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Snapshots: Nichushkin, Blumel, Salaries, Walcott

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The Avalanche could soon be getting a key player back in their lineup.  Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports relays (Twitter link) that winger Valeri Nichushkin was a full participant in practice today and while he won’t accompany the team on the road to play in Minnesota on Friday, he could return to the lineup Saturday versus Montreal.  The 30-year-old has missed the last two weeks due to a lower-body injury.  Nichushkin hadn’t been producing at quite the same rate as previous years in his first 17 outings this season but he still has five goals and seven assists to his name and should jump right back into a top-six role once he gets the green light.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Bruins winger Matej Blumel will be out for a bit with a lower-body injury sustained in Wednesday’s game, head coach Marco Sturm told reporters (video link). The 25-year-old signed a one-year, $875K one-way deal with Boston this past summer as a Group Six unrestricted free agent but didn’t crack the roster out of training camp, instead starting with AHL Providence.  He averaged a point per game through his first 13 games with them, earning a recall early last week.  Blumel has been held off the scoresheet in four games since then and now it’ll be a little while before he has a chance to get on the board.
  • As part of the 50-50 revenue sharing between players and owners, there is a mechanism that allow players to receive more than their stated contracts if revenues exceed projections and the sum of money received by players is lower than 50%. It has never happened before but in his latest mailbag for The Athletic (subscription link), Chris Johnston reported that early revenue projections for the league suggest that this could happen.  While it likely wouldn’t be a big financial windfall for players, a bit more money would be a nice surprise following many years of losing money to escrow, something that has been phased out as part of the new CBA extension that kicks in next fall.  If it happens, it would be a one-time occurrence for this season and wouldn’t automatically roll over moving forward.
  • Veteran forward Daniel Walcott has caught on with a team as AHL Hartford announced that they’ve signed him to a PTO deal. The 31-year-old spent the last decade in Tampa Bay’s system with Syracuse but only made one NHL appearance back in 2020-21.  However, despite 494 appearances with the Crunch, Walcott will technically be returning to where his professional career began as he got into one game on a tryout deal with Hartford back in 2015 before his rights were moved to the Lightning a few weeks later.

Jets Not Looking For Goalie Help In Connor Hellebuyck’s Absence

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The Jets find themselves in a tough situation with star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck out for several more weeks.  In the meantime, they’ve only won one of four games without him and as a result, they now sit sixth in the Central Division and outside a playoff spot.

However, it doesn’t appear that Winnipeg will be looking for some short-term help.  In the latest TSN Insider Trading segment, The Athletic’s Chris Johnston reported that the Jets aren’t shopping for a netminder.  Instead, they’re content going with backup Eric Comrie and prospect Thomas Milic until the back-to-back Vezina winner returns.

Comrie, a pending unrestricted free agent, had a great return season in 2024-25, posting a strong 2.39 GAA with a .914 SV%, his best numbers since his last year in Winnipeg in the 2021-22 campaign.  Things haven’t gone as well this season, however, as those marks check in at 3.02 and .897 respectively, a little below league average through his first eight appearances.  Still, he has shown enough over his stints with the Jets to warrant some trust to try to get them through this stretch.

As for Milic, he’s in his third professional season after splitting time between AHL Manitoba and ECHL Norfolk in an effort to get him as much game action as possible; he logged 90 games between the two leagues over the last two seasons.  This year, he was off to a strong start with the Moose before being recalled as he had a 2.14 GAA and a .921 SV% in nine outings.

With Winnipeg starting a back-to-back road set on Friday, it seems likely that Milic will make his NHL debut in the near future.  If he does well, that would go a long way toward giving GM Kevin Cheveldayoff the confidence to stay the course while waiting for Hellebuyck to return.

