Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

NHL

Minor Transactions: 12/20/2025

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The midpoint of the season has sparked a flurry of action across the hockey world. Some players are finally being moved from a slow start to the season, while others are finding their first contracts of the year. The notable moves have been rounded up and captured below:

  • Former New York Islanders center Leo Komarov has signed a one-year contract with HC Davos of Switzerland’s National League. The 38-year-old Estonian spent the last two seasons with HIFK of Finland’s Liiga. He scored 23 points in 55 games with the club, but wasn’t able to secure a contract for this season. That will change with a move to Switzerland, marking the eighth professional hockey league that Komarov has played in – on top of tenures in Finland’s Mestis and Liiga, Russia’s KHL, the AHL and NHL, and Sweden’s SHL. He will offer Davos veteran depth.
  • Also signing an overseas contract is former Buffalo Sabres goaltender Dustin Tokarski, who has left his professional try-out contract with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins to sign a deal with Lowen Frankfurt of Germany’s DEL. Tokarski made two appearances with Grand Rapids on his try-out, posting one win and a .929 save percentage. He posted a .897 Sv% in 21 AHL games, and a .902 Sv% in six NHL games, in the Carolina Hurricanes’ organization last season. He’ll join Frankfurt for the second-half of the year and could have an open path to the starting role, with all three of Frankfurt’s goaltenders posting sub-.900 Sv% through the first half of the season.
  • Hard-hitting Utah Mammoth prospect Tomas Lavoie has been traded in the QMJHL. He will head to the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in exchange for five draft picks, including a first-rounder, headed back to the Cape Breton Eagles. Lavoie was a core piece of the Eagles this season, offering stalwart defense and reliable puck-moving. The former third-round pick has 21 points in 24 games this season and could bring a reliable, shutdown role to a Saguenéens lineup currently leaning on high-octane defenders like Alex Huang.
  • Seattle Kraken prospect Alexis Bernier will also head to the Saguenéens in exchange for Leo-Gabriel Gosselin and five draft picks. Bernier is a volume shooter who racked up 14 goals and 46 points in 59 games with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar last season, but hasn’t yet played this year. He could be due for a major breakout after rivaling point-per-game scoring last season, which should only bolster a Saguenéens lineup that has already propped up shoot-first wingers Maxim Massé and Émile Guité. The Saguenéens will go all-in on this season before likely losing Masse, Guite, and many others to pro deals.

Injury Notes: Evans, Kleven, Samoskevich

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Montreal Canadiens lost an impact center in Saturday’s win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jake Evans left the game partway through after his knee was awkwardly hit by Pittsburgh’s Justin Brazeau. He promptly left the game and didn’t return.

Evans will move forward with a questionable tag, while Canadiens fans hold their breath hoping the knee-to-knee collission doesn’t result in a long-term absence. The 29 year old has served an important depth role for Montreal through the first half of the year. He has racked up 10 points, split evenly, and a minus-13 through 33 appearances while averaging third-line minutes. Evans scored a career-high 13 goals and 36 points last season – but generally hasn’t been one to rack up the scoring. He’s instead found impact with a strong, physical play and consistent lineup presence. He has only missed one game since 2023 – a streak that could change with this latest injury.

More injury updates from around the league:

  • Ottawa Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven left the team’s win over the Chicago Blackhawks with a lower-body injury. The injury occured on an awkward fall against the boards, after getting his foot swept out from under him. He has already been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Boston Bruins, head coach Travis Green told TSN’s Claire Hanna. Kleven has four assists and a minus-12 in 31 games this season. He has offered stout depth for the Senators, and will be replaced by Jordan Spence in the short-term.
  • Ahead of Saturday’s loss to the St. Louis Blues, the Florida Panthers announced that forward Mackie Samoskevich is day-to-day with a lower-body injury sustained on Friday, per NHL.com’s Jameson Olive. Samoskevich has 17 points and a minus-four in 34 games this season, operating from a third-line role. He’s been on a hot streak as of late, with three points in his last five games. That run will halt for the time being, while Florida turns towards Jack Studnicka to fill Samoskevich’s hole in the lineup.

