Stunned to the very core, the Beleaguered Blueshirts have to wonder whether –  s the fabled Chicken Little predicted.

You have to wonder – kidding, of course – whether the American Hockey League would allow an even-up trade, Hartford Wolfpack for the New York Rangers? (Just a joke Jim.) 

Losing all four games to the Islanders this season – last one on Thursday night had to be the utter humiliation.

Remember, The Hockey News Yearbook pegged the Blueshirts to finish fourth in the Metro and the Islanders seventh. (Doesn't look like that scenario will happen, does it?)

Most compelling will be the Rangers latest passion play unfolding today in Pittsburgh. Let's not forget The Hockey News Yearbook also had the Penguins in eighth place; ergo the cellar, where the Seventh Avenue Skaters happen to be shoveling coal. (Oops! It hit the goal post.)

Here's the fact that blows up in the Blueshirts' mug. Last summer the Pitt brass dumped Mike Sullivan and hired former Ranger aide Dan (Dan Who?) Muse to rule the Penguins' bench.

The result is that the musical Muse has his Pens hellbent for a playoff berth and  while we know where Salad-Quote-Sully has his losers,

Even with Sidney Crosby, Geno Malkin and Kris Letang, Sully could do nothing. Zippo, nada playoffs for three straight years; four if you count this Sighted-Sub-Sank-Same imitation of a major league team.

Now, all of a sudden, the trio of future Hall of Fame Penguins are swimming up to a winning iceberg that almost resembles a Stanley Cup.

The Maven asked his favorite Pitt hockey guru Vince Comunale to compare Muse with New York's Great Pretender, Sullivan.

"Muse lets his guys play to their strengths – and not try to fit them into a style that Sullivan wanted to play," says Comunale. "Dan has put his players in roles where they can thrive."

Sully has put his players in a position where they don't know Madison Square Garden from The Planet Mars.

And if you don't believe me, check out the game today at PPG Paints Arena. WARNING: It may move you to tears!

The Marty Party is on hold for at least one game.

Colorado Avalanche forward Martin Necas is out of today’s lineup due to a lower-body injury but is listed as day-to-day.

The 27-year-old skated in Thursday’s 7-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre, where he fired three shots on goal but failed to register a point.

In Wednesday’s game against the Ottawa Senators, Necas absorbed a hard reverse hit from Artem Zub, which left him sprawled on the ice. He was briefly evaluated in the tunnel before returning to the contest. It remains unclear if today’s injury is connected to that incident.

Martin Necas 🔁 Artem Zub • #HFhits#NHL#GoAvsGo 🆚 #GoSensGo • 2026 JAN 28
Vid via @sportsnet / u/noclip pic.twitter.com/XcnZr8TrGE

— HockeyFights.com (@hockeyfights) January 29, 2026

The Avalanche currently lead the Detroit Red Wings 2-0 after one period.

Nothing has seemed to phase the Buffalo Sabres over the last seven weeks, as the hottest club in the NHL has gone 20-3-1 since early December, in spite of a variety of injuries to key players. One player who seemed to help spur Buffalo’s 10-game winning streak was center Josh Norris.

The 26-year-old forward missed two months after suffering an upper-body injury in the season opener against the NY Rangers, and averaged nearly a point-per-game in 19 games before suffering a rib injury in a victory over Philadelphia on January 14. 

Norris skated at the Sabres morning skate prior to their Saturday matchup against Montreal, a sign that he is close to returning to the lineup, but with just four games remaining before the Olympic hiatus, some consideration has been given to holding Norris out until after the break in late February. 

"I don't know. We've talked about both situations, but I think if you're ready to go, then you're not just going to sit out. So when I feel like I'm 100%, then I'm going to play." Norris said."(It was) a hockey play, happens all the time during the game, and just happened to catch me at the wrong point." 

Other Sabres Stories

Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

After Saturday’s key matchup with the Habs (who are tied with the Sabres at 67 points), Buffalo has back-to-back road games in Florida against the Panthers on Monday and Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, before their final contest before the break against Pittsburgh next Thursday. 

