Maple Leafs Place William Nylander On IR, Recall Marshall Rifai
The Maple Leafs placed right winger William Nylander on injured reserve Monday, according to a team announcement. The placement is retroactive to Dec. 27, so he is eligible for activation at any time. Nylander’s roster spot will go to defenseman Marshall Rifai, whom the team said has been recalled from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
Nylander has now missed four games since sustaining a lower-body injury against the Senators nine days ago. He’s back on the ice and skated Monday, David Alter of The Hockey News reports, but he will presumably miss at least one more game.
Toronto has not lost in regulation during Nylander’s latest absence, collecting six out of eight possible points with a 2-0-2 record. The 29-year-old previously missed four games in October and November due to a lower-body injury and an illness, limiting his season total to 33 appearances.
Despite the recurring inavailability, Nylander’s 27 assists and 41 points still sit atop the Leafs’ leaderboard. He’s also been Toronto’s best finisher at 20.6% (min. 50 shots on goal).
Rifai’s recall indicates there’s legitimate concern about Jake McCabe‘s status for Tuesday’s clash with the Panthers. Head coach Craig Berube said after Saturday’s overtime loss to the Islanders that McCabe would need to undergo evaluation for an undisclosed injury he sustained in the third period (via Alter).
The fact that Nylander, instead of McCabe, is landing on IR to make room for the Leafs to add another defenseman likely isn’t an indicator of the latter’s return timeline one way or another. There’s simply added roster flexibility by placing someone who’s already missed more than a week on IR, removing any potential restrictions on activation.
Rifai, 27, only recently got his season underway with the Marlies after needing wrist surgery due to a preseason injury. In five games, the 6’2″ lefty has recorded two assists with eight penalty minutes and a +2 rating.
The Quebec native only has two NHL games to his name and none since February 2024, but that could change tomorrow if the Leafs opt to continue playing lefty Oliver Ekman-Larsson on his off side while keeping righty Philippe Myers in the press box. Myers was scratched for the first time in several days against the Islanders after posting two assists and a -8 rating in 21 appearances this year.
Hurricanes Assign Ivan Ryabkin To Juniors
The Hurricanes assigned center prospect Ivan Ryabkin to the Charlottetown Islanders of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League on Monday, according to a team press release.
Ryabkin, 18, had begun the season in the pros with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. A second-round pick this year (No. 62 overall) from the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League, he was not subject to the NHL’s transfer agreement with the Canadian Hockey League. He was thus eligible for a full-time minor-league assignment.
However, today’s news means Ryabkin cannot be called up to Carolina (unless under emergency conditions) or reassigned to the Wolves until his junior season is over. Charlottetown picked up Ryabkin’s CHL rights in this year’s import draft and will now reap the benefits of that selection, albeit a few months later than most expected.
Carolina sending Ryabkin to the AHL to begin his post-draft season was a surprise. While often touted as a first-round talent based on skill alone, there were league-wide concerns over the Russian pivot’s conditioning and two-way game.
Nonetheless, the Canes saw enough of his offensive ceiling in Muskegon, where he scored 19 goals and 30 points in 27 games, to at least give him some initial reps in the pro game. He filled a role as an agitator in Chicago, averaging north of two penalty minutes per game, but it’s clear his offensive game needs more development before he’s ready to shoot for a top-six job in the AHL.
In 25 games with the Wolves to begin his pro career, the 5’11”, 205-lb Ryabkin scored one goal and six assists with a -2 rating. Tabbed as the No. 6 prospect in Carolina’s system by Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff and No. 8 by Elite Prospects, the Canes will look for Ryabkin to feature among Charlottetown’s top offensive producers – if not their points-per-game leader – down the stretch.-
Blue Jackets Activate Zach Werenski, Place Brendan Smith On IR
Saturday: Werenski’s activation is now official, per a team announcement. The team also revealed that they’ve converted Dysin Mayo‘s emergency recall to a regular one.
Friday: Blue Jackets star Zach Werenski will return to the lineup Saturday against the Sabres, he told reporters today (including Aaron Portzline of The Athletic). The team also announced they’ve placed defenseman Brendan Smith on injured reserve, opening the roster spot for Werenski’s pending IR activation.
Werenski, a reigning Norris Trophy finalist, hasn’t played since Dec. 20 against the Ducks. He took a hard shot to the ankle late in the third period after racking up two points in the loss, leaving him unable to get to the room without assistance.
