Blue Jackets Activate Erik Gudbranson
The Columbus Blue Jackets will return a veteran defenseman to the lineup tonight. According to team reporter Jeff Svoboda, the Blue Jackets will activate Erik Gudbranson for tonight’s matchup against the Vancouver Canucks.
Gudbranson, 34, has not played in an NHL contest since shortly before Halloween. He’s been dealing with a hip injury that has cost him much of the 2025-26 campaign.
That has been the status quo for Gudbranson throughout the final two years of his four-year, $16MM contract with Columbus. The veteran defenseman also lost much of the 2024-25 season, finishing with four assists in 16 games, averaging 17:46 of ice time per game.
Given that he’s carried major injury concerns since the end of the 2023-24 season and hasn’t been particularly good when healthy, Gudbranson will likely serve in a depth role for the foreseeable future. Still, the Blue Jackets are dealing with other injuries and ailments on their blue line, which will allow Gudbranson to have consistent ice time in the near future.
Regardless, Columbus will have to make a corresponding roster move to make Gudbranson’s activation official. That will likely result in the demotion of defenseman Dysin Mayo, whom the team recalled yesterday on an emergency basis. Mayo played in the Blue Jackets’ win over the Calgary Flames a few days ago, earning a +1 rating while playing in 8:03 of the action.
Avalanche Reassign Ivan Ivan, Recall Zakhar Bardakov
Jan. 15th: As expected, the Avalanche announced that they’ve recalled Bardakov ahead of tomorrow’s contest against the Nashville Predators.
Jan. 13th: The Colorado Avalanche have shedded a few depth forwards from their active roster. According to a team announcement, the Avalanche have reassigned Ivan Ivan and Zakhar Bardakov to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles.
Despite the new rules that stipulate a player must play at least one game with their respective AHL team before being eligible for recall, Colorado is in a brief window to make a “paper transaction” to accrue cap space. The Avalanche don’t play again until January 16th, and the Eagles play tonight and tomorrow at home, giving each player more than enough time to meet the requirements. Additionally, as their name alludes to, Colorado’s AHL affiliate plays approximately an hour north of Denver, making for a brief trip back to the NHL roster.
Ivan, 23, hasn’t spent as much time in the NHL as he did last season. Particularly due to multiple injuries, Ivan spent half the season with the Avalanche last year, scoring five goals and eight points throughout his rookie season, averaging 10:02 of ice time per night. Fortunately, Colorado hasn’t needed him as much this season, as he’s featured in only five contests.
Given his youth, it’s more beneficial for Ivan to play in the AHL, where he has access to more ice time. He has not exhibited the same scoring ability as in previous years, tallying only two goals and eight points in 30 games this season. Two years ago, his first with the Eagles, Ivan scored 12 goals and 31 points in 67 games.
Meanwhile, Bardakov, 24, has spent much more time in the NHL this year. Much like Ivan, he’s been used in a depth role, scoring one goal and eight points in 32 games, averaging 7:17 of ice time per night. However, unlike Ivan, the former standout for the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg has yet to appear in an AHL contest, meaning he’ll make his debut for the Eagles either today or tomorrow.
Philadelphia Flyers Recall Aleksei Kolosov
According to the AHL transactions log, the Philadelphia Flyers have recalled netminder Aleksei Kolosov from the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The transaction is linked to the Flyers’ announcement from yesterday evening, sharing that Daniel Vladař had left their game with an injury.
Kolosov, 24, was drafted with the 78th overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, being ranked as the second-best European netminder available. He spent several years with the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk, averaging a .909 SV% and 2.56 GAA across 120 games.
Despite a two-game stint with AHL Lehigh Valley in 2023-24, Kolosov’s first full season in the North American circuit came last year. He appeared in 17 games for Philadelphia, managing a 5-9-1 record with a .867 SV% and 3.59 GAA. Given how poorly all three of the Flyers’ netminders played last season, Kolosov played his part in the team eventually signing Vladař last offseason.
Fortunately, for his development, Kolosov has spent more time in the AHL this season. He appears to be gaining some confidence, posting a 9-9-1 record in 19 games with a .908 SV% and 2.54 GAA.