"Obviously, (it’s) a great step getting him back out there. He's been skating a few days on his own, (today was the) first day with the team, and then he’ll get a practice in tomorrow, and just keep evaluating and see where we're at." Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said. "If you're not chomping (at the bit), you're in the wrong place, for sure. When you're hurt, you want to get back.....You want to get back as soon as you feel you're healthy enough to play." 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo

Brent Burns got the party started just 6:44 into the game after MacKinnon shoveled a pass to him following a broken play at the point. Burns walked the puck in and snapped a shot over Gibson’s glove to give Colorado the early lead.

For the 40-year-old Burns, it marked his 270th career goal, tying him with Bobby Orr for seventh on the all-time list amongst defensemen. 

Shortly after, Josh Manson was sent to the box for holding Andrew Copp, but Colorado’s penalty kill—struggling in recent games—successfully killed the infraction.

MacKinnon then took control of the puck, maneuvered around two defenders, and circled the offensive zone until he found an opening, firing a wrister off the post and in to make it 2-0. Just over 10 minutes into the game, he already had a goal and an assist.

Colorado continued to apply pressure, and with about nine minutes remaining in the period, Parker Kelly ripped a slap shot that hit the post, leaving the Avs just inches away from a 3-0 lead in the opening period. 

With 3:15 left in the period, Kelly was sent to the penalty box after former Av J.T. Compher stepped on his stick and went down, drawing a tripping penalty and giving Detroit their second power play of the game.

Second Period

1:24 into the second period, Brock Nelson, after being knocked to the ice following a hit into the boards, recovered the puck and fed a perfect pass to Colton, who beat Gibson to make it 3-0. After going 20 games without a goal, Colton has now found the back of the net in two consecutive contests.

Just over a minute later, the Avalanche went on the power play after Red Wings defenseman Erik Gustafsson tripped and sent Kelly airborne. Despite several chances, including a MacKinnon setup for Valeri Nichushkin on a backdoor tap-in, the Avs were unable to convert on the man advantage.

Following a neutral-zone turnover, the Avalanche quickly countered, with Artturi Lehkonen setting up Nathan MacKinnon for a one-timer from the left circle. MacKinnon blasted it past Gibson for his NHL-leading 40th goal of the season with 6:27 remaining in the second period.

With 2:47 left in the period, J.T. Compher gave the Avalanche a power play after tripping Kelly. Earlier in the game, Kelly had been penalized for tripping Compher. The Avs nearly broke their power-play curse, but MacKinnon missed a wide-open net that would have given him a hat trick on the night. Detroit quickly countered on a 2-on-1 rush, but Emmitt Finnie hit the post. Moments later, a fight erupted behind the net, with Brock Nelson and Compher both serving matching minors from the skirmish.

Third Period

Blackwood was outstanding all game, but his best save came around the seven-minute mark of the third period, when he robbed Detroit forward James van Riemsdyk with a beautiful glove save. A lucky bounce left the puck on van Riemsdyk's tape, but his shot went straight into Blackwood’s glove.

On the very next play, Colorado put the game out of reach. Kelly jammed one home to make it 5-0. Jack Drury dumped the puck in from the point, and Joel Kiviranta got his stick on it, passing it to Kelly. Kelly attempted to deke past Gibson, but the shot was initially stopped by the pad. Undeterred, Kelly continued to whack at the puck with his backhand until it crossed the goal line.

That was Kelly’s 12th goal of the season, continuing what has been a career-best campaign.

The Colorado Avalanche will be looking to close out this road trip with a win, but it’s been a frustrating stretch.

Colorado Avalanche

After blazing out to a 31‑2‑7 start, the Avalanche have struggled mightily over their last 12 games. Since a comeback victory at Carolina on January 3, they’ve gone just 4‑6‑2. Where they once lost by three goals only once in their first 44 contests, the Avs have now dropped four games by three or more goals in their last eight games — including a lopsided 7‑3 defeat to Montreal on Thursday evening.

