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Lightning’s Erik Cernak Out On Tuesday

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Seattle Kraken Activate Joey Daccord From IR

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The Seattle Kraken announced that they’ve activated netminder Joey Daccord from their injured reserve. Additionally, the Kraken shared that goaltender Matt Murray would miss the next six weeks due to a lower-body injury, though they didn’t indicate if they had placed him on the IR.

It’s been nearly two weeks since Daccord last played for Seattle. He suffered an upper-body injury in a blowout loss to the San Jose Sharks on November 5th after playing in just over two periods.

Before exiting the lineup with the upper-body ailment, Daccord was again a quality netminder for the Kraken, though not as solid as in recent years. He’s managed a 6-2-3 record in 11 starts this season with a .900 SV% and 2.83 GAA. It’s slightly below the .910 SV% and 2.61 GAA he’s averaged over the last two years, though there’s plenty of time to rediscover those numbers.

Regardless, the team hasn’t suffered as much as expected without Daccord, winning three out of five contests. The common denominator in those three wins was Philipp Grubauer, who stopped 58 of 64 shots (.906 SV%) throughout his three appearances.

Consequently, the only Kraken netminder without a win will likely be out until the calendar turns over to 2026. Murray, the two-time Stanley Cup champion, had appeared in five games for Seattle this year, managing a 0-2-1 record with a .921 SV% and 2.21 GAA.

Interestingly, like Daccord, Murray was also injured in a game against the Sharks. Murray’s current injury appears to be non-contact in nature, as he left late in the first period after being scored on by Sharks’ forward Alexander Wennberg. Notably, Murray has experienced long-standing ankle and groin injuries throughout his career.

Penguins Place Ville Koivunen On IR, Recall Samuel Poulin

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According to a team announcement, the Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled forward Samuel Poulin from the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Additionally, Pittsburgh has placed forward Ville Koivunen on the injured reserve with a lower-body injury.

There’s no questioning that Poulin has earned another opportunity at the NHL level. The former 21st overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft is currently the leading scorer on the AHL Penguins with seven goals and 15 points in 16 games with a +8 rating.

Factoring in last year’s performance, in which he scored 19 goals and 43 points in 57 games, Poulin could provide additional offense to Pittsburgh’s bottom-six. Unfortunately, he has yet to show any flashes of offense at the NHL level, registering two assists in 13 games since the start of the 2022-23 campaign.

Still, it’s an inspiring recovery from a prospect that nearly left the game entirely during the 2022-23 season. Poulin took a leave of absence from the AHL Penguins early into that campaign, citing mental health concerns after suffering from a panic attack during a game. Coming off the best AHL performance of his career and starting the 2025-26 campaign with nearly a point-per-game, Poulin may have finally turned a corner in his development.

Meanwhile, the Penguins noted in their announcement that Koivunen’s lower-body injury will likely keep him out of the lineup for the next few weeks. The former draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes had skated in 11 games for Pittsburgh this season, tallying two assists while averaging 12:34 of ice time per game.

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