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Devils Activate Brett Pesce, Place Arseny Gritsyuk On Injured Reserve

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After missing the past 24 games with an upper-body injury, the Devils announced they’ve activated top-pair defenseman Brett Pesce from injured reserve, indicating he’ll be in the lineup tonight against the Golden Knights. The team placed winger Arseny Gritsyuk on IR retroactive to Dec. 11 in the corresponding move.

The Devils had been anxiously awaiting Pesce’s clearance for weeks, but the injection of a right-shot defender into the lineup became all the more important after Simon Nemec sustained an undisclosed injury during practice last Friday that will have him out for at least a couple of weeks. They’ve been dealing with the season-long absence of righty Johnathan Kovacevic as well, making Pesce’s standing on the team all the more important.

Pesce had three assists and a +3 rating in nine games to begin the year. That coincided with an 8-1-0 start to the year, making New Jersey look like a legitimate contender to end up atop the Metropolitan Division. Since then, the Devils have gone 10-13-1 with their possession numbers dipping in the process.

There are a variety of factors that go into a slump, but being forced into breaking up what had been one of the best defense pairs in the league through the early going is high on that list. Pesce and Luke Hughes had served as the Devils’ most dominant unit on the blue line, controlling 60.2% of expected goals. Without Pesce, Hughes has been underwater in every possession metric. His point production has dipped as well, down to 0.55 per game after peaking with 0.62 per game as a second-year player last season.

The Devils’ press release indicated Pesce will be paired with Hughes again tonight, ideally giving them a true top-pair level of play that Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler haven’t been able to provide in the interim.

A healthier defense is paramount to help overcome the loss of a fifth forward to the injured or non-roster list in Gritsyuk. The Russian rookie, who’s eighth on the team in scoring with seven goals and 16 points in 31 games, has already missed the last two games with an upper-body injury.

He joins Jack Hughes, Evgenii Dadonov, and Zack MacEwen on IR, while Timo Meier carries a non-roster designation while on personal leave. Since he’s already missed six days, Gritsyuk will be eligible to return on Dec. 19 against the Mammoth, but that’s not feasible since he didn’t travel with the team on their raod trip. It’ll be Sunday at home against the Sabres to mark Gritsyuk’s first opportunity to get back into the lineup.

Sharks Activate Michael Misa, Loan Him To World Juniors

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The reigning No. 2 overall pick is officially on his way to the 2026 World Juniors. The Sharks announced they’ve activated center Michael Misa from injured reserve and subsequently loaned him to Team Canada for the event, which begins next week.

With only Misa’s name included in today’s announcement, it seems set in stone that defenseman Sam Dickinson is staying on San Jose’s roster and won’t be loaned out to Canada for the tournament. Dickinson, 19, had two assists in five games for the Canadians last year at the event and had another year of eligibility left, but he’ll be sticking around on San Jose’s roster for the next several weeks despite sitting as a healthy scratch in last night’s win over the Flames.

Misa’s limited playing time this season made him a logical candidate to be allowed to go to the event, much like the case of Calgary star defense prospect Zayne Parekh. The 18-year-old broke camp with the Sharks but was in and out of the lineup, never playing more than three games in a row, until he sustained a lower-body injury in early November.

Before exiting the lineup, Misa made his first seven NHL appearances, scoring one goal and three points with a -1 rating. It’s worth noting he isn’t joining Canada’s training camp cold. The Sharks loaned him to their AHL affiliate on a conditioning stint at the beginning of the month as he neared a return, recording an assist in two games for the San Jose Barracuda before rejoining the Sharks for practice.

Now fully cleared, Misa will get his first and only chance to represent Canada’s national team at the under-20 level. He was a rather shocking snub from last year’s roster amid a 62-goal, 134-point season for the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit that made him the leading scorer across all of the country’s top junior leagues.

The question now becomes whether Misa returns to Saginaw or remains with the Sharks when the WJC wraps up in January. As an under-20 player subject to the NHL-CHL transfer agreement, he’s ineligible for a full-time assignment to the AHL and must be loaned back to his junior team if he’s not on the NHL roster (or injured reserve).

Golden Knights Activate Jeremy Lauzon From Injured Reserve

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The Golden Knights will have defenseman Jeremy Lauzon in the lineup against the Devils tonight, reports Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He’ll need to come off injured reserve, something they have the roster space to do after sending Dylan Coghlan to AHL Henderson earlier in the week.

Lauzon missed 14 games with an undisclosed injury he sustained on Nov. 15 against the Blues. During that time, the Golden Knights haven’t shaken up their lineup at all. The group of Shea Theodore, Brayden McNabb, Noah Hanifin, Ben Hutton, and Kaedan Korczak has played every game since, with the veteran Hutton stepping into Lauzon’s shoes alongside Korczak on the Knights’ third pair.

