Senators Prospect Tyler Boucher Out Week-To-Week, Mads Sogaard Back
Belleville Senators forward Tyler Boucher will miss “weeks” with an upper-body injury, head coach David Bell told TSN 1200 on Tuesday. Boucher sustained his injury after tangling skates with a member of the Laval Rockets, and falling hard into the boards, in Belleville’s loss on Sunday.
This is yet another injury for the former 10th-overall pick. Boucher has been limited in every season dating back to the 2020-21 campaign – his draft year. Through the years he has sustained a torn labrum that required surgery, a groin injruy, mutliple knee injuries, and a leg injury from a player falling on him last January. Looking back on his string of misfortune, Boucher told TSN’s Claire Hanna that he felt he was due for a good year during Ottawa’s training camp. 12 games into the season, that sentiment has turned into a jinx.
Boucher seemed to be finding his way in Belleville to start the year. He had six points and a plus-two on the year, including two points and seven shots on goal in his last four games. He was gradually climbing the lineup after posting just 15 points in 68 games over the last two AHL seasons. Now, he’ll land on the shelf once again, though seemingly for only a little while this time around.
In positive news, Bell also shared that goaltender Mads Sogaard is healthy to return to the Belleville after recovering from an undisclosed injury sustained on October 27th. It appeared to be a lower-body injury, caused by Toronto Marlies forward Jacob Quillan tumbling into the goaltender. Sogaard had to be helped off the ice, while Qullian had to answer to Belleville bruiser Jorian Donovan.
Sogaard will be a nice addition to Belleville’s lineup, even after a slow start to the year. He posted no wins and a .830 save percentage in three games to start the year – but also boasts the fourth-most NHL experience on the Belleville roster behind Arthur Kaliyev, Scott Harrington, and Olle Lycksell. Sogaard has recorded 11 wins and a .879 save percentage in 29 career appearances with Ottawa, to go with 50 wins and a .904 save percentage in 107 AHL games. His slow start, and injury, should default him to a role behind Hunter Shepard when he returns. Shepard leads Belleville with four wins and a .911 save percentage in eight games. Sogaard should back him up, especially with teammate Leevi Merilainen currently recalled to the NHL.
Penguins Prospect Peyton Kettles To Undergo Surgery
The Pittsburgh Penguins won’t get to watch one of their recent top picks for some time. The WHL’s Kelowna Rockets defenseman Peyton Kettles has sustained a shoulder injury that will require surgery, the junior team announced on Tuesday. Kettles is listed as out indefinitely, likely jeporadizing his chance to crack Team Canada’s lineup at the 2026 World Junior Championships.
Pittsburgh drafted Kettles in the second-round, marking what was yet another controversial pick from general manager Kyle Dubas and his team at the 2025 NHL Draft. To some, Kettles’ long reach and shutdown defense stood out like gold among a draft class lacking projectable fundamentals. But to others, his lack of jump or offensive upside seemed to hold him back.
Kettles has worked to alleviate those latter concerns through the early season. He recorded two points and seven penalty minutes – one minor penalty and one fight – in two games with the Swift Current Broncos to start the season. Then, he was traded to Kelowna in a truly massive deal that sent defenseman Jackson Gillespie, one first-round pick, two second-round picks, and two fourth-round picks back to Swift Current. Just over two weeks after that deal, Kettles will now land on the sideline.
This is an unfortunate blow for a defender who was not only on the rise, but truly working to silence his doubters. He is still a projectable pro talent, playing wtih a strong stick and patient fundamentals that mirros many current Penguins defensemen, like Jack St. Ivany and Ryan Shea. Surgery is far from the most ideal outcome, but it will hopefully help Pittsburgh ensure that the reigning 39th-overall pick is able to work back to full health with no complications.
Kettles was on pace for 33 points, 165 penalty minutes, and a plus-22 through 55 games this season prior to his injury, per EliteProspects. He’ll hope to continue marching towards that lofty statline before the Spring, though more about his true timeline will likely be revealed in the weeks to come.
Lightning’s Erik Cernak Out On Tuesday
The Tampa Bay Lightning will be without defenseman Erik Cernak in Tuesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times. Cernak joins Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, and Maxwell Crozier on the list of injured Lightning defenseman.
With Cernak’s absence, Tampa Bay will now be without two of their top four defenders as they go up against a Devils squad that ranks 14th in the NHL in goals. As is usual, Cernak has been the lowest-scoring of Tampa Bay’s top-four, with only three assists in 18 games this season. He does, however, lead the Lightning in both blocked shots (40) and hits (39). No other Bolt has blocked more than 13 shots.
