New York Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck and Winnipeg Jets sniper Kyle Connor will replace the injured Jack Eichel and Connor Bedard at next month's All-Star Weekend, the league announced Monday.

Trocheck last appeared at the All-Star Game in 2017. He'll now be joining goaltender Igor Shesterkin as the Big Apple's representatives at the festivities. Trocheck is currently tied with Mika Zibanejad for the second-most points (44) and third-most goals (15) on the Rangers across 46 contests. He's on pace for around 78 points, which would be a new career high.

Connor, meanwhile, is also in line for his second All-Star appearance after representing the Jets in 2022. The 27-year-old leads Winnipeg with 18 goals in 28 outings this campaign. Connor missed 16 contests with a knee injury, but he appeared no worse for wear after scoring a goal in his return. Winnipeg now has three representatives with Connor in the mix, alongside netminder Connor Hellebuyck and head coach Rick Bowness.

Eichel has been out of action since suffering a lower-body injury Jan. 11. The Vegas Golden Knights center is considered week-to-week after he underwent surgery to address the ailment a few days later.

Bedard hasn't played since fracturing his jaw Jan. 5. The Chicago Blackhawks rookie was given a six-to-eight-week recovery timeline after getting surgery.

As it stands now, neither Vegas nor Chicago will have a player participating in the All-Star Game.

All-Star Weekend kicks off Feb. 1 in Toronto.

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Carson Soucy finds himself on the sidelines yet again.

The Vancouver Canucks defenseman is expected to miss five-to-six weeks with a hand injury, head coach Rick Tocchet announced Monday, according to Postmedia's Ben Kuzma.

Vancouver recalled defenseman Mark Friedman and forward Linus Karlsson from the AHL.

Soucy missed the third period of Saturday's 6-4 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs after blocking a shot.

The injury marks his second lengthy absence of the campaign. Soucy previously missed 23 games due to a lower-body ailment, returning to the lineup on Jan. 6 against the New Jersey Devils. He suited up for just eight contests before suffering his latest injury.

The 29-year-old is in his first season as a Canuck. He signed a three-year, $9.75-million deal with Vancouver as an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and has been key to the team's much-improved penalty kill.

Soucy has chipped in with two goals and six points in 21 games so far this campaign while averaging 17:25 minutes of ice time per contest. When healthy, he's spent the bulk of his time on a pair with Tyler Myers.

The Canucks have just three games remaining before the All-Star break, starting with a clash against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday.

Vancouver currently leads the league with a 31-11-4 record.

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The San Jose Sharks will have captain Logan Couture back in their lineup for the first time this season when they take on the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, head coach David Quinn announced, according to NBC Sports' Sheng Peng.

Couture has been sidelined by a lower-body injury, but the specifics of the ailment have been kept under wraps. He was initially ruled week-to-week in September with the hopes that he'd be ready for San Jose's season opener, but he ended up missing the Sharks' first 45 games of the campaign.

The 34-year-old told reporters in December that he feared his career was over as a result of his injury.

"That was the toughest part, the unknown," Couture explained. "The waking up one day and feeling good, then waking up the next day and feeling really crappy. Just not knowing there was no light at the end of the tunnel. There was no timeline set, just kind of a week-by-week, day-by-day thing."

Here's how the Sharks looked at practice on Friday:

Quinn also announced that forward Nico Sturm will return on Saturday. Sturm has missed the last 16 games with an abdominal injury.

Couture has spent his entire 14-year NHL career with the Sharks after being drafted ninth overall by the organization in 2007. He places fifth in franchise history in games played (927), third in goals (323), and fourth in points (700).

The Ontario native ranked second on San Jose with 67 points (27 goals, 40 assists) in 82 games last season, trailing just Erik Karlsson.

The Sharks have had a rough go this campaign and sit in last place in the league with a 10-31-4 record.

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The Ottawa Senators signed restricted free-agent forward Shane Pinto to a one-year deal with an average annual value of $775,000, the team announced Friday.

Pinto, 23, has been unable to play this season while serving a 41-game suspension for violating the NHL's gambling policies. He is eligible to return Jan. 21 against the Philadelphia Flyers.

More to come.

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The San Jose Sharks will retire franchise legend Joe Thornton's No. 19 jersey on an unspecified date next season, the team announced Wednesday.

"It has been an honor and a privilege to play in the National Hockey League for 24 seasons," Thornton said in the release. "But when I came to San Jose, it felt like I was truly home. I fell in love with the area and the people, and I had the best years of my career wearing the Sharks crest. ... I am humbled by this recognition, which is a reflection of all of those great teams we had in San Jose during my time there."