The Avs take on the Detroit Red Wings from Little Caesars Arena at 11 a.m. local time and with one less extra player. Martin Necas suffered an injury in the Montreal game and will not start today. That adds insult to injury as captain Gabriel Landeskog and star defenseman Devon Toews remain out of the lineup with injuries.

Avs Projected Lineup

Forwards

Artturi Lehkonen - Nathan MacKinnon - Valeri Nichushkin

Ross Colton - Brock Nelson - Victor Olofsson

Parker Kelly - Jack Drury - Joel Kiviranta

Taylor Makar- Zakhar Bardakov - Gavin Brindley

Defensemen

Sam Malinski - Cale Makar

Josh Manson - Brent Burns

Keaton Middleton - Sam Girard

Goalies

Mackenzie Blackwood

Scott Wedgewood

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings have gone 6‑2‑2 over their last ten games. However, Detroit has dropped their last two contests, falling 3‑1 to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday and losing 4‑3 in a shootout to the Washington Capitals on Thursday. Despite the setbacks, right winger Patrick Kane reached a major milestone, recording the 1,375th point of his career to become the highest-scoring American-born player in NHL history, surpassing former Red Wing Mike Modano.

Defenseman Simon Edvinsson, who missed his fifth consecutive game on Thursday night due to a lower-body injury, was placed on injured reserve and will remain sidelined through the Olympic break, which concludes for the Red Wings on February 26. 

On Thursday, the Wings recalled forward Sheldon Dries and defenseman Justin Holl from their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. However, Holl was just sent back to the AHL this morning without playing a single game, so it appears they're going to stick with Erik Gustafsson. 

Wings Projected Lineup

Forwards

Marco Kasper - Dylan Larkin - Lucas Raymond

Alex DeBrincat - Andrew Copp - Patrick Kane

Emmitt Finnie - J.T. Compher - James van Riemsdyk

Elmer Söderblom - Michael Rasmussen - Mason Appleton

Defense

Jacob Bernard-Docker - Moritz Seider

Axel Sandin-Pellikka - Ben

Johansson - Travis Hamonic

Goalies

John Gibson

Cam Talbot

It’s been two years since the Vancouver Canucks acquired Elias Lindholm from the Calgary Flames in exchange for Andrei Kuzmenko, Hunter Brzustewicz, Joni Jurmo, and a 2024 first-round pick. While Lindholm departed from the Canucks organization only a few months after being acquired, some pieces acquired by the Flames have remained within their organization. Here’s a look at where all five pieces of this trade are now. 

Elias Lindholm Would Be A Welcome Piece In Vancouver’s Centre Depth

Lindholm’s first year as a member of the Boston Bruins, who he signed with during the 2024 off-season, didn’t exactly go as planned. The centre finished the season with 17 goals and 30 assists throughout a full 82 games — not ideal considering his past offensive abilities with the Flames. However, it appears things are starting to shift for Lindholm now, as the centre has put up 11 goals and 26 assists in 44 games this season. While this point total puts him ahead of any Canucks so far this season, Lindholm is also currently playing in a first-line centre role alongside David Pastrňák and Morgan Geekie. His linemates if he were still in Vancouver would likely be much different. 

Andrei Kuzmenko Is On His Fourth NHL Team In As Many Years

Vancouver was the first NHL team that Kuzmenko played for before he was traded to the Flames in January 2024. However, since then, the forward also made his way to the Philadelphia Flyers before finally appearing to settle down with the Los Angeles Kings. Kuzmenko played alright during his first 22 regular season games with the Kings, scoring five goals and 12 assists, but proved to the Kings why they acquired him with a three-goal, three-assist effort in six playoff games. As a result, Kuzmenko signed a one-year, $4.3M contract with Los Angeles that will make him a free-agent at the end of this season. He currently has 11 goals and 10 assists in 47 games throughout 2025–26.      

