to the lineup Thursday after missing 27 games with a back injury. He has yet to pick up a point in 11 games this season...Linus Ullmark was placed on long-term injured reserve Thursday, but it was a paper move designed to place Perron on the roster as Ullmark, who is close to returning from a back injury, is eligible to return at any time.

PHILADELPHIA

Games this week: vs. New Jersey, @ New Jersey, vs. New York Islanders, @ Colorado

Tired: @ New York Islanders (Thursday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Flyers play three games in four nights as part of a four-game week...Samuel Ersson is expected to garner at least two starts with Ivan Fedotov expected to start the remainder of the outings...The Flyers play a home-and-home series with the Devils and if there are any fisticuffs, look for Garnet Hathaway to be involved...There are teams interested in Rasmus Ristolainen, but the Flyers are not actively shopping him around.

PITTSBURGH

Games this week: @ San Jose, @ Utah, vs. Nashville

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Nashville (Saturday)

Notes: The Penguins complete a five-game road trip in Utah...Rutger McGroarty is expected to remain in the AHL for the rest of the season as he has only five goals and 18 points in 31 appearances for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton...Drew O'Connor could be dealt by the trade deadline...Bryan Rust is day-to-day heading into action on Saturday with a lower-body injury. Rust has 19 goals and 38 points in 43 games and could surpass his career-high 58 points set in 2021-22, if he can stay healthy.

SAN JOSE

Games this week: vs. Pittsburgh, @ Seattle

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Sharks play twice this week...San Jose is starting to use Yaroslav Askarov a little more often of late as they seem to be transitioning from Alexandar Georgiev as their No. 1 goaltender, to Askarov. Askarov has allowed 10 goals on 69 shots in his last two starts, but he hasn't played poorly in the two losses...Macklin Celebrini continues to impress. He has seven points in his last seven games, giving the 18-year-old rookie 15 goals and 35 points in 39 outings.

SEATTLE

Games this week: @ Edmonton, vs. Anaheim, vs. San Jose, vs. Calgary

Tired: vs. Anaheim (Tuesday)

Rested: vs. Calgary (Sunday)

Notes: The Kraken play four games this week, including three games in four nights...Joey Daccord is expected to get three starts with Philipp Grubauer garnering a rare start...Vince Dunn has been slumping of late with only two assists in his last nine games, before scoring a power-play goal Saturday...Shane Wright has eight goals and 23 points in 47 games. He has only 46 shots on goal this season, with a pair of game-winners.

ST. LOUIS

Games this week: vs. Vancouver, @ Colorado, @ Utah

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Justin Faulk has one goal and seven assists in his last nine games, giving the blueliner two goals and 18 points in 45 matches this season...Brayden Schenn has six goals and 11 points over his last 12 games heading into action Saturday, giving the 33-year-old veteran center 11 goals and 29 points in 49 games...Dylan Holloway has five assists in his current four-game point streak, giving the former Oiler, 15 goals and 22 assists in 49 contests.

TAMPA BAY

Games this week: vs. Chicago, vs. Los Angeles, vs. New York Islanders

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Los Angeles (Thursday)

Notes: The Lightning dropped a 2-0 decision to Detroit on Saturday...Nick Paul has five goals and eight points in his last 11 games, giving the third-line center 14 goals and 14 assists in 42 appearances...Andrei Vasilevskiy is 20-15-2 with a pair of shutouts, after taking a tough loss against the Red Wings, allowing only one goal on 30 shots...Defenseman Max Crozier was called up Thursday and has played the last two games at forward, on the second line.

TORONTO

Games this week: vs. Minnesota, @ Edmonton

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Maple Leafs placed Anthony Stolarz (knee) on long-term injured reserve, but it was a paper move as the goaltender can return at any time...Auston Matthews saw his five-game goal-scoring streak come to an end Saturday. The pivot has 20 goals and 38 points in 35 outings this season...Mitch Marner, who can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, saw his four-game point streak end Tuesday, but he managed to pick up an assist in Saturday's 2-1 loss in Ottawa. He has 15 goals and 68 points in 50 games this season, fourth in the race for the Art Ross Trophy.

UTAH

Games this week: vs. Pittsburgh, vs. Columbus, vs. St. Louis

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Columbus (Friday)

Notes: Michael Kesselring has taken over quarterbacking the first power play with Mikhail Sergachev out of action with an upper-body injury...Sergachev could return this week. He has missed four games with the injury...Barrett Hayton is getting hot. He has four goals and four assists in his last five games, giving him 12 goals and 26 points in 48 contests this season...Connor Ingram is 2-2-0 with a 2.52 GAA and a .908 save percentage since returning after missing 23 games due to the passing of his mother, as well as getting over an upper-body injury.  

VANCOUVER

Games this week: @ St. Louis, @ Nashville, @ Dallas, vs. Detroit

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Detroit (Sunday)

Notes: The Canucks could deal J.T. Miller in the next week. The Rangers and Devils are believed to be the teams interested in the talented center...Kevin Lankinen has outplayed Thatcher Demko this season as Demko is struggling to return to form following a knee injury that occurred last season and forced him to sit out the first 26 games of the season...Elias Pettersson told upper management that he wants to remain a Canuck.

VEGAS

Games this week: vs. Dallas, vs. Columbus, @ New York Rangers

Tired: None

Rested: @ New York Rangers (Sunday)

Notes: The Golden Knights are 1-5-0 in their last six games...Pavel Dorofeyev leads the Golden Knights with 21 goals, including nine goals on the power play...Jack Eichel has 14 goals and 47 assists in 48 games this season...Brett Howden is a surprising third in goals on the team. He has 16 markers, seven better than his previous career high set in 2019-20 and 2021-22.

WASHINGTON

Games this week: @ Calgary, @ Ottawa, vs. Winnipeg

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Capitals complete a five-game road trip in Ottawa...They are in contract negotiations with both their goaltenders as Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren are pending unrestricted free agents at the end of the season...Alex Ovechkin scored another empty net goal Thursday, his fifth of the season. Ovechkin has 22 goals this season and trails Wayne Gretzky's career mark by only 20 goals...John Carlson has four goals and 29 points in 48 games, including one goal and eight assists on the power play.

WINNIPEG

Games this week: @ Montreal, @ Boston, @ Washington

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Jets need to figure out what to do with pending unrestricted free agent Nikolaj Ehlers. The 28-year-old has 15 goals and 43 points in 41 games, but the Jets don't want to lose him in free agency and not get anything...Connor Hellebuyck leads all goalies in wins with 30, shutouts with six, goals-against-average at 2.02 and save percentage at .927. He seems to be a shoo-in for another Vezina Trophy, barring a serious injury or a disaster.