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Ilya Samsonov Signs Two-Year Deal With HC Sochi

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Free agent goaltender Ilya Samsonov is returning home on a two-year contract with Sochi of the Kontinental Hockey League, the league announced. Sochi had to acquire Samsonov’s KHL signing rights from Metallurg Magnitogorsk, who drafted and developed him before his arrival in North America in 2018, which they did so in exchange for cash.

Samsonov, 28, had held out as long as possible while waiting for a suitable NHL offer to materialize. The 28-year-old was a UFA for the second summer in a row after landing a one-year, $1.8MM deal from the Golden Knights on his second go-around on the open market. He was previously a UFA after being nontendered by the Capitals in 2022. The 2015 first-round pick underwhelmed as Adin Hill’s backup in Vegas, recording a .891 SV% and 2.82 GAA in 29 starts with a 16-9-4 record. The Knights didn’t shelter him very well defensively, though, meaning he still saved 0.6 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck.

While that last number should have created at least some intrigue on the market, particularly with someone whose raw talent level is as high as Samsonov’s, it didn’t result in a deal. Teams looking for a reliable backup option were likely scared off by his poor overall save percentage over the last two years. He dipped to a .890 mark for the Maple Leafs in 2023-24, bringing his numbers down to a .890 SV% and even 3.00 GAA over 69 starts in the last two years.

It’s been a relatively quick fall for Samsonov, who emerged as Toronto’s 1A option in 2022-23 and backstopped the franchise to its first playoff series win in 19 years. That career year saw Samsonov post a 27-10-5 record in 40 starts while logging a .919 SV%, 2.33 GAA, four shutouts, and 18.0 GSAx that placed him 10th in the league. Samsonov’s league-wide GSAx rank for the following two seasons, however, was 87th in 2023-24 and 46th in 2024-25.

The 6’3″ netminder returns home after playing six seasons in the NHL, the first three coming with the club that drafted him in Washington. He leaves the NHL for now with 200 games played, a 118-48-25 record, 15 shutouts, a 2.77 GAA, and a .902 SV%.

He now joins one of the KHL’s most consistent bottom-feeder clubs in Sochi. They’re 4-12-2 out of the gate this season and haven’t secured a playoff berth since 2019. He comes over as the club’s starter and only capable option between the pipes, Pavel Khomchenko, is out with an undisclosed injury.

During Samsonov’s first stint in the KHL, he won a Gagarin Cup with Metallurg in 2016 and recorded a 33-16-9 record, .929 SV%, 2.20 GAA, and seven shutouts in 73 games over four seasons.

Wild Believed To Be Looking To Add A Middle-Six Forward

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Heading into last offseason, there was an expectation that the Wild would be busy with much more salary cap space at their disposal.  Instead, their spending was relatively tempered, headlined by the additions of winger Vladimir Tarasenko and center Nico Sturm.  They also re-signed center Marco Rossi to a bridge deal after a prolonged period of trade speculation.  The end result was them entering the season with much more cap space than they’ve been accustomed to.

At the moment, Minnesota has over $4.2MM in cap space, per PuckPedia.  That amount is lowered a bit by the fact that they have 15 forwards counting against their cap thanks to injuries to Sturm and winger Mats Zuccarello, neither of whom have played this season.

It appears they’re looking to put that cap flexibility to use sooner than later.  Anthony DiMarco of The Fourth Period reports that Minnesota is believed to be looking to add a middle-six forward.  While they’ve been known to be coveting center help for several years now, they’re not limiting their search to just that position; they’re open to adding on the wing as well.

Entering play tonight, the Wild sit 21st in the NHL in goals scored despite having three forwards (Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and Rossi) all averaging at least a point per game.  While that line is producing, they’re not getting a ton of help elsewhere.  Tarasenko has only scored once, Joel Eriksson Ek has just two goals, and Marcus Foligno is still looking for his first point of the season.

With that in mind, it makes sense that GM Bill Guerin appears to be looking at what might be out there on the trade front.  On top of having some struggling veterans, top prospects Danila Yurov and Liam Ohgren have seen very limited playing time; it might be more beneficial for their development to play a bigger role with AHL Iowa over fourth-line ice time in Minnesota.  Adding a middle-six forward could push one of them off the active roster, allowing for that extra playing time to happen while ideally giving their offense a bit of a boost as well.

