Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

East Notes: Maple Leafs Forwards, Benoit, Parssinen

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Toronto Maple Leafs had a few developments announced in advance of the team’s game tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Most important of them was the news that star forward William Nylander would return to the lineup after a one-game absence. Nylander has become the Maple Leafs’ most important winger since the offseason departure of Mitch Marner. The 29-year-old has 31 points in 20 games this season, good for the team lead over veteran John Tavares, who has 28 points. Nylander missed the team’s last game with an illness.

While Nylander returned to the lineup, forward Matias Maccelli and Calle Jarnkrok were held out of the lineup as healthy scratches. Neither player has had as strong of a season as they’d likely have hoped for, and from a production perspective, that’s especially true in the case of Jarnkrok. The 34-year-old has just four goals in 19 games, and no assists. Jarnkrok has never been an overwhelming producer of offense, but he did notch 39 points in 2022-23. Maccelli is in a similar boat, with his 2025-26 numbers coming below the standard he’d set in prior campaigns. Maccelli scored 57 points in 2023-24, but struggled in 2024-25 and has continued those struggles into 2025-26. Maccelli has nine points through 22 games this season.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported tonight that Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit missed tonight’s game for personal reasons. No additional information was provided, something that is standard and expected for absences due to personal reasons. Benoit’s spot in the lineup was filled by veteran Philippe Myers. The 6’5″ blueliner has operated in a reserve capacity for the Maple Leafs so far this season, skating in a total of 10 games, averaging 14:13 time on ice per game.
  • According to reporter Keegan Jarvis, who covers the Hartford Wolf Pack for Blueshirt Banter, forward Juuso Parssinen suffered an injury in his first game with the Wolf Pack and is now out on a week-to-week timeline. Parssinen was reassigned to Hartford on Nov. 26 after clearing waivers that same day. The 24-year-old was signed to a two-year, $1.25MM AAV extension by the Rangers, who believed he could fill their need for a third-line center when they acquired him from the Colorado Avalanche. But Parssinen was passed on the depth chart by rookie Noah Laba, and has now found himself in the AHL. Before he can get back onto the ice and try to earn his way back into the NHL, Parssinen will now need to work his way back to full health.

Minnesota Wild Activate Vladimir Tarasenko, Reassign Hunter Haight

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Minnesota Wild announced today that veteran forward Vladimir Tarasenko has been activated off of injured reserve. In a corresponding move, the team reassigned forward Hunter Haight to their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild.

Tarasenko had been on injured reserve since Nov. 20, with his placement made retroactive to Nov. 14. Tarasenko has not appeared in a game since Nov. 11. Tarasenko has been dealing with a lower-body injury, one that has caused him to miss a total of seven games.

Before his injury, Tarasenko had gotten off to a decent start to his Wild tenure. The 33-year-old signed a one-year, $4.75MM deal with the Wild this past summer, coming off of an underwhelming campaign with the Detroit Red Wings. Tarasenko scored 11 goals and 33 points, which are passable numbers for a player operating within a specific role, but are well below the standards Tarasenko set earlier in his career.

Before his injury, Tarasenko had scored 10 points in 18 games for the Wild, which is a 46-point, 82-game pace. That’s a notable improvement over his production from last season, even if it is not quite the kind of production hockey fans grew accustomed to seeing out of Tarasenko during his days as a star winger for the St. Louis Blues.

Getting Tarasenko back is a positive development for a Wild team that has been on a roll recently. They’ve relied heavily on the offensive contributions of a few key players (namely stars Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy) so getting Tarasenko back to full health should help deepen their attack.

As for Haight, his spot on the Wild’s NHL roster is an unfortunate casualty of Tarasenko’s return to health. The 21-year-old was a 2022 second-round pick who earned himself an NHL recall after a solid start to his pro career. 2024-25 was his debut season in the pro ranks, and he impressed scoring 20 goals and 34 points in 67 games. He was never an overwhelming producer during his days in the OHL, so the productive rookie year in the AHL was certainly encouraging.

