Marco Rossi, Zach Bogosian Out For The Wild

The Minnesota Wild will be without forward Marco Rossi and defenseman Zach Bogosian in Monday night’s game against the New York Rangers, head coach John Hynes told Peter Baugh of The Athletic. Both players suffered lower-body injuries as the result of blocked shots – Bogosian sustaining his on Friday, and Rossi getting hurt on Saturday.

This news will bring an end to Rossi’s team-leading iron-man streak. He has played in a consecutive 173 games, dating back to April 2023. That tally is the 30th-longest streak in the NHL, and the fourth-longest among players 24 or younger. With Rossi’s streak ending, Minnesota’s new team-leader will be Matt Boldy, who has played in 161 consecutive games – 33rd-most in the league and sixth among U24 players.

More than ending a team-leading streak, Minnesota will be losing one of their top forwards with Rossi’s absence. He has served as the team’s top-line center between star wingers Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov. That trio is one of only two Wild lines to score multiple even-strength goals this season – though they’ve still been outscored by opponents two-to-three, despite winning the expected-goals race with 2.1-to-1.7. Rossi himself has scored five points in six games, putting him on pace to exceed the career-high 60 points he potted in 82 games last year.

Joel Eriksson Ek will move to the top-line in Rossi’s place, while Ben Jones steps into a fourth-line center role. This swap will also promote rookie Danila Yurov into the top-nine, providing a stronger platform for him to find his first career point after going scoreless in his first four NHL games.

Minnesota will also lose the reliable Bogosian, who has served as a stout veteran presence on the team’s bottom-pair for the last three seasons. His ice time has dwindled every year in Minnesota, falling to just 14 minutes on average through five games this season. He’s posted a plus-three in the muted role, but otherwise has yet to manage any notable stat changes this season. David Jiříček will stick in the lineup in Bogosian’s absence. Jiříček recorded one shot on goal in a relief role on Saturday. It was his second NHL game of the season.

Five Key Stories: 10/13/25 – 10/19/25

With the regular season now in full swing, injuries are starting to take their toll around the league.  Several significant injuries around the NHL are highlighted in our key stories.

Tkachuk Has Surgery: The Senators won’t have their captain available to them for a while as Brady Tkachuk underwent wrist surgery that will keep him out of the lineup for six to seven weeks.  The 26-year-old went for a second opinion in the hopes that surgery could be avoided which could have cut down the recovery timeline by a few weeks but that’s not the case.  One of the premier power forwards in the NHL, Tkachuk was off to a decent start before the injury with three assists in his first three games but Ottawa will now be looking to find someone to fill his spot on the top line until around December.

Rangers Fielding Calls On Othmann: When the Rangers drafted forward Brennan Othmann with the 16th pick in 2021, they were hoping to get a power forward who would be part of their core for the long term.  However, he has spent the bulk of his professional career in the minors and was an early cut in training camp, resulting in New York receiving some calls about his potential availability.  The 22-year-old has just two assists in 25 NHL games while notching 49 hits in a little under 10 minutes a night of playing time.  He’s been productive with AHL Hartford though, picking up 70 points in 97 games.  If the Rangers do decide to move him, it could be a trade that winds up being a swap of similar prospects in need of a change of scenery.

Canadiens Signings: While Lane Hutson didn’t get a contract extension in place before the season started, he didn’t have to wait too long to get one as he signed an eight-year, $70.8MM pact that begins next season.  The 21-year-old had a great rookie season, picking up 66 points in 82 regular season games, earning the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year.  He and Noah Dobson will now be Montreal’s top two defenders for the foreseeable future.  Notably, two elements of this deal will soon be illegal when the new CBA begins next September.  First, the eight-year term will be outlawed while Hutson received $55MM in signing bonus money, or 77.6% of the contract.  Signing bonus money will be capped at 60% of the contract next year.

Meanwhile, the other person who signed the contract also received a new deal as well as Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton inked five-year extensions.  Hughes, a former agent before being hired, has been GM in Montreal since January 2022 and has overseen a rebuilding process that saw Montreal turn over a significant chunk of its roster while becoming the youngest team in the league this season.  Meanwhile, Gorton, who was promoted to President of Hockey Operations as well with this signing, has been in place since November 2021.  While he didn’t get a chance to see his rebuilding efforts conclude with the Rangers, it looks like he’ll get that opportunity now.

