Pacific Notes: Kraken, Carlsson, Kuemper, Chytil, Coghlan
The Seattle Kraken, who have been bitten by the injury bug as of late, may be returning a few high-end players soon. Earlier today, team producer Scott Malone reported that forward Jared McCann and defenseman Vince Dunn had returned to practice in regular jerseys.
There’s no indication either will return to the Kraken’s game tomorrow against the Philadelphia Flyers, though it is encouraging. McCann has been limited to 11 games with Seattle this season, scoring five goals and three points, with his last contest coming on December 10th.
Still, Dunn only missed the Kraken’s game on Tuesday due to an upper-body injury, and he’s not on the team’s injured reserve, unlike McCann. If there’s any silver lining to what’s shaping up to be another disappointing season for the Kraken, is that Dunn has been healthy for much of the season. Over the last two years, he had played in less than 75% of Seattle’s games due to injury. He has scored five goals and 19 points in 34 games this season.
Other notes from the Pacific Division:
- In a positive update for the Anaheim Ducks, center Leo Carlsson‘s lower-body injury from earlier in the week will only cost him one game. In an article this morning, Derek Lee of The Hockey News confirmed that Carlsson would return to the lineup tonight against the Los Angeles Kings. Aside from an external addition, there truly couldn’t be better news for the Ducks, who are tied for the lead in the Pacific Division after several difficult seasons. Carlsson is leading that effort, scoring 17 goals and 41 points in 34 games as Anaheim’s leading scorer.
- On the flip side of tonight’s matchup, netminder Darcy Kuemper will miss a fifth consecutive game for the Kings due to an upper-body injury. Fortunately, that absence shouldn’t last too much longer. Team reporter Zach Dooley shared earlier that Kuemper had returned to practice for the Kings, joining the team for their morning skate.
- Moving to the Western portion of Canada, host of Rink Wide: Vancouver, Jeff Paterson, reported earlier that Filip Chytil had returned to practice for the Vancouver Canucks in a non-contact jersey. Chytil has not played since mid-October due to what is believed to be another concussion in his nine-year career. Unfortunately, despite the positive update that Chytil has returned to the ice, there’s no timeline for his return.
- On the transaction side, the Vegas Golden Knights quietly reassigned defenseman Dylan Coghlan to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights. The Golden Knights exit the holiday break on a three-game homestand, so they likely have little need for a depth defenseman, unlike they would on a road trip. Coghlan didn’t feature in any games throughout the duration of his recall.
ECHL Players Go On Strike, New CBA Pending Approval
Dec. 27th: According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the ECHL and PHPA have reached a tentative agreement to end the strike. Multiple outlets reported that players will return to their teams in the next few days in “good faith”, assuming that each side ratifies the new deal.
Dec. 26th: ECHL players officially commenced a strike effective today at noon Eastern. All games scheduled for tonight have been postponed. Multiple teams have announced plans to bring in new sets of players to avoid further postponements. Those players will presumably come from the SPHL and FPHL, the fourth and fifth tiers of pro and semi-pro hockey in North America.
Dec. 22, 7:15 PM: Sure enough, in an update shared by the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (Twitter Link), the ECHL players will go on strike effective December 26, after concerns on unfair labor practices have not been heard, and their new Collective Bargaining Agreement has not yet materialized.
In the announcement, PHPA Executive Director Brian Ramsay emphasized that members are simply seeking basic fair standards for working conditions and are eager for a resolution, remaining hopeful that the ECHL will negotiate, reach an agreement, and soon resume play. Teams are currently inactive until 12/26 due to the holidays, raising speculation of the strike today before it became official.
Later in the evening, the ECHL issued an official update regarding the strike. They outlined their goal of reaching an agreement that supports the players while maintaining a “sustainable business model” that remains accessible to fans. Although it touches on a potential 16.4% salary cap increase, travel restrictions, and holiday breaks, there is no discussion of the equipment issue raised by the players.
Dec. 22, 5:00 PM: Amidst ongoing negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the ECHL Players released a statement, shared through the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (Twitter Link). Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet also shared that a possible five-year deal on a new CBA between the PHPA and the AHL is closing in, but there has been little progress on a deal for the ECHL, and a strike may result.
