Kraken Reassign Jani Nyman
The Kraken announced they’ve reassigned left winger Jani Nyman to AHL Coachella Valley. With no immediate need for a roster spot, it looks to be a performance-based demotion for the 21-year-old. Matt Murray and Jaden Schwartz are due for IR returns at some point soon, though, so they won’t need to open a roster spot for one of them when it happens.
Nyman, 21, has had a relatively quick ascension since being selected in the second round of the 2022 draft. While the 6’4″, 220-lb winger may look like a power forward on paper, he’s not all that physical. It’s his goal-scoring ability that led to his pickup, recording over a point per game in Finland’s second pro division in his draft year.
After two successful campaigns in Finland’s top flight post-draft, Nyman arrived in North America for the 2024-25 campaign. He led Coachella Valley with 28 goals in 58 games, earning a late-season call-up to Seattle. He didn’t look out of place at all with the Kraken, putting up three goals and six points in 12 games down the stretch.
That led to Nyman capturing an opening night job with Seattle in the fall as he entered year two of his three-year entry-level deal. However, ice time has been harder to come by compared to last year’s recall, averaging 10:42 per game with a spattering of different linemates, although he’s seen most of his time with Shane Wright down the middle. The production hasn’t been there as a result, limited to four goals and six points through 24 games.
Nyman had also been a healthy scratch for the last three games, not a great use of development time for a player who still profiles as a potential long-term top-nine piece. Instead of 10 minutes per game in the NHL, he’ll now be ticketed for closer to 20 in the minors.
Flames Sign Devin Cooley To Two-Year Extension
The Flames have signed goaltender Devin Cooley to a two-year extension, according to his agent, Gold Star Hockey’s Dan Milstein. The deal carries an average annual value of $1.35MM for a total value of $2.7MM, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports.
Few goaltenders have seen their stock rise since training camp as much as Cooley’s has. The 28-year-old entered Calgary’s camp with just six games of NHL experience to his name, coming with the Sharks in the 2023-24 season. He was viewed as a challenger, but not the favorite, to Russian free agent pickup Ivan Prosvetov to begin the season as Dustin Wolf‘s backup.
Neither performed exceptionally well in the preseason, leading Calgary to opt to keep Cooley and waive Prosvetov – a move made more out of familiarity than anything else. He’s in the back half of a two-year, league minimum deal he signed as an unrestricted free agent in 2024 and served as the starter for the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers last season, going 21-17-7 with a .905 SV%, 2.94 GAA, and three shutouts en route to an All-Star Game nod.
Not only has Cooley since emerged as one of the better backup options in the league, but he’s also outperformed Wolf by a significant margin – albeit in a lesser workload. In 10 starts and three relief appearances, he’s 11th in the league in save percentage (.914) and goals against average (2.40). He is second in the league with 1.046 goals saved above expected per 60 minutes among qualified netminders (≥12 GP), per MoneyPuck.
As Wolf continues to recapture his game following his spectacular rookie effort, he’ll have Cooley as a fine No. 2 option behind him at a highly affordable cap hit. The 28-year-old Cooley, instead of testing free agency next summer, locks in early to land the first six-figure cap hit of his career.
Image courtesy of Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images.
Stars Assign Nathan Bastian On Conditioning Stint
The Stars announced they’ve loaned right winger Nathan Bastian to AHL Texas for a conditioning stint. Bastian will remain on the active roster and can spend up to two weeks in the minors before Dallas must either keep him in the NHL or place him on waivers.
Bastian was in the lineup for Saturday’s shootout loss to the Blackhawks, but before that, he’d been a healthy scratch in nine consecutive contests. He’s only made seven appearances since Nov. 4 and has dressed in just over half of Dallas’ contests this season.
This wasn’t entirely unforeseen for the 28-year-old. He landed a one-year, one-way deal with the Stars over the offseason for the league minimum and was widely projected as a 13th forward option from the very start, only getting consistent playing time in the early stages of the year due to Jamie Benn‘s and Matt Duchene‘s injuries.
When dressed, the veteran of nearly 300 NHL games has contributed three goals and 48 hits but is still looking for his first assist. An injury-prone fourth-line fixture with the Devils for most of his career, Bastian has averaged a career-low 8:17 of ice time per game.
Bastian’s debut with the Texas Stars will mark his first minor-league action since suiting up with the now-defunct Binghamton Devils in 2019-20. A second-round pick by New Jersey in 2016, he ranks 32nd from that draft class in games played.
