Predators Recall Zachary L’Heureux
The Predators have recalled left-winger Zachary L’Heureux from AHL Milwaukee, according to a team announcement. The team has an open roster spot with captain Roman Josi on injured reserve, so no corresponding transaction is necessary.
L’Heureux, 22, is in contention to make his season debut tonight against the Wild after being an unexpected cut from Nashville’s training camp. The 2021 first-round pick spent most of 2024-25 up with the Preds after starting in Milwaukee, making 62 appearances in his rookie season. The aggressive 5’11” forward settled nicely into a bottom-six role, posting five goals and 15 points while averaging a shade over 12 minutes of ice time per game. L’Heureux’s 198 hits led Nashville forwards. He was middle-of-the-pack defensively – the Preds allowed 28.7 shots and 2.84 goals per 60 minutes while he was on the ice at 5-on-5.
The Preds have carried a slim forward group for most of the season. They needed an extra body, though, after the weekend’s announcement that Cole Smith will be out for at least three weeks with an upper-body injury. L’Heureux has thoroughly earned the promotion. Through seven games for Milwaukee, he’s among the club’s top scorers with four goals and two assists.
L’Heureux spent most of his time in the lineup last season in fourth-line duties alongside Smith and center Michael McCarron. It stands to reason he’d have a similar deployment this time around if he slots back in, particularly with fellow early-season call-up Matthew Wood performing well in a top-nine role for the Preds over the last couple of weeks. He’s in the final season of his entry-level contract and needs a new contract to avoid becoming a restricted free agent next summer.
Sabres Recall Noah Ostlund
The Sabres announced the recall of center Noah Ostlund from the AHL’s Rochester Americans. Buffalo does not have an open roster spot, but placed winger Jason Zucker on injured reserve in a corresponding move, per the NHL’s media portal. He’s expected to miss tonight’s game against the Mammoth due to an illness, but the IR placement rules him out for another two games after this one.
It’s the second recall in recent succession for the 21-year-old Ostlund. A first-round pick out of Sweden’s Djurgården in 2022, he still ranked as the Sabres’ No. 3 prospect entering the season. He’s an undersized but extremely cerebral pivot who demonstrated high-end two-way acumen against professionals in his home country. He made the jump to North America last year and has played primarily with Rochester since then, but has gotten a handful of NHL chances – including an 11-day call-up last month.
Ostlund has arguably been the Amerks’ best forward since his arrival. He put together a 19-17–36 line in 45 games last season, along with a +20 rating that led Rochester forwards. The defensive play hasn’t quite been at that level so far in 2025-26, but he’s been a scorching hot playmaker, rattling off a pair of goals and five assists for seven points through his first six minor-league games.
He’s fallen victim to limited ice time and role when given NHL call-ups, though. In 12 career appearances, he’s averaged just 10:50 per game and is still looking for his first career point. His defensive impacts haven’t yet translated, either. That was particularly true during last month’s recall, when Ostlund controlled just 41.3% of shot attempts at 5-on-5 despite starting 75% of his shifts in the offensive zone. He’s struggled in the faceoff dot, too, going 36% on draws.
He’ll nonetheless get another chance here to squeeze into a role as Buffalo’s forward group is decimated by injuries. Not only will Kulich be unavailable tonight, but they’re also expected to be without center Jiri Kulich as he deals with an undisclosed injury. That’s on top of the four forwards they already had on injured reserve before today, a list that includes a pair of top-six names in Zach Benson and Joshua Norris. As such, Buffalo’s lineup card will be submitted tonight without five of its top 12 forwards on the organizational depth chart.