The message emphasized that, despite nearly a full calendar year of bargaining, a new collective agreement has not been secured. The players noted the ECHL’s “unlawful conduct”, in which they made changes related to mandatory subjects of bargaining, even engaging in regressive bargaining.
Ultimately, the players’ concerns about health and working conditions continue to be disregarded. The statement also mentioned that the league recently sent direct communications “in an attempt to bully and intimidate players with tactics that violate US labor law”. Therefore, it appears that the latest development has only further widened the gap between the league and its players in potential negotiations, and a strike could be on the horizon.
The statement ended with “The ECHL appears by their behavior to prefer bullying to bargaining and does not respect the process nor the players’ right to negotiate a fair settlement”.
One such concern, voiced by the players, is the need for properly fitting helmets. The ECHL has an equipment deal with Warrior, a major supplier of ice hockey equipment, which originated in 2019-20. Such deals in minor league hockey are not uncommon, as the AHL also has a deal with CCM. However, aside from not being able to select their preferred option, ECHL players say they have even been supplied with used equipment, which is simply unacceptable at this level of professional hockey.
Regarding player conditions, travel schedules are a major concern. According to the players, the ECHL considers bus trips home as days off, even though travel time can be nine hours or more. Thankfully, it appears the league is now willing to give players one day off each week; however, it has shown no interest in negotiating a proper holiday break.
Teams have not played since December 21, which especially puts them into the spotlight for a possible strike; however, they are scheduled to jump right back into action on December 26, an especially short turnaround considering the rigorous travel schedules, if players were to have any chance to spend time with family and friends for the holidays.
Overall, such developments are extremely unfortunate for the league. Over the past decade, the ECHL has expanded across the country, far beyond the East Coast, even north of the border into Quebec. New franchises in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, and Augusta, Georgia, have been announced for 2026; however, given recent news, it may be a turbulent start.
Besides offering another level of professional hockey closer to home for those coming out of the NCAA, CHL, and USports, allowing lower-level players to follow their dreams and play for a living, the ECHL brings the sport to dozens of communities across North America. With most teams operating on razor-thin profit margins and heavily reliant on ticket sales, the league offers a tightly knit community-first culture. It offers market testing for cities to make their case. Although the league’s Utah Grizzlies are set to move to New Jersey, they played a vital role in setting the foundation for hockey in Utah, building up to the state taking in the Utah Mammoth.
Additionally, while any NHL-signed prospect who is assigned to the ECHL faces a serious uphill battle to reach the highest level, that does not mean it does not happen. To start the 2025-26 NHL season, 60 ECHL alums were on opening-night rosters. The number continues to grow. Today, many NHL organizations lean on the ECHL to send overlooked young AHL prospects down another level to get vital ice time in a bid to extend their careers.
Late bloomers such as Carter Verhaeghe, Yanni Gourde, and Jordan Binnington, all longtime NHLers who have won Stanley Cups, spent time in the ECHL on their path to the top. For any player in the ECHL, such hope persists that they could be next in line.
Now at a crossroads as they’ve grown into 32 teams, the hope is that the ECHL will hear the concerns of its players, who help drive so much of the game’s development in North America’s smaller communities, and work out their differences for a better tomorrow. For now, eyes will be on the ECHL for a possible strike, which could occur as soon as December 26.
Central Notes: Hartman, Hunt, Lyubushkin, Fuder
Despite positioning themselves as buyers for the upcoming deadline season, the Minnesota Wild have reportedly looked to move a veteran off the roster to clear out additional cap space. According to a recent article from Anthony Di Marco of the Daily Faceoff, the Wild reportedly attempted to send Ryan Hartman to the Philadelphia Flyers before acquiring defenseman Quinn Hughes.
If Minnesota wants to move out salary, Hartman is likely the easiest choice. Every other notable forward on the roster has no-movement protection in their contracts, whereas Hartman only has a 15-team no-trade list. Since the Wild reached out to Philadelphia first, it’s safe to assume that the Flyers aren’t on that list. He has some experience in Philadelphia, scoring two goals and six points in 19 games for the Flyers back in the 2018-19 season.