Having said that, this is still a little early in the season for teams to start parting with proven talent.  While there has been plenty of speculation around players like Nicholas Robertson (Toronto) or Yegor Chinakhov (Columbus), there’s no guarantee that adding one of them – or someone like that – would come in and give their attack the shot in the arm that they’re seeking.  But if they’re looking for someone with more of a track record, they may have to wait a while yet before the market really starts to open up.

Avalanche Recall Taylor Makar

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A pair of brothers could soon be getting a chance to play together in the NHL for the first time.  The Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forward Taylor Makar from AHL Colorado.  They had two open spots on their active roster, meaning no corresponding move needed to be made to bring him up.

It’s the first recall of Makar’s career.  The 24-year-old, the younger brother of star defenseman Cale Makar, was selected by the Avs in the seventh round back in 2021, taking him 220th overall.  Makar went on to spend four years in college, three with UMass before transferring to the University of Maine for his senior year, one that saw him record 18 goals and 12 assists.  For context, he had a total of 22 points over his first three college campaigns.

That improvement was enough for Colorado to sign Makar to a one-year, entry-level deal for this season.  He’s off to a decent start with the Eagles, picking up one goal and three assists in nine games so far this season.

Makar’s recall is likely tied to the fact that winger Gavin Brindley left today’s game against Vegas after taking a hit from Ivan Barbashev and didn’t return.  With the Avs only carrying 12 forwards on their active roster before this move, it would appear that Makar would be in line to make his NHL debut if Brindley can’t suit up on Saturday against San Jose.

Devils Sign Jacob Markstrom To Two-Year Extension

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After New Jersey re-signed Luke Hughes at the beginning of the month, their focus shifted toward keeping one of their pending UFAs in the fold in goaltender Jacob Markstrom.  Those efforts have paid off as the Devils announced that they’ve signed goaltender Jacob Markstrom to a two-year, $12MM contract extension.

The 35-year-old is in his second season with New Jersey after being acquired from Calgary a little before the 2024 draft in exchange for a 2025 first-round pick (used on Cole Reschny) and defenseman Kevin Bahl.  The hope was that acquiring him, coupled with the addition of Jake Allen a few months earlier, would help stabilize a goaltending position that had been in some flux for a while.

Mission accomplished on that front.  After allowing 281 goals in 2023-24, the Devils cut that amount by 61 last season, allowing the fifth-fewest goals in the league in the process.  Markstrom played a big role in that success, posting a 2.50 GAA and a .900 SV% in 49 regular season starts while also putting up a 2.78 GAA and a .911 SV% in their first-round playoff exit at the hands of Carolina.  He’s not off to a great start this season, however, with a 5.13 GAA and a .830 SV% in four appearances but he’s also just coming back from a lower-body injury.

Over his 16-year career between Vancouver, Florida, Calgary, and New Jersey, Markstrom has a 243-214-63 record with a 2.72 GAA,  a .908 SV%, and 24 shutouts.  He has typically been one of the more consistent goalies in recent years, providing a strong return on his current six-year contract, one that expires next summer and also carries a cap hit of $6MM per season.  However, the Devils will be responsible for that full amount, unlike now, where the Flames are picking up $1.875MM of Markstrom’s price tag as part of the swap.

A few months ago, New Jersey signed Allen to a five-year deal, a surprising term for someone just a few months younger than Markstrom.  But the benefit in doing so was that the cap hit came in at $1.8MM, well below his market value when many expected he’d get more than twice that much per season.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Markstrom’s camp appeared to be looking for something similar, a fixed sum of money but they were open to spreading it out over a longer term like Allen.  However, the Devils were firm on a shorter-term agreement, even though it means a higher AAV.

With this deal done, New Jersey now has their goalie tandem intact for the next couple of seasons at a combined $7.8MM price tag, just 7.5% of the projected $104MM Upper Limit for next season.  That’s a solid price tag for a capable and experienced tandem, giving GM Tom Fitzgerald a bit of flexibility to work with.  With this deal now done, the Devils have a little over $10MM in spending room for next season, per PuckPedia, with pending RFAs Simon Nemec, Arseny Gritsyuk, and Paul Cotter highlighting the list of players in need of new deals over the next ten or so months.