More Injuries: There were more injuries of note across the NHL.  The Mammoth will be without blueliner Sean Durzi for the next four weeks due to an upper-body injury.  The 26-year-old had a breakout year two years ago in Arizona but he missed 52 games due to injuries last season and now this year is off to a tough start.  Meanwhile, the Panthers won’t have Dmitry Kulikov anytime soon as he’ll miss five months due to a torn labrum.  He’s a capable veteran depth piece for Florida as their infirmary continues to grow.  His $1.15MM AAV will become LTIR-eligible when needed.  Lastly, the Kings, who have struggled considerably out of the gate, will now be without one of their top players for a while as Anze Kopitar is listed as week-to-week with a foot injury.  The captain, who is in his final NHL season, is a key two-way center and was averaging a point per game in the early going before being injured.

Hart To Vegas: The Golden Knights will be adding some goaltending depth as unrestricted free agent Carter Hart has joined the Golden Knights on a PTO deal.  It’s expected he’ll spend some time with AHL Henderson and he could sign a two-year contract when he becomes eligible to play in December.  Hart was Philadelphia’s number one goalie for several years before being charged with sexual assault, a charge he was acquitted of this summer.  If he can get back to form, he could be an intriguing addition for the Golden Knights who currently have a relatively inexperienced backup goaltender in Akira Schmid playing behind Adin Hill.

Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.

Evening Notes: Dubois, Marchessault, Lowry

Washington Capitals centerman Pierre-Luc Dubois donned a non-contact jersey for a second-straight practice on Friday. He won’t be ready for Washington’s Sunday matchup against the Vancouver Canucks, but could return on Tuesday, head coach Spencer Carbery told Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson. Dubois has been day-to-day with a lower-body injury for much of the last week.

Dubois appeared in three games before sustaining his injury. His only notable stat changes came in the form of five shots on net, two hits, and a plus-one. He continued to serve as a top-six center for the Capitals, centering Aliaksei Protas and Tom Wilson. Washington has turned towards Connor McMichael to fill that role in Dubois’ absence. McMichael has one point – his first of the year – and a plus-one in the relief role. That scoring surely won’t be enough to command Dubois’ spot once he’s back to full health. Dubois should be expected to return in the coming week, and continue his hunt for his first score of the year.

Other notes from around the NHL:

  • Winger Jonathan Marchessault sat out of the Nashville Predators’ Saturday matchup against the Winnipeg Jets. He is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, per a team announcement. Nashville opted to ice seven defensemen in the matchup – pulling defender Nick Blackenburg into the lineup. They went on to lose by a score of 1-4. Marchessault is tied for the Predators’ lead in scoring with four points through five games this season. He finished second on the team in scoring last season, with 56 points in 78 game placing him behind only Filip Forsberg, who scored 76 points in 82 games. That standing will make Marchessault’s absence quickly felt, even if he’s only out for the short term.
  • On the other side of that matchup, Winnipeg received a bit of positive injury news when captain Adam Lowry returned to practice in a no-contact jersey on Saturday, per NHL.com’s Mitchell Clinton. Lowry has been recovering from hip surgery he underwent in late May. He is still working back to full health this season, but did manage 13 appearances and scored four goals in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. He also scored 34 points in 73 regular season games. Lowry is a core piece of Winnipeg’s lineup when healthy, offering stout two-way play from a middle-six center role. He will be slotted back into a busy role as soon as he’s ready to make his season debut.

Injury Notes: Dickinson, Mikkola, Harkins

Chicago Blackhawks centerman Jason Dickinson is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury and will be a game-time decision on Sunday, head coach Jeff Blashill told Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio. Dickinson headed to the locker room partway through Friday’s game against Vancouver after receiving a heavy, awkward hit from Canucks winger Conor Garland. He returned, left again, then returned again throughout the remaining game – though it seems the injury is sticking around a day later.

Dickinson has been a core piece of one of Chicago’s best lines this season, centering fellow NHL veterans Ryan Donato and Ilya Mikheyev. The trio have outscored their opponents four-to-one in six games together, more than any other Hawks line. Dickinson sitting out of Sunday’s match against the Anaheim Ducks would force Chicago to break up their starting forward line against stingy competition. The Ducks sit with a 2-2-0 record and negative goal-differential (-3) but they’re led by legendary Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville and roster a long list of promising youngsters who can takeover games. Chicago has been thriving as of late – with a 2-1-1 record in their last four – but this injury news could bring that down.

