Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag
Thanksgiving is the time when we typically get a sense of who the contenders are, which teams could find themselves as sellers, and what the trade market could start to look like. With that in mind, it’s a good time to open up the mailbag.
Last time, we had two columns worth of questions. The first talked about the CBA change that eliminated ‘paper transactions’, a prediction for an underperforming team, and if New Jersey could find a way to get the Hughes brothers all on the same team. Meanwhile, included in the second was what could be next for the Flyers, guessing the type of impact Jonathan Toews would have in Winnipeg, and if we could see a shift to more short-term contracts thanks to the projected bigger jumps in the salary cap.
You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter/X or by leaving a comment down below. The mailbag will run on the weekend.
Atlantic Notes: Maple Leafs, McCue, Vasilevskiy, Crozier
Last season, the tandem of Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll gave the Maple Leafs a strong game-to-game presence between the pipes. However, they’ve yet to both dress in the same game so far this season. In his latest column for the Toronto Star, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos argues that getting both healthy at the same time is crucial, though not just for the obvious reason of having two starting-level goaltenders at their disposal. As a result of making several buyer moves in recent years, Toronto’s trade capital in terms of prospects has been diminished. A return to health for Stolarz to join Woll could make it more palatable for them to move one of Dennis Hildeby or Artur Akhtyamov. At a time when a lot of teams appear to be looking for extra goalie depth, having one of them as a movable trade chip could improve their fortunes on the trade front.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- Still with the Maple Leafs, prospect Sam McCue is on the move in the OHL as Ottawa announced that they’ve acquired him from Brantford in exchange for a pair of draft picks. Toronto selected the 20-year-old in the seventh round in 2024 and he’s playing in his final major junior season. McCue has 10 goals and six assists in 25 games so far this season and will probably need to pick up the offensive pace if he wants to secure an entry-level deal with the Leafs by the beginning of June.
- Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is unavailable for tonight’s game which resulted in today’s recall of Brandon Halverson. However, the veteran’s absence will be a short one as Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times relays (Twitter link) that the expectation is that Vasilevskiy will be available to start their next game on Saturday. The 31-year-old is having yet another strong season, posting a 2.31 GAA and a .916 SV% through his first 19 starts.
- Also with the Lightning, they welcomed back defenseman Maxwell Crozier as Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider relayed (Twitter link) that the blueliner was activated off IR. The 25-year-old missed the last eight games due to an undisclosed injury. Crozier has three assists in eight games with Tampa Bay so far this season. With the activation, the Lightning are back to a full 23-player roster.
Five Key Stories: 11/24/25 – 11/30/25
Late November is usually when teams start to have a better feel for their rosters and what types of moves they need to make. While there isn’t typically a big uptick on the trade front at this time, some of this week’s key stories are about the trade market to come.
Canucks Open To Offers: It hasn’t been a great couple of months for Vancouver. The Canucks are only three points ahead of last place in the league which has led to some wondering about if they’d do a big shakeup. It appears they’re at least willing to listen to offers on their veterans although there is mixed reporting on if they’re just doing so for players on expiring deals or ones with term remaining. In terms of pending free agents, wingers Kiefer Sherwood and Evander Kane along with center Teddy Blueger, come to mind (although making the cap element work with Kane could be trickier). Vancouver has been one of the teams willing to make moves early so whether it’s just expirings or other more core pieces, they’ll be a team to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.
Extensions In Calgary: There were earlier reports that the Flames were nearing an extension with GM Craig Conroy. As it turns out, he had already signed one, a two-year deal. He wasn’t the only one to have a contract announced as President of Hockey Operations Don Maloney and Assistant GMs Dave Nonis and Brad Pascall all received two-year extensions as well. Oddly enough, the deals were done over the summer but the organization didn’t feel a need to announce them. Going into the season, Calgary was coming off a better-than-expected year as they just missed the playoffs. But things haven’t gone anywhere near as well in 2025-26 as they’re second-last in the NHL standings, just one point ahead of Nashville. But their current management group will be the one to continue to try to bring them forward in their rebuild.