The Iowa Wild have struggled as a whole to put the puck in the net this season, ranking No. 30 out of 32 teams in the AHL in terms of total goals scored. That’s why while Haight’s production this year (five points in 13 games) doesn’t jump off the page, it’s important to provide context to the environment he’s playing in to help explain why he’s earned this early recall. At the NHL level, Haight played in two games, averaging under 10 minutes of ice time per game.

While he didn’t get the chance to truly make his mark at the NHL level, it’s likely we’ll see Haight back in the NHL at some point down the line. The team at Elite Prospects ranked Haight the No. 9 prospect in the Wild’s system before the season, with scout David St-Louis praising what he saw as Haight’s “hyper-creative style of play.” The hope moving forward for Haight will be that he can help translate that creativity into more steady AHL production, even as Iowa continues to struggle as a team overall.

Looking at things from a financial lens, Haight will want to earn as many recalls as possible in order to place himself in the best position he can to earn a roster spot on the Wild’s 2026-27 NHL roster. Haight’s entry-level contract enters its final year next season, and unlike previous years on his deal, he won’t earn any signing bonus for next season. (He had a $95K signing bonus on his deal for 2025-26.) Because of that, if Haight can’t make it to the NHL roster for next season, he’ll be stuck in the AHL making an $82.5K AHL salary, a significant reduction from his total compensation in each of the last two seasons.

While there’s more motivation to make it to the NHL than just pure salary difference, Haight’s contract situation further emphasizes his need to make a push for more NHL call-ups beyond this most recent one.

Evening Notes: Teravainen, Foegele, Greig

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Chicago Blackhawks could be without a top winger in Sunday’s matchup against the Anaheim Ducks. Teuvo Teravainen is questionable due to an undisclosed injury per Scott Powers of The Athletic. Teravainen was not present for the team’s Saturday morning practice.

It is unclear when Teravainen sustained his injury. In any case, he would leave a major lineup hole behind him after playing in more than 20 minutes of ice time in three of his last five games. He has recorded three points and a minus-three in that span, bringing his year-long totals up to 16 points and a plus-four in 24 games. Teravainen has been a core piece of a young Chicago lineup. Should he have to sit, the Blackhawks would be forced to turn towards Landon Slaggert, who has played scant minutes and managed no scoring in his last four appearances. Slaggert has one goal and 12 penalty minutes in 10 games this season.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Los Angeles Kings winger Warren Foegele is continuing to progress from a day-to-day, upper-body injury. Head coach Jim Hiller said that Foegele is feeling better but won’t play in Saturday night’s matchup against the Vancouver Canucks, per Kings’ managing editor Zach Dooley. Foegele has four goals, a plus-two-, and eight penalty minutes in 18 games this season. He has served a third-line role, after posting a career-year with the Kings last season. In what was his first year with the club, Foegele managed 24 goals and 46 points in 82 games, both career-highs. He will continue to carry a day-to-day designation and look to find a path back to production when the Kings take on the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.
  • Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig could make his return from injury in Sunday’s matchup against the Dallas Stars, head coach Travis Green told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. Greig missed his fifth-straight game on Friday. He is working back from a day-to-day, undisclosed injury sustained on November 15th. The 23-year-old center has eight points, 20 penalty minutes, and 25 hits in 19 games this season. He seems to be approaching a true breakout, and could continue that hunt as soon as Sunday.

Tampa Bay Lightning Reassign Simon Lundmark

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

11/29/25: The Lightning announced Saturday that they reassigned Lundmark back to AHL Syracuse. Lundmark didn’t dress for the Lightning’s 4-1 road win over the New York Rangers, but at least heads back down to the minors with a game’s worth of salary at his contract’s NHL pay rate.