Canadiens Win Big In Re-Acquisition Of Phillip Danault

at CDT | by 15 Comments

The hockey world was graced with a mini Trade Deadline in the late hours of Friday, the eve of a one-week trade freeze that went into effect on Saturday. There were only two moves, both swapping draft picks for roster players, but for the Montreal Canadiens this mini Deadline could be one to remember. They won a sweepstakes for Los Angeles Kings center Phillip Danault – a strong, veteran center who they were able to land at a fairly negligible price.

The Canadiens only gave up a 2026 second-round pick in exchange for Danault. It was one of two second-rounders Montreal held in next year’s draft. The other originally belonged to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who sit dead last in the Metropolitan Division through the first two months of the season. Their pick could end up close to the first round – unless their Friday trade turns things around – while Montreal’s own pick could land near the other end of the second-round.

Another pick moved will mean just a bit more space for Montreal’s current prospects to find their ways. The Canadiens sit in playoff position despite carrying the youngest roster in the league this season. They’ve received major impacts from young players like Lane Hutson, Ivan Demidov, and Oliver Kapanen. Rookies Jacob Fowler, Adam Engstrom, Owen Beck, and Florian Xhekaj; with even more top prospects, like Michael Hage and Alexander Zharovsky, soon behind them. The Canadiens won’t have the space to continue adding multiple top draft picks to the shelves every season.

Instead, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes leveraged the surplus value to acquire what should be a great lineup piece. Danault has struggled to score this season. He scored five points, all assists, in 30 games on a Kings offense that has scored the second-fewest goals in the league so far. But the 32-year-old centerman has managed back-to-back seasons with 22 goals over the last two years. He boasts a career-high of 54 points, set in the 2022-23 season, his second year with the Kings. On top of commendable scoring, Danault posted a positive plus-minus in four of his five years in Los Angeles – fortifying a reputation as one of the league’s better, and more reliable, defensive-centers.

Before his veteran days in L.A., Danault carved out his first NHL roles in the Canadiens’ roster. He was originally a first-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks but joined Montreal in a move that worked out tremendously well for the Canadiens. They acquired Danault and the draft pick used to select Alexander Romanov in exchange for sending Tomas Fleischmann and Dale Weise to the Blackhakws. Danault was an immediate impact for Montreal, scoring 40 points and playing in all 82 games during his rookie season in 2016-17. He averaged third-line minutes in his first year and grew into a stout second-line role over the next four seasons.

Danault ended his first tenure with the Canadiens with a top-10 finish in Selke Trophy voting in three consecutive seasons. He had one more top-10 finish, and two more seasons receiving votes, in five years with the Kings.

Reliable defensive-centers often have a more level aging curve than their high-scoring counterparts. Danault has struggled to find his offense in L.A. but should look much more at home in a Canadiens’ offense that plays with much more pace. Montreal already wields a Selke Trophy-hopeful in top-line center Nick Suzuki. Now, they’ll fortify their two-way game even more with Danault, which should provide a stable backing for Demidov and Juraj Slafkovsky to focus on their scoring, and rookie Kapanen to continue easing into a role.

More than the stability, and surefire penalty killing role, that he’ll offer the lineup – Danault could be invaluable as Montreal looks to promote more star prospects to the NHL. University of Michigan star Hage has improved in every season and seems close to breaking into the pro flight, but there’s no doubt that he’ll face a tough physical challenge once he gets there.

With Danault’s addition, Montreal can be confident in their depth down the middle for the foreseeable future. Suzuki will continue in his top role, while a mix of Kapanen and Danault hold down the middle lines, until Hage, Beck, and Aatos Koivu are ready to carry on the next era of Canadiens hockey. Montreal was able to secure that short-and-long-term security at the cost of their third-most valuable pick next year. It’s a shrewd acquisition that could prove to be an X-factor as Montreal chases their second-straight postseason berth.

Photo courtesy of Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports.