Cernak’s impact may come away from the scoresheet, but his absence will nonetheless leave a major hole for Tampa Bay to fill. Declan Carlile will step back into the lineup for the first time this season in place of Cernak. He will operate behind rookie Charle-Édouard D’Astous, who himself will grow into a top-four role.
Carlile leads the Syracuse Crunch’s blue-line in scoring with 10 points in 15 games this season. He scored one goal in four NHL games over the last two seasons. D’Astous has posted five points in his first 11 NHL games, making him Tampa’s highest-scoring, healthy defender. The Lightning will need to lean on both rookies, with major holes at even-strength and on special teams.
Maple Leafs’ Matthew Knies Out Day-To-Day
The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that top winger Matthew Knies will miss Tuesday night’s match against the St. Louis Blues with a day-to-day, lower-body injury. He joins a laundry list of injuries in Toronto that also includes Auston Matthews, Brandon Carlo, Chris Tanev, and Anthony Stolarz.
Interestingly, Knies’ injury will bring Toronto up to $36MM in cap sapce on the injury list, nearly 40 percent of their total cap, per James Mirtle of The Athletic.
Knies, Toronto’s star winger, will join the club’s top center and starting goaltender on the sideline. He has been heavily leaned on over the course of the year, averaging over 20 minutes of ice time through 19 games so far. Knies has rewarded that deployment with a career-year early on. He has five goals and 22 points on the year, enough to rank third on the team in scoring behind William Nylander (26) and John Tavares (24).
Knies was well-due for the strong start. He has assumed the role of Matthews’ handcuff after century-scorer Mitch Marner moved to the Vegas Golden Knights this summer. Knies posted 58 points, split evenly, in 78 games from a second-line role last season. That performance was itself a step up from his standout rookie year, when he scored 15 goals and 35 points in 80 games.
Tavares and Nylander will take over the top line with Matthews and Knies on the shelf. Next to them will again be shoot-first winger Nicholas Robertson, while Matias Maccelli will return to a top-six role behind him. Robertson, Maccelli, and rookie Easton Cowan will be the beneficiaries of Knies’ ice time for the duration of his absence.
Metropolitan Notes: Holmström, Jarry, St. Ivany
New York Islanders forward Simon Holmström will be a game-time decision for Tuesday’s game against the Dallas Stars due to an illness. He would leave a notable hole in the Islanders lineup if he can’t take the ice. Holmström is one of eight Islanders forwards to play in all 19 games this season. He has four goals and nine points in those appearances – ranking him seventh on the team in goals and ninth in points.
Holmström’s scoring hasn’t taken off yet this season, but his lineup role has grown over the year nonetheless. He averaged over 18 minutes in ice time over New York’s recent four-game winnning streak, helped along by three of those games going into overtime. Holmström’s growing role is largely thanks to his impact away from the puck. He leads the team’s forwards with 22 blocked shots, and ranks fifth in takeaways with four. He’s shown a nice bit of well-roundedness after scoring 20 goals and 45 points in 75 games last season. The Islanders will hope to continue getting that toolsy impact on Tuesday. If Holmström can’t play, the team will likely turn towards Kyle MacLean, who has one assist in 10 appearances this season.
Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry returned to the team’s practices on Tuesday per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports. Jarry hasn’t played since sustaining a lower-body injury on November 3rd. He was off to an impressive start before the two-week absence, recording a .911 save percentage and five wins through seven starts. 21-year-old Sergey Murashov has emerged as an interesting piece in Jarry’s absence. He posted his first career win – a shutout – in Pittsburgh’s NHL Global Series matchup against the Nashville Predators on Sunday. Pittsburgh is unlikely to let a rookie goaltender usurp their veteran starter, but Jarry’s return could push Murashov into a competition for the backup role with Arturs Silovs, who has a .918 save percentage and four wins in 10 games.
- Penguins defenseman Jack St. Ivany also returned to practice donning a no-contact jersey on Tuesday, per Rorabaugh. St. Ivany sustained an injury to his right foot in a preseason matchup on October 1st. He was originally designated to the non-roster injured list, meaning Pittsburgh will need to clear a roster spot to activate him from season-opening injured reserve – as they will when they activate Jarry. St. Ivany split last season between the NHL and AHL rosters. He scored one assist in 19 games with Pittsburgh, and 16 points in 37 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. That deployment could make him a prime candidate for an AHL conditioning loan, or even an AHL assignment, once he’s back to full health.
