#brayden-yager

#brayden-yager

Having previously played for the San Jose Sharks' developmental program, Landon Marleau eventually started playing for the Wellington Dukes of the Ontario Junior Hockey League before recently getting called up by the Kingston Frontenacs. During his debut, which saw the Frontenacs lose 3-2 to the Brantford Bulldogs, Landon Marleau registered two shots, with one of them being a scoring chance.

As the Olympic roster freeze nears, more and more players are rumored to be available. One that caught our attention was Shane Wright in Seatlle, who would be the perfect Rangers trade target. Seattle is rumored to be dangling Wright in exchange for a "legitimate top six threat," which the Rangers just so happen to have available right now. As Chris Drury wants the Rangers to become younger and faster, it's hard to find a more perfect Rangers trade target

With the NHL not happening due to the 2026 Winter Olympics, more eyes were on the AHL All-Star Showcase taking place during their break. And the Toronto Maple Leafs' representative absolutely shone above the rest. Toronto Marlies netminder Artur Akhtyamov was chosen to be the member of the Leafs organization that went to Rockford, Illinois to play in an East vs. West matchup and during the skill competition went completely off. The 24-year-old Russian goalie shut the door in just about every opportunity he had.

On Monday, news emerged that the San Jose Sharks had placed veteran forward Jeff Skinner on waivers for the purpose of contract termination. The move was mildly surprising considering that Skinner signed a one-year, $3 million contract this season. As such, terminating his contract would mean leaving a fair chunk of those $3 million on the table. At the same time, it makes sense that Skinner would take this route. The Sharks will likely be looking to move him at the NHL trade deadline.

Is there more than 100%? he asked with a laugh after backstopping the U.S. past Germany in the round-robin finale. I feel good. It's pretty hot out there. I'm sweating a lot now I have to stand around and do a bunch of (interviews), so I'm going to chill now. I guess I'm at 99% right now as we speak. But, yeah, I feel good out there.

After the skate, Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill provided a somewhat cautious update on Kaiser's status. He said Kaiser will not be available coming out of the break, but the coach does expect Kaiser to play again this season. That's good news. Kaiser, 23, ranks third among Blackhawks defensemen averaging 19:10 per game. He's emerged as a key part of the Blackhawks' exceptional penalty kill, averaging 2:00 per game short-handed.

As mentioned, there were expectations for him to be a top blueliner on the Leafs, along with former young prospect Rasmus Sandin, who was also envisioned as a top blueliner for the team. Niemela was mainly praised for the way he moves the puck as a defenceman. He also showed great vision and was able to make a pass whenever it was possible. He was also seen as someone who wasn't afraid to take a shot on goal and walk into the slot.

In 53 games played this season, Guenther has posted 45 points, with 11 multi-point efforts. Guenther has scored in 19 of 53 games this season, and had multiple goals in three of those games. Guenther has 23 goals on the season, and has fired off 170 shots, successful on 13.5% of them.

As we inch closer to the end of January, the excitement builds for NHL players to return to the Olympics. But, for fans of teams that don't have any/many players headed to Italy for the Games, it's also a fun time to start talking about two other subjects: the trade deadline, and breaking down mock drafts. I've been writing mock drafts throughout the season ( my most recent), so don't worry about my specific picks.

"If we want to become the elite team that we think we can be with the group that we have, we just can't play that way. We have to learn from it, sooner rather than later. A lot of credit to our guys to be able to come back like that and get four important points against a team that's playing desperate." - John Gruden