Devils Activate Curtis Lazar, Justin Dowling Clears Waivers
12/18: Dowling has cleared waivers and been assigned to the minor leagues, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
12/17: The Devils announced that they’ve activated Curtis Lazar from injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Blues. The team placed Justin Dowling on waivers in a corresponding move, although they already had the roster spot necessary to activate Lazar, so Dowling’s pending reassignment or claim will keep their active roster count at 22.
It’s a much quicker return to action than most expected for Lazar. The 29-year-old sustained a knee injury on Oct. 27 against the Ducks that required surgery. The team said he didn’t have a timeline for a return, hinting that it could be a couple of months or more until he laced up the skates again. Instead, he’s back just over six weeks later with a relatively quick run-up time, considering he only started skating in the past couple of days (at least in terms of public knowledge).
Lazar has been a good fourth-line piece for the Devils since they acquired him from the Canucks at the 2023 trade deadline. He’s scored eight goals and 27 points in 87 regular-season games since becoming a Devil, two of which have come in 12 games this season. He’s bounced between center and wing, winning 48.3% of his draws, and the Devils have controlled 47.5% of shot attempts with Lazar on the ice at even strength.
New Jersey, whose roster is at full health for the first time since Lazar exited the lineup, will have him center their fourth line tonight between Tomáš Tatar and Nathan Bastian, the latter of whom recently returned from jaw surgery. The first-round pick of the Senators back in 2013 recorded a career-high 25 points in a similar role for the Devils last season.
For the most part, Dowling has covered directly for Lazar during his absence. The 34-year-old started the season in AHL Utica after clearing waivers but was recalled in the days following Lazar’s injury. He’s played in every Devils game since, posting two goals and an assist in 21 appearances while averaging 8:30 per game. The 5’10” pivot won 47.4% of his faceoffs and recorded eight blocks and 16 hits.
Dowling is in his second season as a Devil since signing in Newark as a free agent in 2023. He had two goals and two assists in six games with Utica before his recall. He finished fifth on the AHL club in scoring last season with 40 points in 57 games.
Stars Recall Alexander Petrovic, Place Matt Dumba On IR
The Dallas Stars have recalled defenseman Alexander Petrovic to fill in for the injured Matt Dumba, who has been shifted to injured reserve. Dumba has missed Dallas’ last three games with an upper-body injury. His IR placement is retroactive to December 8th, making Dumba eligible to be activated as soon as he’s back to full health.
This is already the second IR placement of Dumba’s season. He missed nine days of action in October after suffering a lower-body injury in the team’s October 13th win over Seattle. Dumba was placed on IR six days later but avoided surgery and a long-term absence. He’s played in the majority of Dallas’ games since returning on October 22nd, though he was healthy scratched a few times for underwhelming play. Dumba has just one assist in 19 games this season, and it didn’t come until his 12th game of the season. He’s added 19 penalty minutes, 17 shots on net, and 31 hits on the season while averaging 15:33 in ice time. Dumba’s slow play dates back to last season, when he managed just 12 points in 76 games split between the Arizona Coyotes and Tampa Bay Lightning. He signed a two-year, $7.5MM contract with Dallas this summer looking to spur the lack of production, but has since fallen into an even deeper rut.
Rookie Lian Bichsel has filled in for Dumba over the last few games, but Dallas is still facing uncertain availability for both Thomas Harley and Nils Lundkvist. Both players will be game-time decisions due to flu symptoms, an issue for many different Stars players shares Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News. Petrovic will be ready to fill in for either defender. He’s been Dallas’ go-to call-up on defense, and played in two NHL games earlier this season. Petrovic didn’t manage any scoring, but did record one penalty, in the outings. He’s made much more of an impact in the minor leagues, where he’s tallied 13 points in 21 games while serving as one of Texas’ alternate captains. Petrovic is a veteran of 10 pro seasons, spending much of them as a depth defender split between the major and minor leagues. He’s totaled 50 points in 266 career NHL games, and 164 points in 448 AHL games.