Aside from the mild trade protection, there’s no questioning why the Wild are looking to move out Hartman. Even when healthy, he hasn’t come close to the production he had in Minnesota from 2021 to 2024. Over the last two years, the 34-year-old veteran has scored 20 goals and 41 points in 103 games, which is less than he had during the 2023-24 season alone.
Other notes from the Central Division:
- Staying in Minnesota, the team could return to a fully healthy lineup on its upcoming road trip. According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, defenseman Daemon Hunt, the lone remaining player on the team’s injured reserve, is expected to return relatively soon. Hunt has missed Minnesota’s last five games with an undisclosed injury. Fortunately, he’ll have plenty of time to return on the road trip as it will last seven games and 13 days.
- The Dallas Stars will be somewhat shorthanded in their matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight. Earlier today, team reporter Brien Rea shared that defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin would be out of the lineup due to an illness. It’ll be the 12th game that Lyubushkin has missed this season. The eight-year veteran has registered one goal and seven points in 27 games for the Stars across the 2025-26 campaign.
- In the Western Hockey League, one of the Stars’ forward prospects was included in a trade this afternoon. According to a league announcement, the third-place Edmonton Oil Kings have acquired forward Jaxon Fuder from the Red Reed Rebels for Poul Andersen, Boris Sigachev, Brock Stevenson, and a conditional 2027 fourth-round pick. Fuder had scored seven goals and 24 points in 27 games for the Rebels before the trade.
Nashville Predators Activate Justin Barron
The Nashville Predators are back to a fully healthy defensive core. The Predators announced that the team has activated defenseman Justin Barron from the injured reserve.
Barron, 24, has missed nearly half the season due to a lower-body injury. The ailment was suffered in Nashville’s Global Series matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins on November 16th, and he hasn’t played since.
If Barron returns to the lineup tonight against the St. Louis Blues, his absence will end at 16 games. Before the injury, Barron was largely disappointing in his offensive output, registering four assists in 19 games while averaging 15:43 of ice time per game.
Still, he’s again averaging above a 50.0% CorsiFor% at even strength, and has managed an 89.8% on-ice save percentage at even strength, his best output with the Predators since being acquired around this time last year.
Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that Barron will draw into the lineup, even after Nashville traded away Spencer Stastney a few weeks ago. Both defensemen who were expected to stay in depth roles this year, Nick Blankenburg and Adam Wilsby, have performed well this season, with the former scoring four goals and 15 points in 26 games.
Since Barron doesn’t offer an immediate improvement on either blue liner, Nashville may stay the course with its existing options. The Predators are 7-3-0 in their last 10 leading up to the Holiday break and have climbed back into the playoff conversation in the Western Conference.
Atlantic Injury Notes: Zucker, Jeannot, Samoskevich, Mrtka
The hottest team in the Eastern Conference should be getting a boost to its forward core relatively soon. Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald reported in a recent article that forward Jason Zucker has returned to practice with the Buffalo Sabres. Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that he’ll return during Buffalo’s upcoming three-game road trip, which begins on Monday.
Zucker, 33, has missed the Sabres’ last seven games with both lower and upper body injuries. Still, given that he may not return until after Buffalo returns from their upcoming road trip, that number may reach 11 games. Fortunately, the Sabres haven’t missed a beat since Zucker exited the lineup, winning all seven games and climbing to two points back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
In the article, Zucker expressed his frustration with not being included in the team’s recent hot streak, saying, “It’s been terrible watching, but it’s been great to see everyone playing well throughout the lineup.” He remains seventh on the team in scoring with nine goals and 18 points in 21 games, averaging 15:36 of ice time per game.
Other injury notes from the Atlantic Division:
- The Sabres’ opponent tonight, the Boston Bruins, will be playing somewhat shorthanded up front. The NHL’s Heather Engel shared earlier that forward Tanner Jeannot will miss tonight’s game with an undisclosed injury, and there’s no word on how long he’s expected to miss. Jeannot, who signed a five-year, $17MM contract with the Bruins last summer, has played surprisingly well this season, scoring four goals and 15 points in 38 games while throwing 113 hits.