Lundmark is playing on a two-year, two-way contract containing a league-minimum $775K NHL salary and $250K AHL salary in each year. Since Lundmark has a $350K guarantee for each year, this recall gives Lundmark an ever-so-slightly higher chance of exceeding his guarantee in terms of total compensation by the end of the season, assuming further recalls may come down the line.

11/28/25: The Tampa Bay Lightning are again recalling a depth defenseman as they grapple with multiple injuries. Tampa Bay announced that they have recalled Simon Lundmark from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch.

Lundmark’s recall indicates that Erik Černák remains unavailable and could be for the entirety of the Lightning’s upcoming three-game road trip. He’ll serve as the team’s seventh defenseman in the case of another injury, similarly to how the Lightning used youngster Maxim Groshev earlier this week.

Unlike Groshev, Lundmark, 25, is a comparatively veteran presence, although he hasn’t yet debuted in the NHL. He was originally selected with the 51st overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft by the Winnipeg Jets.

In his draft year and the following two years, Lundmark played for the SHL’s Linköping HC. It was a relatively poor showing, especially considering he was drafted in the second round. He scored two goals and 16 points in 118 games with a -20 rating.

Regardless, the Jets brought Lundmark to North America for the 2021-22 season with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. Although his offense improved, Lundmark continued to play subpar defense, scoring 16 goals and 62 points in 254 games, with a -38 rating.

Having seen enough, Winnipeg non-tendered Lundmark this past offseason, and he signed a two-year, $1.55MM agreement with the Lightning on the opening day of free agency. Unsurprisingly, he failed to crack the team’s opening night roster and was waived in late September. In his first handful of games with the Crunch, he’s registered two assists in 15 games with a -4 rating.

Canadiens’ Jayden Struble Out With Upper-Body Injury

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Montreal Canadiens have announced that defenseman Jayden Struble is out of Saturday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche with an upper-body injury. This will be his fifth absence of the season. Montreal will have to lean on Arber Xhekaj for their physical presence on Saturday, though Xhekaj was on the ice for both of Colroado’s first period goals.

The Canadiens have seen a lot of rotation in their defense on the back of a long-term injury to Kaiden Guhle and up-and-down play from Xhekaj. Struble has been a pillar of the team’s bottom pair as a result. He is averaging just over 15 mintues of ice time through 19 games this season, and has four assists, a minus-three, and 32 penalty minutes to show for it.

Struble is now in his third NHL season, all spent with the Canadiens. He had a quaint rookie season, with 10 points and 57 penalty minutes in 56 games. Those numbers leveled out slightly in his sophomore year, with Struble posting 13 points and 52 penalty minutes in another 56 games. Now, he appears to be getting comfortable on Montreal’s third-pairing, currently on pace for 17 points and 138 penalty minutes. Struble also leads Montreal’s blue-line with 36 hits this season, after posting more than 100 hits in each of the last two seasons.

The missing physical presence that Struble brings makes Xhekaj a natural replacement. But the enforcer has struggled to stay on the positive side of the puck, with just one assist and a minus-four in 21 games entering Saturday’s matchup. He also leads the Canadiens with 42 penalty minutes.

Struble’s absence has also proven beneficial for rookie Adam Engstrom, who played in just his second NHL game in Struble’s place on Saturday. Engstrom only managed one shot on goal, and no other notable stats, in 10 minutes of ice time in his NHL debut. The Canadiens will likely shelter his minutes moving forward, but there’s no doubt that Engstrom can bring a spark to the lineup. He leads the Laval Rocket blue-line with 14 points in 18 games, including a five-point match last week that preceded his NHL debut. The 2022 third-round pick is on a gradual climb, but seems to be on the cusp of a breakout in the NHL. Extended absences from Struble could provide the path needed to earn Engstrom more minutes.