Islanders Loan Jesse Nurmi To OHL
The Islanders have loaned left winger Jesse Nurmi to the OHL’s London Knights, according to Stefen Rosner of NHL.com. Since he was previously on assignment to AHL Bridgeport, the move doesn’t impact their active roster.
Nurmi, 20, was looking to get his first real taste of pro hockey in North America this season, but will instead finish out the campaign back in juniors. A knee injury sustained during rookie camp kept him out of main training camp and delayed his season debut until November.
Instead of having the 2023 fourth-round pick begin his season in Bridgeport, the Islanders sent Nurmi down a level further to ECHL Worcester to get his feet wet. After being limited to a goal and an assist in 12 games, he was brought up to Bridgeport earlier this month but hasn’t played since.
Nurmi was one of the top producers in Finland’s junior circuit in his draft year, recording 21 goals and 50 points in 41 games for KooKoo’s under-20 club. Playing time was limited as he made the jump to the top-division Liiga the following year, influencing the Isles to sign Nurmi to his entry-level contract in the 2024 offseason and get him more deployment on this side of the Atlantic.
The 5’11” lefty won an OHL title and Memorial Cup championship with London last season as part of a stacked group that included a remarkable 15 NHL draft picks. He totaled a 9-22–31 scoring line in 58 games.
Obviously, the knee injury derailed his initial adjustment to the pro game. He’ll now be able to fully get back up to speed in a familiar environment while providing a significant boost to a London club eyeing its fourth consecutive OHL final appearance and third straight championship.
Since Nurmi is no longer slide-eligible, his contract will still fill up one of the Isles’ 50 slots for the remainder of the season.
Maple Leafs Recall Matt Benning, Jacob Quillan
The Maple Leafs have recalled defenseman Matt Benning and center Jacob Quillan from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, according to a team announcement. Toronto’s active roster is full, so two corresponding moves will be necessary. The reinforcements come as defender Chris Tanev and left winger Dakota Joshua will be scratched for tonight’s game against the Devils due to lower-body and upper-body injuries, respectively, but the Leafs haven’t yet said whether they’ll miss enough time to be eligible for IR placements.
Tanev’s and Joshua’s absences aren’t the only injury troubles the Leafs are facing, either. Auston Matthews will be a game-time decision after sustaining a lower-body injury in Sunday’s loss to the Red Wings that briefly caused him to leave the bench. William Nylander‘s status for tonight is also unclear – he remains day-to-day after sitting out the Detroit loss with a lower-body injury.
Benning, 31, was a full-time NHLer for several years with the Oilers, Predators, and Sharks but hasn’t seen much playing time over the past two seasons. Hip surgery limited him to 14 games in 2023-24 and, after making seven appearances for San Jose to kick off last season, was traded to Toronto. The Leafs immediately waived him and reassigned him to the Marlies, where he’s played since.
The 6’1″ puck-mover put up disappointing numbers last year but has seemed to find his game again in 2025-26. Now in the final year of a four-year, $5MM deal he signed with the Sharks in free agency in 2022, he’s tied for eighth on the Marlies in scoring with two goals and eight assists for 10 points despite being limited to 16 appearances, posting a decent +4 rating to boot. He’s already eclipsed all of his offensive marks from last season in 39 games.
With Tanev coming out, adding a right-shot option like Benning to the roster was preferable. Whether he plays tonight against the Devils or whether Simon Benoit re-enters the lineup on his off side after serving as a scratch for the last three games remains to be seen.
Quillan’s recall is his second of the season. The 23-year-old pivot was rostered for a nine-day stretch last month, getting into a pair of games – the second and third of his NHL career. He’s still looking for his first big league point and would enter the lineup tonight if both Matthews and Nylander can’t go.
An undrafted free agent out of Quinnipiac, the 6’1″ Quillan has emerged as the Marlies’ top two-way forward in just his second professional season. He leads the team with 18 assists and 23 points in 26 games, as does his +7 rating. He’s done plenty to cement his ceiling as a long-term bottom-six option in Toronto and, although there isn’t much of a job for him this year, has likely been penciled in as a replacement for pending unrestricted free agent Scott Laughton.
Bruins Activate Jonathan Aspirot
The Bruins welcomed back one of their defensemen to the lineup tonight against Calgary as the team announced that Jonathan Aspirot has been added back to the active roster. More specifically, he was activated off injured reserve. Boston had an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made.