Minor Transactions: 11/03/2025
It’s not a hugely packed day on the NHL schedule, with just four games on the docket. That’s also the case outside of the NHL, where most European pro leagues aren’t playing and the AHL has just one contest – a game between the Manitoba Moose, the affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets, and the Texas Stars who are the affiliate of the Dallas Stars. What has been active today, though, even without many games to be played, has been player movement outside of the NHL. There are quite a few transactions to go over from the wider world of professional hockey, so we’ll recap all the notable moves here:
- Veteran goalie Louis Domingue, a longtime NHL backup or organizational third goalie, left KHL side Sibir Novosibirsk after just 11 games played. Per a translated copy of the team’s official announcement, Novosibirsk cited “family reasons” as the reason for Domingue’s release. The 33-year-old goalie, who has played in 144 games over the course of his NHL career, signed in Russia in July, marking his first entry into the European pro hockey circuit. His adjustment to the KHL game did not go well, as he posted an 0-9-0 record with an .892 save percentage and 3.83 goals-against average. Domingue played last season on a one-year, one-way $775K contract, and will now look to continue his career elsewhere. He has performed well as an AHL goalie throughout his time in North America, so given his level of experience and track record, a return to North America, perhaps even on an AHL contract, cannot be ruled out. A team such as the Chicago Wolves could be a fit for his services, as they could benefit from some veteran reinforcement in the crease. Their two incumbent netminders, Amir Miftakhov and Nikita Quapp, are short on AHL experience and have posted respective save percentages of .878 and .852 so far this season.
- 2019 Anaheim Ducks first-round pick Brayden Tracey has found a place to play out the 2025-26 season, signing a one-year contract with Mora IK of HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier league. Tracey originally signed his entry-level contract in November 2019, but was unable to secure a second NHL contract after three underwhelming pro campaigns with the San Diego Gulls. He was reasonably productive, scoring 31 points in 55 games as a rookie, for example, and even earned the right to make his NHL debut. But he wasn’t retained by the team and started 2024-25 on an AHL PTO with the Bakersfield Condors, one that did not materialize into a full-time AHL deal. Tracey then split the rest of the season between Jukurit of the Finnish Liiga (scoring six points in 13 games) and Slovan Bratislava of the Slovak Extraliga, scoring eight points in 11 combined regular season and playoff games. The 6’0″ forward, still just 24 years old, heads to a Mora team that has gotten off to a slow start to the season, and they will likely look for him to help boost an offense that currently ranks fourth-to-last in goals scored in the league.
- Former Philadelphia Flyers goalie Felix Sandstrom has left Finnish Liiga side Karpat Oulu, as his fixed-term contract with the team expired Nov. 2. Sandstrom originally signed the deal in September as part of the club’s response to an injury suffered by incumbent starter Visa Vedenpaa, who is a 2023 draft pick of the Seattle Kraken. Sandstrom didn’t have a great stretch with Karpat, going 3-6-1 with a .872 save percentage. A 2015 third-round pick of the Flyers, Sandstrom ultimately became the organization’s No. 3 goalie, playing in a total of 30 NHL games across his six-year career in North American pro hockey. Sandstrom played well enough to earn a one-way contract year for 2023-24, but the Flyers ultimately moved on from him in 2024 and he signed a one-year, two-way deal with a $450K guarantee with the Buffalo Sabres for 2024-25. Sandstrom struggled to get into games for the Rochester Americans, getting into just 19 contests, in large part due to the success of top prospect goalie Devon Levi. Now that his short-term deal in Liiga has expired, the experienced goalie will need to find another spot to continue what has been a solid pro career.
- Another goalie who was once playing on an NHL contract was involved in player transaction news today: Hugo Alnefelt. Liiga’s HIFK confirmed that the 2019 Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick would remain with the club for the duration of the 2025-26 season after passing through the trial period of his loan. Alnefelt is contracted to Swedish side HV71, but after he went 8-16-1 with a .899 save percentage in 28 SHL games last season, the club elected to move forward with other goalies for 2025-26. HV71 worked with Alnefelt to find a place for him to get playing time in 2025-26, and they elected to loan him to HIFK in Liiga. Alnefelt has played in six games so far in Finland, posting a .889 save percentage and 2.94 goals-against average. Alnefelt was a tandem goalie for the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch for three seasons, from 2021-22 through 2023-24. He posted an .895 save percentage across 86 games, and was not signed to an NHL contract extension upon the expiry of his entry-level deal, prompting his move back to Europe.
- 2017 Detroit Red Wings fifth-round pick Cole Fraser was traded in the ECHL today, as the Worcester Railers traded the defenseman to the Cincinnati Cyclones for future considerations. The big right-shot blueliner has been in the ECHL since he signed with the Kansas City Mavericks at the conclusion of his junior career with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes. Across his 288-game career in North America’s third-tier pro league, Fraser has scored 62 points and has earned a call-up to play in the AHL once. That call-up came in 2021-22, when he skated in a Nov. 14 contest for the Belleville Senators against the Utica Comets, a 4-1 loss for the Senators. Fraser played a defensive role through six games this season with the Railers, ranking second on the team in shorthanded ice time per game.