Unfortunately, despite Kolosov’s improvements, the team will likely be without Vladař for their next contest at the very least. He’s played a huge role in Philadelphia stabilizing their goaltending situation this year, winning 16 of 28 starts with a .905 SV% and 2.46 GAA. According to MoneyPuck, Vladař is ranked ninth out of the 57 goaltenders who have played in 15 or more games with a 9.5 Goals Saved Above Expected.
Red Wings Recall Erik Gustafsson
The Detroit Red Wings are adding some defensive depth ahead of their next contest. According to a team announcement, the Red Wings have recalled defenseman Erik Gustafsson from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins.
Gustafsson, 33, is in the final year of a two-year, $4MM contract with Detroit. After scoring six goals and 31 points in 76 games with the New York Rangers during the 2023-24 campaign, the Nynashamn, Sweden, disappointed greatly in his first season in HockeyTown.
Originally signed to be an anchor for the team’s second power-play unit, Gustafsson finished the 2024-25 season with two goals and 18 points in 60 games, averaging 16:19 of ice time per game. Of his 18 points, half of those were scored on the powerplay.
He has fallen further down the team’s depth chart this season. Despite being on a one-way contract, he and fellow veteran blue liner, Justin Holl, failed to make the Red Wings’ opening night roster out of training camp and have spent most of the year with AHL Grand Rapids.
There’s little argument that Detroit didn’t make the right decision, either. Rookie defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka is one point away from matching Gustafsson’s point totals from last season, while free agent acquisition Jacob Bernard-Docker is providing excellent play on the defensive side of the puck.
Still, Gustafsson has been providing value to the organization in some capacity. He’s the Griffins top scorer among defensemen, scoring two goals and 20 points in 22 games, helping the team to a 29-2-2-1 record to begin the season. Due to the lack of NHL playing time, Gustafsson is exploring other options, with a report from Sweden last week suggesting he is likely headed to the SHL next year.
Injury Notes: Ristolainen, Robertson, Teravainen
The Philadelphia Flyers announced tonight that defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen would miss their road contest against the Buffalo Sabres due to an upper-body injury. The Flyers have classified his injury timeline as day-to-day. Ristolainen missed the first two months of the season recovering from offseason surgery, but played in all of the Flyers’ games after making his season debut on Dec. 16. He has been the team’s No. 4 defenseman in terms of ice time this season, averaging 20:59 time on ice per game including usage on both sides of special teams.
Luckily for the Flyers, this new injury to Ristolainen comes as they get Jamie Drysdale back from injured reserve. As a result, they were able to plug Drysdale directly into the right side of their lineup, filling the hole left by Ristolainen’s absence. It’s not an exact one-to-one lineup replacement, as head coach Rick Tocchet moved Noah Juulsen onto Nick Seeler‘s pairing, in the spot Ristolainen occupied Monday night against the Lightning. Drysdale played alongside Emil Andrae. While Ristolainen has dealt with nagging injury issues over the course of his Flyers tenure, the hope will be that this new absence will be brief. He’s a key member of the team’s defense and his efforts will be necessary for the Flyers to stand the best chance of keeping pace in the hotly contested Eastern Conference playoff race.
Other injury updates from around the NHL:
- The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without forward Nick Robertson on a day-to-day basis as he manages a lower-body injury, per TSN’s Mark Masters. Robertson didn’t play yesterday against the Utah Mammoth after appearing to suffer the injury Monday against the Colorado Avalanche. Veteran Calle Jarnkrok drew into Toronto’s lineup in Robertson’s place. The 24-year-old, who was the subject of offseason trade speculation, has had a decent season, all things considered, for the Maple Leafs. He’s scored 10 goals and 22 points, just five points shy of his career-high. He’s produced at that clip despite receiving just over twelve minutes of ice time per game.
