Sabres Looking To Move Alexandar Georgiev
It has been a rough run over the last year and a bit for veteran goaltender Alexandar Georgiev. After struggling mightily between Colorado and San Jose last season, his first trip through unrestricted free agency didn’t yield much interest. Instead, he had to wait until just before the start of training camp to get a contract as he signed a one-year, $825K deal with the Sabres as an insurance policy with some uncertainty surrounding Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen heading into camp.
However, after a poor training camp, Buffalo elected to bring in a different insurance policy, claiming Colten Ellis off waivers from St. Louis. As a result, Georgiev was placed on waivers and was sent to AHL Rochester after passing through unclaimed. Meanwhile, Luukkonen has returned and the Sabres appear to be intent on carrying three goalies this season.
Meanwhile, Devon Levi is Buffalo’s preferred goaltender in Rochester. While he hasn’t had the immediate NHL impact they were hoping when they signed him a few years ago, he’s still a decent prospect and needs to be getting the bulk of the playing time. As a result, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported earlier this week that Buffalo is now trying to find a new home for Georgiev.
The 29-year-old has respectable career numbers at the NHL level despite his recent struggles. In 303 games over parts of eight seasons, he has a 151-108-26 record with 2.99 GAA, a .903 SV%, and 15 shutouts. However, the last time he posted a save percentage over .900 was back in 2022-23 so it’s fair to suggest that anyone who might be looking to add him would be viewing him more as injury insurance than someone who could come up and play in the NHL right away.
With Levi getting the bulk of the workload, Georgiev has been limited to just two appearances in the minors through the first month of the season where he has allowed seven goals on 67 shots in a pair of losses. That said, a chance to play more regularly might result in a better performance moving forward.
The fact that Georgiev’s contract is a one-way pact will also limit his value. While more teams are now willing to pay NHL money to a third-string netminder, quite a few still try to avoid doing so while those who have an AHL netminder on a one-way deal likely won’t be looking to add another. However, as goalie injuries pick up, Buffalo might have a chance to move him for a future considerations type of return over the coming weeks. For someone who was a number one NHL goalie to start last season though, this is quite the fall from grace for Georgiev and his value.
Sharks Assign Zack Ostapchuk To AHL, Send Down Vincent Iorio On Conditioning Loan
With the team off until Tuesday, the Sharks have made a pair of roster moves. The team announced this afternoon (Twitter link) that forward Zack Ostapchuk has been assigned to AHL San Jose. Meanwhile, blueliner Vincent Iorio has also been sent to the Barracuda on a conditioning stint.
Ostapchuk’s stint with the Sharks was short-lived as he had only been recalled on Thursday and didn’t see any action after his promotion. Acquired from Ottawa at last year’s trade deadline as part of the Fabian Zetterlund deal, the 22-year-old played somewhat regularly down the stretch, getting into 13 games. However, with the option of having limited playing time in the NHL or a bigger role in the minors, the Sharks have opted for the latter this season while he remains waiver-exempt. In nine games with the Barracuda this season, Ostapchuk has two goals and an assist.
As for Iorio, he was claimed off waivers from Washington midway through last month when the Sharks were dealing with some injuries on the back end. He played regularly for about a week and a half, getting into six games where he was held off the scoresheet while posting six blocks in 16:20 a night of playing time. However, he has been a healthy scratch in seven straight games as some of their injured rearguards have started to return. With this being a regular conditioning loan, it can last for up to two weeks.
While two players are coming off the roster, the Sharks are only gaining one roster spot with these moves. Iorio will remain on San Jose’s roster while on assignment, meaning that they still have 22 players on their active roster.
Flames Recall Daniil Miromanov, Place Zayne Parekh On IR
6:00 p.m.: Huska provided some more clarity regarding Parekh’s timeline today, according to Flames Nation’s Ryan Pike. Huska told the media that Parekh’s injury is considered “week-to-week.” Pike also noted that while Parekh is on injured reserve, games played by the Flames will still “count” for Parekh regarding the 40-game threshold that would see him accrue a year of service time towards unrestricted free agency.