The 26-year-old signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Bruins for the league minimum in Group Six unrestricted free agency, hoping that a new organization could give him a pathway to his first taste of NHL action. While it took a bit of time, he ultimately got that opportunity.
Aspirot cleared waivers back in October and got into five games with AHL Providence. He had a goal and two assists in those outings and three weeks after being sent down, he earned a promotion to Boston and has been with them since.
Aspirot played in 19 games with Boston before the injury, predominantly on their third pairing. In those outings, he had a goal along with 28 blocks and 32 hits while averaging a little over 16 minutes per night of ice time. He had missed the last two weeks with an upper-body injury sustained against Winnipeg.
Even with his activation, the Bruins are still without a pair of blueliners. Henri Jokiharju is on IR with an undisclosed injury that has kept him out for a month while Jordan Harris is on long-term injured reserve and has missed more than two months with an ankle injury.
Senators Activate Shane Pinto
The Senators welcomed back a key center to the lineup tonight against Columbus. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relayed (Twitter link) that Shane Pinto was set to anchor the third line, meaning he has been activated off injured reserve. Ottawa had an open roster spot so no further moves needed to be made.
The 25-year-old has missed the last four weeks with a lower-body injury. With Lars Eller also on IR, they still don’t have their full complement of middlemen available to them but their top three are now intact.
Pinto got off to a terrific start to the season. He had seven goals in six games to start and by the time he reached his 18th game, he had nine goals and six assists, making for a nice return on his $3.75MM bridge deal. At that 18-game mark, he signed a four-year, $30MM contract extension, buying out his two remaining RFA-eligible seasons as well as his first two years of UFA eligibility.
However, things haven’t gone quite as well offensively for Pinto since then. In his nine games played since signing, he has just three goals and one assist before sustaining his injury. Still, he is certainly a welcome addition as they will need as much firepower as possible with starting goalie Linus Ullmark away from the team indefinitely on a leave of absence.
Meanwhile, Ottawa also welcomed back defenseman Tyler Kleven to the lineup after missing the last three games with a lower-body injury. He has five assists, 48 blocked shots, and 41 hits in 32 games this season. He remained on the active roster while injured so no corresponding move needed to be made for him either. Kleven took the place of Nick Jensen (healthy scratch) in the lineup.
Oilers Activate, Assign Connor Clattenburg
The Edmonton Oilers have activated defenseman Connor Clattenburg off of long-term injured reserve. He has missed the last 11 games after sustaining an eye injury in Edmonton’s December 4th win over the Seattle Kraken. Now, he’ll return to action in the minor-leagues where he has spent the bulk of the season.
Clattenburg is in his first pro season after making his AHL debut at the end of last season. He recorded two points and 59 penalty minutes in 15 games with the Bakersfield Condors to start the season. 41 of those penalty minutes came in just two games in which Clattenburg had three fights. That start tot he year was enough to earn Clattenburg the first NHL call-up of his career in late November.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound bruiser made a quick impact at the bottom of Edmonton’s lineup. He scored his first NHL goal in his second game and has racked up 13 penalty minutes in his first five games. His first NHL fight game in his third game against Seattle forward Frederick Gaudreau and only lasted a few punches.
Clattenburg took on his enforcer style over three years in the OHL. He racked up 115 penalty minutes in 56 games as an OHL rookie in 2022-23. That was, at the time, the most of any OHL rookie since Ty Bilcke recorded 221 PIMs in the 2011-12 season. Clattenburg finished his junior career with 74 points and 302 penalty minutes in 162 games. He will bring that grit back to Bakersfield lineup and could earn a return to the NHL with continued physical play.
Hurricanes’ Pyotr Kochetkov Placed On IR, Potentially Out For Season
The Carolina Hurricanes have placed goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov on injured reserve. Kochetkov has been battling a hip injury since the start of the season. He missed all of October and the last week of November due to the issue. Now, after being forced out of the lineup for a third time, Kochetkov has elected to undergo surgery to address the injury, head coach Rod Brind’Amour told Chip Alexander of The News and Observer.
Kochetkov has only played in nine games this season. He was successful in those appearances, posting a 6-3-0 record, .899 save percentage, and 2.33 goals-against-average. He also had one shutout on the year. Kochetkov’s stat line ranked second in Carolina’s goaltending room across the board, behind emerging starter Brandon Bussi.
