NHL hot topics: Panarin destinations, Doughty's recent play, and more

Combining his own perspective with what he's been hearing from those in and around the game, senior NHL writer John Matisz breaks down the hot topics across the hockey landscape.

Ranking 10 Panarin destinations

Artemi Panarin, the crown jewel of trade assets for the retooling Rangers, is in complete control.

The pending unrestricted free agent is being held out of New York's lineup until further notice to avoid injury. His contract includes a full no-move clause. And his representation is talking directly to interested teams in hopes of facilitating a contract extension as part of what will surely be a massive trade.

For all intents and purposes, Panarin is a midseason free agent.

Nearly half of the league has reportedly "expressed interest" in acquiring the premier playmaker, though his $11.6-million cap hit complicates any deal.

As a follow-up to colleague Sean O'Leary's Panarin landing spots piece from Jan. 17, here's a ranking of 10 destinations. They're in order of most likely to appeal to Panarin based on what we know about the 34-year-old winger.

1. Kings: cosmopolitan city, money to spend, desperate for scoring.
2. Panthers: winning culture, Russian ties, nice weather, low taxes.
3. Sharks: money to spend, young core led by Macklin Celebrini.
4. Islanders: no moving required, core led by Matthew Schaefer.
5. Lightning: same as Panthers but better long-term cap picture.
6. Red Wings: ascendent Original Six club.
7. Capitals: need for Alex Ovechkin successor.
8. Wild: Stanley Cup contender with Russians.
9. Stars: long Cup contention window.
10. Mammoth: need for veteran producer.

Rookie Wallstedt on the trade block?

Earlier this week, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman and The Athletic's Michael Russo floated Jesper Wallstedt's name as a potential trade chip for the Wild.

Minnesota selected Wallstedt 20th overall in the 2021 draft. The Swedish netminder is in the middle of a fantastic rookie season - .914 save percentage, four shutouts, and 18.7 goals saved above expected in 22 appearances.

The 31-14-10 Wild sit second in the Central Division. General manager Bill Guerin needs a top-six center and is motivated to stay aggressive following the grand-slam acquisition of Quinn Hughes. Hughes may eventually re-sign, but as of now, he's set to hit unrestricted free agency in 2027, meaning the Wild are guaranteed just two playoff runs (at most) with the superstar defenseman.

The Wild have a starting goalie in Filip Gustavsson, who's 27 and under contract through 2030-31. So I get why Wallstedt isn't an untouchable piece. But trading a 23-year-old with so much promise would be extremely risky.

"It's interesting," texted a member of an Eastern Conference front office. Having two starter-caliber goalies under 30 is "an embarrassment of riches that will get expensive quick, so I can understand leveraging it. The funny thing is, I think I would probably rather keep and build around Wallstedt?"

My two cents: Guerin shouldn't trade Wallstedt unless the center coming back is a proven, relatively young first-line pivot 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 in Buffalo on Thursday to evaluate his own game a couple of weeks out from the start of the men's tournament in Italy, Doughty let out a big sigh.

"I'm not doing well at all offensively," the Kings defenseman told theScore prior to a 4-1 loss to the Sabres. "But the sad thing is that I do feel like I'm playing really good hockey. I'm moving better. Yeah, I'm not at all happy with my production, but I am happy with my defensive game. I need to really play well these last five games."

Doughty, who turned 36 in December, failed to record a point against the Sabres to extend his pointless skid to 14 games, including all 13 following Canada's roster reveal. Is the issue puck luck? Poor play? A mix of both?

"I could definitely do more. I'm probably not getting some of the bounces, too," said Doughty, before adding that reduced power-play time doesn't help.

"But, no, that's on me," he continued. "I'm definitely creating some 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 being strictly defensive.

"That's all it'll be, and I've focused on that. Every night, I have the toughest matchups. I thrive on them and usually do a pretty good job of shutting down the other team's best players. And that's why Team Canada took me."

Off-side D-man duty a serious test

Prediction: There will be plenty of discussion about defensemen playing their off-sides during the Olympics. Canadian Shea Theodore, American Jake Sanderson, Swede Rasmus Dahlin, and Finn Miro Heiskanen all shoot left but could easily end up playing the entire tournament on the right side.

