New Jersey Devils To Activate Jack Hughes
The New Jersey Devils are expected to receive a big boost tonight, as franchise center Jack Hughes told the media today, including NHL.com’s Mike Morreale, that he expects to be in the lineup for the team’s game against the Buffalo Sabres.
In addition, the club will see winger Timo Meier return to the lineup after a five-game absence and rookie Arseni Gritsyuk return after a four-game absence.
Hughes has not played since Nov. 15 after reportedly injuring his hand in an off-ice accident. He underwent finger surgery in the aftermath of the injury, and ended up missing 18 games. When healthy, Hughes is the Devils’ most dangerous offensive player. His 20 points in 17 games this season leads the team on a points-per-game basis, and his return should provide a massive boost to the Devils’ ability to score goals.
Despite significant injury losses, the Devils have managed to keep pace in the Eastern Conference playoff race. They currently sit in the second wild-card spot, but the return of Hughes, Meier, and Gritsyuk, as well as the recent return of defenseman Brett Pesce, figures to give the team a jolt that will likely be reflected in the standings.
At the moment, it isn’t entirely clear who will slot in next to Hughes on what will undoubtedly be the Devils’ most relied-upon scoring line. Per team reporter Amanda Stein, Hughes skated with Gritsyuk on his wing in morning skate, as well as “a rotation” of veteran Stefan Noesen and Marc McLaughlin alongside them.
But seeing as not everyone was on the ice for the Devils’ optional morning skate, those practice reps should not be seen as a firm indication of where Hughes will land in head coach Sheldon Keefe’s lineup.
Hughes skated alongside Gritsyuk and Dawson Mercer in his most recent game on Nov. 12, so it’s possible Keefe will elect to reassemble that line tonight. With Hughes out, Mercer has most recently slotted in as New Jersey’s first line right winger, lining up next to captain Nico Hischier and team leading scorer Jesper Bratt.
Tampa Bay Lightning Reassign Jakob Pelletier
The Tampa Bay Lightning announced today that forward Jakob Pelletier has been reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.
Tampa recalled Pelletier on Saturday, and he served as a healthy scratch for the club’s comeback win over the Carolina Hurricanes. The 24-year-old 2019 first-round pick has been stellar for the Crunch this season. He leads the team in scoring with 31 points in just 24 games, a total that also ties Laval Rocket forward Laurent Dauphin for the scoring lead across the entire AHL.
Pelletier’s recall cost the Crunch their most lethal offensive player during their two-game weekend swing through Hartford and Providence. The Crunch defeated the Wolf Pack on Friday night but fell to the Bruins on Saturday, results that kept them tied with Laval for the division lead.
While he didn’t get to play during his brief stint on the Lightning’s roster, the recall did come with a marginal financial benefit for Pelletier. He signed a three-year contract with the Lightning over the summer, one that carries a $775K NHL salary across all years. While his deal has a one-way structure in year two and year three of the deal, Pelletier is playing on a two-way contract structure this season. Pelletier’s AHL salary this season is $250K, and his guarantee is $350K.
This most recent recall slightly improved Pelletier’s chances of pushing past that guarantee in terms of total compensation by the end of the season in the event that further, more lasting recalls are in store for him down the line.
Montreal Canadiens Recall Sammy Blais
The Montreal Canadiens announced today that forward Sammy Blais has been recalled from the club’s AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.
The move appears to be a response to an injury suffered last night by veteran forward Jake Evans. Evans left the game with an apparent lower-body injury. Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reported last night that Evans would not travel with the team to Pittsburgh for their game tonight against the Penguins, and remains under evaluation. Per TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie, the Canadiens placed Evans on injured reserve, meaning he’ll miss at least a week.
By recalling Blais, the Canadiens have given themselves another forward to work with as they plot their response to Evans’ injury. The recent trade acquisition of veteran pivot Phillip Danault will certainly help the team absorb any Evans injury, though it is not clear at this time if Danault will be able to play in Pittsburgh.
Evans is currently slotted in as Montreal’s third-line center, playing in between Josh Anderson and Alexandre Texier. That figures to be where Danault will eventually slot in, but if he’s not able to play tonight, the Canadiens could shuffle their lines a little bit to make room for Blais since he is not a natural center.