ESPN’s Emily Kaplan was the first to report the signing.

Photo courtesy of Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images.

Sabres Recall Isak Rosen, Place Zach Benson On IR

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6:34 p.m.: The corresponding move is an injured reserve placement for Zach Benson, who left last night’s loss to the Bruins late in the third period with an undisclosed injury, per Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News. The IR placement rules him out for the Sabres’ next three games, making him available for activation on Nov. 8. A previous injury has limited the 20-year-old to eight appearances this season, but he’s clicking at a point per game with eight assists.

6:12 p.m.: The Sabres have recalled winger Isak Rosen from AHL Rochester, the team announced. With no open roster spots, there’s a corresponding transaction still to come.

Regardless of whether he’s coming up for an injury concern or another reason, the recall is more than earned. The first month of 2025-26 has marked a breakthrough for Rosen, who’s otherwise failed to establish a clear path to an NHL job since being drafted No. 14 overall in 2021. The 6’0″ winger is currently the AHL’s scoring leader with five goals, seven assists, and 12 points through eight games for Rochester.

That’s not to say Rosen never made any progress in his development. His scoring numbers have steadily increased since arriving in North America in 2022. After posting a 14-23–37 scoring line in 66 appearances in his first season in Rochester, he upped his output to a 20-30–50 line in 67 games in 2023-24 and again to a 28-27–55 line in 61 games last year. It’s been a bit of a slow burn for the talented scorer, but he’s now pushing for a job in a way Buffalo can’t ignore without giving him at least one more chance at making an NHL impact.

But during Rosen’s recalls over the last two years, the Sabres haven’t given him much of a leash. He’s averaged only 9:09 of ice time per game and has only one assist in 15 career appearances as a result. When or if he slots into the lineup this time around, it’ll be telling to see whether head coach Lindy Ruff still buries him in fourth-line minutes or gives him a legitimate look at top-nine duties that he’s better suited for.

Mammoth Explored Trading Nick Schmaltz Over The Offseason

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Nick Schmaltz’s monstrous start to the 2025-26 season almost didn’t happen. The Mammoth explored trading the pending unrestricted free agent over the offseason after their initial round of extension negotiations were unproductive, according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.

The most complete trade that was discussed was with the Hurricanes around the draft and the beginning of free agency, Pagnotta writes, but those talks broke off once Carolina landed Nikolaj Ehlers in free agency. Schmaltz was involved enough in the process that the Mammoth asked him for a list of teams he’d be willing to sign an extension with if a trade went through, per Pagnotta.

Evidently, the 29-year-old didn’t let that uncertainty about his future affect his game. With an increasingly slim free agent class, he’s putting himself in position to be a top-five name on the market when it opens in July. He’s currently on an eight-game point streak and has rattled off seven goals and 10 assists for 17 points in 11 games to start the year. That’s tops on the Mammoth and tied for third in the NHL overall in both raw points and points per game. He’s done so while posting the best possession numbers and highest time on ice of any Utah forward at 19:39 per game.

Even keeping a fraction of this play up makes his current $5.85MM cap hit one of the best bargains in the league. Of course, he’s in the final year of his current contract: a seven-year, $40.95MM extension signed with Arizona in 2019. His hot start, plus the Mammoth’s early position tied atop the Western Conference, makes the thought of exploring a trade now inconceivable. The effect it has on any future extension negotiations remains to be seen, though.

Utah’s hot start, combined with a premier prospect pool still waiting to churn out multiple high-end names, may convince Schmaltz that sticking around is one of his best bets to play a key role on a championship-contending club, and he could be coerced into taking something of a discount to stay. Conversely, his playing such a large part in it drives up his market value dramatically as part of an ever-thinning UFA class.

From the Mammoth’s perspective, it might make the most sense to keep him as an in-house rental for the playoffs and not budge too much in contract talks. He’s been a key part of their top-six forward group for the life of his deal, dating back to his Arizona days, but he’s in the latter half of his prime, and the value proposition isn’t ideal by matching what he’ll now likely receive on the open market. With a trio of anticipated top-nine forwards in Daniil But, Caleb Desnoyers, and Tij Iginla still yet to graduate from their prospect pool and multiple core pieces signed longer-term, their long-term contention outlook isn’t affected much by his potential departure, either.

