Senators Reassign Olle Lycksell
Dec. 10: The Senators announced they loaned Lycksell back to Belleville on Wednesday morning. As expected, he did not play last night and was only around as last-minute insurance in case of an injury.
Dec. 9: Winger Olle Lycksell has been recalled by the Senators from AHL Belleville, according to a team announcement. They had an open roster spot after reassigning Hayden Hodgson to Belleville on Sunday.
The 26-year-old Lycksell has made six appearances across two previous stints on the active roster this season for the Sens. He was waived to begin the season but ended up making the opening night roster anyway. That lasted for a couple of weeks before he was eventually demoted to Belleville for the first time. Ottawa recalled him just a few days later, and he was back on the active roster for nearly a month until sustaining a concussion, putting him on injured reserve. When he was cleared to return in the later stages of November, Ottawa waived him again and sent him back to the B-Sens after he cleared.
Ottawa signed the 5’11” Swede as a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer. A sixth-round pick of the Flyers in 2017, he’d remained in the Philly organization up until that point. He only arrived in North America in 2022, but has been a highly successful minor-league producer, notching 55 goals and 133 points in 142 games across four seasons. That includes a 3-2–5 scoring line in eight appearances for Belleville this year.
That production hasn’t carried over to the NHL, though. He’s not particularly physical and has often been miscast in a fourth-line role – skilled enough to provide scoring depth as an injury replacement, but not intriguing enough of a prospect to push for a top-nine minutes. As a result, he’s scored just two goals in 51 career NHL games, one of them coming this season.
Lycksell isn’t expected to play in tonight’s game against the Devils and looks to be in for another stint as an extra forward, per Claire Hanna of TSN. The Sens haven’t been shy about making frequent roster moves to keep their forward depth fresh this season. Lately, it’s been a rotation of Hodgson, Lycksell, and Stephen Halliday heading up and down to ensure no one is sitting in the press box for too long – serving a dual purpose of extending the former two’s waiver-exempt periods.
Canadiens Promote Jacob Fowler, Owen Beck, Adam Engstrom
The Canadiens have recalled goaltender Jacob Fowler, center Owen Beck, and defenseman Adam Engstrom from AHL Laval, according to a team announcement late last night. They’d been operating without any healthy extras on the active roster, so they had three open spots. With no new injuries other than the Habs’ longstanding IR designations for Kirby Dach, Kaiden Guhle, Patrik Laine, and Alex Newhook, all three look to be performance-based recalls as Montreal continues to embrace the youth movement.
Fowler, 21, was Montreal’s third-round pick in the 2023 draft. He’s since become one of the top goalie prospects in hockey and a consensus top-five prospect in the Habs’ pool, ranking #4 according to NHL.com and #2 according to Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler also ranked Fowler as the No. 2 goalie prospect in the league over the offseason behind the Sharks’ Yaroslav Askarov. With the latter now being a full-fledged starter in San Jose, Fowler may be the brightest name outside of the NHL.
It’s his elite positioning and incredible side-to-side technique that scouts praise, leading him to post some ridiculous stat lines in college over the past few seasons. The Florida native spent two seasons at Boston College before turning pro with Laval at the end of last year. He backstopped the Eagles to back-to-back Hockey East regular-season championships, was a First Team All-Star both years, and won NCAA Goalie of the Year honors as a sophomore with a .940 SV%, 1.63 GAA, seven shutouts, and a 25-7-2 record in 35 games.
Now, as a first-year pro, he’s immediately stepped in as a top-five starter in the AHL. His three shutouts in 15 games are tied for the league lead, as are his 10 wins. Among 31 AHLers with 10-plus appearances, his .919 SV% and 2.09 GAA rank fifth. He’s well on track for an AHL All-Star nod, if not Rookie of the Year honors as well.
While some subpar scoring chance generation numbers at 5-on-5 are the biggest reason why the Habs have had trouble holding onto a playoff spot this year, subpar goaltending hasn’t helped. Last year’s breakout starter, Sam Montembeault, has now lost the crease to second-year NHLer Jakub Dobes and has an untenable .861 SV% in 14 appearances. Dobes has been better on the whole, but he’s also been incredibly streaky. The 24-year-old had a .940 SV% through his first five outings before posting a .827 mark in his next five. Since then, he’s averaged a .888 mark for a .891 SV% on the year, putting him squarely in ‘meh’ territory with 0.1 goal saved above expected, per MoneyPuck.