- Teuvo Teravainen, a key veteran forward for the Chicago Blackhawks, has suffered an upper-body injury and won’t be available to play in the team’s game tomorrow against the Calgary Flames. Per head coach Jeff Blashill, Teravainen is also questionable to play in the team’s game on Saturday as well. The 31-year-old hasn’t produced at quite the same rate as last season, with 21 points in 45 games. He scored 15 goals and 58 points in 2024-25. He’s nonetheless been one of the more reliable Blackhawks forwards, and is tied for fourth in scoring on the team. He’s also a useful forward on the penalty kill, ranking third among Blackhawks forwards in shorthanded time on ice per game.
Canucks Willing To Listen On Elias Pettersson
As the Vancouver Canucks continue to ponder seismic, franchise-altering changes, significant attention has been paid to the possibility of the club moving on from top center Elias Pettersson. TSN’s Darren Dreger spoke on that possibility on today’s Insider Trading segment, saying “the Vancouver Canucks are listening and will listen to interest in Pettersson.” Dreger also noted that the Canucks firmly believe that Pettersson will thrive if he ends up receiving a new opportunity and fresh start elsewhere.
This current Canucks management group, led by veteran executive Jim Rutherford and GM Patrik Allvin, is not shy about making franchise-altering deals. They traded Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild earlier this season, for example. But it’s worth noting that Hughes’ trade was, on some levels, quite a bit more straightforward than a potential Pettersson trade.
Hughes is widely considered one of the game’s best players, and he had communicated, in no uncertain terms, that he was not prepared to commit to signing an extension in Vancouver. As a result, trading Hughes became a foregone conclusion for the franchise.The Canucks were able to shift their focus to figuring out the best way to maximize their return in a Hughes deal, rather than trying to decide whether or not to trade Hughes in the first place.
Pettersson’s situation is quite a bit more complicated. First and foremost, the full no-move clause on his $11.6MM AAV deal gives the player and his representatives (led by CAA’s Pat Brisson) full control over where he is dealt to. Pettersson needs to sign off on any trade before it can be completed. Dreger reported today that the Canucks have yet to communicate with Brisson regarding specific trade possibilities.
Pettersson could very well be receptive to a whole host of trade possibilities, so the more significant complicating factor is how exactly to properly value Pettersson in a trade. Hughes’ situation was, as mentioned, far more straightforward straightforward.
He is one of the NHL’s best players and a massive offer containing high-end young talent would be necessary to acquire him. But in Pettersson’s case, he has a few competing factors clouding where his exact trade value might land.
On one hand, Pettersson seems like a hugely valuable trade asset. He’s just 27 years old, and under contract through the 2031-32 season. He also has a 102-point season on his résumé, and managed 89 points as recently as 2023-24. He’s looked like an elite No. 1 center in some years, and at worst has played like a second-line pivot.
The center market is, at the moment, defined by its scarcity. When the Philadelphia Flyers signed Christian Dvorak recently to a five-year contract extension, GM Danny Briere cited the state of the center market, and the difficulty of acquiring centers, is part of the reason why he decided to push forward with the deal.
That environment could be one the Canucks are able to leverage to gain a significant return in any Pettersson deal. Put simply: centers in their prime who have scored at a point-per-game rate simply don’t become available very often. Even with his faults, Pettersson is likely to be a coveted trade asset.
There are some headwinds, of course, complicating Pettersson’s value on the market. Like Jack Eichel before him, Pettersson as a trade target carries a notable degree of risk. For Eichel, the risk largely lay in his uncertain medical situation. For Pettersson, the uncertainty and risk is largely of an on-ice variety. Pettersson hasn’t looked like the same player over the last season and a half, and his diminished level of production reflects that.
Despite scoring at a far lower rate than the best years of his career (he’s at 28 points in 38 games this season, and scored 45 points in 64 games last year), Pettersson’s salary still reflects his early-career promise. He’s set to make $11.6MM against the cap through 2031-32. While the cap is rising and it’s a less weighty commitment than it would have been a few years ago, $11.6MM is still an enormous cap hit. A team that is interested in acquiring Pettersson runs the risk of significant financial inefficiency down the middle should Pettersson be unable to return to his prior levels of play.
To be clear, the team control afforded by Pettersson’s contract also gives the acquiring team a significant amount of potential upside with a deal. They could get a top center they don’t have to worry about re-signing for the rest of the decade and beyond. That’s an extraordinarily valuable thing for an NHL team, something that can anchor a contending lineup. But that team control also brings with it a significant amount of risk in the event Pettersson isn’t able to excel in his new environment.
