Lightning Recall Scott Sabourin And Steven Santini
Tampa Bay and Florida have played some particularly physical games in recent memory. With the next matchup slated for tonight, the Lightning have brought up some extra grit, announcing the recalls of winger Scott Sabourin and defenseman Steven Santini from AHL Syracuse.
Sabourin has only played in seven games with Tampa Bay this season despite several recalls. Three of those have come against the Panthers, which doesn’t include the preseason where he received a four-game suspension for an incident against Florida. The 33-year-old has actually been somewhat productive in his limited action, picking up a goal and two assists along with 13 hits and 32 penalty minutes despite averaging just 9:17 per night of playing time.
Sabourin is on a one-year, two-way deal with Tampa Bay and has spent the bulk of the year with the Crunch. In 20 games with them, he has six goals and two assists, putting him on pace for double-digit goals in the minors for what would be the fourth straight season.
As for Santini, he has suited up eight times for the Lightning so far in 2025-26, his highest NHL games played total since the 2018-19 campaign. The 30-year-old has one assist to his name so far this season along with six hits while averaging 12:01 per night.
The veteran is in the first season of a two-year, two-way deal signed back in June and has also spent the majority of the year in Syracuse. In 18 games with the Crunch so far, Santini has five assists.
Santini may take the place of veteran Ryan McDonagh in the lineup tonight. Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times relayed (Twitter link) that the veteran did not take part in today’s morning skate and has re-aggravated his previous injury. Head coach Jon Cooper listed McDonagh as out day-to-day.
The team had two open roster spots so no further roster movement was necessary to add the two and their roster now sits at the maximum of 23 players.
Islanders Place Ilya Sorokin On IR, Recall Marcus Hogberg
When the Islanders assigned Marcus Hogberg back to the minors during the holiday break, the hope was that Ilya Sorokin would be ready to return to the lineup. That isn’t the case, however, as the team announced (Twitter link) that Sorokin has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to December 20th with Hogberg coming up on an emergency basis once again to take his place on the roster. Their active roster remains at the maximum of 23 players.
Sorokin is dealing with an undisclosed injury that caused him to miss their last two games against Buffalo and New Jersey. The 30-year-old is their undisputed starter and has played well this season, posting a 2.55 GAA and a .910 SV% in 24 starts, his best numbers since the 2022-23 campaign when he was the runner-up for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender.
As for Hogberg, the 31-year-old is on a one-way contract this season as their third-string netminder. (Semyon Varlamov was supposed to be the backup but injuries have kept him out all season with David Rittich replacing him.) He has played in 14 games with AHL Bridgeport, putting up a 3.08 GAA and a .881 SV%. He has yet to play in the NHL this season but did get into 15 games with the Isles in 2024-25.
Newsday’s Andrew Gross relays (Twitter link) that Sorokin is expected to accompany the team to Columbus for their game on Sunday although Rittich is scheduled to get the start. If Sorokin is okay enough to back up, he’s eligible to be activated for that game thanks to the back-dated placement as he’ll have already missed the required seven days.
Sharks Reassign Ethan Cardwell To AHL
With the NHL now off for the next three days, there have been a handful of roster moves around the league today. The new rule saying that players must play in at least one AHL game if they’re sent down has limited the number of moves but San Jose was among those to make one. Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News relays (Twitter link) that the Sharks have assigned winger Ethan Cardwell to AHL San Jose.
The 23-year-old was recalled a little more than a week ago following injuries to forwards Will Smith and Philipp Kurashev. Since the promotion was so recent, Cardwell remained eligible to be sent down even with the roster freeze in effect.
Cardwell got into three games with the Sharks on this stint, bringing his season total to seven. However, the most recent one – last night against Vegas – was particularly tough as he was on the ice for four goals against despite playing a season-low 9:48. He didn’t pick up any points over those three outings, keeping his total for the campaign at one, a goal scored back in early November.
Cardwell has spent the bulk of the season with the Barracuda but injuries have limited him to just 14 games. He has been productive in those outings, however, with three goals and six assists.
