Manninen will be coming to North America for the first time in his lengthy career. The 30-year-old forward led Ufa Salavat Yulayev (KHL) in goals (19) and was second in points (32) in 38 games a season ago. He was also tied for the tournament lead with seven points in six games at the Olympics, winning gold with Finland.
Rondbjerg nearly split his time evenly between the NHL and AHL in 2022. With the Golden Knights he played almost exclusively on the fourth line, posting six points (2G / 4A) in 30 games while averaging just 10:01 TOI/gm. Entering 2022-23, Rondbjerg will likely be vying for one of the final roster spots on the Golden Knights' opening night roster.
Howden was originally not qualified by the Golden Knights but ended up signing a one-year deal to stay with the team. Howden, who was a first-round pick in 2016, has never lived up to the offensive potential he flashed in the WHL. He's played almost exclusively as a fourth-line centre and will likely continue to do so in 2022-23.
Smith has been with the Golden Knights since the beginning but his production has being to slip recently. He posted a career-high 60 points in 2018 and career-best 27 goals in 2020, however he has just 30 goals and 33 assists (63 points) in his last 109 games combined over the last two seasons. He'll still be a top-6 player for the Golden Knights in 2022-23 and has some bounce-back potential if his on-ice SH% comes back up to double-digits.
Davies appeared in six games with Nashville in 2022 but spent most of his time in Milwaukee (AHL). He had six goals and 25 assists (31 points) in 54 AHL games and will likely report to Rochester (AHL) to start 2022-23.
The Maple Leafs are locked into second place in the Atlantic Division, so there's nothing for them to play for tonight. In addition to Marner, Auston Matthews and John Tavares will also sit out.
With some of the Devils forward out with an illness, Holtz will suit up for his eighth career NHL game on Thursday. The 20-year-old, who has 26 goals with 25 assists (51 points) in 52 AHL games this season, will skate on a line with Jesper Bratt and Jesper Boqvist.
According to the Golden Knights' press release, Lehner suffered a shoulder injury on February 9th and did his best to battle through it but determined that surgery was the best course of action. With Lehner out for the final week of the season, Jiri Patera was recalled from Henderson (AHL) and will likely serve as Logan Thompson's backup moving forward.
Lehner suffered a lower-body injury in Philadelphia on March 8th and tried playing through it but has ultimately opted for season-ending surgery. Vegas is currently two points out of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference and will rely on Logan Thompson down the stretch.
Hagg will come back out of the lineup on Thursday, serving as a healthy scratch for the second time in three games. Lucas Carlsson will replace him.
Hagg served as a healthy scratch on Sunday but will replace Petteri Lindbohm in the lineup on Tuesday. Since joining the Panthers, Hagg has one assist in 11 games while averaging 12:43 TOI/gm.
Lauzon took an ugly-looking fall early in Saturday's game vs. the Blackhawks and is expected to miss an extended period of time. Matt Benning replaced Lauzon in the lineup on Sunday and will likely remain in the lineup moving forward.
