Rangers Reassign Chad Ruhwedel
Oct. 25: Ruhwedel cleared waivers today, per Friedman. He was assigned to Hartford shortly thereafter, per the team.
Oct. 24: The Rangers have placed defenseman Chad Ruhwedel on waivers for assignment to AHL Hartford, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.
If Ruhwedel clears and is assigned to Hartford, it will be his first AHL action since the 2018-19 campaign. The 34-year-old has been on NHL rosters as a bottom-pairing/press box option for the better part of the last nine years, spending most of his professional career with the Penguins. Ruhwedel was initially an undrafted free agent signing out of UMass-Lowell by the Sabres in 2013 but spent most of his time with Buffalo in the minors before signing with the Pens in 2016.
Ruhwedel logged some AHL time with the Penguins, making 33 appearances for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton across a pair of seasons, but was otherwise an NHL fixture. A serviceable, physical right-shot defender, Ruhwedel posted 47 points and 90 PIMs with a -7 rating in 326 games for Pittsburgh, averaging 1.73 hits per game. But with the Pens slipping out of the playoff picture and his contract set to expire last summer, they traded him to the Rangers on deadline day for a 2027 fourth-round pick.
The San Diego native mostly sat in the press box down the stretch of the 2023-24 campaign. He logged five appearances for the Blueshirts, posting a -2 rating and 15 hits with one takeaway, averaging 14:08 per game. He didn’t suit up at all in the postseason.
While he was a UFA for nearly two weeks last summer, the Rangers brought Ruhwedel back on a one-year, two-way deal ($775K/$400K). He was expected to compete for a roster spot as a No. 7 defenseman, a pathway that became quite clear after Ryan Lindgren began the season on injured reserve. But with Lindgren back in the lineup and rookie Victor Mancini catching the team’s attention in a bottom-pairing role with three points in his last three games, Ruhwedel finds himself on the outside looking in.
Ruhwedel had played once in the Rangers’ six games to start the year, serving as a healthy scratch for the other five. He skated 14:04 against the Maple Leafs on Oct. 19, recording a +2 rating with four blocks and two hits.
Devils Reassign Daniil Misyul
The Devils have assigned defenseman Daniil Misyul to AHL Utica, per a team release.
Misyul earned his first NHL call-up on Monday, a day before his 24th birthday. The Russian-born left-shot made his NHL debut the following night, posting a -1 rating in 12:23 of ice time against the Lightning.
With Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce coming off injured reserve and returning to the lineup in last night’s loss to the Red Wings, it’s no surprise to see the Devils shed a defender from the active roster. Misyul was initially summoned to give New Jersey a much-needed left-shot option, allowing rookie Seamus Casey to go from playing his off-side in limited NHL minutes to playing his natural right side in top-pairing duties with Utica. But with Hughes back in the fold, Misyul wouldn’t get NHL playing time ahead of him, Brenden Dillon, or Jonas Siegenthaler, so he naturally heads back to the minors.
The Devils selected Misyul 70th overall in the 2019 draft. He played the following four seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl before arriving in North America for the 2023-24 campaign. Over his brief stint with Utica over the past year, he’s got 14 points (4 G, 10 A) in 47 appearances with 55 PIMs and a -1 rating. The strong, stay-at-home defender will be an RFA with arbitration rights at the end of the season.
Canucks Recall Erik Brännström, Arshdeep Bains
Oct. 25: Both Brännström and Bains are back on the NHL roster today, according to Allvin. The moves were solely a paper transaction to accrue cap space, although Forbort could still be good to return for their next game.
Oct. 24: The Canucks sent defenseman Erik Brännström and winger Arshdeep Bains to AHL Abbotsford today, per general manager Patrik Allvin.
Brännström heads back to the minors with fellow defender Derek Forbort, who’s ready to return from a brief personal leave, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK reports. Forbort never landed on the non-roster list, so the Canucks’ active roster is now at 21 players with the two reassignments.
The Canucks had three games over the past week with Forbort out and Brännström on the roster. The 25-year-old Swede played in all of them, recording an assist and a +2 rating while averaging 13:23 per game. The 2017 first-round pick struggled to control possession quality in his limited and sheltered minutes, posting a 33.3 xGF%. It was quantity over quality for Brännström, who controlled total shot attempts at even strength with a 52.1 CF%.
It was an okay showing for the recent trade pickup from the Avalanche, but not enough to keep him in the NHL. On Oct. 6, Vancouver acquired Brännström, who signed a one-year, $900K deal with Colorado over the summer, via trade, sending defenseman Tucker Poolman the other way to give the Avs some long-term injured reserve flexibility. He was placed on waivers that same day and cleared without incident. He had three assists and a +3 rating in two games for Abbotsford before getting the call-up to replace Forbort.