With the move, San Jose now has one open roster spot. They can either choose to fill it by calling someone else up as early as Saturday or, if Kurashev is able to return, he can be activated into that vacancy.
New York Rangers Recall Brett Berard, Place J.T. Miller On IR
The New York Rangers announced today that they have recalled winger Brett Berard from their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.
According to the New York Post’s Mollie Walker, the Rangers placed captain J.T. Miller on IR in a corresponding move, one that created the necessary space on the Rangers’ roster to add Berard. Miller is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, one reported to be related to his right shoulder.
The move comes shortly after the Rangers were forced into playing a game with 11 forwards and seven defensemen dressed due to an unexpected absence of Gabe Perreault due to illness, as well as an injury to Matt Rempe. By recalling Berard, the Rangers have insulated themselves from further unexpected absences, and given head coach Mike Sullivan another forward option to work with as he constructs his lineup.
Berard, 23, has emerged as a top call-up option for the Rangers over the past year and a half, and appears to be on the cusp of reaching full-time NHL status. The 2020 fifth-round pick scored six goals and 10 points across 35 NHL games last season, showing some flashes of the offensive instincts that have made him a top-six forward at the AHL level. Berard scored 25 goals and 48 points as an AHL rookie in 2023-24 and 23 points in his 30 AHL games last season.
He has nine points in 19 games so far this year for Hartford, though it’s worth noting that the Wolf Pack have struggled, as a whole, to generate goals this season. Hartford’s top remaining scorer is 35-year-old AHL veteran Justin Dowling, who has 16 points in 23 games. The club ranks No. 26 in the AHL in goals scored this season, and while Berard has obviously contributed to that, the low-scoring environment has impacted his numbers.
Unfortunately for Berard, finding it harder to generate points has not been something that has been restricted to just the AHL level. He’s also scoreless through his 11 NHL games played this season across an average of 10:59 time on ice per game. Berard last played in the NHL on Dec. 15, skating 10:24 time on ice in the team’s 4-1 home loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
With the Rangers’ forward corps dinged by some notable absences at this point in time, there’s an opportunity available for Berard to seize at the NHL level. Seeing as he’s playing out the final year of his entry-level deal, the NHL opportunity in front of Berard afforded by today’s recall is an important one.
Flyers Reassign Aleksei Kolosov
12/22/25: The Flyers announced Monday morning that they have reassigned Kolosov back to AHL Lehigh Valley. The announcement of Kolosov’s reassignment came with an announcement that Vladar has recovered from his injury and will be available tonight for the team’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.
Kolosov didn’t hit the ice during his most recent emergency recall, instead serving as a backup to Sam Ersson. Ersson saved 23 of 27 shots in the team’s shootout loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday.
12/20/25: Needing an extra goalie following the announcement that Daniel Vladar is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, the Flyers have recalled goaltender Aleksei Kolosov from AHL Lehigh Valley. Philadelphia had an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made.
It’s the second recall of the season for the 23-year-old. Kolosov got into two games during his first stint in early November, making one start while coming into the game in relief in the other. He fared well in those outings, turning aside 26 of 28 shots. That’s certainly a positive sign after he struggled mightily in his first taste of NHL action last season which saw him post a 3.59 GAA and a .867 SV% in 17 outings with the Flyers.
Those struggles played a big role in the team going out and signing Vladar in free agency over the summer to try to stabilize things between the pipes which he has certainly done. That has resulted in Kolosov spending most of the year with the Phantoms where he has played in 15 games, compiling a 2.77 GAA along with a .900 SV%.
The team also announced that center Christian Dvorak is also out today with a lower-body injury; like Vladar, he’s listed as day-to-day. His spot in the lineup today will be taken by Denver Barkey, who will make his NHL debut after being recalled on Friday.
Montreal Canadiens Recall Sammy Blais
The Montreal Canadiens announced today that forward Sammy Blais has been recalled from the club’s AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.
The move appears to be a response to an injury suffered last night by veteran forward Jake Evans. Evans left the game with an apparent lower-body injury. Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reported last night that Evans would not travel with the team to Pittsburgh for their game tonight against the Penguins, and remains under evaluation. Per TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie, the Canadiens placed Evans on injured reserve, meaning he’ll miss at least a week.