- The ECHL’s Maine Mariners acquired forward Owen Gallatin from the Fort Wayne Komets in exchange for cash considerations, according to a team announcement. The 23-year-old is in the first full season of his professional career, having dipped his toes into pro hockey late last season after the conclusion of his NCAA career. Gallatin signed with the Komets after playing four seasons with the University of Minnesota-Duluth, including a strong junior campaign where he scored 30 points in 37 games. Gallatin’s production dipped in his senior year, and he wasn’t able to earn consistent ice time at the start of 2025-26 with Fort Wayne, leading to this early-season trade to Maine.
- Another first-year pro player was traded in the ECHL today, with the South Carolina Stingrays acquiring forward Tanner Edwards from the Toledo Walleye. The 25-year-old was the most penalized player in the USHL in 2019-20, his lone season of USHL hockey, racking up 206 penalty minutes in just 37 games. He then played four years of college hockey, his first three with Minnesota State (where he won two CCHA conference titles) before spending his senior year with his hometown program Alaska-Anchorage. Edwards has just one pro game to his name at this point, an Oct. 25 game against the Bloomington Bison in which he registered his first pro fight.
- There was a trade in the Czech Extraliga today, with HC Energie Karlovy Vary acquiring Jan Bambula from HC Vitkovice Ridera in exchange for forward Jan Sir. Bambula, 24, was in the midst of his second season with Vitkovice. He scored 13 points in 35 games last season and began this year with five points in 19 games before today’s trade. A speedy, offensively-oriented undersized winger, Bambula’s acquisition could boost Karlovy Vary’s offensive attack. Sir, 25, joined Karlovy Vary for 2024-25 after a five-year pro career with Bili Tygri Liberec, which was also his junior team. The 6’2″ pivot doesn’t offer the speed or offensive ability that Bambula is credited with, but brings the ability to play down the middle, additional size, and defensive versatility. He’s gone scoreless through 20 games this season, though he has been the team’s leading penalty-killing forward so far this season. While Bambula isn’t a direct replacement in that role as a winger, his speed did allow him to carve out a role on Vitkovice’s penalty kill, meaning he could end up taking Sir’s vacated spot on Karlovy Vary’s penalty kill.
- Liiga side Ilves Tampere announced today that forwards Julius Hermonen and Joel Kerkkanen would not continue with the club upon the recent conclusion of their fixed-term contracts. Hermonen, 28, has nearly 300 games of Liiga experience, though he only managed two assists across 14 games for Ilves. He did score a goal in Champions Hockey League play, as part of a 5-0 victory over HC Kometa Brno. Kerkkanen, 26, isn’t an established quantity in Finland’s top division the way Hermonen is, with just 41 Liiga games to his name. But he has been quite successful in Finland’s second-tier Mestis, even putting together a point-per-game season in 2022-23 with JoKP. That scoring ability hasn’t translated to the Liiga level, though, and he registered just one point in his four games in Tampere.
- Veteran Swedish netminder Jonas Gunnarsson, who was once a member of the Nashville Predators organization, signed a deal with HockeyAllsvenskan club AIK today. The 33-year-old has experience in Sweden’s second division, helping teams to promotion to the SHL on two separate occasions: 2014-15 with the Malmo Redhawks, and 2021-22 with HV71. 2021-22 was Gunnarsson’s most recent season in the Allsvenskan, and he performed very well, registering the most shutouts in the league and posting a .907 save percentage. He served as Joni Ortio‘s backup for HV71 in its first year back in the SHL in 2022-23, before earning a role as a starter in Liiga with Ilves in 2023-24. He was solid in Liiga, posting a .912 save percentage in 36 games, and then spent 2024-25 with Graz in the ICEHL. Now he’s back in the league where he’s been successful in the past, and will look to stabilize an AIK goaltending situation that has been an issue for the team so far in 2025-26.
- The SHL’s Vaxjo Lakers signed veteran forward Erik Andersson to a one-year contract, according to a team announcement. The 31-year-old winger is a defensive specialist who brings a large amount of experience in Sweden’s top league. He has played in 471 games, and while he’s only registered 74 points, he should be able to contribute on Vaxjo’s penalty kill in short order. Vaxjo’s penalty kill currently ranks fifth in the league in success rate, but with the potential for injuries, the signing of Andersson provides the team with suitable cover to be able to sustain its shorthanded success in the event that natural attrition of a long hockey season leads to regular penalty killers becoming unavailable.