Four games later, he’ll be back in the lineup. With Columbus also down Smith, Sean Monahan, Miles Wood, Isac Lundeström, and Erik Gudbranson, their top player missing any more time would be even more problematic than usual.
The languishing Jackets did well not only to tread water without Werenski but even gained ground in the Eastern Conference wild card race. They’ve gone 3-1-0 in their last four to get themselves back over .500, although they’re still second-last in the conference ahead of the Rangers by points percentage (.513).
While he won’t get much consideration if Columbus doesn’t sniff the playoffs, Werenski has built a solid MVP case yet again after getting votes for the first time last season. He’s the Jackets’ leading scorer, tracking for his second season over a point per game with a 14-26–40 scoring line in 35 games. Only Cale Makar has been more productive this season among defensemen, and he’s done so while posting a team-high +6 rating.
Smith’s IR placement is both expected and solely procedural. He’s already been listed as week-to-week with a lower-leg injury and will miss more than the seven-day IR minimum.
Islanders Activate Ilya Sorokin, Reassign Marcus Hogberg
The Islanders activated goaltender Ilya Sorokin from injured reserve on Friday, per Stefen Rosner of NHL.com. He will dress as the backup to David Rittich for Saturday’s game against the Maple Leafs before returning to action Tuesday versus the Devils. Third-stringer Marcus Högberg was returned to AHL Bridgeport in a corresponding move.
Sorokin, arguably the Vezina Trophy frontrunner at the halfway point of the season, has missed the last five games with an undisclosed injury. Pre-injury, he’d been excellent behind an Islanders defense that allows the third-most expected goals against per 60 minutes in the league at 5-on-5 (2.96), posting a .910 SV%, 2.55 GAA, and three shutouts with a 12-10-2 record in 24 starts. His 22.8 goals saved above expected rank first across the NHL, per MoneyPuck.
Rittich has also been highly competent this year, but has begun to show signs of wear as he attempts his sixth consecutive start this weekend. He was pulled after allowing five goals on 14 shots against the Mammoth yesterday, but still has a .909 SV% in 17 games on the year.
Still, if the Isles manage to keep up their 96-point pace and make the postseason cutoff, Sorokin, along with Calder favorite Matthew Schaefer, will be the names that have the most to do with it. Sorokin’s 137 career wins are already third in Islanders franchise history, and his .916 SV% is first (min. 100 starts).
Högberg’s only action on this recall came in the relief appearance against Utah yesterday, allowing two goals on seven shots. The 31-year-old has a .881 SV%, 3.08 GAA, and 5-7-3 record in 14 games for Bridgeport.
Avalanche Recall Taylor Makar, Trent Miner; Place Mackenzie Blackwood On IR
The Avalanche announced they’ve recalled winger Taylor Makar and goaltender Trent Miner from AHL Colorado. Netminder Mackenzie Blackwood was placed on injured reserve in a corresponding move with a lower-body issue, per Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports. Colorado had an open roster spot already, so they don’t need to clear a second one.
It’s unclear what’s keeping Blackwood out of the lineup. He did not practice yesterday ahead of the Avs’ three-game road trip, per Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports.
Blackwood had finished the game in their 6-1 drubbing of the Blues on New Year’s Eve, his second straight start. The 29-year-old started the year on IR and has fallen into more of a tandem split with Scott Wedgewood as a result, but has still been spectacular through his 16 appearances, racking up a 13-1-1 record with a .924 SV% and league-leading 2.07 GAA.
While disappointing, Colorado has shown the ability to withstand their starter’s absence well already. Wedgewood started 10 of 11 in October while Blackwood was working his way back and put up a 7-1-3 record and .900 SV%. On the year, he’s now recorded a league-high 17 wins with a .919 SV% and 2.13 GAA.
Now, Blackwood will be out for at least one week. He’ll be re-evaluated after the Avs wrap up their road trip, which concludes on Jan. 6 in Tampa, per Montano.
Miner, 24, made one start and one relief appearance in October while serving as Wedgewood’s backup to open the season. He stopped 40 of the 44 shots he faced for a .909 SV% and 2.12 GAA.
A seventh-round pick in 2019, Miner is now up to two career starts and another two relief appearances. One of the younger and less experienced third-stringers in the league, he’s momentarily lost his AHL starting job as well to undrafted free agent pickup Isak Posch. In 10 appearances compared to Posch’s 16, Miner has a 7-2-0 record with a .907 SV% and 2.40 GAA.