Tampa Bay Lightning Re-Assign Declan Carlile
The Tampa Bay Lightning are shortening their available defense options as the team announced they’ve re-assigned defenseman Declan Carlile to their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. It’s unknown at this point if Tampa Bay will recall Carlile tomorrow as a seventh defenseman option or if they’ll continue with six until the roster freezes tomorrow evening.
Carlile was originally recalled on December 14th when defensive peer J.J. Moser was placed on the team’s injured reserve with a lower-body injury. He made his season debut that evening while captain Victor Hedman sat out with a lower-body injury but returned to seventh defensemen duties when Hedman came back on the 17th.
The Hartland, MI native is in his fourth season with the Lightning organization after signing with the team as a collegiate free agent in 2021-22. He suited up in three seasons for Merrimack College of the NCAA scoring 13 goals and 56 points in 83 contests.
Carlile’s scoring has depreciated in the AHL but he’s still proved an effective option for the Crunch. He’s only scored 17 goals and 57 points in 161 AHL contests but has achieved a whopping +41 career rating. He wasn’t as solid defensively during his time in the NCAA’s difficult Hockey East conference but his timing has improved during his transition to the professional scene.
Tampa Bay and Syracuse only have two games during the upcoming roster freeze so it’s up to the organization if they want Carlile to have game reps. He should end up on the NHL roster after the freeze regardless, considering Moser is on a week-to-week basis.
LeBrun Notes: Provorov, Hurricanes, Canucks
In his latest rendition of ‘NHL Rumblings’ (Subscription Article), Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic touched on several topics including the future of Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman, Ivan Provorov. Provorov is in the final year of a six-year, $40.5MM contract and is believed to be a top trade chip heading into deadline season.
There is some growing belief in Columbus that the Blue Jackets and Provorov may opt to turn toward extension talks rather than a trade. This does not indicate that the Blue Jackets wouldn’t receive adequate value for Provorov in any hypothetical trade but simply that he is content with the city and the organization.
Provorov’s agent, Mark Gandler of International Sports Advisors Co., was quoted in the article saying, “Ivan is happy to be in Columbus, happy to play there. He thinks that the team is going to go places. It’s clear that the team is better than it was last year. Personally, I have all the confidence in the world in (general manager) Don Waddell’s ability. He’s an experienced manager who knows what he’s doing. I think the team is going to improve every year.”
The Yaroslavl, Russia native will have family in the area should he continue his relationship with the Blue Jackets organization. Provorov’s younger brother, Vladimir Provorov, recently committed to The Ohio State University and will begin play there during the 2027-28 NCAA season.
Other notes from LeBrun:
- LeBrun reiterated the Carolina Hurricanes’ interest in Anaheim Ducks netminder John Gibson. The most recent connection between the Hurricanes and Gibson came in a separate article from LeBrun nearly a month ago. Carolina isn’t enthusiastic about Anaheim’s asking price for Gibson which has the organization turning toward short-term options. LeBrun cites Utah Hockey Clubs’ Karel Vejmelka, Ottawa Senators’ Anton Forsberg, and Calgary Flames’ Dan Vladar as viable trade candidates moving toward deadline season.
- LeBrun also shared that the Vancouver Canucks were already looking for a top-four defenseman before losing defenseman Filip Hronek for the next several weeks. Hronek’s injury has increased Vancouver’s motivation to acquire a defenseman and LeBrun asserts there should be a solution long before the deadline. The Canucks are looking for more consistency from their roster as they’ve only managed a 4-2-2 record since the calendar turned to December.
Evening Notes: Gustavsson, Dahlin, Duclair
Joe Smith of The Athletic tweeted that Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson did not practice today with the team. Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News also reported that Gustavsson will miss his second consecutive game tomorrow night against the Florida Panthers. Marc-Andre Fleury will get the start with Jesper Wallstedt backing him up. Although Gustavsson will miss tomorrow night’s game, Joe Smith tweeted that Wild head coach John Hynes believes it will be a short-term injury.