Atlantic Injury Updates: Bruins, Maple Leafs, Sabres
The Boston Bruins have had to deal with their fair share of injuries so far this season, but that hasn’t stopped the club from continuing its longstanding tradition of consistent regular-season success. Through 21 games this season, Boston sits first in the Atlantic Division with a 12-9-0 record, including a 8-2-0 record in their last 10 games. On Saturday in Montreal, though, the Bruins were dealt their most significant injury blow to date this season: Charlie McAvoy took a Noah Dobson one-timer to the face and had to leave the game immediately. Today, Bruins head coach Marco Sturm provided a small update on McAvoy’s status, per Conor Ryan of Boston.com, stating that McAvoy will not travel with the team on its upcoming road trip. In addition, he also said that veteran center Elias Lindholm would travel with the team.
It should not come as any surprise that McAvoy isn’t ready to play just yet, and Sturm did add that an official update on McAvoy’s health will likely be issued either today or tomorrow. In any case, adequately replacing what McAvoy brings to the Bruins will be very difficult. McAvoy averages nearly 24 minutes of ice time per game (good for the team lead) and has 14 points in 19 games. While it won’t help their defense, the fact that Lindholm is nearing a return to the ice should help soften the blow of losing McAvoy. He’s a reliable two-way center whose return should help alleviate some of the pressure the Bruins’ center injuries have placed on veteran Pavel Zacha and rookie Fraser Minten.
Other injury updates from the Atlantic Division:
- Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving confirmed today, per The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta, that team captain and franchise center Auston Matthews won’t play today or on Thursday due to the injury he suffered Nov. 11 against the Boston Bruins. Matthews did begin skating again today, but still needs some time before he’s ready to return to game action. The 28-year-old has scored 14 points in 17 games this season, and had 33 goals, 78 points in 67 games in 2024-25. In addition to speaking on Matthews, Treliving also said that veteran defenseman Chris Tanev‘s health status will be re-evaluated in a week or two, and head coach Craig Berube confirmed that center Nicolas Roy will miss a few games with an injury of his own. Tanev suffered his injury Nov. 1 while Roy, who has four points in 19 games this season, played in the team’s last game on Saturday.
- Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff announced today that defenseman Michael Kesselring suffered an injury in the team’s game Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings, and “an extended period of time” as a result. The nature of the injury is not yet clear, but Ruff said that Kesselring’s absence would be “on the longer side – weeks.” The big 25-year-old right-shot blueliner, who was acquired this past summer from the Utah Mammoth in the J.J. Peterka trade, has played in nine games this season. In better injury news, Ruff also announced that forward Zach Benson will return to skating in a non-contact capacity
Calgary Flames Claim John Beecher
The Calgary Flames have claimed center John Beecher off of waivers from the Boston Bruins, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported today.
The Flames held the top waiver priority slot due to their place in the standings, meaning it’s possible more teams placed a claim on Beecher, a 2019 first-round pick, than just Calgary.
Per Derek Willis, the Flames’ radio play-by-play commentator, Calgary is likely to play tonight in Chicago with freshly called up forward Sam Morton as their fourth-line center. While the undrafted 26-year-old has been a strong AHL contributor since signing out of Minnesota State of the NCAA, he has just one prior game of NHL experience.
By claiming Beecher, the Flames have added to their roster a player who is not only younger than Morton, but also brings a considerably greater level of experience in a fourth-line center role. The 6’3″ pivot broke into the NHL on a full-time basis in 2023-24, and played in a total of 52 games that year and 12 playoff games. Upon his arrival from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, Beecher was also a plug-and-play option for the Bruins’ penalty kill, averaging 1:40 shorthanded time-on-ice per game as a rookie.
Beecher maintained his fourth-line, penalty-killing role in 2024-25, a season where he set career-highs in games played (72) and points (11). But Beecher has not been able to take a step forward and become the kind of reliable shutdown defensive center who can elevate his value proposition to a team despite fourth-line usage.
With that said, despite the fact that the Bruins elected to waive him, Beecher still has some positive, valuable qualities as a player. He plays extremely fast for someone his size, and has a career faceoff win rate of 53%. For a Flames team that doesn’t figure to enter into the playoff picture in 2025-26, this waiver claim gives the team an opportunity to see if it can develop Beecher into a more valuable all-around player than the Bruins were able to over the course of his 136 games with the club.
Worth noting is that Beecher is a pending restricted free agent, carrying a $900K AAV. If the Flames elect to qualify him, he will hold arbitration rights.