The Canadiens have two natural pivots on their fourth line, veteran Joe Veleno and rookie Owen Beck. The Canadiens could move Beck to center for tonight’s game, put Blais on the wing in Beck’s spot, and then elevate Veleno to Evans’ position in the event Danault can’t play tonight.
Looking at this move from Blais’ perspective, this recall is his first chance to play for the Canadiens in the regular season. He signed a one-year, league-minimum one-way deal with Montreal over the summer, but didn’t make the Canadiens’ roster out of training camp. He was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs, and ended up scoring three points in eight games there before landing on waivers once again.
The Canadiens claimed Blais and, as the only team to do so, were able to send him down to the AHL, where he has remained until today.
Blais won the Calder Cup with the Abbotsford Canucks last season and has a notable amount of championship experience. He won the Stanley Cup in 2019 as a member of the St. Louis Blues and scored some important goals for Canada at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championships, winning a gold medal with his country. More recently, Blais scored nine points in nine games in the AHL for the Rocket en route to today’s recall.
Buffalo Sabres Hire Marc Bergevin, Josh Flynn
9:00 a.m.: The Sabres have now officially announced both additions. Flynn’s departure was also confirmed by Columbus, who in an official statement thanked Flynn for his service to the organization.
Kekäläinen issued a statement of his own regarding the additions, saying:
Both Marc Bergevin and Josh Flynn bring a wealth of unique experience and perspective, and I am excited to welcome them to the Buffalo Sabres organization. Adding both to an already strong group adds versatility and helps us continue to build a well-rounded hockey operations staff.
Marc has firsthand experience as an NHL general manager and a track record as a strong talent evaluator at the highest level. He will be invaluable as we continue to identify and develop talent throughout the organization. Josh’s strength lies within salary cap management, analytics, contract negotiations, and scouting. Having worked alongside him in Columbus for many years, I know that his attention to detail and nuanced understanding of league processes will help enhance how we support our broader organization.
8:05 a.m.: Things appear to be moving quickly in Buffalo. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reported Sunday morning that the Sabres are hiring Flynn from the Blue Jackets. Flynn had been with Columbus since 2008, serving as assistant GM since 2019.
8:00 a.m.: The Buffalo Sabres are reportedly hiring Los Angeles Kings senior advisor Marc Bergevin to the role of associate general manager.
The move has not yet been officially announced. It was originally reported by David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, whose reporting was corroborated by The Athletic’s Matthew Fairburn and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
The Sabres are in the middle of a significant amount of turnover at key leadership positions in their hockey operations department. GM Kevyn Adams was replaced in his position by former Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen.
In his first major move as GM, Kekäläinen fired associate GM Jason Karmanos, who also served as GM of the club’s AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. Today’s reporting makes it clear that Kekäläinen has already found the person who will replace Karmanos in that role.
In Bergevin, the Sabres have found another executive with a significant amount of high-level hockey operations leadership experience. Like Kekäläinen, Bergevin has significant previous experience as a GM in the NHL, serving as GM of the Montreal Canadiens for nearly a decade, from 2012 to 2021. Before his time in Montreal, Bergevin served in numerous roles with the Chicago Blackhawks, winning a Stanley Cup as director of player personnel in 2010.
Sabres owner Terry Pegula came under significant fire for the process of how he hired Adams, picking someone to serve as GM of the struggling Sabres who had no significant prior hockey operations experience.
The hire of Bergevin further underscores what appears to be a commitment from Pegula to going in the opposite direction with his next hires. The addition of Bergevin as one of the top lieutenants of Kekäläinen’s front office gives Buffalo a deeply experienced pairing of executives at the top of the organization.
Bergevin’s nearly decade-long run as Canadiens GM made him one of the league’s more recognizable executives, and his legacy in Montreal is still debated. In some respects, his tenure was an undeniably successful one. The Canadiens instantly rebounded from a poor 2011-12 campaign to win the Northeast Division in his first season there.
Montreal reached the playoffs in four of his first five seasons as GM, even making a run to the Eastern Conference Final before an injury to star netminder Carey Price cost them a chance at seriously challenging the New York Rangers for the Prince of Wales Trophy.
Bergevin’s Canadiens struggled in the latter period of the 2010s, but ultimately returned to the playoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020-21 Canadiens went on a dramatic run to the Stanley Cup Final, winning the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl before losing the Stanley Cup to the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was the Canadiens’ first trip to the Final since their victory in 1993.