Gustavsson has returned to form in 2024-25, bouncing back from a difficult stretch last season. Thus far this year, Gustavsson has posted a 14-5-3 record, along with a 2.24 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage in 22 appearances.
In other evening notes:
- Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reported today that Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff is optimistic that the team will get defenseman Rasmus Dahlin back into the lineup very soon. Dahlin could practice as early as Thursday and depending on how that goes, he could suit up Friday when the Sabres take on Toronto. The 24-year-old has been dealing with a back issue that initially flared up in training camp and has missed seven straight games.
- New York Islanders forward Anthony Duclair didn’t play tonight against Carolina but has been medically cleared to return and will do so whenever he is comfortable to return (as per Ethan Sears of the New York Post). Duclair has missed 28 straight games with a lower-body injury and has played just five times this season, tallying two goals and an assist in those games. The 29-year-old signed a four-year deal in the summer as a free agent and will likely occupy a top-six role for the Islanders when he does return.
Canucks Make Several Roster Moves
Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin announced a series of roster moves today. Vancouver is sending defenseman Mark Friedman and goaltender Artūrs Šilovs to the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League and recalling forwards Linus Karlsson and Phillip Di Giuseppe.
Vancouver appears to be setting their roster in place before the upcoming NHL roster freeze. The Canucks could have waited until later in the week to shuffle things around, but their situation was a bit complicated by the fact that they play on the road tomorrow and Thursday.
Friedman returns to Abbotsford, where he has spent the bulk of his season, appearing in eight AHL games. The 28-year-old has shuttled back and forth throughout most of his professional career and will likely return to Vancouver later in the season when there is a need. The Toronto, Ontario native has dressed in 91 career NHL games over seven seasons.
Silovs has already set a career-high this season in NHL games played with seven, but has struggled immensely at the NHL level, posting a 1-4-1 record with a 4.11 goals against average and a .847 save percentage. The 23-year-old should have an opportunity to play a lot in the AHL as he tries to get his confidence back.
Karlsson and Di Giuseppe have earned call-ups that likely would have happened earlier this year, but those plans were thwarted by injuries. Karlsson played in the playoffs last season for the Canucks, dressing in two games. He earned that opportunity after tearing it up in the AHL last season with 23 goals and 37 assists in 60 games. He has had a solid albeit brief start to the AHL season, tallying five goals and an assist in seven games.
Di Giuseppe returns to the NHL after spending much of last season in Vancouver. The 31-year-old had five goals and five assists in 51 NHL games last season and also appeared in 11 NHL playoff games, lighting the lamp once and adding a helper. An early-season injury has limited the Maple, Ontario native to just four AHL games this year, but it appears he will get a shot at some NHL minutes.
Blackhawks Notes: Sorenson, Mrazek, Jones
Scott Powers of The Athletic writes about Chicago Blackhawks interim head coach Anders Sorensen. Powers says that the major change for Chicago has been on the forecheck where the team has deployed a more aggressive forecheck, rather than the conventional 1-2-2 that former head coach Luke Richardson liked to utilize. Sorensen’s structure does make the Blackhawks more prone to odd-man rushes, but it should allow the team’s offense to have more opportunities to put the puck in the net.
The Blackhawks’ defensive structure has also changed since the move to a new coach. Sorensen’s style has Chicago’s defensemen less concerned about getting back to defend and more apt to move up in the play to try and suppress opposing plays earlier as well as being involved more in the offensive zone.
In other Blackhawks notes:
- Injured Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek skated this morning before the team’s morning skate (as per Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio 720). He has been dealing with a left groin strain but was called “Real close” by Sorensen when asked about a return to the lineup. The 32-year-old dressed in 20 of the Blackhawks’ first 27 games but hasn’t played since December 7th. He is not playing tonight but could return on Thursday when Chicago takes on the Seattle Kraken.