While that streak will come to an end tonight, it won’t involve Hutton heading back to the press box. Theodore is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and won’t play, head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters (including Webster).

Lauzon, 28, was acquired from the Predators in last summer’s Nicolas Hague trade. He’s lost some minutes in Vegas, mainly due to restricted penalty kill deployment, but has otherwise been a good fit alongside the up-and-coming Korczak. He’s posted four assists and a +3 rating in 17 games, controlling 52.3% of expected goals with his usual partner.

The 6’3″, 225-lb lefty is one of the league’s most judicious hitters, leading the league with 383 checks two years ago with Nashville. His 3.35 hits per game this season is a significant dip from his last few campaigns – likely due to Vegas possessing the puck more than the Predators did – but still leads his team.

Predators Activate Cole Smith From Injured Reserve

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The Predators have reinstated winger Cole Smith from injured reserve, Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Hockey reports. They’ve had a whopping three open roster spots since sending Zachary L’Heureux to the AHL last weekend, so no corresponding transaction is required.

Smith has been tracking toward a return for several days now. Head coach Andrew Brunette labeled him as day-to-day last week as he returned to practice. The 30-year-old has been out of commission since the beginning of November, missing the last 19 games with an upper-body injury. He was given a rather vague three-to-six-week recovery timeline, and although he missed the long end of that by a few days, he’ll be available for tonight’s game against the Hurricanes.

Before his injury, Smith was part of one of the most effective checking lines in the league. His offense wasn’t jumping off the page with three goals in 13 games – he’s only ever hit 20 points in a year once – but his line with Michael McCarron and Ozzy Wiesblatt was one of Nashville’s best at controlling play at 5-on-5. Not only do those three lead the Preds in hits per game, but they controlled 64.3% of expected goals at 5-on-5 to lead the team, per MoneyPuck. Among forward lines league-wide with at least 50 minutes together, only four trios have allowed fewer expected goals against per 60 than the Wiesblatt-McCarron-Smith line’s 1.58 mark.

Nashville won’t be able to reunite that line tonight, though. Wiesblatt is on IR with an upper-body issue and isn’t slated to return until after the Olympic break.

With Smith coming in, veteran Tyson Jost will likely be the one heading to the press box. Reid Schaefer, a first-round pick in 2022, seems to have grabbed hold of a regular spot with three goals in nine games since being summoned from AHL Milwaukee late last month.

Canucks’ Arshdeep Bains Clears Waivers, Assigned To AHL

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Dec. 17th: According to a team announcement, Bains has successfully cleared waivers and has been reassigned to AHL Abbotsford.

Dec. 16th: The Canucks have waived forward Arshdeep Bains, according to Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic. He’ll be reassigned to AHL Abbotsford tomorrow if he clears.

The news doesn’t come as a major surprise. Bains’ role was bound to reduce after Vancouver recouped forwards Liam Ohgren and Marco Rossi in last week’s shock Quinn Hughes blockbuster, and they’re set to be immediate fixtures in the Canucks’ lineup. He was one of the odd men out when they were inserted into the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Devils, marking his sixth healthy scratch of the season.

With center Elias Pettersson not expected to miss too much more time with his upper-body injury, the Canucks were going to need a roster spot to activate him from injured reserve sooner rather than later. They can do so as soon as today – Bains is eligible for a non-roster designation if his waiver placement comes in conjunction with an IR activation – if he’s ready to play tonight against the Rangers.

Bains’ 26 appearances this season more than doubled his career total. The 24-year-old now has 47 games under his belt for Vancouver over the past three seasons, scoring two goals and four assists for six points. Five of those came this year while he averaged 9:09 of ice time per game in a fourth-line role.

An undrafted free agent signed out of WHL Red Deer back in 2022, he could carry some intrigue on the wire thanks to an excellent AHL track record. In three prior seasons for Abbotsford, he’s put up a 40-96–136 scoring line in 175 games with a +34 rating.

New York Rangers Make Multiple Roster Moves

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In dire need of offense, the New York Rangers have recalled a pair of forward prospects to the NHL level. The Rangers announced they’ve recalled Gabriel Perreault and Brennan Othmann to the team, and have reassigned Brett Berard and Jaroslav Chmelar in a corresponding roster move.

Perreault, 20, was the 23rd overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft from the United States National Team Development Program. He already has eight NHL appearances to his name, but only one assist to show for.

Still, Perreault has dominated at every level he’s played at. Spending his two post-draft seasons with the Boston College Eagles, Perreault scored 35 goals and 108 points in 73 games over his tenure. This season, with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, Perreault has scored 10 goals and 17 points in 20 games. Although the production is only good for 12th in the AHL among rookies, Perreault is currently leading the Wolf Pack.