Detroit Red Wings Reassign Austin Watson
11/3/2025: The Red Wings announced today that they’ve reassigned Watson back to AHL Grand Rapids. The Red Wings played in three games from Oct. 30 through Nov. 3, but Watson didn’t dress for any of them.
The main benefit for Watson during this recall was financial: he will receive a prorated bump in pay, as he has a $775K NHL salary and a $375K AHL salary. That will make it more likely he will be able to exceed his $400K guarantee by the end of the season, should he be recalled again down the line. He also gains pension credits for those three games for which he was on the NHL roster.
Therefore, while this recall did not pay any on-ice dividends for Watson, the Red Wings’ choice to provide the veteran with some additional time on its NHL roster did have some financial benefits for the player.
10/30/2025: According to a team announcement, the Detroit Red Wings have recalled forward Austin Watson from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Detroit has had an open roster spot for the last few days after reassigning prospect Michael Brandsegg-Nygard on Monday.
Despite taking Brandsegg-Nygard’s spot on the active roster, there’s little chance for consistent playing time for Watson. Even without veteran Patrick Kane for the foreseeable future, the team has Elmer Soderblom, who has a much higher ceiling than Watson, to fall back on.
If Watson does enter the lineup at any point over the current recall, the Red Wings will know exactly what to expect. The 11-year veteran is in his second year with the organization, scoring three goals in 13 games for Detroit last year, averaging 7:51 of ice time.
The only value Watson can provide is his physicality and aggression. Since debuting with the Nashville Predators during the 2012-13 season, Watson has accrued 722 PIMs in 528 games while collecting 1,245 hits. Interestingly, he’s been more of an offensive contributor in the AHL, scoring 94 goals and 176 points in 298 games while managing 221 PIMs. It’s important to note that before his time with the Griffins, Watson had only managed 90 PIMs in the AHL.
Detroit begins a four-game road trip through the NHL’s Pacific Division tonight against the Los Angeles Kings. Given that no teams on the trip are particularly physical, the earliest Watson could be expected to enter the lineup is next Friday against the New York Rangers, who have the third-most hits to start the 2025-26 campaign.
Blackhawks Recall Oliver Moore, Place Jason Dickinson On IR
4 p.m: In a corresponding move, the Blackhawks have assigned forward Landon Slaggert to the minor-leagues. Head coach Jeff Blashill told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that Slaggert was considered the odd-man-out as the team reworked their lineup to fit in Moore. The 23-year-old has struggled through five NHL games this season, posting no scoring and a minus-two, after missing the start of the year with an injury.
3 p.m:One of the Chicago Blackhawks’ top prospects is headed to the NHL. According to a team announcement, the Blackhawks have recalled Oliver Moore from the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. Making room for him on the roster, Chicago has placed Jason Dickinson on the injured reserve.
Much like his teammate Ryan Greene, Moore received an opportunity due to an injury. Greene has performed well during his time, leading the Blackhawks to keep him on the active roster for the time being. Although Dickinson is expected to be out for a few weeks with a shoulder injury, it remains unclear whether Moore’s current recall will be permanent or temporary.
Still, the Blackhawks must be feeling positive about Moore’s start in the AHL this year. The former 19th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft has scored six goals and nine points in nine games with a +8 rating. Considering he tallied four assists in nine games to end the year with the Blackhawks last season, Moore appears NHL-ready.
Unfortunately, his place in the lineup is somewhat harder to predict. While he would complement Connor Bedard and André Burakovsky on the top line, the team seems hesitant to disrupt their existing chemistry.
Nevertheless, Moore is guaranteed to enter the lineup tonight against the Seattle Kraken, according to the team. They’ll likely start him in a fourth-line role for now, and slowly unleash him into the top-six should he continue earning the opportunity.
Flyers Place Tyson Foerster On IR, Recall Emil Andrae
According to a team announcement, the Philadelphia Flyers have placed forward Tyson Foerster on the injured reserve, retroactive to November 1st. Philadelphia has recalled defenseman Emil Andrae from the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms in a corresponding roster move.
Despite eventually returning to the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Foerster’s lower-body injury is from blocking a shot from Auston Matthews. He missed yesterday’s game against the Calgary Flames and won’t be eligible to return on November 12th against the Edmonton Oilers.