Montreal fired Bergevin early in the following season as the Canadiens endured one of the worst starts to a season in franchise history. Bergevin was credited in Montreal with acting boldly and creatively to try to solve his team’s problems, an approach perhaps no better illustrated by his attempt to offer sheet Carolina Hurricanes star Sebastian Aho, or his franchise-altering trade of star defenseman P.K. Subban for future Hall of Famer Shea Weber.
Bergevin made numerous transactions that paid significant dividends for the Canadiens, and one could make the argument that he “won” far more trades than he “lost.” His tenure was littered with savvy moves, such as when he acquired future captain Nick Suzuki (among other assets) in a trade for Max Pacioretty, acquired Phillip Danault and the pick that became Alexander Romanov for two rental wingers in Tomas Fleischmann and Dale Weise; or when in January 2020, he traded a fourth-round pick for Marco Scandella, only to flip Scandella a few months later and receive a second-round pick (and a fourth-rounder) in return.
But with those big moves, many of which worked out for Montreal, also come a few high-profile mistakes. His major free agent signing of Karl Alzner was nothing short of a disaster, and his move to trade Mikhail Sergachev for Jonathan Drouin did not age well.
Bergevin also came under fire later in his tenure as GM for reportedly failing to “modernize” the Canadiens’ hockey operations department. The team reportedly lagged behind its peers in terms of the modernization, as Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reported in 2022 that the Canadiens did not have an in-house analytics department or at the time employ a dedicated skills coach.
From the Sabres’ perspective, the positives and negatives of Bergevin’s Canadiens tenure aren’t hugely relevant. What matters most is what Bergevin will be able to bring to Buffalo in his capacity as associate GM, and the key thing he’ll offer Kekäläinen is an immense amount of high-level hockey operations decision-making experience.
Kekäläinen’s work is far from over, as The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported yesterday that the Sabres requested permission from Columbus to speak with assistant GM Josh Flynn, someone Kekäläinen worked closely with during his days running the Blue Jackets. According to LeBrun, permission was granted.
Flynn’s background is specifically within hockey administration, and in Columbus, Flynn is responsible for leading “salary cap management” and “contract negotiation,” according to his listing on the team website.
After firing Karmanos, the Sabres have two remaining assistant GMs on the staff who are holdovers from the Adams regime: Jerry Forton, who oversees amateur scouting, and Mark Jakubowski, who per Fairburn “mostly handles contracts.” It remains to be seen if Kekäläinen’s plans for his front office involve any other departures, or only just additions such as Bergevin’s.
There is no clarity at this time as to what major responsibilities Bergevin will hold in the Sabres front office. Karmanos’ significant responsibility was building and managing the AHL’s Americans, and it’s unclear whether Bergevin will directly take on that role.
Photos courtesy of Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski Out Day-To-Day
The Columbus Blue Jackets suffered a tough loss to the Anaheim Ducks last night, falling 4-3 after a late game-winning goal by Ducks center Mason McTavish. But perhaps even worse than the final result was an apparent injury suffered by Zach Werenski, the Blue Jackets’ best and most important player.
Werenski blocked a shot from Anaheim’s Troy Terry with a little over two minutes left in yesterday’s game, and he needed to be helped off of the ice while in what appeared to be quite a bit of pain. After the game, Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason did not have any update on Werenski’s status, but this morning The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reported that “X-rays late Saturday in Anaheim confirmed” that there were “no broken bones” in Werenski’s right leg, and as a result, he is “considered day-to-day.”
It goes without saying that any longer-term loss of Werenski would have dealt a significant blow to Columbus’ hopes of staying in the Eastern Conference’s playoff race. At the moment, the Blue Jackets sit last in the conference with 34 points in 35 games, and are seven points behind the New Jersey Devils for the final wild-card spot.
Werenski is a force for the Blue Jackets, someone whose presence is felt in all aspects of the game. Last season’s Norris Trophy runner-up leads the team in scoring this season with 40 points in 35 games. His 40 points are tied with Cale Makar for the scoring lead among blueliners this year. The two are in a league of their own when it comes to offense this year. The No. 3 defenseman in terms of scoring this season, Edmonton Oilers blueliner Evan Bouchard, is seven points behind Makar and Werenski.