There are advantages and disadvantages to being a lefty RD or righty LD.

Atop the advantages: It's infinitely easier to fire off a high-quality one-timer.

"The challenges are more on the defensive side," Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, who's frequently played on his off-side over a 10-year career, said.

Sergachev is a left-shot defenseman, which means 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 instance, his stick shades toward the goal line, not the blue line. This subtle difference opens a passing lane on his left side, allowing the offensive player to funnel the puck into the slot more easily.

"It's tough for me in that specific situation because my stick is pointing to the outside (away from the high-danger area), not the inside," Sergachev said.

Overall, a defenseman playing his off-side is often forced into using his backhand - to pick up pucks off the wall, break up zone entries, make passes in transition - which is not ideal. It's awkward, unnatural, and anxiety-inducing.

There's minimal time and space in NHL games. If the 4 Nations Face-Off was any preview of what Olympic hockey might look like, oh boy, are we in for a fast-paced, tight-checking two weeks of action. Good luck, off-side D-men.

Schaefer's the full package - and more

Matthew Schaefer is apparently a man of his word.

The Islanders have swept their season series with the Rangers for the first time since 2017-18 - just as Schaefer half-jokingly predicted at the 2025 draft.

"We're going to beat the Rangers every time we play them," the first overall pick said last June. On Thursday, Schaefer added this playful jab after a 2-1 Isles win at Madison Square Garden: "Our fans are way louder than theirs."

On top of acing the eye test every single night, Schaefer's up to 14 goals and 22 assists for 36 points in 54 games while skating 24 minutes a night. The Isles are plus-13 with him on the ice at five-on-five - tops on the team.

Infectious personality, superstar talent - what's not to love about this kid?

My favorite tidbit: Schaefer, the NHL's youngest player, leads all defensemen in penalty differential. He's drawn 29 minor penalties - trailing only Connor McDavid (32) and Macklin Celebrini (31) - while taking 14 himself. That plus-15 differential is almost double No. 2 blue-liner Philip Broberg's plus-eight mark.

Breakouts powering Buffalo's run

The Sabres are on the heater of heaters - 20 wins in 24 games since Dec. 9.

Two weeks ago, I wrote about 23-year-old Josh Doan and his shift-to-shift two-way impact helping the rest of the forward group click into place. Noah Ostlund is another youngster breaking out - albeit in a more understated way.

Ostlund, who's up to 18 points in 41 games at center and wing, was best known coming into the year for his offensive instincts and creative playmaking. But the 21-year-old rookie has gained a reputation for savvy off-puck play. He's leveraging hockey IQ to be in the right place at the right time.

"He reads the game really well, supports the puck really well in the defensive zone," Sabres forward Beck Malenstyn said. "If you get into a spot where you're under pressure, scrambling a bit, you can trust that he's going to go to the exact place the coaching staff wants a player in that scenario to go. If we're trying to execute an east-west breakout play, and I'm getting pinned in the corner, I can trust that he's going to be there as a safety valve.”

On one hand, former GM Kevyn Adams must be face-palming every time he tunes into a Sabres broadcast. He was fired three games into the epic run.

On the other hand, Adams can point to 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 deep Atlantic

We've been waiting years for this kind of season in the Atlantic Division - one in which the old and new guards collide to make a mess of the standings.

The 2025-26 Atlantic is shaping up to be one of the NHL's deepest divisions since the four-division format was introduced in 2013-14. All eight teams, from first-place Tampa Bay (.692) to last-place Toronto (.528), boast a points percentage of .500 or higher at roughly the two-thirds mark of the season. Toronto owns a higher PTS% than seven teams from across the league.

The 2013-14 Central, 2014-15 Central, 2018-19 Central, and 2019-20 Central are the only divisions with comparable one-to-eight depth. The '14-15 Central, which featured the Cup-winning Blackhawks, was absolutely stacked:

The 2025-26 Atlantic is a slightly different story, as the Maple Leafs and seventh-place Senators are staying afloat mostly thanks to overtime losses.

Given Toronto's current skid (one win in nine games) and general direction (probable trade deadline sellers), the Leafs likely drop below .500 soon.

What do you want to know, hockey fans?

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