By recalling Blais, the Canadiens have given themselves another forward to work with as they plot their response to Evans’ injury. The recent trade acquisition of veteran pivot Phillip Danault will certainly help the team absorb any Evans injury, though it is not clear at this time if Danault will be able to play in Pittsburgh.
Evans is currently slotted in as Montreal’s third-line center, playing in between Josh Anderson and Alexandre Texier. That figures to be where Danault will eventually slot in, but if he’s not able to play tonight, the Canadiens could shuffle their lines a little bit to make room for Blais since he is not a natural center.
The Canadiens have two natural pivots on their fourth line, veteran Joe Veleno and rookie Owen Beck. The Canadiens could move Beck to center for tonight’s game, put Blais on the wing in Beck’s spot, and then elevate Veleno to Evans’ position in the event Danault can’t play tonight.
Looking at this move from Blais’ perspective, this recall is his first chance to play for the Canadiens in the regular season. He signed a one-year, league-minimum one-way deal with Montreal over the summer, but didn’t make the Canadiens’ roster out of training camp. He was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs, and ended up scoring three points in eight games there before landing on waivers once again.
The Canadiens claimed Blais and, as the only team to do so, were able to send him down to the AHL, where he has remained until today.
Blais won the Calder Cup with the Abbotsford Canucks last season and has a notable amount of championship experience. He won the Stanley Cup in 2019 as a member of the St. Louis Blues and scored some important goals for Canada at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championships, winning a gold medal with his country. More recently, Blais scored nine points in nine games in the AHL for the Rocket en route to today’s recall.
Hurricanes Recall Bradly Nadeau, Place Seth Jarvis On IR
More bad news has come through for the Carolina Hurricanes. Top winger Seth Jarvis will be forced out for an extended period after crashing into the net post in overtime of Friday’s loss to the Florida Panthers. The Hurricanes placed Jarvis on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and recalled winger Bradly Nadeau on Saturday.
The timing could work to Carolina’s benefit. This move will force Jarvis to miss at least two games but he could be activated before the Hurricanes’ match against the Detroit Red Wings next Saturday.
Carolina will hold their breath hoping that timeline works out. Jarvis has, again, been one of their best. He leads the team with 19 goals, and ranks second with 29 points, through 34 games so far. More than that, he was riding a streak of good health, not missing any games to start the year after he missed nine last season. Jarvis was still able to net 32 goals and 67 points last season, matching his point totals from – and one goal less than – he managed in 81 games of the 2023-24 season.
Filling Jarvis’ role has proven to be a difficult task for Carolina, marked by a 4-5-0 record without him last season. This time around, Jarvis’ absence should pave way for Jackson Blake to take on top-line minutes. Blake has 21 points in 34 games this season. He also ranks third on the offense in takeaways (14) behind Jarvis (19) and Sebastian Aho (17). Blake has proven his ability to fill any role throughout the last two seasons but this opening could be a chance to step up and cement his spot in the Hurricanes’ top-six long-term.
It will also offer a chance for Nadeau to finally find his stride at the NHL level. He is in the midst of a five-game scoring streak in the AHL and has 13 points in his last 10 games. That stretch has brought the 20 year old up to 20 points in 18 games this season, good for third on the Chicago Wolves in scoring. Nadeau finished second in scoring for Chicago last season, with 58 points in 64 games. Despite the streak of strong offense, he hasn’t yet found his production at the top level. Nadeau has just two points in nine career games with Carolina, including one goal in six games this season. He should slot into a bottom-six role as Blake, Taylor Hall, and Eric Robinson step up in Jarvis’ absence, but could offer much more upside if he finally finds his touch.
Sabres Recall Isak Rosen, Place Conor Timmins On IR
The Sabres have added some extra forward depth in advance of their game this afternoon against the Islanders. The team announced that winger Isak Rosen has been recalled from AHL Rochester. To make room for him on the roster, defenseman Conor Timmins was placed on injured reserve.