Makar returns to the NHL roster after Gavin Brindley sustained a lower-body injury against St. Louis. With Joel Kiviranta also listed as day-to-day with a lower-body issue, the Avs needed an extra forward in case both are unavailable tomorrow in Carolina.
The 24-year-old Makar has been recalled three times already this season and made his NHL debut, going pointless in three appearances with six hits while averaging 5:33 of ice time per game. The 6’4″ lefty is in his first pro season and has six goals and 10 points in 26 AHL games.
Flames Loan Andrew Basha To WHL
The Flames have sent left wing prospect Andrew Basha back to juniors to finish the season with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, per a team announcement.
It will mark the 20-year-old Basha’s fifth and final season of junior hockey. Viewed as a potential fit by multiple public scouts in the 2024 draft, he ended up slipping to Calgary at No. 41 overall in the second round.
At the time, Basha was coming off a 30-goal, 85-point breakout in 63 games for Medicine Hat. The following season, he was a member of the Tigers’ WHL championship team but struggled with injuries. Limited to 23 regular-season contests, he still racked up nine goals and 29 points but lost important development time.
That missed development was apparent as Basha attempted to make adjustments to the pro game this season. Assigned to AHL Calgary out of training camp, he’s gotten plenty of reps but hasn’t produced. In 27 games, he’s put up a 1-4–5 scoring line with 33 penalty minutes and a -7 rating.
A good playmaker with physical acumen, he’s not an A-list prospect in a deep Calgary pool. Nonetheless, his toolkit points toward him being an effective fourth-liner even if the offensive production never really spikes at the pro level. The Flames are hoping that isn’t the case, though, and he can develop into something of a top-nine power forward. Getting some confidence back in Medicine Hat should help him on the way.
Senators Loan Matthew Andonovski To OHL
The Senators reassigned defense prospect Matthew Andonovski from AHL Belleville to OHL Kitchener today, per a team announcement.
Andonovski was a fifth-round pick in 2023. As he’s 20 years old, he’s still eligible for major junior hockey, but Ottawa was no longer forced to return him to his junior team as stipulated by the NHL-CHL transfer agreement.
While Andonovski was eligible for a full-time assignment to Belleville, loaning him to Kitchener means he must stay there until their season ends. He’s not eligible to return to the AHL until then, and he would only be eligible for an NHL recall under emergency conditions, although he’s far enough down the depth chart that he wouldn’t be considered in that scenario.
The 6’2″, 201-lb lefty signed his entry-level contract with the Sens in the 2024 offseason, but the deal slid to this year after he was loaned out to Kitchener for the entire campaign. A physical shutdown defender, Andonovski served as the Rangers’ captain last season and racked up 21 points, a +10 rating, and 132 penalty minutes in 65 games.
This season, injuries have limited Andonovski’s pro debut to just three appearances with Belleville and none since Nov. 1. He posted zeroes across the board. Today’s news indicates he’s been cleared to return to play and will now partake in his fifth and final season with Kitchener.
Canucks Place Marco Rossi On IR, Recall Arshdeep Bains
The Canucks announced they’ve placed center Marco Rossi on injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 30. His roster spot is going to winger Arshdeep Bains, who’s been recalled from AHL Abbotsford.
Rossi, 24, has only played eight games since being acquired from the Wild in the Quinn Hughes deal. The team’s new second-line center behind Elias Pettersson hasn’t seen much success yet, though. While he’s averaged nearly 19 minutes per game, tracking for a career-high, the 2020 No. 9 overall pick has only managed two points and a -5 rating while seeing a rotation of Brock Boeser, Jake DeBrusk, and Conor Garland as his primary linemates.
That cold streak hit a stop sign against the Flyers on Tuesday, leaving that game with a lower-body injury. On Thursday, head coach Adam Foote told reporters that Rossi – along with Garland – would miss at least a week. He would be eligible to come off IR on Jan. 6 against the Sabres, but won’t return until their following game against the Red Wings at the earliest.
Injuries have been a theme for the Austrian this season. His tenure with the Wild ended while he was on injured reserve with a separate lower-body issue, believed to be a foot fracture. All told, he’s had five goals and 15 points in 25 showings this season after reaching a career-high 60 points last year.