Werenski’s value to the Blue Jackets is more than just his scoring. He averages almost 27 minutes of ice time per game, quarterbacking the team’s efforts on the power play and playing a secondary role on the penalty kill. Werenski is No. 2 in the NHL in time on ice per game.
Columbus plays tomorrow in Los Angeles, and if Werenski can’t dress against the Kings, he’d be extremely difficult for Columbus to attempt to replace. His role on the top power play unit would likely be filled by veteran Damon Severson, who has 10 points in 35 games this season, and second-year blueliner Denton Mateychuk figures to see a bump in overall ice time in the event Werenski is sidelined.
That Werenski appears to have avoided a longer-term injury is great news for not just Columbus, but also USA Hockey. He’s expected to be one of the key defensemen on the United States’ team for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. With the tournament now under two months away, any longer-term injury would have seriously threatened his availability for those games. Based on today’s reporting, it appears Werenski’s availability for those games is not under any threat.
Minor Transactions: 12/20/2025
The midpoint of the season has sparked a flurry of action across the hockey world. Some players are finally being moved from a slow start to the season, while others are finding their first contracts of the year. The notable moves have been rounded up and captured below:
- Former New York Islanders center Leo Komarov has signed a one-year contract with HC Davos of Switzerland’s National League. The 38-year-old Estonian spent the last two seasons with HIFK of Finland’s Liiga. He scored 23 points in 55 games with the club, but wasn’t able to secure a contract for this season. That will change with a move to Switzerland, marking the eighth professional hockey league that Komarov has played in – on top of tenures in Finland’s Mestis and Liiga, Russia’s KHL, the AHL and NHL, and Sweden’s SHL. He will offer Davos veteran depth.
- Also signing an overseas contract is former Buffalo Sabres goaltender Dustin Tokarski, who has left his professional try-out contract with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins to sign a deal with Lowen Frankfurt of Germany’s DEL. Tokarski made two appearances with Grand Rapids on his try-out, posting one win and a .929 save percentage. He posted a .897 Sv% in 21 AHL games, and a .902 Sv% in six NHL games, in the Carolina Hurricanes’ organization last season. He’ll join Frankfurt for the second-half of the year and could have an open path to the starting role, with all three of Frankfurt’s goaltenders posting sub-.900 Sv% through the first half of the season.
- Hard-hitting Utah Mammoth prospect Tomas Lavoie has been traded in the QMJHL. He will head to the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in exchange for five draft picks, including a first-rounder, headed back to the Cape Breton Eagles. Lavoie was a core piece of the Eagles this season, offering stalwart defense and reliable puck-moving. The former third-round pick has 21 points in 24 games this season and could bring a reliable, shutdown role to a Saguenéens lineup currently leaning on high-octane defenders like Alex Huang.
- Seattle Kraken prospect Alexis Bernier will also head to the Saguenéens in exchange for Leo-Gabriel Gosselin and five draft picks. Bernier is a volume shooter who racked up 14 goals and 46 points in 59 games with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar last season, but hasn’t yet played this year. He could be due for a major breakout after rivaling point-per-game scoring last season, which should only bolster a Saguenéens lineup that has already propped up shoot-first wingers Maxim Massé and Émile Guité. The Saguenéens will go all-in on this season before likely losing Masse, Guite, and many others to pro deals.
Injury Notes: Evans, Kleven, Samoskevich
The Montreal Canadiens lost an impact center in Saturday’s win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jake Evans left the game partway through after his knee was awkwardly hit by Pittsburgh’s Justin Brazeau. He promptly left the game and didn’t return.
Evans will move forward with a questionable tag, while Canadiens fans hold their breath hoping the knee-to-knee collission doesn’t result in a long-term absence. The 29 year old has served an important depth role for Montreal through the first half of the year. He has racked up 10 points, split evenly, and a minus-13 through 33 appearances while averaging third-line minutes. Evans scored a career-high 13 goals and 36 points last season – but generally hasn’t been one to rack up the scoring. He’s instead found impact with a strong, physical play and consistent lineup presence. He has only missed one game since 2023 – a streak that could change with this latest injury.
More injury updates from around the league:
- Ottawa Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven left the team’s win over the Chicago Blackhawks with a lower-body injury. The injury occured on an awkward fall against the boards, after getting his foot swept out from under him. He has already been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Boston Bruins, head coach Travis Green told TSN’s Claire Hanna. Kleven has four assists and a minus-12 in 31 games this season. He has offered stout depth for the Senators, and will be replaced by Jordan Spence in the short-term.