One thing’s for sure – Fowler isn’t coming up to ride the bench when he could easily continue a starter’s workload in Laval. He should be ticketed for his first NHL start tomorrow against the Penguins. Montreal has the roster flexibility to carry three goalies for the time being while they sort out what’s best for the team now and what’s best for Fowler’s development.
Beck and Engstrom aren’t afterthoughts, either. The former was a second-round pick in 2022 and is still viewed as a top-five-to-10 prospect in the pipeline. The 21-year-old has gotten NHL reps before – including two appearances this year on an October recall. He has just one assist and a -4 rating in 15 career showings dating back to his post-draft season, though.
Things have been tough sledding in Laval this year for the 6’0″ pivot, though. Touted as one of the better two-way centers from his draft class, his -4 rating in 22 games is second-worst on the club – particularly jarring considering Laval has a +23 goal differential – and he’s been limited to three goals and eight assists for 11 points. That 0.50 points per game mark is a large step back from the 0.69 he managed last season as a rookie.
Nonetheless, things aren’t working on Montreal’s fourth line at present. Center Joe Veleno has just one point – a goal – in 24 games with a -10 rating. Beck’s career stats, even in a limited sample, are preferable to that. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him get a look over the former first-rounder in Veleno tomorrow in Pittsburgh as well.
Engstrom’s recall may be more oriented toward having an extra defender available for a road game, something the Habs have done many times already this season without shaking up their lineup. The 2022 third-rounder spent several days on the roster around Thanksgiving and made his first two career NHL appearances in the process, going without a point but managing an even rating and three shot attempts with two blocks and one hit. He was used squarely in bottom-pairing minutes, averaging 12:03 of ice time per game.
The 22-year-old lefty is viewed as a high-ceiling puck-mover, though, and has even been generating some trade interest as the Habs have very little maneuverability on defense long-term. Their top-four group of Guhle, Noah Dobson, Lane Hutson, and Mike Matheson are all signed long-term, with top prospect David Reinbacher still to come. Now in his second season in Laval, Engstrom is in the early stages of a breakout with a 5-11–16 scoring line in 20 games, including a +8 rating. With Guhle unavailable, there’s an argument to be made that he should be getting a longer look in the NHL ahead of lower-ceiling options like Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj.
Image courtesy of Eric Canha-Imagn Images.
Jets Reassign Elias Salomonsson
The Jets announced that defenseman Elias Salomonsson has been reassigned to AHL Manitoba. His first stint in the big leagues ends at the two-week mark.
It’s the expected and best resolution for Salmonsson’s development. The 21-year-old is widely viewed as Winnipeg’s top defense prospect after being drafted 55th overall in 2022. He started the year in Manitoba and was summoned near the end of November when Neal Pionk exited the lineup with a lower-body injury. Pionk’s been back for several days now, though, meaning Salomonsson has been scratched in three of the Jets’ last five games.
Saying Salomonsson looked overmatched in his first taste of the NHL would be a fair statement. He got top-four deployment with Dylan Samberg in his first two appearances and it didn’t go well, posting a -5 rating and controlling just 11.8% of expected goals together. When he re-entered the lineup for a pair of games earlier this month, his ice time was reduced and his two-way play improved against easier competition.
He still ends his first call-up without a point and with a -4 rating in four appearances, averaging 14:44 of ice time per game. When Salmonsson was on the ice at 5-on-5, the Jets were outshot 38-16 and outchanced 32-18.
That’s not exactly what Winnipeg wanted to see out of the smooth-skating 21-year-old, but it’s a small sample size – and still far earlier than anyone expected him to make a full-time jump to the NHL. He now heads back to the farm, where he has six assists and an even rating in 17 games this season.
Canucks Reassign Jett Woo
Dec. 9: Woo cleared waivers and will be on his way to Abbotsford, per Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK.
Dec. 8: According to Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Vancouver Canucks have placed defenseman Jett Woo on waivers. Assuming he clears, Vancouver will be able to reassign Woo to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks tomorrow.