Injury Updates: Kapanen, Roslovic, Pageau, Granlund

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Recent reporting suggested that the Oilers could get winger Kasperi Kapanen back in their lineup in the near future after missing the last five-plus weeks with a lower-body injury.  However, that may no longer be the case.  TSN’s Ryan Rishaug noted (Twitter link) that the veteran appeared to injure himself at practice today; he left the ice and did not return.  Kapanen has been limited to just six games this season where he has a pair of assists in a little more than 12 minutes a night of playing time.  Kapanen is currently on LTIR so his activation was going to require some cap and roster movement but if this injury at practice stops him from being ready to play Saturday, they won’t have to do anything to accommodate his return just yet.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Still with the Oilers, winger Jack Roslovic didn’t take part in practice today after blocking a shot in their last game against Dallas, mentions Daily Faceoff’s Jason Gregor (Twitter link). Roslovic has been one of the best free agent signings in the early going this season as he has 10 goals and eight assists through 23 games, good for fourth on Edmonton in scoring.  That’s certainly strong value for a $1.5MM price tag and a potential absence would certainly be a big blow to their offense.  He’s listed as questionable for Saturday’s game against Seattle.
  • Islanders center Jean-Gabriel Pageau is listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury but it appears that it should be too extended of an absence for him. The team announced Wednesday (Twitter link) that the veteran should return before the holiday break next month.  Pageau has a dozen points in 22 games so far while winning nearly 60% of his faceoffs; if the Isles wind up selling by the deadline, Pageau and his expiring contract should be one of their better trade chips.
  • Ducks center Mikael Granlund is making some progress as he works his way back from a lower-body injury, relays Derek Lee of The Hockey News (Twitter link). However, head coach Joel Quenneville suggested he’s still probably a week away from returning.  Granlund, who was moved retroactively to injured reserve on Wednesday, has missed the last two weeks due to the injury.  In his first season with Anaheim, the 33-year-old has done well when he has played, averaging a point per game but injuries have limited him to just nine appearances so far.

Mammoth Recall Kevin Rooney, Place Olli Maatta On IR

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Kevin Rooney’s latest stint in the minors was short-lived.  After being sent back down over the weekend, the Mammoth announced today (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled the forward from AHL Tucson.  In a corresponding move, defenseman Olli Maatta was placed on injured reserve.

Rooney signed a one-year, two-way deal with Utah at the end of the preseason and quickly cleared waivers, allowing him to start the season with the Roadrunners.  In eight games with them, he has fared rather well offensively, collecting five goals and an assist.  That performance has now earned him a third recall in less than five weeks although he’s still looking to make his official Mammoth debut.

The 32-year-old played in a career-high 70 games last season with Calgary where he had five goals and five assists.  Over his career, he has 32 goals and 28 helpers in 330 NHL appearances.  Rooney may have to wait a little while yet to add to that count as he projects to be their 14th forward for the time being.

As for Maatta, he missed last night’s game against Montreal due to an undisclosed injury which has now been revealed as an upper-body issue, one that will now keep him out for the next week.  The 31-year-old is in his first full season with Utah and while he fared well last season after being acquired from Detroit in an early swap, things haven’t gone as well this season.  Through 16 outings, Maatta has just one assist while his ice time is down below 12 minutes a night, well below his career ATOI of 18:18.

With the moves, Utah’s roster remains at the maximum of 23.

Panthers Attempted To Offer Sheet Nikita Kucherov In 2016

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With the holiday season afoot, formre Florida Panthers assistant general manager Steve Werier was looking back on what could have been. Namely, he reflected on the team’s attempt to sign Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov to an offer sheet in 2016 on The PuckPedia Hockey Show. Werier said that Florida was hoping to take advantage of Tampa Bay’s cap strains at the time, and would have had to give up a first, second, and third-round pick in the resulting deal.

Plans ultimately fell through, and Kucherov signed a three-year, $14.3MM bridge contract with Tampa Bay. The deal proved to offer the best of both worlds, providing a 23-year-old Kucherov a chance to jump into the top echelon of NHL scorers while Tampa Bay retained enough cap space to keep Jonathan Drouin, Ondrej Palat, and Alex Killorn in the fold. Kucherov certainly did take off, recording 85 points, 100 points, and 128 points over the three years of his bridge deal respectively. He has stayed special in five seasons since, routinely exceeding point-per-game scoring in the regular-and-post-seasons and reaching a career-high 144 points in the 2023-24 season.

It would be hard to picture Kucherov – a 12-year veteran in Tampa Bay – in any other jersey. But Florida could have offered him a similar platform to thrive. Werier emphasized that the team wanted to make sure they had Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad locked up to support Kucherov, if he came in. Florida was also carrying Vincent Trocheck, Jonathan Marchessault, and Jaromir Jagr at the time. They’ve swapped those three out for Jonathan Huberdeau, then Matthew Tkachuk, and Sam Reinhart in the years since. That firepower has proven enough to earn Florida two Stanley Cup championships, the same number that Kucherov has won in Tampa Bay.

A deal never came together, and both Florida-based clubs found their way to stardom nonetheless. But how an in-state offer sheet could have impacted the two sides will be a fun thought for the rest of the holiday week. Kucherov is among the best forwards in the NHL, and one of the greatest Russians to ever play. Any effort to bring him into the fold is notable, even if it ultimately fell through.

Drew Doughty Returns To, Warren Foegele Leaves Kings’ Practice

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Thursday’s practice left the Los Angeles Kings with positives and negatives on the injury front. Star defenseman Drew Doughty return to the ice with individual drills, but isn’t expected back soon, while winger Warren Foegele left practice early with an injury per team reporter Zach Dooley. No update has been provided on Foegele’s injury.