Bussi will be who Carolina leans on in Kochetkov’s absence. The 27-year-old has posted 12 wins, a .910 Sv%, and a 2.10 GAA in the first 14 games of his NHL career this season. He has been a standout in the minor leagues since signing with the AHL’s Providence Bruins out of college in 2022. Bussi posted a first .922 Sv% in the first 37 games of his AHL career, spanning the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. That entrance into the league earned Bussi an AHL all-star recognition in 2023 – an accolade he followed with 23 wins and a .913 Sv% in 41 games with Providence in 2023-24.
In competition with Michael DiPietro, Bussi fell to a .907 Sv% in 33 AHL games last season. That slip prompted a move to the Hurricanes this summer, which has quickly paid off. Bussi has not appeared in the AHL yet this season and could have a clear path to a true starter’s role ahead of struggling veteran Frederik Andersen.
In a corresponding move to Andersen’s IR designation, the Hurricanes have also recalled defenseman Gavin Bayreuther. He will help the team back up a handful of game-time decisions on defense, Brind’Amour told NHL.com’s Walt Ruff. Bayreuther spent last season with Lausanne HC in Switzerland’s National League. He scored 23 points in 52 games, a small scoring spark that seems to be bleeding into this season. His 13 points in 24 games rank second on the Chicago Wolves’ blue line behind Domenick Fensore. Bayreuther hasn’t played in the NHL this season, his last game being back in 2023, though he has been recalled as a backup once by Carolina.
With their shifting lineup, the Hurricanes will hope surgery helps Kochetkov return to form. He has posted a sub-.900 save percentage across his last 56 NHL games, dating back to the start of 2024-25. The performances have been a steep drop from the 38 wins and .910 Sv% Kochetkov recorded in 69 games through his first three NHL seasons. He is a fringe starter when healthy and should still fill a need in Carolina’s lineup on the other side of his recovery. Kochetkov carries a $2MM cap hit through the end of next season.
Penguins Acquire Yegor Chinakhov From Blue Jackets
Forward Yegor Chinakhov will finally have his trade request honored. According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Columbus Blue Jackets are trading Chinakhov for draft capital. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman later shared that Chinakhov is headed to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In exchange, Pittsburgh is sending Columbus winger Danton Heinen, the St. Louis Blues’ 2026 second-round pick, and the Washington Capitals’ 2027 third-round pick. The Blue Jackets confirmed the deal.
Chinakhov’s story in Columbus is well known up to this point. The 21st overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft has been with the Blue Jackets for much of the last five years, though the relationship began souring last season after Columbus hired Dean Evason as the team’s head coach.
Before Evason’s hire, during the 2023-24 season, Chinakhov had the strongest campaign of his career. The young Russian finished ninth on the team in scoring with 16 goals and 29 points in 53 games, averaging 15:10 of ice time per game. Had he played the whole season at the same pace, Chinakhov would have finished with around 25 goals and 45 points.
Still, despite the strong offensive performance, there were legitimate concerns with other areas of Chinakhov’s game, particularly on defense. He finished that season with an 89.4% on-ice save percentage at even strength despite starting a majority of his shifts in the offensive zone. Unfortunately, nothing has improved since.
Since Evason took over behind the bench, Chinakhov’s ice time has been limited. He has yet to replicate his output from the 2023-24 campaign, scoring 10 goals and 21 points in 59 games since, averaging 13:03 of ice time. His possession metrics have improved mildly, though his metrics on the defensive side of the puck have continued to fall.
Chinakhov became so disheartened with his role with the organization that he eventually requested a trade from Columbus last summer. There were reportedly teams interested in his services, though General Manager Don Waddell was only willing to include him in a player-for-player swap, thus limiting his market. By the time that preseason action had begun, there were some indications that Evason and Chinakhov had improved their relationship.
Regardless of the perceived improvements to their relationship, that hasn’t turned into more ice time for Chinakhov. In fact, he’s averaged the lowest ATOI of his young career this season. Now, instead of being isolated to a fourth-line role with the Blue Jackets, he has the opportunity to crack a middle-six role with a different Metropolitan Division team.
Given their recent play, it’s highly unlikely that the Penguins are going to break up either of their top two lines. However, Chinakhov would be an immediate improvement on Ville Koivunen, who has scored one goal and four points in 25 games on the team’s third line. Additionally, Chinakhov could find his way onto Pittsburgh’s second power-play unit.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.