Woo opened up the 2025-26 campaign on the Canucks’ season-opening injured reserve due to offseason surgery. The surgery was reportedly meant to address an upper-body injury that Woo played through on AHL Abbotsford’s run to a Calder Cup championship last spring.
It wasn’t all that long ago that Woo was considered an up-and-coming defensive prospect in Vancouver’s pipeline. The Canucks selected Woo with the 37th overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft, and he spent the next two years scoring 19 goals and 112 points in 126 games between the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors and Calgary Hitmen.
Unfortunately, that production hasn’t translated into success in the professional circuit. Despite spending the last six years playing for Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, Woo has yet to make his NHL debut, and it’s unlikely he’ll ever become a consistent part of the team’s defensive core.
He’s shown some promise on the defensive side of the puck, but Woo has shown little on offense. In 267 AHL contests, the 25-year-old blueliner has scored 21 goals and 83 points.
Blackhawks Recall Dominic Toninato
The Blackhawks announced they’ve elevated center Dominic Toninato from AHL Rockford. The move gives Chicago another option at forward – and signals a return to a traditional 12-forward, six-defenseman alignment – ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Rangers. No corresponding transaction is necessary after the Hawks sent Sam Rinzel and Landon Slaggert down to Rockford yesterday.
Over the summer, the 31-year-old journeyman landed with Chicago in free agency on a two-year, two-way contract for situations like this. Serving as a dependable but clearly replacement-level call-up option who’s not a huge risk to get claimed on waivers, he entered the year with 189 games of NHL experience before passing through the wire and heading to Rockford.
He’s seen NHL action in each of the last eight seasons, including a career-high 77 appearances as a fourth-line regular with the Jets in 2021-22. That was his second of five years in the Winnipeg organization, which he finally departed a few months ago to sign with the Hawks. He’s only made 25 combined appearances across three years since then, though. He’s scored 13 goals and 22 assists for 35 points for his career, posting a +12 rating while averaging 0.19 points per game.
The adjustment to a new environment in Rockford has gone off without a hitch for the 6’2″ pivot. He’s third on the team in scoring with a 5-12–17 line in 24 games. That’s better than his career average rate in the minors and a nice rebound campaign after he posted a more conservative 36 points in 60 games with Manitoba last season while serving as captain.
Toninato will get a prorated bump from $450K to $850K as a result of his contract’s two-way structure. He’ll likely be on hand as an extra forward for the Hawks as they need it – Sam Lafferty was already available as the extra forward while his opportunities were limited due to Chicago only dressing 11 forwards for much of the year. He’ll likely get the fourth-line insert, but if Chicago wants a player who’s a more natural fit at center, Toninato could get the call.
Penguins Recall Danton Heinen, Sam Poulin; Evgeni Malkin Out Week-To-Week
9:04 a.m.: Malkin and Lizotte are destined for longer absences than the minimum ones required by IR. The team later announced both have been downgraded to week-to-week with their upper-body injuries.
8:55 a.m.: The Penguins announced they’ve again added forwards Danton Heinen and Samuel Poulin to the NHL roster, marking each player’s second recall of the season from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. They placed forwards Evgeni Malkin and Blake Lizotte on injured reserve in corresponding moves.
Heinen was one of the most surprising training camp cuts across the league. The 30-year-old is in the back half of a two-year, $4.5MM deal he signed with the Canucks as a free agent in 2024. After scoring six goals and 18 points in 51 games for Vancouver, he was sent to Pittsburgh in the deal that saw the Nucks acquire Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor. Heinen was a familiar pickup for the Pens, having scored a career-high 18 goals for them in the 2021-22 season.
For his $2.25MM cap hit, he was reasonably productive down the stretch. He totaled a 3-8–11 scoring line in 28 games and was viewed as likely trade bait entering this season as the Pens looked to clear out some veterans. After all, the 2014 fourth-round pick has been an NHL fixture for years now and hadn’t seen extended time out of the lineup since spending most of 2016-17, his first professional season, in the minors.
Pittsburgh hasn’t shown a propensity to keep veterans in the lineup for the sake of doing so this season, though. With Heinen not serving as much of a fit in their long-term plans – or short-term ones, for that matter – they opted to waive him at the beginning of this season with no desirable trade options on the table. The 6’2″, 187-lb forward has proved he still has NHL talent, lighting up the scoresheet in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for a 6-12–18 scoring line in just 12 appearances.