Doughty has missed the last four games with a week-to-week, lower-body injury sustained on a blocked shot in Los Angeles’ November 15th matchup versus the Otttawa Senators. He had returned to his role as Los Angeles’ top defender before going down with injury. Doughty averaged a team-leading 22:33 in ice time through 19 games before going down with injury. He rewarded that top role with eight points, a plus-seven, and 30 blocked shots. The Kings haev been pushed to ice Joel Edmundson, on his off-hand, in a top-pair role with Doughty out of the lineup. That will make this injury update well-anticipated, even if Doughty still has a step to go until he’s back in full.

Meanwhile, Foegele’s absence could leave a glaring hole in the team’s bottom-six. Foegele has four goals, 18 hits, and 22 shots on goal in 18 games this season. He missed a few games with a right-shoulder injury in October, but returned with force on November 9th. He scored two goals in his first three games back, then spurred a four-game scoring drought with a goal in Los Angeles’ Monday matchup versus Ottawa.

The Kings will need to turn towards either Alex Turcotte or Jeff Malott, should Foegele be forced out of the lineup. Turcotte has recorded three assists, a minus-four, and 11 penalty minutes in 22 games this season. He sat out of Los Angeles’ most recent matchup, but could find a quick path back with Foegele’s absence. Malott would bring a much more enforcing style, already boasting two goals and 23 penalty minutes in 16 games this season. He stands at 6-foot-5, 208-pounds and offers a heap of grit, in comparison to Turcotte’s skill.

Lightning Re-Assign Maxim Groshev to AHL

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The Tampa Bay Lightning announced this afternoon that defenseman Maxim Groshev is being sent back to the AHL Syracuse Crunch. The 23-year-old was called up three days ago due to Erik Černák’s week-to-week injury, but he was unable to draw into the lineup, and is set to continue his development in the AHL. 

Along with Černák’s injury, the Bolts also are missing Ryan McDonagh and Victor Hedman, their defense corps ravaged for the time being. Darren Raddysh and J.J. Moser have had to step up and play big minutes. After a slower start to the season, the injuries to their blue line could have sunk the team, but impressively, the opposite has happened. Tampa Bay has won five in a row, and eight of their last 10, a sign of the franchise’s endless resilience and sustained success. 

Groshev, interestingly, has made the rare professional transition from a forward to a defenseman, which occurred late last season in the AHL. Drafted in the third round back in 2020, the Russian spent time in the KHL before coming over in 2023-24, playing for Syracuse ever since. At 6’2” Groshev never showcased enough offense as a forward to suggest a next step into the NHL, but has looked comfortable on the back end so far this season, with six points in 17 games with the Crunch. 

Although Jon Cooper has opted for Steven Santini and Declan Carlile for now, Groshev will be especially motivated to earn his way back to an NHL debut this season, as his contract expires this summer. 

Montreal Canadiens Claim Sammy Blais

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Sammy Blais is headed back to Montreal, as insider Elliotte Friedman has shared that the Canadiens claimed the forward this afternoon. 

The 29-year-old forward, signed to a one-year deal with the Habs last July, was lost on waivers to Toronto in October, before finding himself back on the wire yesterday. Given the current injuries affecting their forward corps, Blais provides needed depth, and perhaps the Quebec native will appear with Montreal at some point after all, although for now he will join AHL Laval. 

GM Kent Hughes picks up Blais’ manageable one-year contract worth $775k at the NHL level. Marco D’Amico of Research Ground Media updated that the Canadiens were the only team to submit such a claim, meaning they can send Blais directly to the AHL without waiver clearance. Blais will likely finish 2025-26 with the Canadiens organization, one way or another. 

Although becoming a bit of a journeyman, Blais has carved out a very respectable career for a former sixth-round pick (2014). After winning a Stanley Cup with St. Louis, the forward was eventually a key piece sent to New York in the Pavel Buchnevich trade. Blais suffered a torn ACL 14 games into his Rangers tenure, an injury which certainly changed the trajectory of his career. Although he returned in the 2022-23 season, Blais had just five assists and no goals in 40 games, landing in the AHL, and eventually returning to the Blues as a spare part in the Vladimir Tarasenko deal.

Clearly more comfortable back with his original team, Blais had a resurgence, with 20 points in 31 games to conclude 2022-23, which also earned an extension. However, he did not maintain such performance in 2023-24, and landed in the AHL last year. Blais helped lead the Abbotsford Canucks to a Calder Cup title, catching the attention of Montreal last summer who took a flyer on the 29-year-old. Unable to make the team, Blais rejoined his former coach Craig Berube in October as a depth option for Toronto. After posting three points in eight games, the Leafs are set to welcome back Auston Matthews and Nicholas Roy from IR. Blais became expendable, and now, finds himself back where he started the season.

With Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, and Patrik Laine all missing time, Montreal has had to call upon the likes of Florian Xhekaj and Jared Davidson to fill in. Although both have been respectable players in the AHL, and the team has continued to win games, adding a familiar face with 265 games of NHL experience from their rivals appealed to the club.

Adam Engstrom Generating Trade Interest

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In an episode of The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro from earlier this week, insider Pierre Lebrun of TSN shared that several teams have looked into Adam Engstrom and considered what it would take to land the defense prospect. 

A third-round selection of Montreal in the 2022 draft, Engstrom’s play in the AHL with Laval has stood out, as he has 14 points in 18 games. Still early in just his second North American season, the Swede’s professional experience with Rögle BK has helped a transition into the Canadiens organization, boosting an already deep prospect pool. Engstrom made a strong case to make the team out of camp, and although he came short, he has excelled in the AHL since and earned a recall earlier this week.

Having just turned 22, and not set to reach RFA status until after the 2026-27 season, it is not like Montreal should be in any particular rush with Engstrom, especially with Kaiden Guhle set to miss 8-10 weeks. Engstrom only just made his NHL debut yesterday, with 10 minutes of ice time in a win over Utah. However, with their pursuit of a top six center well known, naturally Engstrom emerges as a candidate for a possible defense – forward swap. Montreal lacks another strong left-handed defenseman in their cupboard, but with Lane Hutson’s presence along with Guhle, and a wealth of right handers to boot, there is not so much a need at this time.

Montreal has fellow lefty Marc Del Gaizo, 26, in the system, who has continuously bounced between the NHL and AHL so far this year as he vies to make his team debut. Clearly the organization is high on Engstrom, who drew into the lineup first, fresh off being named AHL Player of the Week last Monday after tying a Laval franchise record with one goal and four assists in a single game. Del Gaizo though, signed on a one-year, two-way deal, brings enough to the table as a depth option between Montreal and Laval that they could potentially afford an Engstrom subtraction at some point. 

Engstrom offers poise and well-rounded play at 6’2”, projecting at the least as a high-floor, solid middle defenseman. However, he looks much more comfortable so far in 2025-26, especially offensively, and could flourish into a true top four. It is unlikely Montreal would jump to just any call on their prospect now, but Engstrom’s name could be worth watching as the season goes on, especially in a deal for a top six center.

The Canadiens have made strides this season as they aim to push for the playoffs and win a round for the first time since 2021. It is a luxury to have strong prospects like Engstrom on hand, allowing GM Kent Hughes to make a noteworthy addition without affecting the current group. Whatever may come next, in the meantime, Engstrom will look to build off his debut and continue to fill in for Guhle. 

Rangers Recall Scott Morrow

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The Rangers announced they’ve recalled defenseman Scott Morrow from AHL Hartford. Fellow rearguard Connor Mackey was sent back to Hartford in the corresponding move.

Mackey was recalled just yesterday to serve as a healthy extra after Juuso Pärssinen was sent down following his waiver clearance. The Rangers likely wanted to recall Morrow instead. However, starting this season, players must play at least one game on an AHL assignment before they’re eligible for another recall. Morrow hadn’t played since being sent down to the Wolf Pack on Monday, so they were unable to add him back to the roster. He suited up for Hartford last night, though, so he can come up today.

The Blueshirts have been in need of an extra defenseman since William Borgen left their game against the Golden Knights on Nov. 18 with an upper-body injury. He’s been out for four games and is now on injured reserve. He was a game-time decision yesterday against the Hurricanes, but adding Morrow back to the roster today suggests they don’t expect Borgen to be available for tomorrow’s matinee against the Bruins.

Morrow, 23, hasn’t had a great start to his tenure in the Rangers organization. A 2021 second-round pick, he was acquired from Carolina in last season’s K’Andre Miller deal and immediately slotted in as their most dynamic defense prospect. He ranked No. 2 overall in the system in NHL.com’s preseason rankings. After failing to make the opening night roster, though, he’s been limited to just three points in 12 games with Hartford and has a -6 rating, third-worst on the team.

The Connecticut native has made three appearances for the Rangers this season, in spot duty as injuries necessitated. He’s still looking for his first point as a Blueshirt and has a -2 rating while averaging 13:11 of ice time per game. He’s managed eight shot attempts and three blocks, but doesn’t have a hit. The Rangers have been out-attempted 50-36 in Morrow’s 5-on-5 minutes for a CF% of 41.9.

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