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KHL’s Barys Astana Sign Tyler Wotherspoon

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Another depth player is headed overseas after failing to find a new home in North America. Earlier today, the KHL’s Barys Astana announced a one-year contract for defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon for the 2025-26 season.

Tyler, the older brother of Pittsburgh Penguins blueliner Parker Wotherspoon, will play his first professional season overseas after a lengthy run in the American Hockey League. The 32-year-old defenseman first joined the professional ranks with the Calgary Flames as the 57th overall pick of the 2011 NHL Draft.

Wotherspoon played several more years with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks before joining the Flames organization, where he achieved a seven-goal, 37-point performance during the 2012-13 season in 61 games. He debuted in the NHL the following year, tallying four assists in 14 games with Calgary, and another one goal and nine points in 48 games for their then-affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat.

The native of Burnaby, British Columbia, spent an additional four years in the Flames organization, concluding his time with a career-high of seven goals and 37 points in 67 AHL games during the 2017-18 season, with a +19 rating. From the 2018-19 season to the 2024-25 campaign, Wotherspoon bounced around various locations, all in the AHL, with the St. Louis Blues, Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey Devils, and Montreal Canadiens organizations.

As the assistant captain for the Laval Rocket last year, Wotherspoon concluded his professional tenure in North America for the time being with a two-goal, 18-point performance in 72 games. He’ll now join a Barys Astana team that has started the 2025-26 season with a 3-4-1 record through their first eight contests, one year after finishing in last place in the Eastern Conference.

Predators Reassign Cameron Reid, Release Scott Harrington

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The Predators have trimmed their training camp roster by two this morning, saying goodbye to a pair of semi-notable defensemen. The club announced they’ve reassigned first-round pick Cameron Reid to OHL Kitchener and released Scott Harrington from his professional tryout.

Reid, 18, was the No. 21 overall pick in June’s draft and was never expected to challenge for an NHL job on his first try. That’s not to detract from the mobile lefty’s skills – more than a few public rankings had him going in the teens, but at “just” 6’0″, he slipped in a draft where teams prioritized height on the blue line. He was the fifth defenseman off the board and had a well-rounded showing for Kitchener last year, posting a 14-40–54 scoring line in 67 appearances with 44 PIMs and a +39 rating. He also won a gold medal with Canada at the under-18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup at the beginning of the season.

Reid was in Nashville’s camp by virtue of his presence on their reserve list. They’ve yet to sign him to an entry-level contract, so he’s not eligible to play in a regular-season contest yet anyway. He’ll return to Kitchener for a third junior season before getting a longer look at an opening night slot next fall.

Harrington was brought into camp for veteran depth to help them meet exhibition game minimums early on in the preseason schedule, but he ended up not making an appearance. The team did not say whether he had been assigned to their AHL affiliate’s camp. Considering he hasn’t signed a contract or tryout agreement with Milwaukee, it’s fair to assume this is a true departure from the organization and he’ll need to look elsewhere to play in 2025-26.

The 32-year-old’s resume boasts over 250 games of NHL experience, although none since the 2022-23 season. He spent last year on an AHL contract with the Springfield Thunderbirds, where he had five points and a -5 rating in 49 appearances.

Maple Leafs Sign James Reimer To PTO

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The Maple Leafs have signed veteran netminder James Reimer to a professional tryout, per a club announcement.

If it results in a contract, it could end up being a bookend to the 37-year-old’s NHL career. Reimer was a fourth-round pick by the Leafs back in 2006 and broke into the NHL with them four years later. He spent nearly six full seasons with the Leafs, spending a good chunk of that time in tandem with Jonathan Bernier, before being dealt to the Sharks at the 2016 trade deadline to kick off the journeyman portion of his career. His first go-around with Toronto saw him post an 85-76-23 record, .914 SV%, 2.83 GAA, and 11 shutouts in 207 appearances. He guided the club to its only playoff appearance of the Phil Kessel era and was excellent in a seven-game loss to the Bruins in the first round in 2013, logging a .923 SV% in that series.

