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Around the NHL: Crosby passes Lemieux in record book, Flames haven’t discussed extension with Andersson
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Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Jeremy Tingly
Dec 22, 2025, 09:00 ESTUpdated: Dec 22, 2025, 08:45 EST
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Welcome back to the holiday roster freeze edition of Around the NHL. We are creeping closer to the half-way mark of the 2025-26 season, and general managers throughout the league are well aware of what kind of product they’re working with this season.
Last week was a busy week in the NHL, as there were multiple trades ahead of the roster freeze. With some struggling teams and some executives desperate to make changes, expect to see a flurry of moves once the freeze is listed. We also witnessed NHL history of late and have to give flowers to one of the league’s all-time greats.
Here’s the very latest from around the NHL:

Sidney Crosby passes Mario Lemieux for eighth in all-time NHL scoring

Sidney Crosby sits atop the Pittsburgh Penguins records book as the franchise’s all-time points leader. The future Hall-of-Famer recorded two points on Sunday night against the Montreal Canadiens, and passed Mario Lemieux, becoming the Penguins’ all-time points leader, moving into eighth on the NHL’s all-time points list.
Crosby recorded points number 1,723 and 1,724 against the Canadiens and is now up to 20 goals and 37 points in 35 games this season. The Penguins’ legend is now only 31 points away from tying Detroit Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman for seventh on the all-time list.
The 38-year-old Crosby has shown no signs of slowing down this season, and has his Penguins battling it out for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. While a lot of the attention is on Crosby in Pittsburgh, everything changes in February, when he’s captain of Team Canada’s Olympic team, in hopes of bringing back another gold medal for his country.

Rasmus Andersson hasn’t heard from Flames GM Craig Conroy

The Calgary Flames have been rumored to be involved in trade talks on defenceman Rasmus Andersson, and by the looks of how things are shaping up, a trade should be expected in the coming weeks. Andersson spoke after Saturday’s game as a guest on Scott Oake’s After Hours, as hasn’t heard from Flames’ GM Craig Conroy, and when asked about how extension talks are going, the right-handed defenceman cleared the air.
“It takes two to tango, that’s all I’ll say.”
Andersson is having a great season for the Flames, leading the team in minutes played, adding 25 points in 36 games, while playing in all situations. He eats minutes, loves to block shots and  join the rush. There’s been plenty of rumours flying around about potential trade destinations and the Toronto Maple Leafs, Dallas Stars, and Carolina Hurricanes are three teams to keep an eye on.

Quick hits from around the NHL

  • Mason Marchment scored in his first game with the Columbus Blue Jackets, after joining the team in a trade from the Seattle Kraken that involved two draft picks heading west.
  • Jarmo Kekalainen made his first change since taking over control of the Buffalo Sabres, firing associate general manager Jason Karmanos on Saturday. Marc Bergevin joined the Sabres as associate GM. The Sabres have won six games in a row and are just three points out of a playoff spot. Kekalainen would like to re-sign pending UFA Alex Tuch.
  • New York Rangers captain J.T Miller is out several weeks with an upper-body injury. He is expected to be ready for the Olympics in February.
  • Chicago Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar is out for roughly a month after taking a slap shot to the face over the weekend.
  • A lot of rumors circulating that the St. Louis Blues could be open to moving Jordan Kyrou and Justin Faulk ahead of this season’s trade deadline.
  • Edmonton Oilers goaltender Tristan Jarry is going to miss multiple weeks after sustaining a non-contact lower-body injury. The Oilers are going with Calvin Pickard and Connor Ingram while they wait out Jarry’s IR stint.
  • The Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks have combined for just one loss since the Quinn Hughes trade went down, talk about a win-win transaction.
  • After landing Stuart Skinner and Brett Kulak, there’s speculation that Kyle Dubas could look to flip both players as trade assets ahead of March’s deadline.
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