Rosen, a 2021 first-round pick, has been back and forth between the two teams this season; this is his third recall of the campaign. Rosen has played in a dozen games with Buffalo this season and has fared well, picking up three goals and four assists while averaging just over 14 minutes per night of playing time. However, his waiver exemption likely works against him as when a spot is needed, sending him down is much safer than potentially exposing a different player to waivers.
Meanwhile, the 22-year-old has been a top-flight producer in the minors with the Americans as well. He leads the league in points per game at 1.47 thanks to tallying a team-high dozen goals with ten assists in just 15 outings. He’s certainly playing well enough to earn a longer look with Buffalo, we’ll see if he gets that chance this time around.
As for Timmins, his placement should come as no surprise. It was revealed on Friday that the blueliner is set to miss the next six to eight weeks due to a broken leg, derailing what had been a solid first half of the season as he is averaging a career-best 19:14 of playing time per night. He’ll now remain on IR until he returns at likely some point in February.
Devils Activate Timo Meier, Assign Two To AHL
The Devils made a trio of roster moves before Friday’s freeze. The team announced that winger Timo Meier has been activated off the non-roster list while winger Xavier Parent and defenseman Calen Addison were assigned to AHL Utica.
Meier had been away from the team for a little more than a week due to a family health matter. The 29-year-old is a key cog in New Jersey’s attack and got off to a strong start this season with 11 goals and 12 assists in 30 games while averaging a little under 19 minutes per game of playing time. Considering that the Devils are without five forwards at the moment (headlined by Jack Hughes and rookie Arseny Gritsyuk), his return will certainly be a significant one.
As for Parent, he received his first career NHL promotion earlier this month. The 24-year-old got into five games with the Devils while on recall but was held off the scoresheet while recording two shots and seven hits in 8:34 of ice time per night. Parent has been fairly productive in the minors with the Comets though, chipping in with six goals and six assists through 20 appearances so far.
Addison, meanwhile, received his first recall of the season last weekend but didn’t see any game action. A veteran of 152 career NHL appearances over parts of four seasons, the 25-year-old has gotten into 21 games with Utica, picking up two goals and seven assists. He and Parent will have to play in at least one game with the Comets before becoming recall-eligible again.
As a result of these moves, New Jersey now has one vacancy on its 23-player roster. That spot could be filled before long by one of their players currently on IR or a recall later on from the Comets.
Lightning Recall Jakob Pelletier And Jack Finley, Place Brandon Hagel On IR
The Lightning have brought up a pair of wingers in advance of their game tonight against Carolina. The team announced that they have recalled Jakob Pelletier and Jack Finley from AHL Syracuse.
Pelletier is in his first season with Tampa Bay after signing a three-year deal with them in free agency. However, he didn’t make the team in training camp and cleared waivers, paving the way for him to be sent down.
The 24-year-old played in one game with the Lightning in mid-November but has been with the Crunch exclusively beyond that. Pelletier has been quite productive in Syracuse as he’s tied for the league lead in scoring with 15 goals and 16 assists in just 24 games. Nearly a career point-per-game player in the minors (161 points in 163 outings), it will be interesting to see if he gets more of an offensive look with some of Tampa Bay’s better forwards banged up.
To that end, team reporter Benjamin Pierce relays that winger Brandon Hagel will miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury sustained earlier in the week against Florida. While not announced by the team, he has been moved to injured reserve, per the NHL’s Media Site, meaning he’ll likely be out through the holiday break. The 27-year-old has been one of Tampa Bay’s top performers this season, collecting 18 goals and 13 assists in 31 games. Meanwhile, winger Nikita Kucherov is listed as a game-time decision due to illness.
Finley, meanwhile, returns from a conditioning stint that lasted just three games. He did well in those outings, picking up a goal and two assists while getting a chance to play a much bigger role than he did with Tampa Bay. The 23-year-old has been limited to just 11 games with the Lightning this season where he has a goal and an assist while averaging 8:49 per game of ice time. More specifically, he had only suited up twice since November 25th so the timing was right for him to go down and get some work in with the Crunch.