Hunter Brzustewicz Is Carving Out Some NHL Playing Time With The Flames

After making his NHL debut on April 17, 2025 against the Kings, it looks like Brzustewicz is getting his first look at an extended period of NHL minutes. The defenceman made his season debut for the Flames on December 10 and has stuck in Calgary’s lineup primarily since then. With Jake Bean on the IR and Zayne Parekh taking part in a conditioning stint after dealing with an injury, Brzustewicz has been playing on the Flames’ third-pairing, putting up a goal and an assist throughout 18 games. In his 23 AHL games played with the Calgary Wranglers this season, Brzustewicz has four goals and eight assists. 

After Some Time With The Flames Organization, Joni Jurmo Has Returned To Finland 

Jurmo is the last player who was sent to Calgary in exchange for Lindholm. The defenceman spent one season with the Flames organization before making his return to Finland, where he currently plays for Kiekko-Espoo in Liiga. His time with the Flames was split between the Wranglers and the Rapid City Rush in the ECHL, the latter of which saw him score two goals and eight assists in 12 games. After this season, Calgary put Jurmo on unconditional waivers with the purpose of terminating his contract despite his deal carrying only one more year on it. 

Vancouver’s 2024 First-Round Pick Turned Into A Surprising Prospect  

The most intriguing part of Calgary’s return in the Lindholm trade may very well be the first-round pick they snagged from Vancouver during it. The pick, which ended up at 28th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, was ultimately used by the Flames to select forward Matvei Gridin. Gridin played for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL and Shawinigan Cataractes of the QMJHL before joining the Flames organization in 2025–26. He scored his first NHL goal in his NHL debut on October 8 against the St. Louis Blues, playing in a total of four games before being sent down to the Wranglers. Calgary has since called Gridin up, with the forward having played with the team since the middle of January. 

There are pros and cons for both teams when it comes to the repercussions of this trade. On one hand, Lindholm was one of the Canucks’ top performers during their 2024 playoff run, but ultimately was with Vancouver for less than six months. Calgary has only retained two parts of this particular trade, though they acquired two big pieces to their forward core when they traded Kuzmenko. Overall, Calgary was the team to win this trade given the pieces they have managed to keep as well as those they acquired in return for those that were flipped. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site: 

Canucks Defenceman Tom Willander Is Keeping Things Candid In His First NHL Season

Canucks Boeser Not Expected To Play Before Olympic Break

Former Canucks Captain Bo Horvat Is On Pace To Shatter His Career Goal-Scoring Averages

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

Marc-Andre Fleury retired from hockey after the 2024-25 season but that hasn't stopped him from lacing up the skates during the 2025-26 season. 

Fleury, 41, retired after playing in 26 games for Minnesota last year and 1,051 career NHL games.

In his last season, Fleury went 14-9-1 with a 2.93 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage.

He even started the season off by playing a preseason game for the Pittsburgh Penguins. But has since said he is retired and won't play in the NHL.

That isn't stopping him from strapping the pads on.

The future Hall of Famer has been on the ice many times this year. He has played in alumni games and has regularly been on the ice for practices with the Wild.

how retirement is going: https://t.co/pdKvDXuI9Cpic.twitter.com/XYXFQlyygL

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) January 29, 2026

Not only has he been to most home games and been shadowing Wild General Manager Bill Guerin, Fleury also will practice with injured players who are in Minnesota when the team is on the road.

A few days ago he actually was on the ice for the Wild's practice and did not look out of place. There is no question he would still be good enough to play.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

Recent Wild Stories

Wild Expected To Pass On New York Rangers' Star Artemi PanarinThe Minnesota Wild aren't pursuing a trade for star winger Artemi Panarin, squashing recent rumors and trade speculation.

- Quinn Hughes Breaks Franchise Record In 18th Game.

- Immediate Impact: Quinn Hughes' Start With The Wild Has Been Historically Fast.

- 'You Want To Get Out Of Your Zone': Why Quinn Hughes Changes The Game For The Wild.

- 'We Want To Compete For The Stanley Cup': Why Bill Guerin Went All In.