He rejoins the organization now as much-needed depth after the club announced earlier this week that Joseph Woll had taken a personal leave and would be out indefinitely. Behind Woll’s tandem partner, Anthony Stolarz, the Leafs had only six games of NHL experience in their goaltending pipeline – all belonging to third-stringer Dennis Hildeby last season. Reimer’s 525 career games are more than twice the combined total of every available Toronto goalie at the moment.

Of course, Reimer is no longer the serviceable 30-to-40-start netminder he was for the Leafs a decade ago. He’s a fine backup option now, but hasn’t posted an above-average save percentage in each of the last three seasons. He made 21 starts and three relief appearances last year between the Ducks and Sabres, spending a good portion of the season as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s No. 2 in Buffalo. He compiled a 10-10-2 record with a .896 SV% and 3.04 GAA with one shutout. While those are below-average numbers on the surface, he ended up with a whopping 8.0 goals saved above expected thanks to some porous Sabres defensive performances in front of him, according to MoneyPuck. That ranked 25th in the league last year.

That latter number means he could be an intriguing stopgap for a Leafs squad that squeezed the best out of Stolarz and Woll last season. If Woll ends up missing extended time, he could be lined up to get more than the 1-in-4 workload he’s seen over the past couple of years with Stolarz untested past the 30-game range in a season.

Flyers Place Oscar Eklind On Waivers

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Waiver activity has been light today as teams are still carrying fairly large camp rosters into the second week of on-ice activities. Only three teams made placements today – one of them being the Flyers, who announced that winger Oscar Eklind has hit the wire as part of a larger round of cuts.

Eklind, 27, arrived in Philly as an undrafted free agent signing out of his native Sweden last summer. The 6’4″, 220-lb winger landed a one-year entry-level deal on the heels of a career-best campaign in the SHL with Luleå HF, putting together a 17-11–28 scoring line in 48 games.

That’s a relatively modest offensive line for an overseas addition in his mid-20s, but his potential upside largely stemmed from his size and hard-nosed play. Understandably, he didn’t have the most productive year in the minors last season upon arriving in North America. Eklind suited up 64 times for AHL Lehigh Valley, limited to five goals and 17 assists for 22 points.

The Flyers liked what they saw, though. Not only was it enough for them to bring him back, it was enough for them to give him an extension before reaching RFA status – a one-way deal at that – to pay him an $800K salary in 2025-26 even if he ended up back in the minors. That was presumably more than he would have made returning to Sweden, so he’ll be set for another year as a farmhand in Lehigh Valley in the likely event he clears waivers tomorrow. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Senators Place Xavier Bourgault, Four Others On Waivers

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Today is the first day of standard waivers for the 2025-26 campaign, meaning teams can now begin the process of cutting non-waiver-exempt players from their training camp rosters. The Senators are the first to do so, announcing they’re placing five players on the wire, including 2021 first-rounder Xavier Bourgault. Forwards Wyatt Bongiovanni and Garrett Pilon, defenseman Cameron Crotty, and goaltender Hunter Shepard are the other names that teams can submit claims for 24 hours after waivers officially open at 1:00 pm Central. They’ll all be assigned to AHL Belleville if they clear.

The moves were part of a wide-spanning roster cut the Sens made today ahead of their two neutral-site exhibition games in Quebec City. Those early cuts have the Sens’ camp roster down to just 31 players, by far the lowest roster count in the league, with well over a week until opening night rosters are due.

Bourgault hitting the wire is notable but not particularly surprising. It’s his first year without a waiver exemption, but the 22-year-old forward hasn’t demonstrated much development at all since turning pro three years ago. In fact, Bourgault’s AHL point pace has largely regressed over time, and as a result, he’s yet to make his NHL debut, never mind securing a call-up.

The Oilers made him the 22nd overall pick of the 2021 draft after the 5’11” Quebecer had 40 points in just 29 games for QMJHL Shawinigan in his COVID-shortened draft year. He remained highly productive the following year with 75 points in 43 appearances, winning a QMJHL title in the process, before turning pro “early” in 2022-23 thanks to his October birthdate. His transition to pro hockey was measured, although he still managed a respectable 13-21–34 scoring line in 62 appearances with AHL Bakersfield. His production cratered the following year, though, limited to 20 points in 55 games and losing consistency in the lineup. That led the Oilers to cut bait with him last offseason, trading him to the Sens for winger Roby Jarventie.