- Blackhawks injured defenseman Seth Jones also skated today and was upgraded to day-to-day (as per Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio 720). Jones isn’t playing tonight and has not played since November 14th, missing 14 games thus far with an injury to his right foot. Jones appears close to a return and, much like Mrazek, could do so on Thursday against Seattle. The 30-year-old was playing a ton before his injury, averaging 25:43 of ice time per game. Jones has dressed in 17 games this year, posting two goals and eight assists.
Rangers’ Kaapo Kakko Frustrated With Healthy Scratch
New York Rangers winger Kaapo Kakko spoke openly at Tuesday’s practice about being healthy scratched on Sunday night. He told media, including Peter Baugh of The Athletic, that he was surprised by the decision and that he felt head coach Peter Laviolette may have been singling out the young guy. Kakko went on to say, “Nobody’s playing great right now… I haven’t been on the ice too much when they score a goal. I have not been the worst.”
Kakko’s vocal stance against his scratching ring loud on a Rangers team that’s gone 3-7-0 in their last 10 games. But his recent efforts might not be strong enough to back the pride. He has just one assist in six games since December 1st – making him one of the lowest-scoring forwards on the team in that span, next to Adam Edstrom (zero points, seven games) and Brett Berard (one point in four games). Both players have also recorded more shots, hits, and blocks than Kakko as of late – painting a clearer picture of why Laviolette opted to scratch the 2019 second-overall pick. The decision didn’t do much to change New York’s fate. They went on to lose 3-2 against St. Louis, though Berard scored the Rangers’ first goal of the game.
The lost games and hard feelings seem to be pulling both the Rangers, and their fourth-highest draft selection in club history, into a new low. Kakko is no stranger to being healthy scratched, having sat out of multiple regular season and Conference Finals games before – but he’s rarely been so vocal. His comments could drive the wedge between player and club even further, bringing more energy to trade rumors that stretch as far back as 2022. The Rangers have said they aren’t looking to make any more moves after dealing captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks, but they may need to bank on Kakko’s value sooner rather than later. He hit a low last season, netting just 19 points in 61 games after a career-high 40 points in 2022-23. And while he’s bounced back from that a bit this year with a much more promising 14 points in 29 games, he seems to be falling into old struggles once again.
New York could find reasonable replacements on the open market, with St. Louis Blues winger Brandon Saad the easiest choice. Saad has totaled 138 points in 259 games and four seasons with the Blues and tended to operate out of the team’s middle-six. The Blues have shown no hesitancy making bold moves this season – recently acquiring career-Anaheim Duck Cam Fowler – and reportedly have Saad on their trade block. The details of swapping a young, former second-overall pick for a 30-year-old would certainly be nuanced, but the trade could certainly be a quick option.
For now, any trade speculation is just that. Kakko said he’s motivated to return to the lineup, and Laviolette batted away questions about his comments. The head coach mentioned that older players have sat as well – citing Reilly Smith and Jonny Brodzinski – and that it’s okay for Kakko to be upset. Brodzinski is expected to step out of the lineup again on Tuesday to make room for Kakko’s return. Defenseman Urho Vaakanainen is also expected to make his Rangers debut on Tuesday, after being acquired in the trade that sent Trouba to Anaheim. Vaakanainen brings much-needed shutdown defense to the team that’s allowed the fifth-most goals in December. New York will hope that can prove a difference-maker before they’re forced to explore the trade market, or begin questioning more engrained veterans.
Pacific Notes: Arvidsson, Hyman, Warsofsky, Barbashev
The Edmonton Oilers received a flurry of injury updates on Tuesday, captured Oilers TV host Tony Brar. Most notably, winger Viktor Arvidsson is expected to return to the lineup sometime this weekend, with Thursday’s matchup against Boston a real possibility. Arvidsson has missed Edmonton’s last 15 games with an undisclosed injury. He landed on injured reserve on November 21st, and could be activated at any point with Edmonton carrying plenty of lineup and cap flexibility.