Bains, meanwhile, was left off the Canucks’ opening night roster but was recalled ahead of their second game of the season. The 23-year-old has made three appearances and scratched twice since. He’s still looking for his first NHL point after going scoreless this year and also in an eight-game trial last season. The hometown kid posted a -1 rating and had just one shot on goal while in the lineup this season, averaging 12:38 per game.
However, the pending RFA is still an intriguing prospect. An undrafted free agent signing out of WHL Red Deer in 2022, he’s far from a finished product and will get a lengthy runway to continue to build confidence in Abbotsford. He posted 55 points (16 G, 39 A) in 59 games for them last year, earning a spot on the AHL All-Star Game roster.
Sabres To Activate Nicolas Aubé-Kubel From Injured Reserve
The Sabres will activate right-winger Nicolas Aubé-Kubel from injured reserve in the coming days, head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters today, including Heather Engel of NHL.com. He’s medically cleared to play but may not be in the lineup tomorrow against the Red Wings with only one full practice under his belt, Ruff said. He’ll return to the lineup no later than Monday against the Panthers.
Aubé-Kubel, 28, sustained a lower-body injury in the season opener against the Devils in Prague back on Oct. 4. He was placed on IR a few days later, after which Ruff said he’d miss the next three to six weeks. Today marks exactly three weeks since he sustained the initial injury, so this marks the best-case scenario for his return to the lineup.
Buffalo landed Aubé-Kubel over the summer as a free agent, inking him to a one-year, $1.5MM deal. The high-energy fourth-line piece had spent most of the last two seasons with the Capitals after they claimed him off waivers from the Maple Leafs early in the 2022-23 campaign. Aubé-Kubel shined as a depth piece in D.C., posting 16 points in 60 games last year while averaging a career-high 12:12 per game. He finished fifth on the team in hits with 159, and his +4 rating was tied for second. He also recorded 32 takeaways compared to 19 giveaways, one of the better differentials on the team.
The Alberta native was also part of the Avalanche team that won the Stanley Cup in 2022. Claimed off waivers from the Flyers early in the season, Aubé-Kubel went on to post a career-high 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points in 74 regular-season games.
The Sabres can recreate two-thirds of what was an extremely effective fourth line for Washington last year after also acquiring left-winger Beck Malenstyn via trade. They had the duo centered by Sam Lafferty for under six minutes on opening night before Aubé-Kubel sustained the injury.
Buffalo has a full 23-man roster and will need to make a corresponding transaction to activate Aubé-Kubel. That could be returning 2022 first-round pick Jiri Kulich, who’s been scratched twice and has been limited to a goal in six appearances despite averaging over 15 minutes per game, to AHL Rochester. It could also be placing winger Zach Benson on IR – the sophomore is day-to-day with a lower-body injury that’s kept him out of two games this season. He wasn’t at practice today, relays Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.
Utah Signs Owen Allard To Entry-Level Deal
Utah has signed forward prospect Owen Allard to a three-year, entry-level contract, per Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Allard, 20, was passed over twice in the draft but was finally selected by Utah in the fifth round earlier this year. The 6’2″, 190-lb forward can play both center and left wing. Last year, he put his name on the map with 44 points in 55 games for the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds.
Amid his career-best offensive season at the junior level, he was a surprise inclusion on Canada’s roster for the 2024 World Juniors. He had two goals and an assist in five games, but Canada failed to medal at the event for the first time since 2019.
If he ever cracks an NHL roster, whether with Utah or somewhere else, it’ll likely be in a bottom-six energy role. His delayed offensive outbreak doesn’t bode well for his chances of being a significant impact player at the NHL level, at least on the scoresheet. But scouting reports from Elite Prospects praise his “never-ending motor” and his strength in puck and net-front battles.
Allard, who turns 21 early next year, had a goal and an assist in his first season appearance for the Greyhounds earlier this week. Due to his age, his entry-level contract isn’t eligible for a slide and will go into effect immediately. He’ll be an RFA after the conclusion of the 2026-27 season.
Kraken Reassign Cale Fleury
Oct. 25: Seattle has returned Fleury to Coachella Valley today. Expect them to recall him again tomorrow ahead of their game against the Hurricanes.
Oct. 24: Fleury is back on the Kraken roster today as expected, per a team announcement. He was sent down only to accrue cap space and prolong his waiver exemption.