Bourgault similarly failed to impress with Belleville last season. He finished eighth on the team in scoring with a 12-14–26 line in 61 appearances. While it was enough to earn him a qualifying offer and a subsequent two-way deal in July after his entry-level contract ran out, it was never going to be enough to put him in serious contention for an NHL roster spot, barring a hugely impressive training camp performance. As a result, he’s at risk of being lost for nothing on the wire if a team decides to take a swing on his draft pedigree.

As for the other names, Bongiovanni is standard waiver wire fodder for this time of year. The 26-year-old pivot is a respectable AHL scorer, notching a career-best 22 goals and 33 points in 54 showings with the B-Sens last year, but doesn’t have any NHL experience to his name. He’ll likely only see his first NHL recall this season if injuries take out an overwhelming amount of Ottawa’s forward core.

Pilon, 27, fills a similar niche with more pro experience. The 6’0″ pivot is entering his third season in the Sens organization and served as Belleville’s captain last year, posting 48 points in 68 games. A 2016 third-round pick by the Capitals, he scored one goal in three NHL games across the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns with them but hasn’t appeared at the top level since. He’ll clear the wire with no issue and resume his role as the on-ice leader of Ottawa’s top development affiliate.

Crotty and Shepard are both new faces to the organization, signing two-way deals this summer to serve as experienced call-up options. They might draw some consideration as a result, but by waiving them this early in camp, the Sens have a better chance of passing them through before preseason injuries truly begin to pile up. Crotty made one appearance each for the Coyotes and Wild in each of the past two campaigns, but nearly all of the 26-year-old’s pro experience has come in the minors. The 6’3″ shutdown righty served as the captain for Minnesota’s AHL club last year and had 10 assists with a -7 rating in 64 appearances.

Shepard will serve as the Sens’ No. 4 goalie on the depth chart behind Linus Ullmark, Leevi Merilainen, and Mads Søgaard. That’s a step down from his last few seasons in Washington, where he was the AHL starter and No. 3 option organizationally. But after being named the AHL’s top goaltender in the 2023-24 campaign, his numbers took a nosedive last year with a .891 SV%, 2.80 GAA, and a 23-11-4 record in 39 appearances for the Hershey Bears. Goalie-needy teams will likely look elsewhere for depth as a result.

Training Camp Cuts: 9/25/25

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We’re now in the second week of training camp. Teams are still working their way through their initial cuts, sending amateur tryout invites and fringe prospects back to their junior teams as those regular seasons get underway. However, we could start to see some more targeted trimming today and over the weekend. We’re keeping track of today’s cuts in this piece, which will be updated as more roll in.

Calgary Flames (via team announcement)

F Hunter Laing (to WHL Saskatoon)

Los Angeles Kings (via team announcement)

D Henry Brzustewicz (to OHL London)
D Jared Woolley (to OHL London)

Ottawa Senators (via team announcement)

D Matthew Andonovski (to AHL Belleville)
F Wyatt Bongiovanni (to AHL Belleville, pending waivers)
F Tyler Boucher (to AHL Belleville)
F Xavier Bourgault (to AHL Belleville, pending waivers)
F Jake Chiasson (to AHL Belleville)
D Cameron Crotty (to AHL Belleville, pending waivers)
F Philippe Daoust (released from PTO to AHL Belleville)
D Jorian Donovan (to AHL Belleville)
D Tomas Hamara (to AHL Belleville)
F Landen Hookey (released from PTO to AHL Belleville)
G Jackson Parsons (to AHL Belleville)
F Oskar Pettersson (to AHL Belleville)
F Garrett Pilon (to AHL Belleville, pending waivers)
F Jamieson Rees (released from PTO to AHL Belleville)
G Hunter Shepard (to AHL Belleville, pending waivers)
D Djibril Touré (to AHL Belleville)
F Keean Washkurak (released from PTO to AHL Belleville)

Philadelphia Flyers (via team announcement)