- Ahead of Saturday’s loss to the St. Louis Blues, the Florida Panthers announced that forward Mackie Samoskevich is day-to-day with a lower-body injury sustained on Friday, per NHL.com’s Jameson Olive. Samoskevich has 17 points and a minus-four in 34 games this season, operating from a third-line role. He’s been on a hot streak as of late, with three points in his last five games. That run will halt for the time being, while Florida turns towards Jack Studnicka to fill Samoskevich’s hole in the lineup.
Canadiens Win Big In Re-Acquisition Of Phillip Danault
The hockey world was graced with a mini Trade Deadline in the late hours of Friday, the eve of a one-week trade freeze that went into effect on Saturday. There were only two moves, both swapping draft picks for roster players, but for the Montreal Canadiens this mini Deadline could be one to remember. They won a sweepstakes for Los Angeles Kings center Phillip Danault – a strong, veteran center who they were able to land at a fairly negligible price.
The Canadiens only gave up a 2026 second-round pick in exchange for Danault. It was one of two second-rounders Montreal held in next year’s draft. The other originally belonged to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who sit dead last in the Metropolitan Division through the first two months of the season. Their pick could end up close to the first round – unless their Friday trade turns things around – while Montreal’s own pick could land near the other end of the second-round.
Another pick moved will mean just a bit more space for Montreal’s current prospects to find their ways. The Canadiens sit in playoff position despite carrying the youngest roster in the league this season. They’ve received major impacts from young players like Lane Hutson, Ivan Demidov, and Oliver Kapanen. Rookies Jacob Fowler, Adam Engstrom, Owen Beck, and Florian Xhekaj; with even more top prospects, like Michael Hage and Alexander Zharovsky, soon behind them. The Canadiens won’t have the space to continue adding multiple top draft picks to the shelves every season.
Instead, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes leveraged the surplus value to acquire what should be a great lineup piece. Danault has struggled to score this season. He scored five points, all assists, in 30 games on a Kings offense that has scored the second-fewest goals in the league so far. But the 32-year-old centerman has managed back-to-back seasons with 22 goals over the last two years. He boasts a career-high of 54 points, set in the 2022-23 season, his second year with the Kings. On top of commendable scoring, Danault posted a positive plus-minus in four of his five years in Los Angeles – fortifying a reputation as one of the league’s better, and more reliable, defensive-centers.
Before his veteran days in L.A., Danault carved out his first NHL roles in the Canadiens’ roster. He was originally a first-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks but joined Montreal in a move that worked out tremendously well for the Canadiens. They acquired Danault and the draft pick used to select Alexander Romanov in exchange for sending Tomas Fleischmann and Dale Weise to the Blackhakws. Danault was an immediate impact for Montreal, scoring 40 points and playing in all 82 games during his rookie season in 2016-17. He averaged third-line minutes in his first year and grew into a stout second-line role over the next four seasons.
Danault ended his first tenure with the Canadiens with a top-10 finish in Selke Trophy voting in three consecutive seasons. He had one more top-10 finish, and two more seasons receiving votes, in five years with the Kings.
Reliable defensive-centers often have a more level aging curve than their high-scoring counterparts. Danault has struggled to find his offense in L.A. but should look much more at home in a Canadiens’ offense that plays with much more pace. Montreal already wields a Selke Trophy-hopeful in top-line center Nick Suzuki. Now, they’ll fortify their two-way game even more with Danault, which should provide a stable backing for Demidov and Juraj Slafkovsky to focus on their scoring, and rookie Kapanen to continue easing into a role.
More than the stability, and surefire penalty killing role, that he’ll offer the lineup – Danault could be invaluable as Montreal looks to promote more star prospects to the NHL. University of Michigan star Hage has improved in every season and seems close to breaking into the pro flight, but there’s no doubt that he’ll face a tough physical challenge once he gets there.
With Danault’s addition, Montreal can be confident in their depth down the middle for the foreseeable future. Suzuki will continue in his top role, while a mix of Kapanen and Danault hold down the middle lines, until Hage, Beck, and Aatos Koivu are ready to carry on the next era of Canadiens hockey. Montreal was able to secure that short-and-long-term security at the cost of their third-most valuable pick next year. It’s a shrewd acquisition that could prove to be an X-factor as Montreal chases their second-straight postseason berth.