While there’s still a long way to go before the Flames have to begin seriously thinking about any looming UFA status for Parekh, who is just 19 years old, Parekh’s UFA timeline could come into play in future extension talks. It is generally viewed as more expensive for a team to sign a contract covering a year where a player would be eligible for unrestricted free agency compared to restricted free agency. As a result, even though any unrestricted free agency for the player seems to be far away at this point, it is still an aspect of this injury news that is notable.
11:57 a.m.: After losing defenseman Zayne Parekh to an upper-body injury last night against Chicago, the Flames are bringing up a replacement for him. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled blueliner Daniil Miromanov from AHL Calgary. To make room on the roster, Parekh was placed on injured reserve.
Miromanov broke camp with the Flames but playing time was rather difficult to come by as he was in the number eight role. As a result, he was placed on waivers a little under three weeks ago and after clearing, he was sent to the Wranglers. In seven games with them so far, the 28-year-old has done relatively well, picking up a goal and three assists.
Miromanov has 94 career NHL games under his belt, one coming this season. He got into a career-best 44 games with the Flames in 2024-25 where he had nine points and 55 blocked shots while averaging 17:41 per night. In the final season of a two-year, $2.5MM deal, he’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and might be staring down a possible salary reduction.
As for Parekh, head coach Ryan Huska told reporters postgame including Postmedia’s Daniel Austin that the rookie was set to miss some time, even though they don’t yet know the full extent of the injury. With this placement, he’ll be out for at least one week. Parekh recently officially began the first season of his entry-level contract once he eclipsed the nine-game mark and has one assist in 11 outings in 2025-26 while playing a little under 15 minutes a night.
Zachary L’Heureux To Miss Four To Six Weeks
Things were looking up were Predators winger Zachary L’Heureux earlier this week. He was recalled from the minors on Tuesday although he didn’t see any game action. It turns out he won’t be playing anytime soon as the team announced (Twitter link) that he will miss the next four to six weeks due to a lower-body injury.
The 22-year-old spent most of last season with Nashville as an early-season recall following a strong start with AHL Milwaukee turned into a permanent promotion. L’Heureux wound up playing in 62 games in his freshman NHL year, picking up five goals and ten assists along with 198 hits in just over 12 minutes a night of action, becoming a key part of their physical bottom six.
With that in mind, it was expected that L’Heureux would break camp with the Predators and pick up where he left off. However, he only played in two preseason games and then was sent to the Admirals at the end of training camp, becoming a somewhat surprising training camp cut. He did well in the early going with Milwaukee though, collecting four goals and two assists in seven games to earn his promotion.
L’Heureux is in the final season of his entry-level contract and was hoping for a strong platform year to give him a sizable raise from his current $863K AAV. Instead, he’ll wind up going without any NHL action for more than two months which is hardly the outcome he or the Predators were hoping for.
Capitals Activate Ethen Frank, Assign Spencer Smallman To AHL
The Capitals have made a pair of roster moves heading into tonight’s game against Tampa Bay. The team announced that they have activated winger Ethen Frank off injured reserve. To make room on the roster, forward Spencer Smallman has been sent back to AHL Hershey.
Frank didn’t make Washington’s roster out of training camp but was recalled less than two weeks into the season. However, the 27-year-old sustained an upper-body injury in his third game of the year, landing on IR soon after. Frank has an assist in those three outings to go along with four goals and three assists in 24 games with the Caps last season in his first taste of NHL action. He also had two goals and three helpers with the Bears prior to his recall.
As for Smallman, the 29-year-old received the first recall of his career last weekend. However, he will have to continue to wait to make his NHL debut as he was the reserve forward for Washington while on recall. Smallman had two goals and an assist in six outings with Hershey before the recall and has ranged between 21 and 34 points in his last four minor league campaigns.
With these roster moves, Washington’s active roster remains at the maximum of 23 players.