Capitals Sign Ivan Miroshnichenko To Two-Year Extension

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The Capitals have signed winger Ivan Miroshnichenko to a two-year contract extension, per his representation at Gold Star Hockey. It’s a one-way deal worth $1.85MM for a cap hit of $925,000, per PuckPedia. He is in the final season of his entry-level contract and was set to be a restricted free agent next summer without arbitration rights.

A two-year deal keeps Miroshnichenko signed through the 2027-28 season. He’ll still be a restricted free agent then, too, with three years of team control remaining. This is year three in North America for Miroshnichenko, whom Washington selected with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2022 draft. The 6’1″ winger nearly had his hands on an opening-night roster spot this year but was one of their final cuts. Now in his final year of waiver-exempt status, he went without a point in two games with AHL Hershey earlier this month before sustaining an injury that’s kept him out since.

When he gets back on the ice, Miroshnichenko will be looking to continue the momentum from a breakout 2024-25 campaign in Hershey. The physical scoring winger totaled 23 tallies and 42 points in 53 AHL games, leading the club in goals. It was a major breakthrough after he was limited to nine goals and 25 points in 47 appearances for the Bears the year prior.

His transition to the NHL, though, is still coming along. He’s gotten callups of significant length in each of the last two years, totaling 36 appearances. His ice time has been limited, though, averaging 10:51 per game while scoring three goals and seven assists for 10 points. He’s been among Washington’s more physical forwards when on NHL ice, though, averaging two hits per game.

Miroshnichenko’s shooting accuracy against NHL goaltenders is the biggest area where he needs to grow. For someone who will rely on his shot to break into a top-nine role for the Caps in the long term, he’s only finished at a 6.8% clip so far. Getting the puck toward the net hasn’t been a huge issue – he’s averaged 2.7 shot attempts per game in his call-ups – but converting on his chances and creating more high-danger ones is the next step in his development.

It’s hard not to see Miroshnichenko getting a call-up later this season when he’s healthy again. His loss of waiver-exempt status in 2026-27 means he should be penciled into next season’s opening night roster. Washington likely doesn’t want to have him go too long without NHL action if that’s the case.

Canadiens Reassign David Reinbacher, William Trudeau

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Oct. 31: Trudeau has cleared waivers and was assigned to Laval, the team announced.

Oct. 30: The Canadiens have made a pair of activations from season-opening injured reserve. Top defense prospect David Reinbacher has been cleared to play and will report to AHL Laval, the club announced. In a separate transaction, they placed defender William Trudeau on waivers for the purposes of assignment to Laval.

Reinbacher, still waiver-exempt, has been out since the early parts of the preseason after he fractured a metacarpal bone in his hand. He was initially expected to miss four weeks, and today’s news comes a few days after that initial timeline.

An opening-night job wasn’t entirely out of the question for Reinbacher, but it was a long shot after the Habs’ big summer splash brought Noah Dobson to Montreal via a sign-and-trade. The injury put the nail in the coffin for his chances. It was the second year in a row that the 2023 No. 5 overall pick sustained a significant injury in training camp. Last year brought surgery on his left knee that delayed his season debut with Laval until February. He managed two goals, three assists, and five points with a +5 rating in 10 games after his return.

He’ll be looking to keep that production up and then some as he eyes his longest stint of hockey in North America yet. Reinbacher spent most of his post-draft year on loan to EHC Kloten of Switzerland’s National League before spending the final few weeks of the campaign with Laval. Accordingly, he only has 21 games of professional experience on this side of the Atlantic. He still has plenty of runway left at age 21, but staying healthy for the rest of the season will be crucial for his chances to make the jump to the NHL as hoped and expected for 2026-27.

As for Trudeau, the 23-year-old is entering his fourth professional season and has now lost his waiver-exempt status. He was held out of training camp with a pectoral muscle injury after re-signing with the Habs on a two-way deal over the summer. Drafted in the fourth round in 2021, the 6’1″ lefty has a 20-50–70 scoring line in 198 career games for Laval with a +16 rating. He’s not more than a depth call-up option at this stage and will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer.