- In a different Atlantic Division matchup, the Florida Panthers may also be down a regular forward for their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning this evening. Team reporter Jameson Olive noted that Mackie Samoskevich will be a game-time decision. Still, head coach Paul Maurice, via Olive, suggested that Samoskevich is trending toward playing and chose to wait to name a potential replacement.
- Aside from the NHL returning to action tonight, the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championships are underway, with games commencing yesterday. Team Czechia, which lost a tightly contested opening matchup to Team Canada, could be getting a boost to its defensive core by the end of the weekend. According to Chris Peters of FloHockey, defenseman Radim Mrtka is expected to return against Team Finland on Monday. Mrtka was drafted with the ninth overall pick last summer by the Sabres and has scored one goal and 16 points in 14 games for the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds this year.
Canucks To Activate Elias Pettersson Off Injured Reserve
The Canucks will get some much-welcomed help down the middle tonight against San Jose. Speaking with reporters after practice today (Twitter link), center Elias Pettersson confirmed that he will make his return to the lineup.
Pettersson, who has missed the last eight games with an upper-body injury, is currently on injured reserve. However, Vancouver has an open roster spot available so they won’t need to make any moves to bring their top pivot back onto the roster.
The initial hope was that Pettersson wouldn’t be out that long but instead, he wound up missing three weeks with the injury, one that was causing a lot of pain when shooting the puck. Despite missing their top center, Vancouver wound up winning five of the eight games he missed, including four of their last five following the Quinn Hughes trade.
In the second season of an eight-year, $92.8MM deal, Pettersson hasn’t been able to live up to the price tag in terms of his production. While he’s on pace to put up more points than the 45 he did in 64 games last season, the 27-year-old has eight goals and 14 assists through 28 games this season. He’s averaging a career-high 20:37 per game of ice time while taking a regular turn on both special teams units.
While Vancouver GM Patrik Allvin spoke about entering a hybrid rebuilding phase, their recent run in the standings has them only six points out of a playoff spot. Getting Pettersson back should only help them so if the team continues its recent hot streak, they may not wind up being as much of a seller as initially thought.
Metropolitan Notes: Blue Jackets, Horvat, Miller, Lizotte
Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski is listed as doubtful for tomorrow’s game against the Islanders due to a lower-body injury, per team reporter Jeff Svoboda (Twitter link). The veteran missed the final game before the break due to the injury as well. Werenski has been nothing short of dominant for Columbus this season, leading the team in scoring with 14 goals and 26 assists in 35 games while his ATOI of 26:48 is the second-highest in the NHL.
Meanwhile, it appears that the Blue Jackets could get Mathieu Olivier back on Sunday. Svoboda mentions (Twitter link) that the winger feels ready to return and is merely waiting to get clearance from team doctors. He has missed the last month due to an upper-body injury. However, the news up front isn’t all good as Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that center Isac Lundestrom suffered what appeared to be a left leg injury during practice today. He left and did not return; no update was available after practice.
More from the Metropolitan:
- As expected, Bo Horvat will return to the lineup tonight for the Islanders, the team announced. He missed the last five games with a lower-body injury and while the initial thought was that he might miss three weeks, he’s able to beat that timeline by a few days. The 30-year-old has 19 goals and 12 assists in 32 games this season, leading the team in goals and points. Horvat remained on the active roster while out of the lineup so no corresponding moves need to be made.
- Hurricanes defenseman K’Andre Miller is listed as a game-time decision tonight against Detroit, relays team reporter Walt Ruff (Twitter link). He blocked a shot late in Tuesday’s loss to Florida and is being evaluated by team medical staff today. Miller is in his first season with Carolina and has played a big role when healthy, picking up 13 points in 29 games while averaging a career-high 22:31 per night of ice time.
- Penguins center Blake Lizotte returned to a full practice with contact today, notes Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link). He has missed the last nine games with an undisclosed injury and is a possibility to return on Sunday which would necessitate another roster move first. The 28-year-old is in a contract year but was rather quiet offensively before being injured, tallying just three goals and two assists in 27 games although he was being used in a very heavy defense-first role. If Pittsburgh falls out of the playoff race, he’s a candidate to be moved before the March 6th trade deadline.