F Sawyer Boulton (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Oscar Eklind (to AHL Lehigh Valley, pending waivers)
F Cooper Marody (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
G Yaniv Perets (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
G Keith Petruzzelli (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Massimo Rizzo (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Tucker Robertson (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Samu Tuomaala (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Garrett Wilson (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Zayde Wisdom (to AHL Lehigh Valley)

Pittsburgh Penguins (via team announcement)

D Quinn Beauchesne (to OHL Guelph)

Utah Mammoth (via team announcement)

G Connor Ingram (to AHL Tucson, pending waivers)

Training Camp Cuts: 9/24/25

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The 2025-26 NHL preseason is in full swing. As teams evaluate their younger talents and bubble players, they will continue to make roster cuts to reach the 23-man limit for opening night. As always, you can stay up to date with each team’s roster here. Today’s cuts are as follows:

Chicago Blackhawks (per team announcement)

F Nathan Behm (to WHL Kamloops)
F Parker Holmes (to OHL Brantford)
F Jack Pridham (to OHL Kitchener)
F Marek Vanacker (to OHL Brantford)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team announcement)

D Charlie Elick (to WHL Tri-City)

New York Islanders (per team announcement)

D Kashawn Aitcheson (to OHL Barrie)

Philadelphia Flyers (per team announcement)

F Matthew Gard (to WHL Red Deer)
D Andre Mondoux (released from ATO to OHL Kingston)
D Luke Vlooswyk (to WHL Red Deer)

Tampa Bay Lightning (per team announcement)

D Everett Baldwin (to QMJHL Saint John)
F Ethan Czata (to OHL Niagara)
F Aiden Foster (to WHL Prince George)
D Jan Golicic (to QMJHL Gatineau)
G Caleb Heil (to USHL Madison)
D Maddox Labre (released from ATO to QMJHL Victoriaville)
F Marco Mignosa (to OHL Sault Ste. Marie)
F Sam O’Reilly (to OHL London)
F Kaden Pitre (to OHL Flint)
D Grant Spada (to OHL Guelph)

Utah Mammoth (per team announcement)

F Coster Dunn (released from ATO to WHL Seattle)
F Carson Harmer (released from ATO to OHL Saginaw)
D Ludvig Lafton (to USHL Dubuque)
D Tomas Lavoie (to QMJHL Cape Breton)
D Max Psenicka (to WHL Portland)
D Veeti Vaisanen (to WHL Medicine Hat)

Felix Sandstrom Signs With Liiga’s Oulun Karpat

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Free agent goaltender Felix Sandström has signed on with Finnish powerhouse Kärpät, according to a team release. It’s a short-term deal with quite a few exceptions – the contract is only valid until Nov. 2 and includes an NHL out-clause, the team said.

Sandström, now 28, was a third-round pick by the Flyers in 2015 and was once a relatively promising prospect in their system. He ended up playing a career-high 20 games for them in the 2022-23 campaign, splitting backup duties with Samuel Ersson, but struggled with a .880 SV% and a 3.72 GAA. He spent most of the following season with AHL Lehigh Valley after clearing waivers and was unplayable in his brief call-up, recording a .823 SV% and -7.7 GSAA in a five-game window in March.

Along with an uninspiring .884 SV% in the minors that year, the Flyers had no qualms about letting him become an unrestricted free agent in the 2024 offseason. He landed a two-way commitment from the Sabres on the open market to serve as the No. 4 on their depth chart behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, James Reimer, and Devon Levi. He passed through waivers unclaimed at the beginning of the season and never saw a recall. He did see improved AHL numbers in Rochester, though, logging a .899 SV% and 2.86 GAA with a 12-5-2 record in 19 games.

That still didn’t lead to much interest in his services this summer, not even on a PTO for training camp. There may have been AHL-only offers out there but he held out for the hope of a more financially lucrative agreement to return to Europe. So far, not much of anything has panned out and he’ll now take a short-term deal in Finland with the hopes of impressing there and landing a two-way contract with an NHL team in need of goaltending depth.

Sandström last played in Europe in his native Sweden during the 2020-21 season. He had a .921 SV% in five games while on loan to Västerviks IK of Sweden’s second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan. He has never played in Finland before.