Thornton spent 15 seasons with the Sharks from 2005 to 2020 and donned the "C" for four campaigns. He is the team's all-time leader in assists (804) while ranking second in points (1,055) and third in games played (1,104).

San Jose made the postseason in all but two campaigns during Thornton's tenure in teal, and his 115 points in 144 playoff games are the second-most in franchise history. The Sharks made the conference finals four times with Thornton in the mix, including one trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016 where they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The 44-year-old spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Bruins, but the Sharks acquired him from Boston in November 2005 in exchange for Marco Sturm, Wayne Primeau, and Brad Stuart. Thornton won the Hart Trophy and Art Ross Trophy that spring after putting up 92 points in 58 games with the Sharks (on top of 33 points in 23 outings with the Bruins).

Thornton is just the second Sharks player to have his jersey sent to the rafters of the SAP Center, joining Patrick Marleau, whose No. 12 was retired in February 2023.

"Jumbo was the best playmaker of his generation, and I feel lucky to have gotten to play with and against him," current Sharks general manager and former player Mike Grier said. "On the ice, his size, strength, and IQ made him impossible to defend, but off the ice, he was the most caring and generous teammate I have ever had. He's a special player and person and is very deserving of this honor."

Thornton last played in the NHL in 2022 and he announced his retirement in October. He totaled 1,539 points in 1,714 career NHL games spent with the Bruins, Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Florida Panthers.

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Colorado Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev is playing a lot of hockey.

At the midway point of the campaign, he's made 37 appearances, three more than Nashville Predators workhorse Juuse Saros, the league's second-busiest netminder. Georgiev is on pace for around 66 starts, which is far beyond Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland's ideal range of 50-to-55 contests.

"I'll be honest, I do think we got to be careful with (Georgiev's) games played here, and it's something that we talk about daily," MacFarland said during a recent appearance on Daily Faceoff's "Frankly Speaking" podcast.

"You want your guy fresh for April if you're able to grab one of those eight tickets (to the playoffs)," he continued. "I know every team is kind of different and maybe there's some guys that can go 60 or 62. For me, my comfort level would be certainly less pace than what he's on target for right now."

Georgiev leads all goaltenders with 24 wins, but he owns a sub-.900 save percentage (.897) and ranks 76th out of 84 goaltenders in goals saved above average at all strengths (minus-7.78), according to Evolving Hockey.

Colorado's other options in net are inexperienced.

The Avalanche picked up Ivan Prosvetov off waivers in October, and he owns a 4-3-1 record across 11 showings this season. Prior to this campaign, the 24-year-old had made just 13 appearances across three seasons with the Arizona Coyotes.

Prospect Justus Annunen made his first appearance of the campaign during Tuesday's 7-4 comeback win over the Ottawa Senators, but the 23-year-old only played in two games in each of the last two seasons with the Avalanche.

Colorado's thinness at the position has MacFarland yearning for Pavel Francouz, who won't play this year because of a lower-body injury.

"The Pavel Francouz late-summer injury was a very, very big injury for us," he said. "We've been very spoiled by having a rock-steady backup, 1B, whatever you want to have it. Whenever Francouz was called upon the last number of years, including the playoffs, he delivered. ... He had that unreal, professional approach, prepared in a very important role, and we really, really miss that."

So, will the Avalanche be among the teams that monitor the goalie market come the trade deadline in March?

"Like anything else, if there's an opportunity for us to improve the hockey team, we look at it," MacFarland said.

Colorado currently sits in second place in the Central Division with a 29-13-3 record, one point behind Winnipeg for the top spot. The Jets have played two fewer games.

Georgiev will represent the Avalanche at next month's All-Star Weekend after being voted into the festivities.

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Vegas Golden Knights star Jack Eichel is considered week-to-week after undergoing successful surgery to address his lower-body injury, the team announced Tuesday.

More to come.

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The Winnipeg Jets will have sniper Kyle Connor back in their lineup when they take on the New York Islanders on Tuesday, head coach Rick Bowness announced, according to NHL.com's Mitchell Clinton.

Connor missed Winnipeg's last 16 games after taking a knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Strome on Dec. 10. The star was initially expected to miss six-to-eight weeks, so his return comes slightly ahead of schedule.

The Jets went 12-2-2 without Connor, a remarkable run that featured an eight-game win streak and 14-game point streak, both of which set new franchise records. Nikolaj Ehlers paced Winnipeg with 17 points over those 16 Connor-less contests, while Gabe Vilardi led the way with nine goals.

Here's how Winnipeg looked at Tuesday's morning skate. Vilardi was absent due to illness but is expected to play against the Islanders.

Connor, 27, was also a full participant in Monday's practice.