The Flyers have already felt the impact of Foerster’s absence. Although the team is 6-4-0 in their last 10 games, they have lost two straight. Foerster, along with his linemates Noah Cates and Bobby Brink, has been the best forward unit for Philadelphia this year. The fourth-year winger has scored four goals and seven points in 11 games, averaging 18:18 of ice time per contest.
Replacing Foerster in the lineup, although indirectly, will be Andrae. The former second-round pick has already skated in two games for the Flyers this year, going scoreless. In fact, earlier in October, a report from Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff indicated that Philadelphia may actually look to trade Andrae at some point this season.
Unfortunately, the Flyers’ schedule won’t get any easier without Foerster. The team will match up against the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators in his absence, both of whom sit ahead of Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference standings. Still, despite being in last place, the Flyers are only one point removed from a Wild Card spot, highlighting how important the next month will be for playoff positioning.
Winnipeg Jets To Activate Adam Lowry
The Winnipeg Jets captain has fully recovered from hip surgery. According to a team announcement, the Jets will activate Adam Lowry from the long-term injured reserve tomorrow. He’s expected to suit up for his first contest of the season against the Los Angeles Kings.
Lowry’s return couldn’t come at a better time. Color analyst Mitchell Clinton reported earlier that Morgan Barron is expected to miss the next weeks with a lower-body injury. Now, Lowry can easily replace Barron on the team’s third line or push Jonathan Toews down one forward unit.
Winnipeg will have only missed Lowry for 12 games to begin the 2025-26 campaign. The team performed well in his absence, managing a 9-3-0 record while sitting in second place in the NHL’s Central Division.
Still, Lowry’s value to Winnipeg’s lineup can’t be understated. In the past three years, he has scored 41 goals and accumulated 105 points in 236 games, averaging 15:44 of ice time per game. Additionally, Lowry has achieved a 50.3% success rate in the dot while maintaining his ability to be one of the most physical middlemen in the game.
Factoring in his prowess on the defensive side of the puck, Lowry is a prototypical third-line center and one of the best at it. Once Barron returns from his injury, the Jets will have a much better-looking center core.
Blues, Capitals Swap Corey Schueneman, Calle Rosen
The St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals have each announced a minor league swap of defensemen. The Blues have acquired defenseman Calle Rosen from the Washington Capitals in exchange for Corey Schueneman.
It’s a coming home of sorts for Rosen. The Växjö, Sweden native, joined the Blues ahead of the 2021-22 campaign and enjoyed some of the best individual seasons of his career there. In his three years with St. Louis, he scored 10 goals and 26 points in 73 games while averaging 15:03 of ice time per game.
Additionally, Rosen was a solid defenseman for the Blues’ AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. From 2021 to 2024, Rosen played in 108 games for the Thunderbirds, scoring six goals and 51 points over that stretch. Since leaving St. Louis after the 2023-24 campaign, Rosen has spent the last two years with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles and Hershey Bears, respectively, scoring 11 goals and 41 points in 71 games.
In comparison, Schueneman has significantly less playing time in the NHL than Rosen. After starting his professional career with the AHL’s Stockton Heat, the Western Michigan University alumnus made his NHL debut with the Montreal Canadiens in the 2021-22 season.
Despite a seven-game stint with the Blues last year, Schueneman’s NHL career has been limited to two goals and seven points in 31 games for the Canadiens, averaging 16:10 of ice time per game. He’s had a far better track record in the AHL, scoring 26 goals and 116 points in 316 games with a +28 rating.
KHL’s Avangard Omsk Signs Klim Kostin
Klim Kostin is returning to a KHL organization where he has already had plenty of success. According to an announcement from the league, Kostin has signed a contract with Avangard Omsk for the remainder of the 2025-26 KHL season.
It’s been five years since Kostin played for Avangard. As part of the St. Louis Blues organization, Kostin spent the 2020-21 season on loan in the KHL, scoring seven goals and 18 points in 43 games. In the playoffs, he registered five goals and nine points in 24 games, helping Avangard win its first Gagarin Cup.
The former 31st overall pick returned to North America the next season, scoring four goals and nine points in 40 games for the Blues, and three goals and six points in 17 games for their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. That was the end of Kostin’s leash in St. Louis as the team traded him to the Edmonton Oilers before the start of the 2022-23 season.
