The Lightning’s 7-0 loss to the Florida Panthers in the final game of the preseason will probably be best remembered for a player assisting on a goal after he was kicked out of the game. Niko Mikkola was originally granted an assist on a goal in the third period before everyone realized he wasn’t even supposed to be playing since he had received a game-misconduct earlier in the penalty-filled contest. The goal was taken off the board and the Panthers had to be content with the 7-0 win.
In that game, Boris Katchouk and Roman Schmidt both suited up for the Lightning. On Sunday, the pair were traded for each other. They had been moved to different organizations earlier in the season with Katchouk heading to Minnesota for Michael Milne and Schmidt going to Philadelphia for Ethan Sampson. Neither had made much of an impact for their new franchises at the AHL level, so they are on the move again.
Both players will report to the AHL teams for their new organizations.
Other Hockey News
How do the Lightning get better at the deadline? [Tampa Bay Times]
Face-offs and center depth. Vincent Trocheck’s name pops up, but so does Utah’s Kevin Stenlund.
NHL Trade Board 8.0 [The Athletic]
Fifty-six names on the board and Oliver Bjorkstrand’s name is nowhere to be found. As usual there are some intriguing names that might fit what the Lightning are looking for, but as always, it depends on the cost.
Kings fire Jim Hiller [Rink Royalty]
New month, new coach. With a 4-5-1 record in their last ten games, the Los Angeles Kings are in danger of slipping out of the playoff race. They are currently three points back of the Seattle Kraken for the final Wild Card spot. Making the playoffs is their priority, especially after the Artemi Panarin deal, and management has decided that D.J. Smith has a better chance of getting the team there. Love that for them.
Matthew Schaefer hits 20-goal mark [The Score]
The New York Islanders defenseman has all but wrapped up the Calder Trophy by notching his 20th tally of the season. The 18-year-old is now just three goals away from tying Brian Leetch’s rookie mark of 23 goals by a defenseman.
Penguins, Malkin extension talks may resume [Pensburgh]
The on-again, off-again nature of Evgeni Malkin’s next contract appear to be on. After it seemed like the two sides were willing to wait for the off-season to resume talks, Elliotte Friedman is reporting that they are scheduled to talk about this week. The 39-year-old forward has 13 goals and 34 assists in 44 games this season.
Crunch beat Amerks, 3-1 [Syracuse Crunch]
The Crunch are on a heater, winning 9 out of 10 games with their latest a 3-1 win over the Rochester Americans. Conor Geekie, Brendan Furry, and Jakob Pelletier all scored as Ryan Fanti stopped 20-of-21 shots.
2026 Calder Cup Playoff Primer [AHL]
It’s back! The AHL’s daily playoff update tracker is live. Standings, strength of remaining schedule, magic numbers – all in one spot.
