With just a few days remaining before the holiday roster freeze hits in the NHL—teams will be unable to trade from December 19-27th—rumors are starting to heat up around the league. Petr Mrazek, Jori Lehtera and others have been reported available in their respective cities, meaning we could see some movement before Christmas. For the minor transactions, keep an eye right here as we update through the day.
- The Arizona Coyotes announced the recall of winger Nick Merkley of Tucson of the AHL. The 2015 first rounder has gotten off to a strong start in his first professional season, tallying 12 goals and 12 assists through 20 games which places him second on the Roadrunners in scoring. This is his first stint in the NHL.
Earlier updates:
- The New Jersey Devils completed a minor trade last night, sending forward Ryan Kujawinski to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for forward Michael Latta. Latta has 113 NHL contests under his belt, but was stuck in the minor leagues all last season. Kujawinski on the other hand has yet to make his NHL debut, and has played just five games this season after starting the year on injured reserve. Both players will report to their respective minor league clubs.
- The St. Louis Blues have recalled Samuel Blais from the AHL, bringing him back after just a couple of days in the minor leagues. Blais has nine games under his belt in the NHL this season, scoring three points and showing that there may be a full-time role for him sometime down the road. In 12 AHL contests, including a 4-2 win last night in San Antonio, Blais has six goals and 14 points. The team also assigned Jordan Binnington to the AHL, while activating Carter Hutton from injured reserve. Jay Bouwmeester has taken his place on the IR.