Flames Reassign Justin Kirkland, Recall Rory Kerins
Nov. 13: Kirkland has cleared waivers and has been sent to the AHL, the team announced. The corresponding transaction isn’t an activation for Pospisil, though. They announced earlier in the day that they’ve recalled Kerins from the minors, and he’s expected to make his season debut tonight against the Sharks in place of Yegor Sharangovich, who’s headed for the press box, per Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960.
Most had penciled Kerins into an opening-night job for the Flames because they’d have to waive him to send him to the minors. After he had four assists in his first five NHL games last season and was nearly a point-per-game in the AHL, the thought was that he wouldn’t make it through. They were able to sneak him through the wire, though, and he’s continued to roll at an elite scoring pace in the minors. Now 23 years old, the 2020 sixth-round pick has five goals and nine assists for 14 points in 13 games to lead the Wranglers in scoring.
Nov. 12: The Flames have placed forward Justin Kirkland on waivers, Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 reports. He’ll be assigned to AHL Calgary if he clears tomorrow.
It’s possible Calgary is clearing a roster spot to activate winger Martin Pospisil from injured reserve. Pospisil has yet to play this season due to an undisclosed injury he sustained during the preseason. He’s been skating on his own for a few weeks and could be an option for tomorrow’s game against the Sharks if he’s activated.
Kirkland being the odd man out is a disappointing resolution, but not an unexpected one. The 29-year-old was essentially a career minor-leaguer until last season, when he earned an early-season recall from the Flames and carved out a fourth-line role for himself. Through 21 games, he posted two goals and six assists for eight points while averaging 9:42 per game. He had some underwhelming possession impacts despite a +6 rating, but gained cult status with Calgary fans through his shootout performances, converting three times on his four attempts. His moment in the sun came to an end in late November, when he sustained a knee injury against the Blue Jackets that required season-ending ACL surgery.
The Winnipeg native could have been an unrestricted free agent last summer, but the Flames liked enough of what they saw to re-up him on a one-year contract worth $900,000 in late June. Kirkland held on to an opening-night job for the first time in his career, but he only lasted two games before being healthy scratched for the first time. He was in and out of the lineup until late October, when he made a season-high four consecutive appearances. He hasn’t played since that stretch, sitting out for five in a row since Nov. 1.
In his nine showings this season, Kirkland has been limited to one assist and a -1 rating. His ice time remained limited at 9:34 per game. The 6’3″ center showed improvement in the faceoff dot, though, winning 54.5% of his draws compared to 42.9% last season. He also posted improved possession metrics, controlling 56.5% of shot attempts when he was on the ice at even strength.
His six-figure salary and expiring contract make him a legitimate target for a claim. The Flames have comparable veteran names in the system, like Clark Bishop and Dryden Hunt, who can be called up if needed, though, while prospects Matvei Gridin and Rory Kerins are off to strong starts in the minors and banging on the door for a recall. Clearly, they’re comfortable with the risk of losing Kirkland because of their existing depth.
Auston Matthews Out Roughly One Week, Anthony Stolarz Day-To-Day
Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews avoided a serious lower-body injury when he left Tuesday’s loss to the Bruins following a heavy hit from Nikita Zadorov. He’s been given a day-to-day designation but has been ruled out for tonight’s contest against the Kings with another absence or two expected after that, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. Starting goalie Anthony Stolarz also left that contest with an upper-body issue and has also landed a day-to-day designation and won’t play against the Kings, per TSN’s Mark Masters, but hasn’t been ruled out for Saturday against the Blackhawks. With backup Joseph Woll still working his way back to playing shape in the minors on a conditioning stint, Toronto announced they’ve recalled netminder Artur Akhtyamov from AHL Toronto to backup third-stringer Dennis Hildeby tonight. Center Scott Laughton was placed on injured reserve in the corresponding move.
The injury is another speed bump in what’s been another slow start from Matthews. The three-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner has seen his chance generation numbers drop significantly since his generational 69-goal season in 2023-24. In 17 appearances this season, he’s managed nine goals and 14 points. That’s a better pace than last year’s extreme fall-off that only saw him tally 33 markers in 67 appearances, but it’s still well below his career-average pace of 0.63 goals per game.