In a corresponding move, the Jets placed forward Mark Scheifele on injured reserve retroactive to Jan. 12. He's been out since sustaining a lower-body injury against the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 11 but is eligible to return Saturday against the Ottawa Senators.

Despite Connor's absence, he still leads the Jets with 17 goals - including five game-winners - in 26 contests and ranks fifth with 28 points. He's paced the team in goals in three of the last four seasons.

Winnipeg currently sits on top of the Central Division with a 28-10-4 record and tops the NHL in points percentage (.714).

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Though the Montreal Canadiens have a bit of a logjam in the crease, general manager Kent Hughes isn't guaranteeing he'll make a move to thin things out.

"We decided to keep three goalies and evaluate the potential trades from there," he told reporters during his midseason availability, as translated by Montreal Hockey Now's Marc Dumont. "The plan was not to have three goalies all year. It's still not the plan. But I can't tell you 100% that we'll make a goaltender trade."

Goaltending has been a position of need for multiple teams this campaign. The Oilers were reportedly interested in the Habs' trio of Jake Allen, Sam Montembeault, and Cayden Primeau during Edmonton's early-season slump.

The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun also pointed out the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils as teams to monitor in early December. For the Hurricanes, Frederik Andersen is out indefinitely due to a blood clotting issue, while Antti Raanta has struggled immensely. In New Jersey, both Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid have performed below expectations.

Here's how the Canadiens' three netminders have fared this season:

(Advanced stats source: Evolving-Hockey)

Montembeault, who signed a three-year extension with a $3.15-million cap hit in December, has started the lion's share of the Canadiens' games this campaign. Allen, a 33-year-old veteran, is signed through 2025 with an average annual value of $3.85 million. His pact includes a modified no-trade clause. Primeau, the youngest of the group at 24 years old, is signed for one more campaign at an $890,000 cap hit.

Hughes noted that he didn't want to place Primeau on waivers to ease the Canadiens' surplus out of fear of losing the netminder.

In addition, Hughes said he doesn't feel any "urgency" to clear out Montreal's wealth of defensemen, per Sportsnet. He added that there's "no question" he wants to add some offense and isn't opposed to using the Canadiens' depth in other positions, or picks, to get something done, according to Dumont.

The executive also addressed Cole Caufield's struggles to find the back of the net this season. Caufield has just 12 goals in 42 games this campaign while being hampered by a 7.8% shooting percentage after tallying 26 goals in 46 outings last season.

"I won't use the words worrisome or disappointing, but you want to see your scorers score," Hughes said, as translated by Eyes on the Prize's Jared Book. "What I don't want is (for Cole to play) differently because he feels pressure. We want Cole to be Cole."

The Canadiens currently sit in sixth place in the Atlantic Division with a 17-18-7 record.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs may have squandered Ilya Samsonov's return to the crease in a 4-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday night, but the team saw plenty of positives in the embattled goaltender's performance.

"He battled his ass off," head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters postgame. "It's the best I thought he's looked all season just in terms of how he was tracking the puck and some of the saves looked like the Sammy that we came to know last season. So I think this is a positive step for him."

The fans at Scotiabank Arena seemed to agree, as they showered the netminder with "Sammy" chants after he made an incredible glove save on J.T. Compher in the late stages of the final frame to keep the game tied at two.

It was a refreshing moment for Samsonov, who has mostly been regaled with the Bronx cheer throughout the season. However, Red Wings forward Andrew Copp ended up raining on the Maple Leafs' parade with the game-winner soon after Compher's shot attempt.

"Obviously (Samsonov) made a couple massive saves for us throughout the game," star forward Mitch Marner said. "It was great to hear the fans chant his name, give him the love he deserves."

Samsonov was deeply appreciative of the fans' show of support.

"I love those guys," he said. "It's no secret for everybody. I love the fans, I love the city, I enjoy (being) here every day, thank you so much. It's amazing."

All in, Samsonov made 20 saves on 23 shots. It was his first appearance since Dec. 21, when he surrendered six goals on 21 shots against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Leafs placed him on waivers shortly after that performance and reassigned him to the AHL's Toronto Marlies, where he worked with goalie coach Hannu Toivonen before being recalled last week.

Samsonov believed he saw the puck well in his return to NHL action, but admitted it was "tough to talk about the result."

The Maple Leafs held a 2-1 lead heading into the third period, but the Red Wings scored three unanswered goals - including one empty-netter - to secure the comeback. Toronto is now on a three-game losing streak, and the team has blown a lead in all three defeats.

Next up for the Leafs is a clash against the red-hot Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. Connor McDavid and Co. secured their 10th straight victory on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens.

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