Oct. 23: The Kraken have sent defenseman Cale Fleury back to the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, per a team announcement. He was just recalled Monday in a corresponding move that saw star defender Vince Dunn land on long-term injured reserve.
Fleury, 26 next month, has been ferried between the Kraken and their AHL affiliate almost constantly over the past few years. Initially acquired from the Canadiens in their 2021 expansion draft, Fleury was waived at the beginning of their inaugural season but did spend some time on the taxi squad and active roster later in the year. He spent all of 2022-23 on the NHL roster but barely played, spending all but 12 games as a healthy scratch. He then cleared waivers again to begin last season and was papered between leagues seemingly nonstop after the trade deadline, as he was recalled and reassigned eight times in six weeks to end the year.
Amid all those transactions, the right-shot defender has spent most of his time in the minors. He’s played in parts of four NHL seasons, three with Seattle and one with Montreal, but only has 63 games to his name at the game’s top level. Only one of them came last year, but he did rack up 36 points and a +29 rating in 65 games for the Firebirds. He’s been a fine possession player at the NHL level, logging a 50.9 CF% and a 49.3 xGF%, but he’s been limited to just a goal and an assist offensively while averaging 14:10 per game.
He led last year’s AHL playoffs in points by a defenseman with 14 in 18 appearances, and he’s carried that momentum into the early going of 2024-25. He’s got three goals in three games, leading the Firebirds in scoring as they look to make it three straight Calder Cup Final appearances to begin their existence.
Fleury has now burned two days toward his temporary waiver exemption. He can be on Seattle’s roster for 28 more days or play 10 NHL games before he needs waivers again to return to the minors.
Senators Reassign Leevi Meriläinen, Recall Cole Reinhardt
The Senators announced Friday morning that they sent goaltender Leevi Meriläinen back to AHL Belleville and recalled winger Cole Reinhardt.
That indicates Linus Ullmark is ready to return from a muscle strain that’s kept him out of the lineup for nearly two weeks. He was widely anticipated to return against Utah on Tuesday but was ruled out on the day of the game, prompting Meriläinen’s recall a few hours before puck drop. Meriläinen didn’t play against Utah, instead backing up Anton Forsberg, who pitched a 31-save shutout.
Unsurprisingly, Meriläinen didn’t get to add to his two-game NHL résumé. The 22-year-old netminder was a third-round pick of the Sens in 2020 and made his major league debut in a brief call-up in the 2022-23 campaign, posting a .878 SV%, 4.23 GAA, and a 0-1-1 record. The 6’3″ Finn has fared decently well in the minors, where he has a career 2.82 GAA, .906 SV%, two shutouts, and a 15-10-1 record in 31 appearances with the B-Sens over the past three years. He also had a sparkling .926 SV% in 13 games for the ECHL’s Allen Americans last season.
Reinhardt has been ferried between leagues a couple of times this season, most recently being sent down on Tuesday to make room for Meriläinen on the active roster. He’s back up today, meaning Shane Pinto remains a game-time decision at best for tonight’s contest against the Golden Knights after sustaining an undisclosed injury in Utah, per Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.
The 24-year-old Reinhardt has yet to be rostered for a Sens game in 2024-25 despite the transactions, but that will change tonight. They have 13 other forwards on the active roster, but with David Perron on personal leave, Reinhardt will make his season debut against Vegas if Pinto can’t play. The 2020 sixth-rounder has one NHL appearance to his name, coming against the Predators on April 7, 2022. He recorded a shot on goal and two hits in 8:35 of ice time. He’s been off to a hot start in Belleville, posting two goals and three assists through his first three games of the season.
Panthers, Hunter St. Martin Agree To Entry-Level Deal
The Panthers announced Friday that they’ve agreed to terms with left-wing prospect Hunter St. Martin on a three-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Florida picked up St. Martin, 19, in the sixth round of this year’s draft. He was initially draft-eligible in 2023 but was passed over, which wasn’t surprising given his underwhelming offensive production for WHL Medicine Hat. The 6’2″ winger posted eight goals and 22 points in 61 games for the Tigers.
But last year was a breakthrough campaign for St. Martin. The Edmonton native finished fifth on a deep team in scoring, logging 52 points (24 G, 28 A) in 68 games and a +14 rating. That was enough for the defending champions to snag him with the last pick of Round Six.
Dobber Prospects calls St. Martin “a true Swiss Army Knife-style player” who can slot in anywhere he’s needed, at least at the junior level. If he continues to build on that offensive breakout and march toward receiving an NHL look in a few years, he likely won’t be restricted to certain types of deployment. That’s arguably the most intriguing part of St. Martin’s upside.