Kärpät has been the main producer of Finnish NHL players in recent years and has won seven Liiga titles since 2004, but none since 2018. They also finished below .500 last year and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since last being promoted to Finland’s top flight in 2000. They’re now dealing with an injury to starting netminder Niklas Rubin, who was off to a great start with a .934 SV% in four games. In the interim, Sandström will serve in tandem with Kraken prospect Visa Vedenpää, whom they selected in the sixth round in 2023.

Lightning Return Sam O’Reilly To Juniors

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Center Sam O’Reilly, the Lightning’s No. 1 prospect, is among the training camp cuts announced by the club today. He’ll return to the OHL’s London Knights for a third full season in the major junior ranks.

While there were some who believed O’Reilly could challenge for a nine-game trial with a strong training camp, an early return to juniors isn’t a huge surprise. The 19-year-old pivot was the last selection of the first round by the Oilers in last year’s draft, but Edmonton traded him to the Bolts in July in exchange for the signing rights to reigning Hobey Baker Award winner Isaac Howard.

Howard was previously Tampa’s top prospect, but a disagreement over the role he would play in 2025-26 led him to decide not to sign with the club – essentially forcing a trade unless they wanted to lose him for nothing in free agency next summer. O’Reilly was a shrewd consolation prize, albeit a younger one who needs a little more runway before he’s ready to make an NHL impact. The 6’1″, 190-lb pivot projects squarely as a bottom-six piece long-term. He’s a strong playmaker, registering 79 assists in 130 games for the Knights over the past few years, but his top calling cards are his physical involvement and defensive acumen.

That boosts his opportunities for making an NHL transition – unlike some young first-round talents, a fourth-line workload wouldn’t be detrimental to his development if that’s where he first lands upon cracking the Bolts’ roster. Nonetheless, more junior development isn’t the worst thing in the world to see if he can improve his offensive skillset as well and gain the tools necessary to push for a more sound middle-six role in Tampa long-term.

O’Reilly will be turning pro in 2026-27. Whether that’s because he cracks the NHL roster out of camp next fall or starts in AHL Syracuse remains to be seen. Assuming O’Reilly does not reach 10 NHL games this season – an overwhelmingly likely scenario given the early nature of today’s cut – his entry-level contract will slide for a second consecutive campaign. Tampa Bay will still owe him his $96K signing bonus. As a result, his ELC will carry a decreased cap hit of $900,333 when it does go into effect for 2026-27, down from its initial cap hit of $964K had O’Reilly been in the NHL since signing the deal with Edmonton back in October 2024. He’ll be a restricted free agent at age 23 in the 2029 offseason.

Islanders Return Kashawn Aitcheson To OHL Barrie

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As expected, the New York Islanders are returning one of their recent first-round picks to his respective junior program. According to a team announcement, the Islanders have returned defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson to the OHL’s Barrie Colts.

The Toronto, ON native was selected with the 17th overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft, a draft pick New York acquired from the Montreal Canadiens in the Noah Dobson trade. Aitcheson skated in 64 games for OHL Barrie last season, scoring 26 goals and 59 points, with another six goals and 12 points in 16 postseason contests. He was the 9th-ranked North American skater entering the 2025 NHL Draft by NHL Central Scouting.

Before being returned to the Colts, Aitcheson skated in both preseason games for the Islanders up to this point. In the first game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Aitcheson went scoreless in 18:09 of action, while taking a minor penalty for holding in the second period and putting four shots on net. Unfortunately, due to a collision with Flyers defenseman Noah Juulsen, Aitcheson suffered a minor lower-body injury, although it was mild enough to return to game action last night.

In yesterday’s game against the New Jersey Devils, Aitcheson had a much quieter night on the scoresheet, skating in 17:48 of the contest while registering one takeaway and one giveaway. He’ll return to a Colts team that has already begun its 2025-26 season, securing a win against the Guelph Storm on Saturday.

Given that he’s a recent first-round selection by the Islanders’ new front office regime, they’ll keep a close eye on Aitcheson throughout the season. Assuming his development continues in a positive direction, it’s more than likely Aitcheson will represent Team Canada at the 2025-26 U20 World Junior Championships.

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