Moving Ekblad to LTIR opens up $7.5M in cap relief ahead of Monday's trade deadline. Ekblad will miss the rest of the regular season but should be ready to go for the first round of the playoffs. Losing Ekblad will hurt down the stretch but they are expected to use the cap-space to add Robert Hagg from Buffalo and could add more before the deadline.

Ekblad left Thursday's game and was unable to put any weight on his right leg, so overall this is positive news. Head coach Andrew Brunette said that they will know more once the swelling goes down. Ben Chiarot will meet the Panthers in Montreal and will likely make his debut, replacing Ekblad in the lineup. Mackenzie Weegar is expected to take his spot on PP1.

Ekblad could not put any weight on his right leg as he was helped off of the ice in the first period of Friday's game in Anaheim. Given Ekblad's long history of serious injuries, there was cause for concern. Head coach Andrew Brunette told reporters post-games that there was no structural damage and it was "positive news tonight and we'll go from there." All-in-all, it sounds like Ekblad avoided another serious injury and won't be sidelined long-term.

Sturm, who was acquired from Minnesota for Tyson Jost on Tuesday, will start his Avalanche career on the third line with Alex Newhook and J.T. Compher on his wings. Sturm has scored 20 goals with 16 assists (36 points) in 111 career NHL games.

Puljujarvi has missed the last 12 games with a lower-body injury but is expected to play Thursday vs. the Sabres. Puljujarvi skated on a line with Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman in Wednesday's practice and re-joins the team with 12 goals and 16 assists (28 points) in 46 games this season.

Bobrovsky was announced as the Panthers' starter on Monday but woke up feeling a little "under the weather" which is why Spencer Knight ended up getting the call in San Jose. Head coach Andrew Brunette said there is "no concern" regarding Bobrovsky's health.

The Avalanche frees up $1.275 million in AAV with this swap and acquire a bigger centre to play in their bottom-6. Sturm was an undrafted free agent out of Clarkson University, who has scored nine goals with eight assists (17 points) in 53 games with the Wild this season.

It's unclear when Bjornfot picked up an injury but he will not play Tuesday vs. the Avalanche. The injuries continue to pile up for the Kings, who will replace Bjornfot with Christian Wolanin.

Lundell will miss his second straight game with a lower-body injury but the Panthers are hopeful that he will be able to travel to California for a seven-game road trip that starts on Sunday.