Metropolitan Notes: Hamilton, Foerster, Keller
Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton left Thursday’s victory over Montreal with an undisclosed injury and he’ll be out for a few games at least. Team reporter Amanda Stein relays (Twitter link) that the veteran will be out for a minimum of a week, which suggests that he’s likely to land on injured reserve before long with New Jersey carrying the maximum of 23 players at the moment. The 32-year-old had been off to a solid start to the season before the injury, picking up four goals and three assists in 14 games while logging nearly 21 minutes a night of playing time. Colton White will take Hamilton’s spot in the lineup for the time being after being recalled earlier this week; he suited up this afternoon against Pittsburgh for his first NHL game since April 13, 2023.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Flyers winger Tyson Foerster skated before practice yesterday as he works his way back from a lower-body injury, notes Gabriela Carroll of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The 23-year-old landed on IR earlier this week retroactive to November 1st, meaning he can be activated at any time since he has now served the minimum of one week. Foerster was off to a good start before the injury, collecting four goals and three assists in 11 games while logging over 18 minutes a night of playing time.
- Capitals goalie prospect Antoine Keller has terminated his minor league deal with Washington to head back overseas. HC Ajoie in Switzerland announced that they’ve signed the 21-year-old to a two-year contract. Keller was a seventh-round pick by Washington back in 2023 and spent last season in the NL, albeit in a backup role with Lausanne where he only played in 13 games. Keller was also on France’s roster at the most recent Worlds and could be part of their group for the upcoming Olympics as well. Washington has until June 1, 2027 to sign Keller to an entry-level deal or they will lose his rights.
Wild Assign Tyler Pitlick To AHL
The Wild have opened up a roster spot as the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Tyler Pitlick has been sent down to AHL Iowa. They now have 22 players on their active roster.
The 34-year-old was recalled last month and got into nine games. That’s particularly noteworthy as had he suited up one more time, he would have needed to pass through waivers to return to Iowa. By sending Pitlick down now, they can hold onto his waiver exemption a little while longer.
In those nine outings, Pitlick was held off the scoresheet offensively but added 24 hits and 22 penalty minutes in 7:23 per game of ice time. 20 of those penalty minutes came on Thursday against Carolina after he was given a match penalty for a hit on Carolina’s Jalen Chatfield. It appears the league rescinded that penalty as no supplemental discipline came his way.
In his career, Pitlick has played in 429 NHL games over parts of 11 NHL seasons and has 56 goals and 53 assists in those appearances. He had two goals in three games with Iowa before being recalled last month.
Hurricanes Claim Cayden Primeau Off Waivers From Toronto
2:02 PM: The Hurricanes announced that Primeau has been assigned to AHL Chicago, meaning they were the only team to put in a claim. Meanwhile, the team also confirmed that wingers Eric Robinson and William Carrier were activated off injured reserve as previously reported earlier today.
1:04 PM: The Hurricanes have plenty of goaltending depth in their organization and they have just added a bit more. Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Carolina has claimed goaltender Cayden Primeau off waivers from Toronto.
It’s a return to the Hurricanes for the 26-year-old. Carolina acquired him from Montreal in late June for a seventh-round pick and quickly signed him to a one-year, one-way contract at the league minimum salary of $775K. The thought was that he’d serve as the third-string option for them this season. However, those plans changed late in training camp when they picked up Brandon Bussi off waivers from Florida to fill that role, meaning Primeau was waived soon after.
With the Maple Leafs not having Joseph Woll to start the season after he took a leave of absence, Toronto claimed Primeau and had him spend the first four weeks of the season as Anthony Stolarz‘s backup. He won two of his three starts but struggled, allowing 13 goals on just 80 shots in those outings. With Woll now on a conditioning stint in advance of his return, the Maple Leafs elected to waive Primeau.
Primeau has played in 58 NHL games over parts of seven NHL seasons with the other 55 outings before this season coming with Montreal. While he has shown some flashes of upside along the way, he has struggled overall, posting a 15-25-7 record with a 3.73 GAA and a .882 SV%.
It’s fair to say that Carolina isn’t claiming Primeau to take over Bussi’s spot as the third-string option or serve as a number four on the NHL roster. They’ll be hoping that no one else claimed him and if that’s the case, they will be eligible to send him to AHL Chicago as they originally intended to a month ago. While Primeau hasn’t fared well in the NHL, he has been a top goalie in the minors and is coming off a 21-2-3 showing last season with Laval where he had a 1.96 GAA and a .927 SV%. With Amir Miftakhov and Nikita Quapp playing to a combined 3.61 GAA and a .862 SV% in eight games so far this season, he’d be a huge addition for the Wolves if the Hurricanes can send him down. If another team put a claim in though, Carolina would have to either keep Primeau on the NHL roster or put him right back on waivers.