Luckily for the Leafs, their other stars have more than picked up the slack and helped them stay somewhat afloat at .500 despite faltering defense and goaltending. Matthew Knies and John Tavares are both flirting with 100-point paces early on, while William Nylander sits sixth in league scoring with 24 points despite missing three games with a lower-body issue.
But while Matthews was still one of the league’s most dominant two-way centers during last year’s scoring slump, the same can’t be said in the early going in 2025-26. He’s winning a career-best 59% of his faceoffs, but his possession metrics have faltered. The Leafs are only controlling 47.5% of shot attempts and 48% of expected goals with Matthews on the ice at even strength, the first time in his 10-year career that either number has been below 50%.
Nonetheless, Tavares’ resurgence, Nylander’s dominance, and Knies’ continued breakout should help the Leafs weather the storm for a few days. They’re expected to load up the top line with those three, at least for tonight, per Masters.
As for Stolarz, a reset – injury-related or not – is needed. The career elite backup/tandem option has been overtaxed with Woll unavailable, and his numbers have plummeted as a result. Among goalies with at least 10 appearances this season, Stolarz’s .884 SV% ranks 22nd out of 25 names, and his -5.3 goals saved above expected rank 23rd, per MoneyPuck.
Tonight will thus mark Hildeby’s fourth appearance in the last six days. He entered in relief of Stolarz against Boston twice, first on Nov. 8 and then on Tuesday, while starting in a 5-4 loss to the Hurricanes on Nov. 9. Despite his 0-2-0 record, he’s been the best goalie Toronto’s had to offer this season in his limited sample. He’s logged a .909 SV% and 3.74 GAA on 88 shots faced, good for 2.1 goals saved above expected behind the Leafs’ porous defense. He’s leaps and bounds ahead of what he showed in last year’s limited NHL stint, when he had a .872 mark in six showings with a 3-3-0 record.
If Akhtyamov is forced into action, it would be his NHL debut. The 24-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Toronto back in 2020 and is now in his second season in North America. After a decent rookie showing for the Marlies last year, he’s taken a step back with a .894 SV% and 2.82 GAA in six games to start this year, but still has a 4-2-0 record.
Meanwhile, Laughton is on his second injury-related absence of the season. He missed the first 13 games of the year with a lower-body injury and sustained an upper-body issue in just his second game back against the Bruins. Since his IR placement is retroactive to Nov. 8, he’s been ruled out for tonight’s game plus Saturday’s game against Chicago, but will be eligible to come off IR next Tuesday against the Blues.
Image courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.
Senators Sign Shane Pinto To Four-Year Extension
The Ottawa Senators have signed centerman Shane Pinto to a four-year, $30MM contract extension. The deal will run through the 2029-30 season. It was first reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger. This move comes in the wake of speculation that Ottawa was planning to reapproach Pinto about an extension sometime this week.
The new deal will carry a yearly cap hit of $7.5MM and carry through two years of Pinto’s unrestricted free agent eligibility. That yearly salary is a full $1MM over the number believed to have been offered to Pinto on an eight-year extension before the start of the season. There was reason to believe Pinto wasn’t satisfied with the long-term deal, or slim price tag, of that previous offer per Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch. Now, he’ll find the middle ground between those factors, and maintain the chance to sign a heftier deal before he’s too far away from his prime years.
Pinto’s contract will also mark a new baseline for other young, emerging centerman across the league. He has been a true force for the Senators this season, stepping up as a much-needed second-line center and posting 14 points in 17 games, the third-most on the team. The scoring is a major surge forward from the 37 points he scored in 70 games last season, but it doesn’t seem all too unsustainable. Pinto has recorded a career-high 17.4 shooting percentage this year – 0.9 percent more than he managed last year, and 4.2 percent higher than the 13.4 percent he’s averaged since 2023. But he has also performed in-line with his expected-goals (7.0 xG to 8 goals), suggesting that his step in scoring comes from true improvements.