Blackhawks’ Frank Nazar Expected To Miss Four Weeks With Injury

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Injury news turned from bad to worse during the Chicago Blackhwaks’ Saturday loss to the Ottawa Senators. Already without star Connor Bedard, the Blackhawks also lost top forward Frank Nazar after he took a slapshot from Ottawa’s Claude Giroux hit him in the face. Nazar went straight to the locker room and was announced as out soon after. The puck appeared to hit him square in the cheek.

Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill said postgame that Nazar is expected to miss four weeks with his resulting injury per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

This is another blow in a difficult season for the Blackhawks’ second-string star. Nazar missed two games earlier in the year with a separate injury. He has also been hit with a scoring drought – going six consecutive games without a point and 21 games without a goal. Both of those streaks snapped on Thursday night, when Nazar scored Chicago’s only goal in a 1-4 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

Despite the struggles, the 22 year old has still emerged as a key part of Chicago’s offense this season. He has 21 points in 32 games, good for fourth on the Blackhawks in scoring. That’s strong standing after the team made the shocking decision to sign Nazar to a seven-year, $46.2MM contract extension in August, with only 56 games of NHL experience under his belt. That new deal kicks into effect next summer, while Nazar looks to prove his worth on the last year of his entry-level contract this season.

Now without two of their top four scorers, the Blackhawks offense could be in some trouble. Veteran center Jason Dickinson should elevate to a top-line role in Nazar’s absence, while rookie Ryan Greene assumes a top-six role for one of the first times in his career. Neither player has lit the lamp all too often this season – with Dickinson boasting six points in 21 games and Greene holding 10 points in 34 games. Amid the shuffle, Chicago could also recall depth forward Landon Slaggert, who has served as a go-to fill-in for much of the year. Slaggert could assume the role of bottom-line center – or Chicago could move Oliver Moore, Ryan Donato, or Sam Lafferty off of the wing to fill their gap. Through the decisions, one thing is clear: Chicago is in for a tight squeeze with five games remaining in December. Nazar will miss the start of 2026, while Bedard injury won’t be re-evaluated until early-January.

Hurricanes Recall Bradly Nadeau, Place Seth Jarvis On IR

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

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.

Sharks Notes: Dellandrea, Gaudette, Skinner, Kurashev

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The San Jose Sharks will see the return of depth forwards Ty Dellandrea and Adam Gaudette in Thursday night’s game against the Dallas Stars, per Max Miller of The Hockey News. Dellandrea sustained a hand injury after blocking a shot in Tuesday’s win over the Calgary Flames. He left the game briefly but returned before things wrapped up – though still carried a questionable tag through the rest of the week. Gaudette sat out on Tuesday after sustaining a lower-body injury last Saturday.

Both returnees are slated to fill out San Jose’s third-line alongside winger Ethan Cardwell. Gaudette snapped a four-game scoring drought with a goal before his injury on Saturday. He has seven goals and 11 points in 29 games this season. Nearly half of those points – five – came across an eight-game streak between late November and early December. Dellandrea is having a career year, with 10 points in 34 games. That’s well above the scoring pace from the 2022-23 season, when he set a career-high 28 points in 82 games.

Other notes out of San Jose:

  • To make room for Gaudette and Dellandrea, the Sharks will once again send veteran winger Jeff Skinner to the press box. Skinner has been in-and-out of the lineup through much of the last two months. He’s appeared in five of San Jose’s eight games in December. The Sharks won four of those games but Skinner didn’t manage any scoring. He has just seven points in 22 games this season, a career-low scoring pace. Skinner will continue to serve as a plug-and-play winger for the Sharks.
  • A timeline has also become clear for Sharks forward Philipp Kurashev, who sustained a long-term upper-body injury last week. He is expected to be back to full health before the NHL’s February break, and should be prepared to take the ice for Team Switzerland should he be named to the team, per Curtis Pashelka of Mercury News. Kurashev has found a surprising bit of offense with a move from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Sharks. He has six goals and 15 points in 31 games on the year, putting him on pace for 40 points across 82 games. That will be a tough mark to reach on the other side of a long injury, but could be enough of a scoring spark to catch the eye of Switzerland’s management. Kurashev has represented Switerland at the last four World Championships – dating back to his age-18 season, when he played in both the World Championships and World Junior Championships. He has 15 points in 32 total games at the World Championships.