Heinen spent most of November on the NHL roster as a result of injuries to Noel Acciari and Justin Brazeau, both of whom were recently activated from IR. He was returned to WBS on Nov. 30 after scoring one assist in nine games. He saw 12:15 of ice time per contest, getting some occasional reps on both special teams. While his production wasn’t impressive, his two-way impacts were spectacular. Among players with at least 50 5-on-5 minutes for the Pens this year, Heinen boasts the highest share of shot attempts (58.2%), expected goals (59.7%), scoring chances (60.0%), and high-danger chances (61.1%). He managed that with a 43.8 offensive zone start percentage, 17th out of 26 skaters.
Poulin has been similarly productive in the minors. He’s the only WBS skater with more points than Heinen this season, on track for a career year with nine goals and 20 points in 21 games. The 2019 first-round pick is now 24 years old and has aged out of being a top prospect, but he’s proving he can hold down a job as solid organizational depth and be a reliable call-up. He got into two games for the Pens last month on his call-up, recording a -2 rating and six shot attempts while averaging 13:49 of ice time.
Both will be on hand to add to their games-played totals this season tonight against the Ducks as the injury bug continues to bite Pittsburgh’s forward group. Malkin already missed Sunday’s game against the Stars with an upper-body injury and remains listed as day-to-day. Before landing on IR, the future Hall-of-Fame had rattled off two goals and three assists in his last two games. The IR placement technically only rules him out of tonight’s game. Since his last appearance was on Dec. 4, he’ll be eligible to be activated ahead of Thursday’s game against the Canadiens.
Lizotte’s IR placement comes as a surprise. He played nearly 14 minutes in Sunday’s shootout loss in Dallas, recording an assist in the process. He didn’t leave the game, and it’s unclear when he got banged up. The team hasn’t assigned any injury designation other than his IR placement. He’s not eligible for reinstatement until Dec. 14, so whatever’s going on with him will cause him to miss at least three games.
Lizotte, who turns 28 on Saturday, signed a two-year, $3.7MM pact with Pittsburgh in 2024 after being non-tendered by the Kings. He tied his career-high 11 goals last season despite being limited to 59 games and has continued to be quite valuable in a fourth-line role this season. He’s managed a +1 rating despite being used almost exclusively in the defensive zone at 5-on-5 and has contributed a 3-2–5 scoring line in 27 showings. He’s averaging 13:57 of ice time per game and is the Pens’ top penalty-killing forward, likely influencing their decision to add Heinen back into the fold. With Joona Koppanen in the minors and Filip Hallander and Rickard Rakell still on IR, Heinen is ticketed for a job on Pittsburgh’s top two shorthanded units.
Golden Knights Recall Dylan Coghlan, Assign Jaycob Megna
The Vegas Golden Knights have swapped depth defenseman on the NHL roster. Dylan Coghlan has been recalled, while Jaycob Megna has been reassigned to the AHL. Neither player has appeared in an NHL game this season.
Megna, 32, was recalled to the Golden Knights roster on December 1st. He has been rotated between the NHL and AHL roster three times since clearing waivers on October 2nd. Through that movement, he’s managed to appear in 15 games with the Henderson Silver Knights. He’s recorded five points, 12 penalty minutes, and a plus-six in those appearances. That includes two points, four penalty minutes, and a plus-three in his last four games. Megna also has eight seasons of NHL experience. He has appeared in 193 games, and scored 27 points, through stints with the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks, and Florida Panthers.
Coghlan, 27, has performed well in-line with Megna. He has 10 points, 10 penalty minutes, and a plus-four in 20 games with Henderson. This is his recall of the season. He appeared in six games with the Winnipeg Jets, with no scoring, last year and 18 games with the Carolina Hurricanes between 2022 and 2024. Coghlan has appeared in 112 games across six seasons, and three teams. He has 22 points and a minus-10 in those appearances.
This swap surely has more to do with roster technicalities than it does lineup implications. Megna will only be able to spend 15 more days on the NHL roster, before he will have to clear through waivers to be reassigned to the minors. The Golden Knights appear to be using those days sparingly, after recalling Megna for one week in October and the first week of December.