Finding the balance between properly rewarding a young star, without overcommitting, was the challenge that Ottawa faced. In market value, Pinto seemed to land somewhere between the likes of Marco Rossi (Minnesota, three-years, $15MM) and Connor Zary (Calgary ,three-years, $11.325MM); and the likes of Frank Nazar (Chicago, seven-years, $46.13MM) and Mason McTavish (Anaheim, six-years, $42MM). The deal Ottawa has delivered suggests exactly that, placing Pinto closer to the former in term but the latter in yearly and total salary. This move also continues the trend of young centers signing shorter-term deals, potentially setting the NHL up for exciting free agencies in a few years.
More than setting his market price, this deal will cement a deep connection between Ottawa and Pinto. The two sides have seen their fair share of ups-and-downs since Pinto was selected 32nd-overall in the 2019 NHL Draft. After netting 59 points in 56 games of his sole USHL season, Pinto moved to the University of North Dakota for his underclass years. He posted 60 points in 61 games with the Fighting Hawks, and turned pro with Ottawa at the end of the 2020-21 season. Pinto was a quick impact, looking capable of keeping up with NHL speed and physicality, and posting seven points in his first 12 NHL games. He seemed well set up for a breakout campaign in 2021-22, but missed nearly the entire season with a shoulder injury that began in the fourth game of the season. He tried to return from the injury a few games later, but reinjured his shoulder and got knocked out of the season.
Pinto returned for the 2022-23 season with that breakout still top of mind. He got off to a hot start, earning October’s ‘Rookie of the Month’ honors following six goals and seven points in eight games to start the year. His scoring petered out over a long November, sparking a hot-and-cold streak that’d span the year. In total, Pinto posted 20 goals and 35 points in 82 games of his rookie season. It was a modest performance, but not neccesarily the breakout many anticipated from the high second-round pick. Hopes remained high for the 2023-24 season.
But Pinto was once again derailed, this time suspended by the NHL for invovlvement with prohibited sports gambling. The League stepped up to make an example of Pinto by suspending him for the first 41 games of the season. He served through that punishment, and still looked promising in the second-half of Ottawa’s season. He scored nine goals and 27 points in 41 games, putting him on pace for 54 points across a full season, had he had the opportunity.
The return to an impact role wasn’t enough to cement Pinto’s presence in Ottawa, though. The Senators faced an uphill battle attempting to sign Pinto to a contract and then an extension amid his return from suspension. At one point, Pinto suggested he was hoping to be offer-sheeted away from the Senators organization, though he never officially requested a trade. Ultimately the two sides came together first on a one-year deal that pushed him through the 2023-24 season, then on a two-year extension that carries him through this season.
Now, Ottawa will finally cement Pinto’s spot in the lineup. He seems to be emerging as the high-octane forward the team was always hoping for, marked by a career-high 19 minutes of average ice time. He’s played over 20 minutes of ice time in three of Ottawa’s last five games, and rewarded them with three points in that stretch. The Senators’ top-end is loaded with promising, young forwards, including Tim Stutzle and Dylan Cozens. Now, they’ll add the 25-year-old Pinto to that mix for the long haul.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports.
Canucks Activate And Assign Jonathan Lekkerimaki To AHL
The Canucks have been injury-riddled this season, to put things lightly, as they’ve had at times more than six players on injured reserve. That number is coming down by one as the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki has been activated. However, instead of returning to Vancouver’s roster right away, he has been sent down to AHL Abbotsford.
The 21-year-old has been limited to just four games due to an upper-body injury sustained more than three weeks ago. He was cleared to practice without contact last week and clearly, he has received the full green light with this assignment.
Lekkerimaki had just one point – a goal – over his first four outings to start the season after putting up three goals and three assists in 24 games with Vancouver in 2024-25 in his first taste of NHL action. He was quite productive in Abbotsford last season, however, notching 19 goals and nine assists in 36 games.
Considering the extent of Vancouver’s injuries up front (Teddy Blueger, Filip Chytil, and Nils Hoglander), it seems unlikely that Lekkerimaki’s stint in the minors will be a long one but rather more of a short-term conditioning stint. He only needs to play once before being eligible to be recalled and with Abbotsford in action later tonight, it’s plausible that Lekkerimaki is brought back up in time for Vancouver’s next game on Friday against Carolina.