Evening Notes: Yakemchuk, Dorofeyev, Marchment

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Earlier today, Senators top prospect Carter Yakemchuk left mid-game in the AHL due to injury, as reported by Alex Adams of Sportsnet, who also provided the video clip. The defenseman, coming around the corner in his own end, made a routine pass to start the breakout when Bridgeport enforcer Hunter Drew finished a hard check. Such an impact sent Yakemchuk spilling awkwardly into the boards, and he did not return.

Drafted by Ottawa seventh overall in 2024, the 6’3” defenseman is the team’s top prospect, posting an impressive 18 points in 27 games for Belleville in his first professional season. On the other hand, Drew, 27, was a sixth round selection by Anaheim in 2018, appearing in two NHL games in 2021-22, but since then has been a full-time AHLer, even switching from a defenseman to a forward as a professional. Drew regularly surpasses the 100+ annual penalty minute mark, and after taking out a young star, naturally, his actions drew the ire of Belleville.

Further details have not been confirmed on Yakemchuk’s status, but the Alberta native figures to be a huge part of Ottawa’s future. It was already noted in late November that he is likely untouchable in trade discussions, and hopefully as long as he is able to avoid serious injury, the 20-year-old could soon earn a call up and provide a needed boost to the Sens’ right side defense. 

Elsewhere across the league:

  • Vegas forward Pavel Dorofeyev left last night’s win over Columbus, not returning for the third period, as reported by Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (Twitter link). The 25-year-old is one of the game’s more unsung top scorers, since breaking out last season with 35 goals. He has maintained such levels so far this year with 13 in 31 games, doing all of it at an absurd value, $1.8MM, with pending RFA status at season’s end. No additional updates on Dorofeyev have come yet, with the Knights out of action until next Wednesday, but if he is set to miss time, the winger’s elite power play production will especially be missed. Eight of his 13 goals have been buried on the man advantage. 
  • Ahead of tonight’s game versus Buffalo, the Seattle Kraken announced that forward Mason Marchment will not play, however it is noted as due to illness, rather than injury. The 30-year-old was an intriguing cap-dump addition by Seattle last summer given his production with Dallas, but the scoring touch has fallen off a bit since then. Marchment found the back of the net twice on Friday, but prior to that, he had just two goals in 26 games. The power forward is drawing trade interest as a pending UFA, but with a $4.5MM cap hit and a modified no trade clause, such a move may require creativity. In Marchment’s absence, 22-year-old Jacob Melanson enters the lineup for his second NHL game. Melanson was drafted in the fifth round by Seattle and projects as a future bottom six winger. 

Afternoon Notes: Misa, DiVincentiis, Team Canada

at CDT | by 2 Comments

San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky elaborated on why top prospect Michael Misa missed the start of Team Canada’s World Junior Championship training camp. Misa is not too injured to miss any World Juniors time, but was still considered recovering day-to-day, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. That was enough for San Jose to keep Misa with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda for a couple more days, and a couple more practices.

Misa taking in a tad more pro coaching before headed to camp will be no bad news for Team Canada. They will be bringing in a potential tournament MVP in Misa, who scored an incredible 62 goals and 134 points in 65 OHL games last season. That earned Misa the second-overall selection in the 2025 draft, behind New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who will not head to World Juniors camp. Misa will form a formidable top-line with Gavin McKenna and Porter Martone and look to bring Canada their first World Junior Gold since 2018.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Winnipeg Jets have reassigned depth goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis in the wake of Connor Hellebuyck’s return. DiVincentiis served as backup for a few days after Thomas Milic – who earned three starts in Hellebuyck’s absence – was reassigned earlier in the month. DiVincentiis did not make his NHL debut. He has six wins and a .915 save percentage in 13 AHL games this season, and will battle with Milic for the Manitoba Moose’s starting role.
  • Hockey Canada will announce their men’s Olympic roster on New Year’s Eve per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Team Canada has already locked six players into the lineup – Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Connor McDavid, Brayden Point, and Sam Reinhart. They also hosted an orientation camp that invited 42 players to prep for Olympic selection. The camp roster only featured three goalies – Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill, and Sam Montembeault. All three goalies have struggled in the season since, which could make for some interesting decisions come the last day of the year. With Crosby, McDavid, MacKinnon, and Makar getting ready for their first Winter Olympics, Canada will be the early favorite for 2026 Gold.