Meanwhile, Othmann, 22, has remained with the organization after being the subject of trade speculation shortly after the 2025-26 season began. Despite being the 16th overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, he’s only managed 26 games with the Rangers, tallying two assists. His frustration with the organization likely stemmed from his lack of opportunity in the NHL and his limited usage once he was there, averaging 9:58 of ice time in those 26 contests.

Regardless of the trade rumors, he’s remained relatively productive in the AHL. This season, he has scored four goals and 10 points in 19 games with a -7 rating. Before the current campaign, he had scored 33 goals and 69 points in 94 contests.

Bedard, 23, returns to the Wolf Pack after spending all of his time with the Rangers since American Thanksgiving. The Providence, RI native registered one assist in 11 games before his demotion, averaging 10:59 of ice time.

Lastly, Chmelar returns to Hartford, where he’s scored three goals and 11 points in 19 games this season. The 6’4″, 227 lbs winger is in his second professional season, and has skated in six games with New York this year.

There’s no guarantee that either Perreault or Othmann will provide the fix for New York’s stagnant offense. They have already broken a record this year, becoming the first team to be shut out six times through their first 17 home games.

Senators Injury Updates: Chabot, Eller, Pinto

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During today’s practice, the Ottawa Senators shared that defenseman Thomas Chabot had been a full participant. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean he’ll return tomorrow night against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Speaking with reporters after practice, head coach Travis Green shared that Chabot won’t be in the lineup for tomorrow night’s contest (via TSN’s Bruce Garrioch). Still, given that he took part in today’s practice in a regular jersey, Chabot may be back on Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Upon his return, Chabot will likely slot in next to Jordan Spence on the Senators’ second defensive pairing. Ottawa hasn’t gotten much production from Chabot’s replacement, Tyler Kleven, who has registered two assists in the last 11 games with a -7 rating while averaging 18:20 of ice time.

Before Chabot suffered an upper-body injury in late November, he had again been enjoying a quality season with the Senators. Despite missing the last 11 games, Chabot remains third on the team in defensive scoring with two goals and 10 points in 18 games, averaging 21:55 of action per game.

The injury outlook isn’t as positive regarding Lars Eller. Missing Ottawa’s last two games with a lower-body injury, Garrioch confirmed that Eller broke his left foot and will miss the next three weeks. Given the longer-term recovery timeline, it would be unsurprising if Eller going on the injured reserve is the corresponding roster move for Chabot’s eventual activation.

Eller, 36, is in his first year with Ottawa after signing a one-year deal last summer. In 28 games this season, Eller has managed a 60.5% success rate in the faceoff dot while beginning 65.1% of his shifts in the offensive zone.

Meanwhile, Shane Pinto is the other player besides Chabot currently on the Senators’ injured reserve. The high-scoring forward has been nursing a lower-body injury and was originally projected to return tomorrow night against the Penguins.

Garrioch shared that although he won’t return tomorrow, Pinto has resumed skating, meaning he should return to the lineup relatively soon. The freshly-extended center has scored 12 goals and 18 points in 27 games for Ottawa this year.

New York Islanders Reassign Travis Mitchell

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According to a team announcement, the New York Islanders have assigned defenseman Travis Mitchell to the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders. No corresponding roster move was made, so the Islanders will move forward with 22 players on the active roster for the time being.

The transaction was expected for a few reasons. Having played nine games, Mitchell was one contest away from being waiver-eligible. Additionally, if the Islanders want to recall Mitchell despite the prospect of exposing him through waivers, he will be eligible tomorrow, assuming he plays in Bridgeport’s game tonight.

Additionally, there’s some belief that the Islanders could turn to Isaiah George instead. George recently returned to the AHL Islanders after missing a month in concussion protocol. He’s scored one goal and five points in 16 AHL games this season with a +4 rating. He’s relatively accustomed to life in the NHL, too, having suited up in 33 games with New York last season.

Meanwhile, Mitchell’s only NHL minutes came this season. Across his nine games, he’s registered one goal while averaging 11:32 of ice time. He performed well on the defensive side of the puck in his limited usage, managing a 93.6% on-ice save percentage at even strength.

Regardless, the Islanders have some time before they need to make a decision. They don’t play again until Friday, and only have three games in the next 10 days. Even without Mitchell, they have six healthy defensemen on the active roster.

Wild Place Jonas Brodin On IR, Recall Carson Lambos

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The surging Minnesota Wild continue to be hit by the injury bug. The Wild announced that they’ve placed veteran defensemen Jonas Brodin on the injured reserve and have recalled defenseman Carson Lambos in a corresponding roster move.