Arvidsson signed a two-year, $8MM contract with the Oilers this summer, but only managed two goals and five points in 16 games before sustaining his injury. The near month-long absence continues Arvidsson’s nagging bout with injuries. He missed all but 18 games of last season with a lower-body injury, and hasn’t played 80 games in a season since 2016-17. Arvidsson has usually been able to curb routine absences with promising scoring – scoring 52 goals and 123 points in 161 games with the Los Angeles Kings over the last three seasons – but that production hasn’t carried up North just yet.
While Arvidsson hopes to return to the lineup, and the scoresheet, fellow winger Zach Hyman will also be facing injury. Brar reports that Hyman sustained a broken nose, but isn’t expected to miss any playing time. Hyman has 10 goals and 15 points in 26 games this year. He’s a fixture of Edmonton’s top line and power-play unit – a role he stamped with 54 goals and 77 points in 80 games last season.
Other notes from out West:
- San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky has received a $25,000 fine for inappropriate conduct during Saturday’s game against Utah, per Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. Warsofsky took exception with multiple missed calls throughout the game. Most egregious was a second-period hit to Macklin Celebrini from Utah’s Kevin Stenlund that appeared to be a clear boarding penalty, though refs left it uncalled. Celebrini didn’t suffer any injuries on the hit. Warsofsky will now turn towards the future with slightly lighter pockets, looking to pull San Jose into the win column after a 5-5-0 record in their last 10 games.
- Vegas Golden Knights winger Ivan Barbashev missed Tuesday’s practice with an upper-body injury, head coach Bruce Cassidy shared with Jesse Granger of The Athletic. Cassidy designated Barbashev as day-to-day. The Russian winger has continued to be a force in the Golden Knight roster, with 30 points – split evenly – in 31 games. The near point-per-game scoring is far-and-away the highest of Barbashev’s nine-year career in the NHL. His current career-high in scoring came in 2021-22, when Barbashev posted 26 goals and 60 points with the St. Louis Blues.
Maple Leafs Reassign Fraser Minten, Activate David Kampf
4:00 PM: Toronto has used the open space created by Minten’s assignment to activate center David Kampf off of long-term injured reserve. Kampf has missed Toronto’s last 12 games with a lower-body injury. He’s expected to return to the lineup when the Leafs face Dallas on Wednesday, per NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy. Kampf will hope a return to full health brings a wave of production, as he currently sits with just three assists in 18 games this season.
8:30 AM: The Leafs have reassigned center prospect Fraser Minten to AHL Toronto, per the team’s media relations department. Minten was a healthy scratch in Sunday’s win over the Sabres after playing in 11 straight contests since a mid-November call-up. He’s still 145 games played or three seasons away from requiring waivers.
A consistent point producer during his time in major junior play, the 20-year-old Minten entered the 2024-25 campaign with the guarantee he’d be playing professional hockey regardless of whether he made Toronto’s roster out of camp. Unfortunately, a high ankle sprain he sustained in rookie camp sidelined him for nearly six weeks and erased any hope of cracking the Maple Leafs’ opening night roster for the second season in a row. The 2022 second-round pick played four games last season, going without a point, before being returned to the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers by the end of October.
Minten’s season got off to a strong start in the AHL after being cleared to return from his ankle injury on Oct. 29. He recorded two goals and two assists in his first five minor-league games before a cascading injury situation among Toronto’s NHL forward group necessitated his recall. Fortunately, his second crack at NHL minutes went better than his first. Minten routinely centered the Leafs’ third line, posting a pair of goals and assists for four points through 11 games with an even rating. The physical 6’1″, 185-lb center recorded 13.22 hits per 60 minutes, fifth on the Leafs this season, and averaged 12:47 per game while winning 45.1% of his draws.
Decent as those numbers are, Minten’s two-way game needs some work. The Maple Leafs controlled only 41.6% of shot attempts with Minten on the ice at 5-on-5, the worst of any player with at least 10 appearances in blue and white this season. He’ll continue adapting his defensive awareness to the professional level in the AHL, where he’ll likely spend most of the remainder of the season before making himself a serious contender for an opening-night job in October 2025.