Undeniably, the 2022-23 season with the Oilers was the best of Kostin’s professional career up to this point. He scored 11 goals and 21 points in 57 games, more than double what he had scored up to that point. There was some belief at the time that Edmonton had found itself a quality young power forward for a relatively cheap price.
Unfortunately, that was surprisingly the end of Kostin’s tenure with the Oilers. Due to the growing cap crunch in Edmonton, the team moved Kostin and Kailer Yamamoto to the Detroit Red Wings for future considerations. Kostin is the only one who played for Detroit, as the team chose not to qualify Yamamoto, who eventually signed with the Seattle Kraken.
Kostin failed to improve upon his impressive year with Edmonton, scoring three goals and one assist in 33 games for the Red Wings, averaging 8:55 of ice time in a fourth-line role. Although there’s no evidence of a trade request, Kostin likely asked Detroit’s management for a change of scenery given his lack of ice time. The team eventually traded him to the San Jose Sharks at the trade deadline.
He finished the year strong with San Jose, scoring five goals and 10 points in 19 games to finish the season. He re-signed with the Sharks for the 2024-25 campaign, but finished the year on a disappointing note. Looking for a new contract this past summer, it wasn’t surprising to learn that Kostin’s preference was to return to Edmonton.
Hurricanes Recall Pyotr Kochetkov From Conditioning Stint
Sunday, 7:10 p.m.: Kochetkov’s conditioning stint wound up being short-lived as the Hurricanes announced that they’ve recalled him, along with defenseman Domenick Fensore, from Chicago. Kochetkov made 22 saves on Saturday against the Marlies while Fensore, sent down just yesterday, was held off the scoresheet for the Wolves this afternoon.
Friday, 5:31 p.m.: Kochetkov will be returning to game action, just not for the Canes just yet. They’ve assigned him to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves on a conditioning stint, which can last up to two weeks. He remains on the active roster during this time.
Friday, 12:23 p.m.: Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov is off injured reserve and will be available to dress for the first time this season when they take on the Bruins on Saturday, the team announced. Defenseman K’Andre Miller landed on IR in a corresponding move retroactive to Oct. 20, so he’s eligible to come off at any time.
Kochetkov was in and out of the lineup during the preseason with an undisclosed injury. That led the Canes to make a claim for Brandon Bussi on waivers, snagging the Panthers’ anticipated No. 3 option off the wire. Kochetkov’s return kept getting pushed back. He was initially labeled day-to-day to start the year, but during the first weekend of the campaign, the team ruled him out for at least another week. He landed on injured reserve a few days later and, nearly two weeks after he was last expected back in the lineup, he’s finally cleared to play.
For now, Carolina will carry three goalies. Bussi has earned the right to stay on the roster with a 3-1-0 record, .916 SV%, and 2.25 GAA in his first four NHL starts. He’s saved 3.6 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck, and has been the superior option to starter Frederik Andersen thus far, albeit in a less taxing workload – although Bussi has started two of Carolina’s last three games.
At the moment, it’s Andersen’s playing time that’s most vulnerable with Kochetkov now being a factor. The 13-year vet has been middling out of the gate, posting a .892 SV% and 3.11 GAA in six appearances with a 4-2-0 record. Carolina is playing better defensively this year in front of Bussi than Andersen, though, so those above-average numbers at face value still translate to 0.9 GSAx, according to MoneyPuck.
The 26-year-old Kochetkov is kicking off the third season of a four-year, $8MM extension he signed in 2022. The 2019 second-round pick is looking for a redemption campaign in 2025-26 after a pedestrian 2024-25 campaign in which he logged a .897 SV%, 2.60 GAA, and two shutouts in a career-high 47 starts. Those aren’t horrible numbers by any stretch, but were a significant step back from his .911 and 2.33 marks that earned him All-Rookie Team honors the year prior.
Miller has missed the last four games with a lower-body injury and only just resumed skating. Before his injury, he was operating as Carolina’s de facto No. 1 defenseman after inking an eight-year, $60MM deal this summer as part of a sign-and-trade with the Rangers. Through his first six games with the Canes, he had four points and a +1 rating while averaging 23:32 of ice time per night. He’s one of three top-six defensemen that the Canes are currently missing, joining Shayne Gostisbehere and Jaccob Slavin.