Rangers Activate William Borgen Off IR

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The New York Rangers have actived defenseman William Borgen off of injured reserve, per Mollie Walker of The New York Post. Borgen has been day-to-day with an upper-body injury for the last 10 days. He was designated as a game-time decision before Saturday’s matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and did indeed make his return from injury when the game kicked off.

It was more than a welcome return. New York struggled against Tampa Bay but Borgen posted two blocked shots and six hits in 18 minutes of ice time. He has been a serviceable utility piece for the Rangers. Through his first full season with the club, Borgen has posted three points, a plus-five, 24 blocks, and 26 hits in 19 games. Those numbers add on to the 13 points, plus-nine, 74 hits, and 80 blocks he posted in 51 games with the Rangers after a mid-season trade from the Seattle Kraken.

Hopefully Borgen’s return, even to a lost game, can help the Rangers continue their November surge. The team has been hot-and-cold all month long, kicking off November with a 5-2-0 record, then losing four games straight, and then bouncing back to a three-game win-streak that ended on Saturday. Their schedule doesn’t get any easier in the short-term, with matchups against the Dallas Stars, Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche, and Vegas Golden Knights on deck. Borgen’s hard-earned defense should help New York fight off those strong offenses and continue climbing up the standings.

Atlantic Notes: Samuelsson, McAvoy, Arvidsson, Zacha

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson exited Friday’s game against New Jersey after going into concussion protocol, notes Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald.  He was hit with around 12 minutes left in the third and left the ice bleeding; head coach Lindy Ruff didn’t have an update on him after the game.  Samuelsson has had a strong bounce-back showing this season, picking up 12 points in 22 games (just two shy of tying his career best from a year ago) while recording 52 blocked shots.  Notably, he is logging just under 22 minutes per game, second only to Rasmus Dahlin and was showing that he could consistently handle the top-four role that GM Kevyn Adams had envisioned when he signed the blueliner to a seven-year deal coming off his entry-level contract in 2022.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy and winger Viktor Arvidsson skated today as they work their way back from respective face and lower-body injuries, relays Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald (Twitter links). McAvoy still has a ways to go before returning but Arvidsson appears to be getting closer to returning but won’t play tonight.  McAvoy hasn’t played in two weeks and still sits second on the team in assists while Arvidsson was quietly off to a solid start to his tenure in Boston with six goals and 52 shots in 20 games.
  • Still with the Bruins, Conroy adds (Twitter link) that center Pavel Zacha is listed as a game-time decision for tonight’s contest against Detroit. He missed yesterday’s contest against the Rangers with an undisclosed injury.  Zacha sits third on the team in scoring with 17 points in 25 games and with David Pastrnak out again tonight, getting Zacha back would help boost an offensive group that has been thinned out as of late, even with Casey Mittelstadt’s return.

Hurricanes Reassign Justin Robidas Amid Injury Updates

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Carolina Hurricanes saw a wave of roster updates come through during Saturday morning’s practice. Notably, winger Justin Robidas was not at practice, as he’s been reassigned to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. Robidas won’t skate in Saturday’s match against the Manitoba Moose but should be back in time for Sunday’s rematch.

Forward William Carrier also missed practice. It is unclear if he has sustained a new injury after appearing in Friday’s win over the Winnipeg Jets. Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov did sustain a lower-body injury that forced him out of Friday’s game, and Saturday’s practice. Defenseman Jaccob Slavin also remained out, per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff.

In better news, Ruff adds that forward Jordan Staal participated in practice despite being questionable with an illness, and center Jesperi Kotkaniemi continued to work in a non-contact jersey.

Carolina continues to face a heap of injuries despite getting Shayne Gostisbehere and K’Andre Miller back into the lineup recently. They have been forced to play hot potato with much of their lineup, routinely cycling through their lines. The Hurricanes have had six different forward lines, and 10 different defense pairings, play in at least 50 minutes of even-strength ice time this season. Their most-used forward line has been Jordan Martinook, Staal, and Carrier – a trio that could be broken up if Carrier sustained another injury. The most-used defense pairing has been Miller and Sean Walker, who reunited recently after Miller missed six games.