Hurricanes Activate Jaccob Slavin, Reassign Joel Nystrom

at CDT | by 1 Comment

A major piece will be back in the Carolina Hurricanes lineup when the puck drops in Sunday’s matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers. Defenseman Jaccob Slavin was activated from injured reserve just before the game, after being designated as a game-time decision before warmups. He will return from a lower-body injury sustained in the second game of the season. He’s missed the last 29 games. To make room for Slavin’s return, Carolina has reassigned defenseman Joel Nystrom to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. Nystrom signed a four-year extension on Friday.

Slavin only played in 36 minutes of ice time before going down with injury. He managed no scoring, a minus-one, and three shot blocks in those minutes. But two games was hardly enough for Slavin to settle into his usual role on top of Carolina’s defense. He has averaged more than 22 minutes of ice time each game through 11 years with the Hurricanes. He brings a shutdown presence to hard matchups, giving Carolina the flexibility to deploy offensive defensemen like Shayne Gostisbehere.

The Hurricanes had to turn to a committee approach to round out their top-four in Slavin’s absence. Jalen Chatfield and Alexander Nikishin both rotated into the top-four, while Nystrom did well to carve out a role on an open bottom-pair. The 23-year-old rookie recorded five assists, a plus-three, and 14 shot blocks in the first 24 games of his NHL career. He played well enough to earn a multi-year, seven-figure extension just before this reassignment. That’s a tidy bit of confidence for Nystrom, who had only played in seven AHL games before his name was called to fill-in. He spent the last five seasons with the SHL’s Farjestads BK, where he won a league championship in 2022. Carolina drafted Nystrom in the seventh-round of the 2021 NHL Draft.

Slavin’s return will suddenly provide Carolina with a heap of defense depth, after going through a start to the season that saw most of the blue-line banged up. They will carry a confident three pairs, with Slavin watching over rookie Nikishin, into Sunday’s match against Philadelphia. That should only ramp up a Hurricanes squad that’s gone 6-2-0 in their last eight games, including back-to-back shootout wins in their last two.

Blues’ Dylan Holloway Leaves, Alexey Toropchenko Returns To Practice

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The St. Louis Blues kicked off practice with good news. Winger Alexey Toropchenko took the practice sheet with his teammates for the first time this month, after missing the last seven games with burns to his legs sustained away from the team. He is expected to return to the lineup in Monday’s game against the Nashville Predators, per NHL.com’s Lou Korac. Practice took a turn towards the negative partway through, though, when top winger Dylan Holloway sustained a lower-body injury. He was helped off the ice by teammate Logan Mailloux and a coach, captured by Korac.

Blues head coach Jim Montgomery said the team didn’t have a clear view of Holloway’s injury, or availability for Monday’s game, just yet. He will carry a questionable tag moving forward. Holloway has been a spark plug once again for the Blues. He is second on the team in scoring with 17 points in 33 games. That scoring has stalled as of late, though. Holloway hasn’t scored in three games, and only has four points – three scorede in one game – over his last seven games.

Holloway has a nightly spot in St. Louis’ top-six. Should he get knocked out of the lineup, the Blues would likely turn towards Pius Suter, who could nicely rotate with Brayden Schenn on faceoffs. Suter has 14 points in 31 games this season – but is riding his own scoring drought through the last four games.

Toropchenko’s return will balance out the bottom-end of the lineup. He had a quiet season prior to his injury, with only two points in 17 games. Toropchenko has long been a minimal scorer – but hasn’t even reached half of the scoring pace that led him to 18 points in 80 games last year. Should St. Louis want to ease him into a role, they could bring Nick Bjugstad down from the press box. He has four goals and five points in 25 games this season.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top