Minnesota didn’t share the specific injury that Brodin is dealing with, though he’s already missed the Wild’s last three contests. Technically speaking, assuming that the IR placement is retroactive to Brodin’s most recent appearance on December 11th, he’ll be eligible to return on Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers. The belief is that he’s dealing with a lower-body issue, but he is only considered day-to-day.

Despite returning winger Marcus Foligno for last night’s win over the Washington Capitals, the Wild are dealing with multiple injuries across the active roster. Brodin joins Mats Zuccarello, Jacob Middleton, and Vinnie Hinostroza on Minnesota’s IR, while Marcus Johansson and Daemon Hunt are also on the shelf.

Regardless of the bruised and battered lineup, the Wild are enjoying one of their better stretches of the 2025-26 season. Winners of their last five in regulation, Minnesota is two wins away from matching its longest winning streak of the season. Dating back to November 1st, the Wild are 17-3-2 in their last 22 games.

Lambos, 22, will have the opportunity to make his NHL debut during his recall, though there’s no guarantee. Even without Brodin, Hunt, and Middleton, Minnesota has six other healthy defensemen on the roster. The former first-round pick is in his third professional campaign with the AHL’s Iowa Wild, scoring two goals and five points in 26 games to start the 2025-26 campaign.

Flyers’ Tyson Foerster Out Five Months

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Dec. 17th: It appears that Foerster’s original two-to-three-month recovery timeline was premature. The Flyers shared today that following further medical evaluation, Foerster underwent arm surgery and is now expected to miss the next five months. Unless Philadelphia makes a surprise run to the second round of the playoffs or the Eastern Conference Final, Foerster’s season is likely done.

Dec. 3rd: Flyers winger Tyson Foerster is expected to miss two to three months with the upper-body injury he sustained in last night’s loss to the Penguins, the team announced. As expected, the Flyers announced that they’ve placed Foerster on the injured reserve. The transaction opens up a spot on Philadelphia’s 23-man roster.

The news sidelines Foerster, who leads the Flyers with 10 goals in 21 games, through the Olympic break. It was a non-contact injury as Foerster appeared to hyperextend his right shoulder or otherwise injure the upper arm area while unloading a one-timer midway through the second period (video via Flyers Clips on X).

It’s been a rough ride for the 23-year-old over the past few months. His status for opening night was doubtful through much of training camp after he sustained an elbow injury while playing for Canada at the World Championship back in May. The procedure itself wasn’t expected to keep him out through the start of the season, but he developed a related infection that delayed his recovery. He ended up not missing any time but sustained a lower-body injury at the beginning of November that landed him on injured reserve and kept him out for four games.

This absence will be in the 30-game range, though. If he returns right at the two-month mark, he could technically get a few reps in before the Olympic break – the Flyers’ last game before the schedule pause is on Feb. 5. But in the likely event he’s out until Philly resumes play on Feb. 25 (or even later if he misses a full three months), he’ll be out for at least 31 contests.

Under new head coach Rick Tocchet, the Flyers have flexed a high-end defensive system and a breakout season between the pipes from free-agent pickup Daniel Vladař to a 14-8-3 record, good for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference at the time of writing. Their offensive output, however, ranks 26th in goals per game (2.76) and 29th in shots per game (24.8). Missing their best finisher in Foerster, who’s shooting at a 24.4% clip and also ranks fifth on the team in shots per game, threatens to sink those numbers even further.

Since arriving in the NHL in 2023, Foerster has quietly emerged as one of the league’s better young two-way wingers. The 2020 first-round pick is a career 15.9% shooter – right in range with names like Auston Matthews, Zach Hyman, and Elias Pettersson over the same span. He’s also averaged over 17 minutes per game, factors in on the Flyers’ second penalty kill unit, and consistently boasts above-average possession impacts. He’s been on a different level defensively this year, only on the ice for 0.88 goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5.

Fresh off signing a two-year, $7.5MM extension that looked to be one of the best value bets in the league this season, he’s now ticketed for an extended absence. As for who will be the beneficiary of his top-nine minutes, rookie Nikita Grebenkin is a solid bet to get the first crack. He’s already seen some elevation from his usual fourth-line duties, skating a handful of games alongside Noah Cates and Travis Konecny. The offensive production hasn’t quite arrived for the 22-year-old Russian, who’s notched one goal and three points through 16 games, but boasts solid possession numbers in his limited minutes and is worth a look higher up in the lineup.

With Foerster unavailable, the Flyers no longer have a healthy extra forward on their roster. With five games left on a six-game homestand, there likely isn’t much motivation to make a recall unless another injury occurs.

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