Five For Matheson: Earlier this season, the Canadiens took care of their most prominent pending restricted free agent when they signed blueliner Lane Hutson to an eight-year extension. This week, they took care of their most prominent pending unrestricted free agent, inking defenseman Mike Matheson to a five-year, $30MM extension. The 31-year-old has become a top-pairing defender since being acquired from Pittsburgh in 2022 and is only two years removed from a breakout 62-point campaign. A $6MM price tag is a little below market value but the extra year or two on the contract helped keep the AAV down. Montreal now has its top four blueliners (Hutson, Matheson, Noah Dobson, and Kaiden Guhle) all signed through at least the 2030-31 season at a combined price tag of $29.85MM.
Done For The Year: Kyle Palmieri’s 2025-26 regular season has come to an abrupt end. He sustained a torn ACL and will be undergoing surgery that will keep him out of the lineup for six to eight months. The 34-year-old is tied for second in team scoring with 18 points in 25 games and has been one of their more consistently reliable secondary scorers in recent years. It has been a rough stretch lately on the injury front for the Isles as Palmieri joins Alexander Romanov as key veterans whose regular seasons ended much earlier than expected. New York ends the month in a tie for the final playoff spot but their offense has certainly taken a hit with Palmieri’s injury.
Veterans Garnering Interest: As the trade chatter begins to pick up, a pair of veterans appear to be getting some attention, Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry and Blues defenseman Justin Faulk. Jarry has a 2.74 GAA and a .905 SV% in 10 games this season, numbers that would be his best since 2021-22 if they hold up. However, he has two more years left after this on his contract with a $5.375MM cap charge and the goalie market isn’t particularly robust in terms of teams looking so it would take some work to get a trade in place. Meanwhile, Faulk is off to a decent start to his season with 13 points in 26 games on a St. Louis team that has struggled mightily offensively. He has one more year left after this with a $6.5MM AAV but is a right-shot defender, the side that many teams are often trying to add. It stands to reason that if the Blues decide to take a step back and move him, they should be able to generate a decent market for his services.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.
Golden Knights Recall Carter Hart, Assign Carl Lindbom To AHL
Carter Hart’s two-week conditioning stint has come to an end, and the Golden Knights have recalled him, per the AHL’s transactions log. In a corresponding move, Vegas has reassigned netminder Carl Lindbom to AHL Henderson.
Hart’s suspension expires on December 1st, which stemmed from the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial during the summer months when he and the four other players charged were found not guilty. The suspension came from a joint agreement between the league and the NHLPA, with the players waiving their right to an appeal.
Hart is the only player of the five to have signed in the NHL for this season, as he inked a two-year, $4MM contract back in late October. The 27-year-old got into three games with the Silver Knights and allowed nine goals on 56 shots for a .839 SV% in his first game action since January 2024. For the time being, he’ll likely split starts with Akira Schmid, who has done pretty well since taking over the starter role in Adin Hill’s absence.
As for Lindbom, he had been up with Vegas since Hill was injured in late October. The 22-year-old saw his first NHL action while on recall, posting a 3.14 GAA and a .870 SV% in seven starts while he picked up his first win on Saturday against San Jose. Lindbom has only played twice for Henderson this season, but put up a 2.65 GAA and a .912 SV% in 36 games with them last season.
Snapshots: Panarin, Duchene, Mrazek, Ivan
While many pending UFAs have recently signed extensions, that hasn’t been the case for Rangers winger Artemi Panarin who is now one of the top veterans on an expiring contract. With talks between the two sides believed to have not gone well so far, some have wondered if a return to the KHL could even be an option. Speaking with reporters recently including Mollie Walker of the New York Post (subscription link), the 34-year-old wouldn’t rule the idea out, simply saying that it’s hard to say right now what’s coming next for him. Despite the contractual uncertainty, Panarin is hovering near the point per game mark and is tied for the team lead in scoring with 26 points and would get plenty of interest if he makes it to the open market next summer.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- The Stars have been without center Matt Duchene for nearly six weeks due to an upper-body injury. DLLS Sports’ Sam Nestler notes (Twitter link) that the 34-year-old has already technically been medically cleared to return. However, he continues to experience some lingering symptoms. As a result, head coach Glen Gulutzan indicated that Duchene will still need to be out a little while longer to get properly conditioned to return. Duchene has a goal and an assist in four games this season after tallying 82 points in 2024-25.
- Ducks goaltender Petr Mrazek suffered what appears to be a lower-body in their game against Chicago this afternoon, relays WGN’s Charlie Roumeliotis (Twitter link). He was injured in the third period and while he was able to skate off under his own power, he wasn’t able to return. Anaheim is already without starter Lukas Dostal so, for the time being, Ville Husso is their top available option.