The Hurricanes have felt the brunt of that shuffle over November. They started the month with a 4-1-0 record, but have fallen into a back-and-forth over the last two weeks. Carolina is 4-3-2 in their last nine games, and haven’t won back-to-back games since Novmber 8th and 9th.

Injuries have forced Carolina’s healthy skaters to step up. Sophomore winger Jackson Blake ranks fourth on the team in scoring with 15 points in 24 games. Robidas was also contributing to the offense, netting one assist and a 50 percent faceoff percentage through two games in a bottom-six role.

Robidas now have three points in the first four games of his NHL career, including a pair of games he played in last season. He has been an electric scorer in the minor leagues and currently ranks third on the Wolves with 12 points in 16 games. Chicago is trying to break out of their own November slump, posting a 2-4-0 record over their last six games but winning last Wednesday’s game against the rival Rockford IceHogs by a lofty 8-4. Robidas should help the Wolves keep that offense rolling as they look for better outcomes in December.

Senators Recall Dennis Gilbert, Place Thomas Chabot On IR

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Senators have made a pair of roster moves heading into their next game in Dallas on Sunday as the team announced that they’ve recalled Dennis Gilbert from AHL Belleville.  While not noted as part of the announcement, Ottawa has shifted defenseman Thomas Chabot to IR to make room for Gilbert on the active roster.

Gilbert will officially begin his second stint with the Senators with this promotion.  Acquired at the trade deadline last season from Buffalo, the 29-year-old played a sparing role down the stretch, suiting up just four times, where he had an assist and 11 hits in 13:02 per game of playing time.  Over the season between the two teams, Gilbert had six assists in 29 outings but logged just 10:29 per contest.

The Flyers signed Gilbert to a one-year, $875K deal over the summer but he wound up on waivers in training camp, passing through unclaimed resulting in a demotion to AHL Lehigh Valley.  He got into six games with the Phantoms where he had one assist before suffering an injury that kept him out for the better part of a month.

During that time, the Sens swung a move to bring him back into the fold, dealing the rights to unsigned RFA defenseman Max Guenette to get him.  Gilbert got into three games with Belleville following the swap and was more productive, collecting three helpers.

Chabot’s stint on Ottawa’s active roster didn’t last very long.  Activated off injured reserve last weekend, he played just once and has been listed as out with an upper-body injury since then.  If they backdate the placement to his last game played (November 22nd), he’ll technically be eligible to be activated at any time.  The 28-year-old has two goals and eight assists in 18 games so far this season.

Canucks Recall Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Assign Jiri Patera To AHL

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Canucks have made a pair of roster moves heading into their game tonight against Los Angeles.  The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki has been recalled from AHL Abbotsford.  To make room for him on the roster, goaltender Jiri Patera has been sent down.

Lekkerimaki started the season with Vancouver but suffered an upper-body injury in the fourth game of the season.  That landed him on injured reserve for more than three weeks and upon being activated, he was sent to Abbotsford for what felt like a conditioning stint.  The 21-year-old played in five games in the AHL and was productive, notching three goals and two assists.

Lekkerimaki has a goal in his four outings at the top level this season in just under 10 minutes a night of playing time.  For his career, the 2022 first-round pick has four goals and three assists in 28 NHL outings.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see him jump right back into a bottom-six role with Lukas Reichel being a candidate to lose his spot once again.

As for Patera, he was brought up on Tuesday when Kevin Lankinen stepped away from the team for a personal matter.  He didn’t see any game action on this recall but did get into one game earlier this month where he allowed seven goals on 40 shots.  The 26-year-old has a 3.10 GAA and a .894 SV% in five games with Abbotsford.  While not announced by the team, this move suggests that Lankinen is back with the team with he and Nikita Tolopilo comprising the tandem that should dress against the Kings.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top