Maple Leafs Recall Dennis Hildeby
With Joseph Woll (conditioning stint) not yet ready to rejoin the Maple Leafs and Cayden Primeau’s performance as the backup landing him on waivers where he was claimed by Carolina, they need a new short-term second option. That will be netminder Dennis Hildeby as the team announced (Twitter link) that he has been recalled from AHL Toronto.
Hildeby appeared to be set to be the backup heading into the season following Woll’s absence and James Reimer being released from his late-camp PTO but Primeau’s claim at the end of training camp ended those plans. Instead, the 24-year-old was sent down to the Marlies with an eye on seeing more playing time than he otherwise would have received as the backup to Anthony Stolarz.
That hasn’t gone quite to plan, however. Hildeby has only made five starts for the Marlies (Primeau made three for the Maple Leafs over that same stretch) so he didn’t wind up seeing much extra action. Over those outings, he has a 2.74 GAA and a .890 SV%, a step back on his career averages of 2.54 and .908 respectively over 78 AHL appearances. Hildeby has six career NHL outings under his belt, all coming last season when he posted a 3.33 GAA and a .872 SV%.
With Toronto kicking off a back-to-back set tonight, it stands to reason that Hildeby will likely get the nod on Sunday against Carolina. But that might be his only action while on this recall with Woll likely to rejoin the big club and come off LTIR within the next week or so.
Hurricanes To Activate Two Off IR, Recall Gavin Bayreuther From AHL
There are plenty of injury updates from Carolina heading into their game tonight against Buffalo. Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer relays (Twitter link) that wingers Eric Robinson and William Carrier will suit up tonight, meaning they will be activated off injured reserve. However, the news isn’t all good as defenseman Jalen Chatfield is now out indefinitely; head coach Rod Brind’Amour is uncertain if the blueliner is dealing with a concussion after taking a hit from Minnesota’s Tyler Pitlick on Thursday. That resulted in the team announcing that blueliner Gavin Bayreuther has been recalled from AHL Chicago with Chatfield landing on injured reserve as the corresponding move.
Robinson had a breakout year last season, his first in Carolina. He picked up 14 goals and 18 assists (both career bests) in 82 games, earning himself some much-desired job security as he signed a four-year, $6.8MM deal in advance of free agency back in June. The 30-year-old got off to a nice start to this season as well, collecting three goals and an assist in seven outings despite his playing time dipping below 10 minutes a night. He has missed a little more than two weeks with an upper-body injury, landing retroactively on IR ten days ago.
Carrier, meanwhile, was injured in the same game as Robinson last month, suffering a lower-body injury. His first season with Carolina in 2024-25 was injury-riddled as he only was able to suit up in 43 games where he had 11 points and 156 hits, not a great return in the first season of a six-year deal. This season, the 30-year-old has a goal and two assists through his seven outings in a little over 10 minutes a night of action. With Carolina having two open roster spots following yesterday’s demotion of Bradly Nadeau to the minors, no other moves need to be made to activate Carrier and Robinson.
As for Chatfield, he has been his usual steadying presence on the back end. In the second season of a three-year, $9MM deal, the 29-year-old has three assists and 14 blocks in his first 13 games while averaging just under 20 minutes a night. He has once again been a big part of Carolina’s penalty kill, carrying the second-highest ATOI among their blueliners in that situation while they sit well above the league average in shorthanded success rate. Chatfield will now miss at least a week as a result of the IR placement.
Bayreuther returned to North America for this season after spending the 2024-25 campaign in Switzerland, signing a one-year, two-way deal back in July. He cleared waivers at the end of September and has spent the full season so far with the Wolves, tallying three goals and three assists in nine games. Bayreuther has 122 career NHL games under his belt over parts of four seasons, the most recent of which came back in 2022-23 with Columbus.