Other injury news from across the NHL:

  • Speaking of Anaheim, bruising forward Jansen Harkins returned to the team’s practice in a no-contact jersey on Saturday, captured by Patrick Present of The Hockey News. Harkins is recovering from an upper-body injury sustained in a preseason match against the Los Angeles Kings on September 21. He was originally expected to miss about eight weeks, placing his return date still three weeks away. But already returning to practice could be enough to shorten that timeframe for Harkins. Then again, the Ducks may want to monitor their bottom-line bruiser a bit closer, after he ranked third on the team with 136 hits in 62 games last season.
  • Florida Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola left Saturday’s match against the Buffalo Sabres with an upper-body injury. He sustained the injury after getting tangled up with Sabres winger Tyson Kozak and falling awkwardly into the boards. Mikkola only appeared in seven minutes of ice time prior to the injury. He remains without any scoring through seven games this season, though the physical impact Mikkola brings to each game will still be sorely missed should he have to sit out any more. He was a nightly feature in both of Florida’s Stanley Cup wins, and continues to play upwards of 24 minutes a night this season. That role will be tough to replace. Recent waiver claim Donovan Sebrango would be the next in line for ice time. He recorded 20 points and 79 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Belleville Senators last season, and has no scoring in four career appearances in the NHL.

Evening Notes: Lycksell, Cooley, Zamula

The Ottawa Senators assigned forward Olle Lycksell to the AHL’s Belleville Senators early on Friday. Lycksell appeared in two games with Ottawa this week, but sat out of the team’s most recent game on Thursday. He didn’t manage any scoring in those appearances.

Lycksell is in his first year in the Senators’ organization after signing a one-year, two-way, league-minimum $775K contract with the club on July 1st. He spent the last three seasons bouncing between the Philadelphia Flyers’ major and minor league rosters. He totaled 11 points in 45 NHL games, and 128 points in 134 AHL games with the Flyers. He’ll look to maintain near point-per-game scoring in the minors with Belleville. If he can, he could soon return to a depth role with Ottawa.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Utah Mammoth have a colossal extension looming when top center Logan Cooley hits free agency next summer. But despite minimal talks of an extension, Cooley’s agent, Brian Bartlett, told the Daily Faceoff that he’s not worried about getting a deal done. Bartlett emphasized that Cooley still has plenty of time to work something out. There’s no doubt Mammoth fan will be watching closely for Cooley’s next contract, after he posted 109 points in 157 games with the club over his first two seasons in the NHL. He’s likely to sign a hardy extension that should cement his spot as Utah’s top center.
  • The Calgary Flames are interested in acquiring a big-bodied, left-shot defenseman per Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco, who adds that Flyers defender Egor Zamula could be a prime target. Zamula played in 120 games with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen before beginning his pro career. Now, he’s found himself on the outside of Philadelphia’s daily lineup, despite mixed results. Zamula boasts a career stat line of 40 points in 157 games. He posted a career-high 21 points and plus-three in 66 games of the 2023-24 season, but fell to just 15 points and a minus-14 in 63 games last year. That dip in scoring could make him a relatively cheap acquisition, should Calgary swing a trade.

Blackhawks Activate Landon Slaggert From IR

The Chicago Blackhawks have activated forward Landon Slaggert off of injured reserve. Slaggert missed the first five games of Chicago’s season with a lower-body injury. He took warmups before the team’s Friday night matchup against the Vancouver Canucks, but won’t play, as he continues to ease back into the lineup.

Slaggert operated on Chicago’s third-line throughout the team’s training camp. He seems well set on solidifying that standing once he’s back to full health, after clinging onto a lineup spot through the second-half of last season. Slaggert recorded just six points and a minus-seven in 33 NHL games last season – far below the 25 points and plus-nine he posted in 39 AHL games. But despite that, his hard-drive and grinder style stood tall on a fairly undersized Blackhawks team.

Slaggert racked up 92 points in 136 NCAA games between 2020 and 2024, then turned pro with the Blackhawks at the end of the 2023-24 season. He’s since appeared in 49 NHL games and scored 10 points, while filling a bottom-six role at left-wing. Should his training camp role stick, Slaggert will soon return to a line with Jason Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev. That move would free up Ryan Donato to move back into the team’s top-six. Donato has just two points in five games this season, after posting 31 goals and 62 points in 80 games last year. Promoting him back into the top-six, and backing him with a dirty-nosed winger like Slaggert, could be the first step to getting Donato back to that lofty scoring.

Ducks Recall Ian Moore

The Anaheim Ducks have recalled defenseman Ian Moore from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. They still have one open roster spot available, after placing forwards Jansen Harkins and Ryan Strome on injured reserve. Strome could be a candidate to join Anaheim on their upcoming five-game road-trip, though if he will won’t be clear until Saturday.

This stands as the first call-up of Moore’s young career. He signed to the Ducks’ roster directly out of college last season, and recorded one point in his first three NHL games before being assigned to the minor-leagues. That assignment continued through the start of this season – though Moore will now return to the NHL with five points in 10 AHL games to his name. He’s a defense-first defender, who excels in the technical areas of breaking up play and winning positioning. His strong on-ice presence earned Moore the captaincy at Harvard University in his junior and senior seasons, in 2023-24 and 2024-25.