If history is any indication, Bains won’t be a replacement for Rossi in the top six, but he does give Vancouver an extra forward while Garland is out. The 24-year-old broke camp with the Canucks but was waived and reassigned to Abbotsford last month after scoring a goal and five points in 26 appearances, almost exclusively in a fourth-line role while averaging under 10 minutes per game. The 6’0″ winger has three goals and six points in five AHL games since the demotion, bringing his career AHL points per game up to 0.79.
Lightning Sign Charle-Edouard D’Astous To One-Year Extension
The Lightning announced they’ve signed defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous to a one-year extension worth $875K. He was due to be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
While the 27-year-old D’Astous is too old for Calder Trophy consideration, the Quebec native has quietly been one of the league’s most impressive rookies. The former ECHL Defenseman of the Year had spent the last three seasons in Europe, racking up back-to-back top defenseman honors in Finland’s and Sweden’s top leagues, before landing his first NHL contract – a two-way deal with the Bolts signed in May.
D’Astous did not make Tampa’s opening night roster. In fact, he was a relatively early cut from training camp on Sep. 28. He posted three points and a +3 rating in four games for AHL Syracuse before the Lightning recalled him just two weeks into the season in the wake of an injury to Maxwell Crozier.
The 6’2″ lefty was scratched once before making his debut, kicking off a run of 33 consecutive appearances to begin his NHL career. While injuries to Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh have been the primary factor keeping him in the lineup, he’s done his best in the meantime to ensure he has a legitimate shot of remaining in the lineup when Tampa’s defense returns to full health. With a 3-10–13 scoring line, he’s third among Bolts defenders in scoring and 10th on the team overall while averaging a hearty 19:05 per game out of the gate, quarterbacking Tampa’s second power-play unit in Hedman’s stead.
D’Astous’ defensive deficiencies were historically the biggest obstacle between him and an NHL contract despite his long track record of elite offensive production in the minors, juniors, and in Europe. Those haven’t disappeared. The Lightning allow 3.4 goals against per 60 minutes with D’Astous on the ice at even strength, the worst figure on the team.
Nonetheless, he’s proven himself a valuable depth option, providing legitimate offensive value from the blue line as Tampa has dealt with multiple key injuries. He was one of only five pending UFAs on the Lightning’s roster, a list that’s now limited to Oliver Bjorkstrand, Darren Raddysh, Declan Carlile (Group VI), and Curtis Douglas (Group VI).
Bo Horvat Avoids Long-Term Injury, Out At Least One Week
One day after being included on Team Canada’s roster for the 2026 Olympics, Islanders center Bo Horvat suddenly saw his participation fall into jeopardy after sustaining a lower-body injury in the third period of Thursday’s loss to the Mammoth. Today’s evaluation revealed he’s expected to be back in action before heading to Italy next month, although he will miss at least the next week, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
Horvat, 30, had recently returned from a two-week absence due to another lower-body injury. Sources told Stefen Rosner of NHL.com that the injury he sustained yesterday is of a similar nature and should carry a similar return timeline.
While those injuries have provided the Ontario native with some bumps in the road, he’s persisted to churn out a career-best offensive performance to earn him a spot on the world’s biggest stage as NHLers return to the Olympics. He had two goals in four games in his return to the lineup to boost his season totals to 21 goals and 33 points in 36 appearances.
The Isles’ top scorer and second-most used forward behind Mathew Barzal, Horvat is also averaging a career-high 20:30 of ice time per game as a true all-situations center. His 57.6 faceoff percentage is the eighth-best clip among the 45 players with at least 500 total faceoffs this season.
While concern over Horvat’s Olympics availability no longer abounds, there’s still the question of how the Islanders will navigate another multi-game stretch without him. Barzal will center the top line between Anders Lee and Emil Heineman to start, per Denis Gorman of the Associated Press, while second-year winger Maxim Tsyplakov will get a look in a second-line role after serving as a healthy scratch in nine of New York’s last 11 games.
Instead of placing Horvat on injured reserve, the Islanders opened a roster spot this morning by reassigning defenseman Marshall Warren to AHL Bridgeport. Warren, 24, had appeared in six straight games and has three assists in eight games on the year, the first appearances of his NHL career. Ice time has been limited, though, with the Long Island native averaging only 11:29 per game.
With Warren down, the Islanders can recall a forward from AHL Bridgeport before Saturday’s game against the Maple Leafs if they wish. However, with 13 healthy forwards still on the roster without Horvat and two games left on their homestand, there might not be a corresponding move.
Image courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images.