Samuel Ersson

Alexis Lafrenière exploits Samuel Ersson's glove side to put the Rangers up early against Philly in a heated rivalry tilt. Rangers coaches have dialed in his net-front presence since the Olympics, turning him into a deadline darling. The Flyers' penalty kill faces a stern test here, with Broadway breathing down their necks for divisional supremacy.

The Flyers roll into Madison Square Garden with Travis Konecny leading the charge on a 25-20-11 record, facing a Rangers squad mired at 22-29-6 and desperate to snap their slide. Artemi Panarin's 57 points clash against Konecny's 54 in a matchup where Philly's injury woes - Ersson out, Foerster sidelined - test their depth against New York's home struggles.

The Oilers quietly shop Andrew Mangiapane as they clear cap space post-Olympics, with his dismal minus-21 and 12 points in 49 games screaming for a fresh start. Vancouver lurks as a sneaky suitor, eyeing the 29-year-old's $3.6 million deal as low-risk filler for their rebuild, maybe even snagging a draft pick sweetener from desperate Edmonton.

Philadelphia pulls Aleksei Kolosov back from Lehigh Valley as Samuel Ersson nurses a lower-body injury from the Bruins game. The 24-year-old goalie, who's seen multiple stints this season with shaky NHL numbers, steps in as insurance while the Flyers shuffle the crease post-Olympic break. With Ersson's status murky and the Penguins up next, Kolosov's recall tests Philly's depth in a crowded net battle.

The Toronto Maple Leafs stare down a goalie logjam as Dennis Hildeby surges into the NHL picture amid injuries to Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll, prompting front offices to whisper about shaking things up before the deadline. Philadelphia eyes Stolarz as a stabilizing force in their creaky net, where Dan Vladar carries too much load and Samuel Ersson falters badly.

Flyers fans keep flooding my inbox with the big questions as the deadline looms - who steps up in net from the prospect pipeline, how does Briere land that elusive No. 1 center to unlock Cutter Gauthier and Matvei Michkov, and does Charlie Thomas have the size and snarl to be the perfect puzzle piece up front? I've been whispering with Tortorella's staff, and the goalie carousel spins faster than Ersson's glove hand when they're debating call-ups versus trades.