Flyers, Senators Swap Dennis Gilbert, Max Guenette
11/18/25: The Flyers placed Guenette on waivers today, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Since the 24-year-old hasn’t played in the NHL since 2023-24 and has just eight games of NHL experience, that was always the likeliest outcome after yesterday’s trade. Now, all 31 other clubs will have the chance to claim Guenette, and if he goes unclaimed, the Flyers will be able to assign him to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, their AHL affiliate.
11/17/25: The Philadelphia Flyers announced that they’ve traded defenseman Dennis Gilbert to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for defenseman Max Guenette. Philadelphia also announced that they’ve signed Guenette, who was an RFA, to a one-year, two-way deal.
It becomes the second trade in as many seasons to the Senators for Gilbert. The 29-year-old native of Buffalo, NY, was traded to Ottawa during the 2024-25 season as part of the Dylan Cozens and Joshua Norris swap with the Buffalo Sabres.
Still, Gilbert didn’t earn much runway with the Senators after the trade. Despite the trade taking place in early March, Gilbert only appeared in four games for Ottawa down the stretch, registering one assist while averaging 13:02 of ice time. In Buffalo, he tallied five assists in 25 games while averaging 10:04 of ice time.
Gilbert has spent the entire season up to this point with the Flyers’ AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He’s added one assist in six games with a +1 rating and is expected to join the AHL’s Belleville Senators.
Unlike Gilbert, Guenette will play for his first professional team outside the Senators organization. The former 187th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft has spent the last five years within the Senators organization, scoring 27 goals and 116 points in 236 AHL games, with zero points in eight NHL contests.
Despite the freshly signed two-way contract for Guenette, there’s no indication he’ll join the Flyers’ active roster immediately. Whenever he suits up, whether with the Flyers or the Phantoms, it’ll be his first appearance of the 2025-26 campaign.
Dallas Stars Activate Jamie Benn
The Dallas Stars announced today that captain Jamie Benn has been activated off of long-term injured reserve (LTIR). The move positions Benn to make his 2025-26 season debut as soon as tonight, when the Stars take on the New York Islanders.
Benn, who has very rarely missed time due to injury throughout his nearly 1,200-game NHL career, missed the early portion of the season due to a collapsed lung he suffered in the preseason. Benn missed only two games in 2024-25, and played in all 82 Stars games in each campaign from 2021-22 through 2023-24.
While the 36-year-old isn’t what he once was on the ice (he won the Art Ross Trophy in 2014-15 as the league’s top scorer) he’s still a valuable contributor to a Stars team that has been among the league’s best in the 2020’s. Benn scored 16 goals and 49 points last season while averaging 15:18 time-on-ice per game, with some regular power-play time and sporadic usage on the penalty kill.
Benn’s return to the Stars’ lineup comes at a good time for the team, as they are currently dealing with quite a few injuries. While much of the damage lies with the team’s defense (both Thomas Harley and Nils Lundkvist are out) there are still absences on offense.
Veteran forward Matt Duchene is currently on LTIR, meaning the Stars have had to make do without their leading scorer from last season. With today’s activation, the Stars receive crucial offensive reinforcement and get back from injury one of their key on and off-ice leaders.
Philadelphia Flyers Assign Adam Ginning To AHL On Conditioning Loan
The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that defenseman Adam Ginning has been sent to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the club’s AHL affiliate, on a conditioning loan.
Because Ginning has appeared in just one game since Oct. 16 and hasn’t played in more than three weeks, he’s become eligible for a conditioning loan. It’s a practice some teams employ with the design of getting little-used NHLers the chance to stay fresh and get into some games. One of the highest-profile examples of the conditioning loan being used in this fashion came in 2022-23, during Seattle Kraken No. 4 overall pick Shane Wright‘s rookie season.
In the Flyers’ case, the rule surrounding conditioning loans is helpful because it allows Ginning to be loaned to Lehigh Valley without needing to clear waivers. The 25-year-old is waivers-eligible, so this move allows the Flyers to send Ginning down to the minors without needing to risk him being claimed by another NHL club.
A 6’3″ left-shot blueliner, Ginning has spent most of his North American pro career in Lehigh Valley. He has almost 200 games of AHL experience, compared to just 16 games of NHL experience. With fellow Swede Emil Andrae emerging as a more reliable NHL defenseman in the eyes of head coach Rick Tocchet, Ginning’s path to consistent NHL ice time appears cloudier than ever.
This temporary loan, which can extend for a maximum of two weeks, is a chance for Ginning to get into some games without his organization needing to risk losing him on waivers.