At the moment, the Canucks still have a full 23-player roster so whenever they do decide to bring Lekkerimaki up, they will need to make a corresponding roster move to open up a spot first. At first glance, moving goalie Thatcher Demko to injured reserve would be the easiest approach after it was revealed today that he’ll miss two to three weeks with a suspected groin injury.
Flyers Activate Tyson Foerster From Injured Reserve
6:00 PM: The team announced that Foerster has officially been activated off IR. As expected, Grundström has been sent to AHL Lehigh Valley in the corresponding move.
11:46 AM: The Flyers have listed winger Tyson Foerster as a game-time decision for tonight’s matchup with the Oilers, head coach Rick Tocchet told reporters (including Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports). Tocchet said it’s likelier than not that he plays, which means he’ll need to come off injured reserve. Philadelphia does not have an open spot on the active roster but would likely reassign winger Carl Grundström, who was recalled from AHL Lehigh Valley last week and is projected to be a scratch tonight, back to the minors to make one.
Foerster has missed the Flyers’ last four contests with a lower-body injury. He landed on IR on Nov. 3 to make a place for defenseman Emil Andrae on the roster. Before the injury, the 23-year-old was off to a strong start. Through 11 appearances, he had four goals and three assists for seven points, along with a +5 rating. He was averaging a career-high 18:18 of ice time per game and was on pace for a career-high 52 points if he’d played a full 82 games.
The 6’2″ righty spent most of last season on the left side of Philly’s third line with Noah Cates and Bobby Brink at even strength, and that didn’t change despite some new personnel in the top nine and a new coach this year. Through 117 minutes together at 5-on-5, that trio has outscored opponents 3-2 while controlling 54.7% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck. They’re just one defensive conscience of an overall responsible Flyers forward group that’s contributed to the club allowing just 2.19 expected goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, the second-best figure in the league behind the Rangers’ 2.12.
Foerster’s expanded ice time has come as a result of frequent special teams usage. He averages the second-most power play ice time on the team and is fourth among forwards in shorthanded usage. All told, he routinely plays around five-and-a-half minutes per game with either a man advantage or disadvantage.
That makes the 2020 first-rounder one of the Flyers’ most versatile forwards, and one they’d love to get back in the lineup against the Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl-led Oilers. Philly went 2-1-1 without Foerster in the lineup, riding their overall strong defensive play to an 8-5-2 record and wild-card playoff positioning nearing the midway point of November.
Blackhawks Recall Landon Slaggert, Jason Dickinson Remains Out
The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled forward Landon Slaggert just over one week after his latest assignment. He will help the Blackhawks address injuries to centerman Jason Dickinson and winger Andre Burakovsky. Dickinson will miss Wednesday night’s game versus the New Jersey Devils, while Burakovsky is a gametime decision with an undisclosed injury, per NHL.com’s Tracey Myers.
The Blackhawks sent Dickinson home early from their recent six-game road-trip after placing him on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The 30-year-old has not played since leaving Chicago’s October 30th loss to the Winnipeg Jets after just eight minutes of ice time. He returned to Chicago’s practice donning a no-contact jersey on Wednesday morning.
Burakovsky played through Chicago’s road-trip, including scoring two points in Sunday’s win over the Detroit Red Wings. That scoring boosted Burakovsky up to seven points in five games through the month of November. He’s earned a fringe top-line role with that momentum, including playing over 21 minutes of ice time last Monday. He is averaging a career-high 17:28 in ice time, to go along with seven goals and 14 points, in 15 games this season.
The absence of Dickinson and Burakovsky would handicap Chicago on both sides of the puck. Slaggert would face an uphill battle in matching either of their impacts, after posting no scoring and a minus-two through five NHL games this season. He has also scored one point in three AHL games. The youngster showed a good amount of drive and physical play through 33 games last season. Even then, he sits with a mere 10 points through 54 career appearances in the NHL. He should step onto Chicago’s fourth-line, while rookie Ryan Greene earns a boost in place of Dickinson. Should Burakovsky also sit out, the Blackhawks would likely run 11 forwards and seven defensemen – bringing in defender Louis Crevier and tasking rookie winger Oliver Moore with a heftier role.