Canadiens Reassign Kaapo Kahkonen
12/8: The Canadiens have reversed this move with Montembeault feeling better.
12/7: The Montreal Canadiens have recalled goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen from the AHL. He will backup Jakub Dobes with Sam Montembeault under the weather, per hockey insider Frank Seravalli.
Kahkonen has served as backup for the AHL’s Laval Rockets this season. He has a 6-2-0 record and .895 save percentage through nine games. Those numbers pale in comparison to rookie starter Jacob Fowler, who has 10 wins, three shutouts, and a .919 save percentage in 15 games. Recalling the veteran Kahkonen will allow Montreal to keep Fowler in a starting net with three games ahead this week.
Kahkonen has fallen down the depth chart, but still brings plenty of experience to the fill-in role. He has appeared in 140 games across seven NHL seasons. That includes a nightly backup role through two years with the Minnesota Wild, and two years with the San Jose Sharks, between 2020 and 2024. He routinely eclipsed a .900 save percentage through his first five seasons in the NHL. That includes a .913 save percentage in 36 games of the 2021-22 season, which he split between Minnesota and San Jose. His performance fell off with a move to the Colorado Avalanche last season, landing him in a routine AHL role. That role has now stretched across four AHL clubs – three last season, then a move to Laval this year. He isn’t likely to curb the slow years on this recall, but should offer a steady hand if the Canadiens need it.
Lightning, Flyers Swap Roman Schmidt, Ethan Samson
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Philadelphia Flyers have swapped minor-league defenseman. Tampa Bay has sent Roman Schmidt to Philadelphia in exchange for Ethan Samson. Schmidt is in his second season in the AHL, while Samson is in his third.
This move swaps an imposing, physical defender for a more mobile, two-way option. Schmidt stands at 6-foot-5 and 215-pounds. He uses that heft, and a long reach, to shut down entry into the defensive zone and control space in front of his own net. That focus has held Schmidt to just one point in 13 games this season and six points in 62 career AHL games. He has led the Syrcause Crunch in penalty minutes in each of the last two seasons – with 38 PIMs this year and 79 PIMs in 49 games last year. Tampa Bay originally drafted Schmidt in the third round of the 2021 NHL Draft, out of the U.S. National Team Development Program.
Samson has offered a bit more offense through his AHL career. He has four assists, and only four penalty minutes, in 10 games this season – after missing the start of the year due to a training camp injury. He’s continued to offer a physical and engaged presence on defense, with a bit more downhill drive with the puck on his stick. He has 40 points, a minus-19, and 100 PIMs in 142 career AHL games. The Flyers drafted Samson three rounds after Schmidt in 2021 from the WHL’s Prince George Cougars.
This move will provide the Flyers with a bit more grit behind a young depth chart filled with skill-first players. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay will look to bank on Samson’s upside. The Lightning are no strangers to rewarding AHL defenders on NHL contracts. They have had 10 different defenders appear in NHL games this season and briefly had Schmidt on their roster, though he didn’t make his NHL debut.
Blues Recall Hugh McGing
The St. Louis Blues have recalled center Hugh McGing with their open roster spot. He will join the Blues with three games ahead of them this week. McGing has six points, 25 penalty minutes, and a minus-seven in 18 games with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds this season.
McGing has been near the top of St. Louis’ call-up sheet since 2022. He has appearead in six NHL games in that span, with no scoring, no penalties, and a minus-five. He brings a hard-working energy to the bottom of the lineup. Despite his 5-foot-8 frame, McGing isn’t afraid to get involved with puck battles in the corners or in front of the net. That grit has earned him a key role as Springfield’s third-line center. He has also appeared on the team’s penalty-kill.
The Blues will be looking for any help they can to keep their recent hot streak going. They have won their last two games by a combined score of 6-4 – after losing eight of their previous 11 games. The Blues face two of the top 15 offenses in the league through their next five games in Boston (ranked seventh in goals-for) and Chicago (ranked 14th). They’ll get a bit of respite with two matches against the Nashville Predators, who are one of only five teams with fewer goals than the Blues this season.
McGing will offer an alternative for Matt Luff, who made his Blues debut on Suunday. Luff recorded one hit, two shot blocks, and a minus-one in eight minutes of ice time.