As for why the Panthers signed him to his entry-level contract now with 19 months left to evaluate his game before they lose his rights, his torrid start to the campaign likely has something to do with it. St. Martin now serves as an alternate captain in Medicine Hat and leads them with seven goals in eight games, doing so on a star-studded team that includes likely 2026 No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna and 2024 Flames first-rounder Andrew Basha.
St. Martin won’t play 10 NHL games this season, and since he doesn’t turn 20 until next June, his entry-level contract is eligible to slide for one year and one year only. The deal will go into effect for the 2025-26 season and expire after the 2027-28 campaign, making him an RFA.
Snapshots: Kane, Canadiens, Heinola, Rooney
Oilers winger Evander Kane is on pace to return to the lineup in early 2025, reports ESPN’s Kevin Weekes (Twitter link). The veteran had surgeries last month to repair two torn hip adductor muscles, two hernias, and two torn lower abdominal muscles. At the time, the timeline for his return was three to four months so if early 2025 is the target return time, it appears he’s on schedule. Kane had 24 goals and 20 assists last season in 77 regular season games while chipping in with eight points in 20 postseason appearances before playing through the injuries became too difficult. Kane is currently on LTIR and a midseason return means Edmonton won’t be able to spend much of that short-term cap space as they’ll need to be cap-compliant to activate him later on.
More from around the NHL:
- Canadiens GM Kent Hughes has started calling around the league to see what trade options might be available, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic shared earlier today in a TSN Early Trading He added that they’re not interested in parting with future assets while they’re likely looking to try to match salary in a move. Montreal has plenty of LTIR room with Carey Price on there for the full season (not to mention Patrik Laine for a couple more months) but if they intend to get below the cap and out of LTIR by the end of the year to avoid or reduce any bonus carryover penalty, they’d be wise not to take much money on.
- Jets defenseman Ville Heinola hasn’t resumed skating yet as he continues to deal with the recurrence of his ankle injury, notes Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link). The team is being patient with the injury after how much time he missed last year. Heinola, a 2019 first-round pick, has been limited to just 35 NHL games over parts of four seasons despite showing plenty of offensive upside in the minors. He was expected to make the team out of training camp but this injury derailed that opportunity.
- Calgary has activated forward Kevin Rooney off injured reserve, relays Flames Nation’s Ryan Pike (Twitter link). The 31-year-old suffered a concussion in the opening period of their season opener earlier this month. Rooney is in his third season carrying a $1.3MM price tag but has five points in 51 games in a Flames uniform. Their roster is now at the maximum of 23 so roster moves will be needed to activate Yegor Sharangovich and Samuel Honzek off injured reserve, both of whom skated today.
East Notes: Jarry, Jarnkrok, Pinto, Tokarski
The Penguins announced that they’ve sent goaltender Tristan Jarry back to Pittsburgh from their current road trip to work with their director of goaltending Jon Elkin. Head coach Mike Sullivan indicated that this was the plan heading into the trip which has two games remaining on it. Jarry is off to a particularly rocky start with a 5.47 GAA and a .836 SV% through his first three starts and while that’s a small sample size, he struggled late last season as well, eventually losing the starting role to Alex Nedeljkovic. The assignment will give Jarry a few days to reset away from the team and he will remain on the active roster during this time.
More from the Eastern Conference:
- Maple Leafs winger Calle Jarnkrok’s lower-body injury is believed to be a sports hernia, reports Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. The 33-year-old has filled an important middle-six role for Toronto over the last two years but hasn’t been able to play this season due to the injury. Jarnkrok is currently on LTIR and while he’s eligible to return in early November, that doesn’t seem likely to happen at this point as he has yet to skate since sustaining the injury.
- Senators center Shane Pinto is listed as a game-time decision for their game on Friday, relays Sportsnet’s Alex Adams (Twitter link). The 23-year-old is off to a decent start to his season with three points in six games while logging nearly 18 minutes a night. If he doesn’t play, Ridly Greig will likely move back to his natural position down the middle.
- Still with the Senators, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch suggests that Ottawa might need to make a move to shore up their goaltending depth with Mads Sogaard being injured last weekend. If they do look to do that, he feels they could once again turn to veteran Dustin Tokarski. Ottawa brought in the 35-year-old on a training camp tryout that ended without a contract but Tokarski hasn’t signed anywhere since. He spent last season with AHL Rochester, posting a 3.32 GAA and a .890 SV% in 24 games and is a veteran of more than 400 appearances at that level over 14 seasons.