Golden Knights Recall Braeden Bowman
The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled right-winger Braeden Bowman from the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights. This is the first call-up of Bowman’s professional career. He earns it after a hot start to Henderson’s season. Bowman leads the club with seven goals, and is tied for the scoring lead with 12 points, through 12 games so far.
His first call-up to the NHL is a major milestone for the undrafted Bowman. He earned a minor-league contract with Henderson out of Vegas’ training camp in 2024, after four years with the OHL’s Guelph Storm. Bowman scored 14 goals and 36 points in 68 games of his rookie AHL season, enough to work his way onto the Silver Knights’ second-line. Vegas bumped Bowman’s minor-league deal up to a two-year, entry-level contract in March, making him eligible for an NHL call-up.
Bowman’s rookie-year growth gave him plenty of runway headed into this season’s training camp. He was a standout once again – flashing a sharp finishing ability, pro-level physicality, and quick hands. Those attributes continued to headline Bowman’s game through the first month of the season, and will now be recognized by Vegas with one more home game before a two-game road-trip.
Bowman could step into the lineup in place of center William Karlsson, who remained absent from practice on Wednesday, per Danny Webster of the Vegas Review Journal. Karlsson sustained a lower-body injury in Saturday’s loss to the Anaheim Ducks and has been designated as out day-to-day. Should that injury stick around, Bowman could earn his NHL debut in Thursday’s match versus the New York Islanders. He’d likely step onto the fourth-line, while Keegan Kolesar and Brandon Saad move up to fill Karlsson’s absence. Vegas could also deploy Alexander Holtz over Bowman. Holtz has no scoring through seven games this season.
Avalanche Reassign Jack Ahcan
The Avalanche announced overnight that they’ve reassigned defenseman Jack Ahcan to AHL Colorado. With Colorado back in action tomorrow against the Sabres and the Eagles not in action until Friday, the demotion is a sign that Samuel Girard could be ready to come off injured reserve to give Colorado seven healthy defensemen on the active roster.
Ahcan has been ferried between leagues a few times this year after clearing waivers at the end of the preseason. He was last recalled on Nov. 3 and has played in four straight games for the Avs since. His role has been limited to six total appearances this season, averaging 11:21 of ice time per game, but he has given them good results in sheltered deployment. The 28-year-old lefty has an assist, his first NHL point since March 2022, and has a +4 rating stemming from his performance in the Avs’ 9-1 drubbing of the Oilers last weekend.
In fact, Ahcan’s possession impacts in bottom-pairing duties with Sam Malinski have been pristine. The duo is crushing their minutes against easier competition, controlling 64.5% of shot attempts and 69.2% of expected goals at 5-on-5. That’s presumably why Ahcan has found his way into the lineup with increasing frequency as he jockeys for position on the depth chart with October waiver claim Ilya Solovyov, who’s now been scratched in four straight and will continue to find himself out of the lineup tomorrow if Girard is indeed cleared to play.
Solovyov would require waivers if the Avs were to send him down as the odd man out, though. Since Ahcan has played less than 10 games and has been rostered for fewer than 30 days, he doesn’t need them to return to the AHL today. The 5’8″ rearguard has also been a driving force in the minors, scoring a goal and six assists for a point per game through seven appearances with a +6 rating.
Girard hasn’t played since the second game of the season, so Ahcan and Solovyov have had extended opportunities to get a legitimate taste of NHL minutes. The upper-body injury he sustained that had him out week-to-week ended up costing him 15 games. Veteran Brent Burns has stepped into a top-four role alongside Josh Manson in Girard’s absence, holding the fort with eight points and a +3 rating while averaging north of 20 minutes per game for the 12th straight year.
Lightning Recall Boris Katchouk, Scott Sabourin
The Lightning announced they’ve recalled wingers Boris Katchouk and Scott Sabourin from AHL Syracuse. They’re the corresponding transactions for yesterday’s injured reserve placements of Dominic James and Ryan McDonagh, bringing their active roster count back to 23.