Regardless of those risk factors, it still seems overwhelmingly likely that a laundry list of teams will be interested in acquiring Pettersson. He’s simply too talented, and centers of his caliber are simply too rare. It also doesn’t hurt the Canucks’ efforts that teams have found success in similar deals in the past few years, most notably including the Flyers’ recent rehabilitation of Trevor Zegras or the Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup win soon after acquiring Eichel.
But even though Pettersson will likely still command a fair amount of interest, his deal won’t be a simple one to complete. His situation in Vancouver is emerging as one of this season’s most intriguing storylines to watch.
Photos courtesy of Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Ottawa Senators Reassign Hunter Shepard
The Ottawa Senators announced today that netminder Hunter Shepard has been reassigned to the club’s AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators.
The move places veteran goalie James Reimer in a position to be the Senators’ No. 2 goalie behind Leevi Merilainen until Linus Ullmark is ready to return to the active roster. Ullmark skated with the Senators yesterday, and head coach Travis Green expressed optimism that Ullmark would be “hopefully approaching getting back with the team.” Ullmark has been on personal leave since late December.
Reimer is a veteran of 525 NHL games, and although he had a tough debut game for the Senators’ AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators, his quality 2024-25 performances suggest he’ll be able to hold his own as a stopgap NHL netminder. Reimer posted a .901 save percentage across 22 games last season with the Buffalo Sabres.
As for Shepard, this reassignment returns him to Belleville, where he’s split time with two other netminders. Shepard won back-to-back Calder Cup championships as a member of the Hershey Bears in 2023 and 2024, backstopping the Bears to the title as their No. 1 goalie each time. He hasn’t been able to translate that success to Belleville thus far, posting an .897 save percentage in 12 games.
Shepard was mostly a backup netminder during his stay on the Senators’ NHL roster, appearing in just one game. Although he didn’t play very much, Shepard did earn a real financial benefit from his recall. His one-year, two-way deal carries a $775K NHL salary and a $400K AHL salary, so he saw a notable pay raise during his time spent in Ottawa.
Now back in Belleville, he’ll hope to string together some quality performances in order to potentially earn another NHL recall, or at least position himself most favorably for his upcoming unrestricted free agency.
Minnesota Wild Recall David Spacek
The Minnesota Wild announced today that defenseman David Spacek has been recalled from their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild.
The move gives the Wild seven healthy defensemen on their active roster. Veteran Zach Bogosian, who is normally a regular fixture on their blueline, is on IR with an undisclosed injury.
This isn’t Spacek’s first recall to the Wild’s NHL roster this season. His last recall came in December, but lasted just a day. He was also recalled in November, but didn’t dress there either, serving as a healthy scratch for two games. In total, Spacek has served as a healthy scratch for three NHL games this season, and is still awaiting the chance to make his NHL debut.
Perhaps the chance for Spacek to debut for the Wild will come on this recall. 23-year-old Daemon Hunt is currently playing on the right side of Minnesota’s third pairing, but is averaging just 12:25 time on ice per game. It’s possible head coach John Hynes might give Spacek a look in that role, seeing as Spacek is a right-shot defenseman and has been a steady two-way top-four contributor at the AHL level. In 35 AHL games this season, Spacek ranks second in scoring in Iowa with 19 points. He led Iowa blueliners in scoring last season as well, managing 31 points in 72 games.
In any case, even if Spacek once again remains a healthy scratch for this recall, he won’t leave empty-handed whenever he is reassigned back to Iowa. His entry-level deal, which is set to expire this upcoming summer, carries a $775K base salary compared to a $80K AHL salary, meaning he receives a sizable pay bump for whatever time he can spend in the NHL with the Wild.
Jets’ Colin Miller Out Week-To-Week, Placed On IR
1/14/26: While Miller’s IR placement telegraphed to a certain extent that Miller’s absence would be an extended one, we now have a bit more clarity on his recovery timeline. Jets head coach Scott Arniel indicated today that Miller is week-to-week with his injury. As a result, the Jets are likely to need to increasingly rely on depth blueliners with a trio of established NHLers now sidelined on a week-to-week basis.