- Following their victory over Montreal on Saturday, the Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they have returned forward Ivan Ivan to AHL Colorado. The 23-year-old got into three games after being recalled up earlier this week, picking up an assist while averaging 8:19 of ice time. Ivan has played in 18 games in the minors with the Eagles this season, collecting two goals and four assists.
Penguins Assign Tristan Broz And Danton Heinen To AHL
The Penguins have freed up a pair of spots on their active roster in advance of Monday’s game against Philadelphia. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned forwards Tristan Broz and Danton Heinen to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Broz was recalled back on Monday to get his first taste of NHL action. He made one appearance, recording two shots on goal in 11:30 of playing time on Wednesday against Buffalo. The 23-year-old has been productive in the minors, however, collecting eight goals and five assists in 18 games, putting him a little ahead of his offensive pace from last season when he notched 19 goals and 18 helpers in 59 outings with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
As for Heinen, he’s in his second season with the team after being acquired from Vancouver back in February. He cleared waivers back in training camp and did quite well in the minors, picking up 10 goals and five assists in 14 games. That earned him a recall four weeks ago. Heinen played in nine games but was limited to just one assist. Had he played in one more game or been up for three more days, he’d have needed to pass through waivers unclaimed again to return to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Accordingly, it’s not too surprising they’ve decided to send him down to ensure he’ll remain available for recall later in the season.
As a result of these moves, Pittsburgh only has 11 healthy forwards on their active roster. That suggests that there is a recall or two coming on Monday – perhaps winger Rutger McGroarty – or one or more forwards are ready to come off injured reserve. At the moment, four forwards are on IR for the Penguins – Noel Acciari, Justin Brazeau, Filip Hallander, and Rickard Rakell. The first two have been skating and could be candidates to be activated.
Atlantic Notes: Samuelsson, McAvoy, Arvidsson, Zacha
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.
Senators Recall Dennis Gilbert, Place Thomas Chabot On IR
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
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.
Kyle Palmieri Out For Six To Eight Months
Earlier today, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported (Twitter link) that the Islanders were fearing the worst-case scenario when it came to winger Kyle Palmieri. That is indeed the case as the team announced that the veteran will undergo surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee. The recovery timeline for this procedure is six to eight months, meaning he is out for the remainder of the regular season and multiple playoff rounds (should they get that far) at a minimum.
The veteran was injured in the second period of yesterday’s game against the Flyers. While trying to get back to the bench, he wound up intercepting the puck and made a quick pass that eventually led to an assist. Unfortunately for Palmieri and the Isles, it will be his final point of the season, capping his 2025-26 totals at six goals and 12 assists in 25 games. It will also put an end to his team ironman streak which had lasted 223 consecutive games.
The injury is certainly a big blow to a New York attack that sits in the middle of the pack heading into today’s action. Palmieri had notched 54 goals over the last two seasons combined which had earned the 34-year-old a two-year, $9.5MM deal back in the spring. At first glance, either rookie Max Shabanov or veteran Anthony Duclair seem likely to get the first chance to take Palmieri’s spot in their top six forward group. They should also get center Jean-Gabriel Pageau (upper body) back before the holiday break.
This is the second major long-term injury for the Isles within the last seven days. Back on Sunday, it was revealed that defenseman Alexander Romanov would miss five to six months due to shoulder surgery, taking a key veteran off their back end.
The Islanders are carrying a roster that narrowly operates outside LTIR at the moment, checking in with a projection of $32K in cap space, per PuckPedia. It’s likely that will be changing in the near future if they elect to call someone up from AHL Bridgeport to take Palmieri’s place. Pierre Engvall, who is out for the season with an ankle injury, is already on LTIR. With them knowing that his season is over already and Romanov at least eligible for regular LTIR (carrying $3.82MM in potential added flexibility instead of the full contract value), New York shouldn’t get to a point where they need to make a decision on putting Palmieri on season-ending LTIR which would make him ineligible to return late in the playoffs.
But operating in LTIR for the foreseeable future – if not the rest of the season – will have consequences down the road. Matthew Schaefer and Shabanov have significant performance bonuses in their respective deals ($7MM combined) so any of those will likely now be charged against their 2026-27 books as a team that finishes up the year in LTIR has to take any bonuses earned as a carryover penalty.