Moore will offer a replacement for bottom-pair, right-defender Drew Helleson, who has two points in four games to start the year. Helleson played through his rookie NHL season last year, marked by 13 points and 47 penalty minutes in 56 games. He has operated as the young backer to veterans Radko Gudas and Jacob Trouba on Anaheim’s right-side.

Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov Out With Illness

The Tampa Bay Lightning have announced that star winger Nikita Kucherov will be held out of Friday night’s game by an illness. Kucherov has three points, one penalty, and a minus-eight through four games this season. He is one of seven Lightning players with three points so far.

There is simply no replacing Kucherov in the lineup, even if his early season has been quiet. He is a three-time Hart Trophy finalist, and took home the MVP title in 2019. He’s led Tampa Bay in scoring in each of the last two seasons, with an incredible 144 and 121 points respectively. At the age of 32, Kucherov has already amassed the second-most points in Lightning history (997), only behind longtime captain Steven Stamkos (1,137).

Tampa Bay will undoubtedly be handicapped without Kucherov, who has averaged 20:29 in ice time on the season. They’ll have to bump each of their right-wingers up a line, likely leading to Gage Goncalves on the top line and Conor Geekie in the top-six. That movement appears to be offering opportunity for Jack Finley, who has only played one, scoreless, game to start the season. Tampa Bay also recalled Scott Sabourin earlier today, though he is set to serve a four-game suspension in the NHL for roughing Florida Panthers’ defender Aaron Ekblad in the preseason. He’ll serve his first game of that suspension on Friday.

Lightning Place Maxwell Crozier On IR, Recall Scott Sabourin

The Tampa Bay Lightning have placed rookie defenseman Maxwell Crozier on injured reserve per Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider. The move is retroactive to Tuesday, which will force Crozier out of the lineup for at least two days. Tampa Bay then used the vacant roster spot to recall Scott Sabourin from the minor leagues.

Crozier is bearing through an undisclosed injury after leaving the team’s Tuesday matchup against the Washington Capitals in the first period. He only played 4:27 in total ice time. The injury was a hit of bad luck after the top Bolts rookie scored three points in his last two games. He was the productive motor of Tampa Bay’s bottom pair, next to third-year-pro Emil Martinsen Lilleberg.

Crozier broke camp with the Lightning after posting 34 points and 75 penalty minutes in 52 AHL games last season. He entered this season with 18 games of NHL experience under his belt, though only two assists to go with it. That production set a low bar that Crozier has well cleared to start the season, making his injury timeline worth following closely.

Tampa Bay will use Crozier’s IR placement to award Sabourin for a strong start in the AHL. He scored a point in each of the Syracuse Crunch’s two games to start the season. It’s a quick start, after Sabourin posted 25 points and 111 penalty minutes with the San Jose Barracuda last season. He has played in 25 NHL games over the course of his career – stretched across stints with the Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, and San Jose Sharks. He’s scored 15 points in those appearances. Now, Sabourin could suit up for a fourth club, and offer Tamp a hotter stick than rookie Curtis Douglas, who is without a point through three games so far.

Flames Assign Matvei Gridin, Activate Jonathan Huberdeau

The Calgary Flames have assigned winger Matvei Gridin to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers to make room to activate Jonathan Huberdeau off of injured reserve. Huberdeau has been sidelined since sustaining an undisclosed injury in a preseason matchup against the Vancouver Canucks on October 1st. He missed the first seven games of Calgary’s season.

Gridin played in the first four games of his NHL career to start the season, but found his way to the press box after posting one goal and a minus-three. He is among Calgary’s top prospects, and is set to become one of just six 19-year-olds in the AHL. A taste of NHL minutes, and continued pro challenge in the minors, could be exactly what Gridin needs to grow his game.

He looked fast and flashy in the QMJHL last year, posting 96 points in 72 games over the course of the Shawinigan Cataractes’ full season. That performance earned him the QMJHL’s ‘Rookie of the Year’ award. The 2024 first-round pick spent two seasons in the USHL prior to his draft. He scored 99 points in 108 total games in the league. That includes a league-leading 83-point season in 2023-24, the second-highest scoring season in Muskegon Lumberjacks history.

While Gridin develops in the minors, Huberdeau will look to keep up his momentum from last season. He scored 16 points in 18 games to finish the 2024-25 season, pushing him to 28 goals and 62 points in 81 games on the year. It was Huberdeau’s highest-scoring season since he posted 115 points with the Florida Panthers in 2021-22. His dip in scoring with the Flames has shadowed his last three seasons, but he showed a click next to Morgan Frost and Matthew Coronato that could propel the Flames’ offense this season. Coronato currently leads Calgary in scoring, with three points in five games. Frost has two points.

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