1/12/26: Back in action tomorrow, the Winnipeg Jets announced this afternoon that Isaak Phillips has been recalled from AHL Manitoba, while Colin Miller has landed on injured reserve.
Winnipeg, finally finding their game after an 11-game winless streak which possibly has sunk their season, has to reach deep into the organization’s defense stock for Phillips, especially with Haydn Fleury out, and Miller now banged up. If able to suit up this week, it would be Phillips’ first action as a Jet.
Miller, who has struggled considerably in what will likely be his third and final season with the team, left mid-game against New Jersey with a lower-body injury. At this point it is unclear when he will return, but with the 33-year-old a healthy scratch often, playing in just 15 games so far, it is not the biggest impact for the Jets as they desperately look to turn things around.
Phillips, 24, was acquired from Chicago just three days shy of exactly one year ago, as the team gave up prospect Dmitri Kuzmin last January to in exchange for a respectable NHL-capable depth defender. The Ontario native was a fifth round choice of Chicago in 2020, making 56 appearances for the team from 2021-2025, recording 12 points. After solid contributions for the rebuilders despite being a former fringe prospect, Phillips became expendable as he was passed up in favor of prospects with higher upside.
Since then, Phillips has yet to appear with the Jets, playing in 72 games for Manitoba over the last two seasons. A physical lefty standing at 6’3″, he earned a two year extension with Winnipeg last summer, which will keep him around through next year, followed by restricted free agent status. Interestingly, he gets the nod over other notable defenders in Manitoba. Prospect Elias Salomonsson, who last got a look in early December, will remain in the AHL, along with former standout prospects Ville Heinola and Kale Clague.
For now, Winnipeg will move forward with Phillips as a seventh defender, as Luke Schenn has re-entered the lineup, who is eager to prove himself to suitors as last week it was noted that the 36-year-old pending free agent would be open to a trade.
Naturally, Phillips figures to be the best option to come up as depth, without rocking the boat in Manitoba. The Jets will host the Islanders tomorrow, looking for their third straight win.
Calgary Flames Recall Dryden Hunt
The Calgary Flames announced today that forward Dryden Hunt has been recalled from their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers.
The move adds a healthy 13th forward to the Flames’ roster. Hunt’s served in that role before, both throughout his professional career and during his tenure in Calgary. He was last on the NHL roster in December, dressing most recently for the club’s Dec. 2 loss to the Nashville Predators.
A 30-year-old winger, Hunt has become a key depth piece in Calgary. He’s a top scorer for the Wranglers, notching with 11 goals, 31 points in 26 games this season. Last year, he managed 49 points in 49 games. Alongside being a point-per-game AHL player, Hunt is a dependable, steady fourth-line fill-in player. He brings 237 games of NHL experience to the table, including five games of playoff experience, most recently coming in 2021-22 with the New York Rangers.
While the Flames don’t appear poised to make the playoffs this season, the wealth of experience Hunt brings helps to stabilize the bottom portion of the Flames’ roster. With Calgary considering more significant trade moves to its forward corps (Blake Coleman‘s name specifically is surfacing in trade rumors), it appears likely that down the line this season, Hunt could earn an extended stay on the NHL roster.
Seeing as he’s currently playing on a two-way contract, any NHL recall comes with a very real financial benefit for Hunt. He earns a $825K NHL salary, $400K AHL salary, and a hefty $500K total guarantee in each year of his two-year deal. With each day spent on the Flames’ NHL roster, it becomes increasingly likely Hunt will be able to surpass that $500K guarantee in terms of total compensation by the end of the season. Today’s recall will certainly help him in that pursuit.
As for what role exactly Hunt might slot into within head coach Ryan Huska’s lineup, it’s likely to be a limited one. Hunt averaged 10:36 time on ice in his two prior NHL games of 2025-26, and averaged 11:39 time on ice per game in five contests in 2024-25. It’s unlikely his deployment moving forward will deviate much from that established trend.