Sabres Recall Ryan Johnson
The Sabres will be without captain Rasmus Dahlin for their game tonight against Boston as he remains back home in Sweden with his fiancée who continues to recover from a heart transplant over the summer. As a result, the team has recalled defenseman Ryan Johnson from AHL Rochester, per Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald.
To make room for Johnson on the active roster, Dahlin has been designated as a non-roster player as they did when he took a leave of absence earlier this season. While he won’t play tonight, it’s expected that he’ll be back to accompany the team on their upcoming road trip.
As for Johnson, this is his first recall of the season. He actually broke camp with Buffalo and played in three games in the opening week but averaged just nine minutes per game of playing time. As a result, he was quickly sent down to play a bigger role with the Americans.
The 24-year-old, who is in the first season of a three-year deal, has played in 25 games with Rochester so far this season, picking up 11 points. That’s just two points shy of his personal best, set last season in 66 games. With six other defensemen already up with the big club, it’s quite possible that Johnson will serve in a reserve role for the time being until Dahlin returns.
Jake Evans To Miss Four To Six Weeks
Already missing four regulars, Montreal’s injured list has grown again. The team announced that center Jake Evans will miss the next four to six weeks due to a lower-body injury. The Canadiens had already placed him on injured reserve before the holiday break.
The injury was sustained last weekend against Pittsburgh and a recent report suggested that the worst-case scenario had been avoided which appears to be the case with no surgery being required. Sportsnet’s Eric Engels clarifies (Twitter link) that the listed recovery timeline is back from the date of injury, meaning he has already missed one of the four to six weeks.
The 29-year-old has played in 34 games this season and has been fairly quiet offensively, managing just five goals and five assists despite logging over 15 minutes per game of ice time. This comes on the heels of a career-best effort offensively in 2024-25 that saw him collect 13 goals and 23 helpers.
Evans has spent this season in a checking role with higher expectations in the defensive zone following the departure of Christian Dvorak to Philadelphia in free agency over the summer. Phillip Danault was brought in last week to help in that regard but instead, it’ll be a while yet before the two checking centers get to play together.
Atlantic Notes: Lightning, Carlo, Montembeault, Beckman
A pair of core players for the Lightning appear to be close to making their returns from injury. Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times notes (Twitter links) that winger Brandon Hagel and defenseman Erik Cernak took part in today’s morning skate. Hagel has missed nearly two weeks due to an upper-body injury sustained against Florida, taking one of Tampa Bay’s top scorers out of the lineup as he has 18 goals and 13 assists in 32 games. Head coach Jon Cooper relayed (via Encina) that Hagel is now in the day-to-day range. Cernak, meanwhile, has missed a little more than a month due to an undisclosed injury that wasn’t the same as the lower-body issue that briefly kept him out in November. He has four assists, 43 blocks, and 40 hits in 19 games so far this season. Both players are on IR (Cernak is on LTIR, more specifically) so roster spots will need to be freed up before they can be put back onto the active roster.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- Maple Leafs defenseman Brandon Carlo took part in Toronto’s morning skate today as he works his way back from foot surgery, relays David Alter of The Hockey News. The 29-year-old has missed the last six weeks with what was originally termed as a maintenance thing but he wound up having a procedure done earlier this month. Carlo is in his first full season with Toronto and has two assists and 34 blocked shots in 18 games while averaging just over 20 minutes per game of playing time. While he’s back skating, there remains no firm timetable for a return to the lineup.
- As expected, the Canadiens announced (Twitter link) have recalled goaltender Sam Montembeault from his conditioning stint. The 29-year-old has struggled this season, posting a 3.65 GAA with a .857 SV% in 15 appearances, resulting in a demotion to third-string status after Jacob Fowler was recalled. Montembeault played in two games while on assignment, turning aside 47 of 52 shots in a pair of losses to Cleveland.
- Senators prospect Lucas Beckman has been traded in the QMJHL as Chicoutimi announced that they’ve acquired him from Baie-Comeau for a pair of players and two draft picks. The goaltender was a fourth-round pick back in June, going 97th overall. In 23 games with the Drakkar this season, he has a 3.29 GAA along with a .905 SV%, numbers that are a considerable step back from 2024-25 when he was on more of a contending team. Ottawa holds Beckman’s signing rights until June 1, 2027.