Photo courtesy of Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports.
Blackhawks’ Frank Nazar Expected To Miss Four Weeks With Injury
Injury news turned from bad to worse during the Chicago Blackhwaks’ Saturday loss to the Ottawa Senators. Already without star Connor Bedard, the Blackhawks also lost top forward Frank Nazar after he took a slapshot from Ottawa’s Claude Giroux hit him in the face. Nazar went straight to the locker room and was announced as out soon after. The puck appeared to hit him square in the cheek.
Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill said postgame that Nazar is expected to miss four weeks with his resulting injury per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
This is another blow in a difficult season for the Blackhawks’ second-string star. Nazar missed two games earlier in the year with a separate injury. He has also been hit with a scoring drought – going six consecutive games without a point and 21 games without a goal. Both of those streaks snapped on Thursday night, when Nazar scored Chicago’s only goal in a 1-4 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
Despite the struggles, the 22 year old has still emerged as a key part of Chicago’s offense this season. He has 21 points in 32 games, good for fourth on the Blackhawks in scoring. That’s strong standing after the team made the shocking decision to sign Nazar to a seven-year, $46.2MM contract extension in August, with only 56 games of NHL experience under his belt. That new deal kicks into effect next summer, while Nazar looks to prove his worth on the last year of his entry-level contract this season.
Now without two of their top four scorers, the Blackhawks offense could be in some trouble. Veteran center Jason Dickinson should elevate to a top-line role in Nazar’s absence, while rookie Ryan Greene assumes a top-six role for one of the first times in his career. Neither player has lit the lamp all too often this season – with Dickinson boasting six points in 21 games and Greene holding 10 points in 34 games. Amid the shuffle, Chicago could also recall depth forward Landon Slaggert, who has served as a go-to fill-in for much of the year. Slaggert could assume the role of bottom-line center – or Chicago could move Oliver Moore, Ryan Donato, or Sam Lafferty off of the wing to fill their gap. Through the decisions, one thing is clear: Chicago is in for a tight squeeze with five games remaining in December. Nazar will miss the start of 2026, while Bedard injury won’t be re-evaluated until early-January.
Hurricanes Recall Bradly Nadeau, Place Seth Jarvis On IR
More bad news has come through for the Carolina Hurricanes. Top winger Seth Jarvis will be forced out for an extended period after crashing into the net post in overtime of Friday’s loss to the Florida Panthers. The Hurricanes placed Jarvis on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and recalled winger Bradly Nadeau on Saturday.
The timing could work to Carolina’s benefit. This move will force Jarvis to miss at least two games but he could be activated before the Hurricanes’ match against the Detroit Red Wings next Saturday.
Carolina will hold their breath hoping that timeline works out. Jarvis has, again, been one of their best. He leads the team with 19 goals, and ranks second with 29 points, through 34 games so far. More than that, he was riding a streak of good health, not missing any games to start the year after he missed nine last season. Jarvis was still able to net 32 goals and 67 points last season, matching his point totals from – and one goal less than – he managed in 81 games of the 2023-24 season.
Filling Jarvis’ role has proven to be a difficult task for Carolina, marked by a 4-5-0 record without him last season. This time around, Jarvis’ absence should pave way for Jackson Blake to take on top-line minutes. Blake has 21 points in 34 games this season. He also ranks third on the offense in takeaways (14) behind Jarvis (19) and Sebastian Aho (17). Blake has proven his ability to fill any role throughout the last two seasons but this opening could be a chance to step up and cement his spot in the Hurricanes’ top-six long-term.
It will also offer a chance for Nadeau to finally find his stride at the NHL level. He is in the midst of a five-game scoring streak in the AHL and has 13 points in his last 10 games. That stretch has brought the 20 year old up to 20 points in 18 games this season, good for third on the Chicago Wolves in scoring. Nadeau finished second in scoring for Chicago last season, with 58 points in 64 games. Despite the streak of strong offense, he hasn’t yet found his production at the top level. Nadeau has just two points in nine career games with Carolina, including one goal in six games this season. He should slot into a bottom-six role as Blake, Taylor Hall, and Eric Robinson step up in Jarvis’ absence, but could offer much more upside if he finally finds his touch.