Bruins’ Elias Lindholm Out Multiple Weeks

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Bruins center Elias Lindholm will miss at least a few weeks with the lower-body injury he sustained in Thursday’s overtime win over the Sabres, head coach Marco Sturm told reporters today (including Adam Pellerin of NESN). He’s having an MRI today to more finely pinpoint the severity and recovery timeline.

Boston is not making a corresponding recall from AHL Providence at this time, Sturm said. They had 14 healthy forwards on the active roster, so they still have a healthy extra on hand with Lindholm sidelined. John Beecher will enter the lineup on Saturday against the Hurricanes after serving as a healthy scratch in three straight games and sitting out 10 of 13 contests this season, according to Sturm.

Lindholm was involved in a knee-on-knee collision with Buffalo forward Jordan Greenway near center ice just short of the halfway point of regulation. He needed assistance from trainers to leave the ice and didn’t return to the game.

Now in his second season in Boston, Lindholm has been stapled in as the Bruins’ top-line center with David Pastrňák on his right wing since opening night. They’ve had a rotating cast of left-wingers that’s included Marat Khusnutdinov and Pavel Zacha, but have mainly been deployed with Morgan Geekie at 5-on-5. Lindholm, 31 in December, is averaging 17:42 per game and has won 57.5% of his faceoffs. He’s fourth on the club with nine points (four goals, five assists) in 13 games, but despite his line’s offensive success, they’re giving up far more than they’re generating. He has a -3 rating while Geekie and Pastrňák have a -5. The trio has controlled just 38.1% of expected goals, by far the worst in the league among the nine forward lines that have spent over 100 minutes together this season, per MoneyPuck. They’ve been outscored 8-4 and out-attempted 134-103.

Boston’s offense has come out of the gates slightly better than expected, sitting just around league average at 3.31 goals per game. That’s largely been fueled by an early-season shooting bender from Geekie, who’s tied for the league lead with nine goals and is finishing at a 33.3% clip. Losing his middleman isn’t great news, but it won’t be the worst opportunity for Sturm to trial different names in the first-line pivot spot between him and Pastrňák to try and boost their two-way numbers. It will be Khusnutdinov getting the first crack at the job, according to the team’s Belle Fraser, fresh off an overtime winner against the Sabres.

With Lindholm out for at least seven days, the Bruins can retroactively place him on injured reserve if they need a roster spot. With over $1.6MM in cap space, they won’t need to do anything other than that to facilitate a recall.

Wild Activate, Reassign Cameron Butler

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The Wild announced yesterday that they’ve activated forward Cameron Butler from season-opening injured reserve and assigned him to the AHL’s Iowa Wild. They did that in conjunction with demoting Michael Milne after he cleared waivers. Only defense prospect Stevie Leskovar remains on the non-roster list that Minnesota submitted at the beginning of the month.

Butler will now begin his first season in the Wild organization. They acquired the 6’4″, 209-lb winger from the Blue Jackets in June in exchange for depth forward Brendan Gaunce. The checking-oriented Butler signed with Columbus as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and is in the final season of his entry-level contract, so he may be one-and-done in Minnesota and Iowa if they opt not to issue him a qualifying offer at the end of the season.

Things haven’t gone well for Butler on the offensive side of the puck since turning pro. The 23-year-old has just four goals and seven assists for 11 points in 91 career AHL games, all of which came with the Blue Jackets’ affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. He wasn’t a regular in their lineup last season, limited to 37 appearances. He’s racked up plenty of hits and penalty minutes, but his lack of offensive acumen and contribution has led to a -18 rating for his career. In fact, Butler has never been a plus player in a single season on record in his junior or minor league career.

He was still a semi-capable scorer in juniors, though, and Minnesota hopes he can regain some of that confidence in a new environment this season. Butler does have one NHL game to his name, coming in March 2024 with Columbus. He skated just one shift in a shootout win over the Penguins before being returned to the AHL the next day.

It’s not clear what injury was keeping Butler out of the lineup, but he’s now been cleared to return. Whatever it was, it kept him out of entering a preseason game for the Wild as well.

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