At least one of them will draw into the lineup tonight against the Rangers. Tampa Bay’s list of injuries entering the matchup is lengthy. Not only are they without James and McDonagh, but Victor Hedman and Pontus Holmberg both sustained undisclosed injuries against the Capitals on Saturday and remain day-to-day.
The recall marks Katchouk’s first stint on an NHL roster since the 2023-24 season. The 27-year-old was a second-round pick by the Lightning in 2017 and began his second stint with the organization by signing a two-way deal over the summer. He did not have an NHL contract last season. After being released from a professional tryout with the Ducks, Katchouk landed with the Penguins’ AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a minor-league deal. The 6’2″ grinder racked up 21 goals and 49 points in 67 appearances in his first extended taste of AHL hockey since the 2020-21 season in his first go-around with Tampa. Katchouk is off to a good start this season in his familiar stomping grounds in Syracuse, rattling off four goals and five assists for nine points through 12 games.
Between his extended minor-league stints, Katchouk was a regular NHLer between 2021-22 and 2023-24. He broke into the league with Tampa but was traded to the Blackhawks during his rookie season in the Brandon Hagel deal. Katchouk remained in Chicago until being claimed off waivers by the Senators, who didn’t issue him a qualifying offer, late in 2023-24. In 176 appearances, Katchouk had a 15-21–36 scoring line with a -23 rating while averaging 11:09 per game, controlling 47.6% of shot attempts at even strength.
Sabourin’s recall is his fourth of the young season, although he hasn’t yet played for the Bolts. The club has brought him up when roster space allows so that he can serve a four-game suspension he was issued for roughing Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad in a preseason game. With that suspension now satisfied, he is eligible to play tonight. The 33-year-old enforcer has notched three goals and five points with 13 penalty minutes in 11 games for Syracuse thus far. It’s his first year in the Lightning organization after signing a two-way deal over the summer.
Katchouk can remain on the roster for up to 30 days or play 10 games until he needs waivers to return to Syracuse. Since Sabourin has already been on the active roster for four days, his waiver-exempt clock is down to 26.
Lightning Place Ryan McDonagh On Injured Reserve
The Lightning have placed defenseman Ryan McDonagh on injured reserve, per the league’s media site. The lefty departed Saturday’s win over the Capitals with an undisclosed injury. Placing McDonagh on IR only rules him out for tomorrow’s game against the Rangers, but head coach Jon Cooper told reporters earlier today he expects McDonagh to miss a few contests (via the team’s Benjamin Pierce).
McDonagh joins center Dominic James as Bolts skaters who were banged up against Washington and are landing on IR today. The placements will give the Bolts roster space to make corresponding recalls from AHL Syracuse in advance of tomorrow’s contest, although they’ll likely wait until Wednesday morning to announce those. Not only are James and McDonagh out, but captain Victor Hedman and depth forward Pontus Holmberg also sustained undisclosed injuries against the Caps and are listed as day-to-day and doubtful for tomorrow, according to the team’s Gabby Shirley. That’s four players sustaining injuries in one game for those keeping score at home.
As things stand, the Bolts can ice 18 skaters tomorrow without Hedman and Holmberg but won’t have any extras. Still, that assumes Anthony Cirelli – who practiced today but missed the Washington game with an upper-body injury – and defenseman Maxwell Crozier, who’s missed two games with an undisclosed issue, will be cleared to play. With McDonagh on IR now, Tampa can make two recalls from Syracuse without more corresponding moves.
McDonagh is the Bolts’ No. 3 defender this season in terms of usage at 20:10 per game, but he’s still playing like a top-pairing threat in his age-36 season. The 16-year vet is fresh off receiving his first Norris votes in six years and has started this year strong with three goals, six points, and a +1 rating in 15 outings. He ranks third on the team with 26 blocks and leads Tampa defenders with six takeaways.
The increasing injury problems make the Bolts’ recent 7-1-0 surge to get back into a playoff position all the more important after starting the year 1-4-2. They’ll look to depth names like Crozier and Charle-Edouard D’Astous to step up and help mitigate the damage, which shouldn’t be too tall of a task against a Rangers offense that’s been limited to 2.41 goals per game this season.