Rangers Recall Gabriel Perreault
The New York Rangers have announced that top prospect Gabriel Perreault has been called up from AHL Hartford, while Jaroslav Chmelar is headed back down in a corresponding transaction. The move will bring excitement to fans, especially given the team’s polarizing start to 2025-26. Perreault is back in the NHL after a scoreless five-game stint in 2024-25, fresh out of the NCAA.
Although the Rangers have not bottomed out by any means, finding consistency under new Head Coach Mike Sullivan remains a work in progress. Most fascinating is their immense struggles at home (0-6-1) versus their success on the road (7-1-1). While blame has been cast out from the top of the Rangers lineup to the bottom, offense across the board has been a major issue. New York has scored just 35 goals, ranking last in the league. They have been shut out in five of their seven home games thus far. 16 games into the season, the offensive production is simply unacceptable, given the roster at hand.
Now, New York has called upon their undisputed top prospect to help get things turned around. Perreault got some needed seasoning with AHL Hartford, where he leads the team with ten points in nine games so far. Drafted 23rd overall in 2023, Perreault, son of longtime NHLer Yanic Perreault, projects as a true top-six forward. With high-end playmaking ability, the Quebec-native could pan out as a legitimate first-line player, but first will need to become more responsible in other areas of the game. After jumping into the Rangers lineup right out of Boston College last season, where he was unable to find the scoresheet, fans will watch for such progress from the 5’11” left-handed shooter.
GM Chris Drury was likely not counting on making the call for the prospect after just nine games with Hartford, but patience is quickly wearing thin for New York, especially after another shutout at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, a convincing 5-0 defeat at the hands of the Islanders. Now the club hopes Perreault will provide a needed spark. On the flip side, headed back to the AHL, Chmelar appeared in his first two NHL games, but did not record a point. While the 22-year-old was a nice find for New York in the fifth round of the 2021 draft, Chmelar offers more size and physicality (6’4”) than offensive flair.
With the Rangers looking to finally enter the win column at home tomorrow against Nashville, nothing has been confirmed yet, but eyes will be on Perreault to enter the lineup and potentially record his first NHL point.
Senators Recall Hayden Hodgson
The Ottawa Senators have recalled forward Hayden Hodgson from the AHL’s Belleville Senators. This is Hodgson’s first call-up of the season. He is in his second year with the Ottawa organization, after signing a one-year, two-way contract on July 2nd.
Hodgson spent roughly a week on Ottawa’s roster last season. He made two appearances in that span, and recorded no scoring and one fight. The rest of his season was spent with Belleville, where he posted a team-leading 156 penalty minutes – and 11 points – in 43 games. Hodgson became known for his bruising, enforcer presence througout four years in the ECHL and five years in the AHL. That presence has earned Hodgson nine games in the NHL in total. He has recorded three points and 16 penalty minutes at the top flight.
Hodgson has returned to his usual role this season, again leading Belleville with 28 PIMs through their first 11 games of the season. Ottawa will now bring in that imposing presence ahead of a match against the Utah Mammoth, who have posted the fourth-fewest hits-per-game this season. This is the second game of a back-to-back for Ottawa, which could push Hodgson into the lineup in relief of Olle Lycksell. Ottawa also has gritty forward Kurtis MacDermid in the press box. MacDermid has posted no scoring and 11 penalty minutes in seven games this season.
Sharks Activate Ryan Reaves, Place William Eklund On IR
The San Jose Sharks have placed top winger William Eklund on injured reserve, retroactive to his last game on November 1st, per Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Eklund will be forced to miss Saturday’s matchup against the Florida Panthers, but he could be activated before the team’s next game on Tuesday.
This move opens the roster space needed to activate Ryan Reaves off of IR without having to reassign Zack Ostapchuk. Reaves has missed the last four games with a lower-body injury sustained on October 28th. He returned to the lineup on Saturday.
Reaves has continued his role of fourth-line enforcer through his 16th year in the NHL. He has two goals and two fights, while averaging fewer than seven minutes a night, through 11 games this season. He has been a welcome veteran presence to a young Sharks squad, but also stands as a barrier to the lineup for many top prospects.
Reaves is the fifth-oldest player in the NHL this season. His lack of career scoring glares around company like Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby at the top of the NHL’s age chart. Despite that, Reaves expressed interest in continuing his career through his age-40 season on the latest Spittin’ Chiclets episode. One more year would give Reaves a chance to reach 1,000 games – a mark that would be particularly impressive for the pure enforcer. He is currently 77 games away from the feat.
San Jose won’t let that pursuit interfere with Eklund’s return to the lineup once he’s back to full health. The 2021 seventh-overall pick has emerged as a fixture of the Sharks’ top line, and reached 41 assists and 58 points in his first season next to Macklin Celebrini last year. He scored 11 points in 12 games to start this season, before falling to injury. The Sharks offense has taken off while Eklund has been out, and could improve even further with his return. San Jose will have to decide who to scratch between Reaves and Ethan Cardwell when Eklund returns.
Flames Recall Daniil Miromanov, Place Zayne Parekh On IR
6:00 p.m.: Huska provided some more clarity regarding Parekh’s timeline today, according to Flames Nation’s Ryan Pike. Huska told the media that Parekh’s injury is considered “week-to-week.” Pike also noted that while Parekh is on injured reserve, games played by the Flames will still “count” for Parekh regarding the 40-game threshold that would see him accrue a year of service time towards unrestricted free agency.
While there’s still a long way to go before the Flames have to begin seriously thinking about any looming UFA status for Parekh, who is just 19 years old, Parekh’s UFA timeline could come into play in future extension talks. It is generally viewed as more expensive for a team to sign a contract covering a year where a player would be eligible for unrestricted free agency compared to restricted free agency. As a result, even though any unrestricted free agency for the player seems to be far away at this point, it is still an aspect of this injury news that is notable.
11:57 a.m.: After losing defenseman Zayne Parekh to an upper-body injury last night against Chicago, the Flames are bringing up a replacement for him. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled blueliner Daniil Miromanov from AHL Calgary. To make room on the roster, Parekh was placed on injured reserve.
Miromanov broke camp with the Flames but playing time was rather difficult to come by as he was in the number eight role. As a result, he was placed on waivers a little under three weeks ago and after clearing, he was sent to the Wranglers. In seven games with them so far, the 28-year-old has done relatively well, picking up a goal and three assists.
Miromanov has 94 career NHL games under his belt, one coming this season. He got into a career-best 44 games with the Flames in 2024-25 where he had nine points and 55 blocked shots while averaging 17:41 per night. In the final season of a two-year, $2.5MM deal, he’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and might be staring down a possible salary reduction.
As for Parekh, head coach Ryan Huska told reporters postgame including Postmedia’s Daniel Austin that the rookie was set to miss some time, even though they don’t yet know the full extent of the injury. With this placement, he’ll be out for at least one week. Parekh recently officially began the first season of his entry-level contract once he eclipsed the nine-game mark and has one assist in 11 outings in 2025-26 while playing a little under 15 minutes a night.
Capitals Activate Ethen Frank, Assign Spencer Smallman To AHL
The Capitals have made a pair of roster moves heading into tonight’s game against Tampa Bay. The team announced that they have activated winger Ethen Frank off injured reserve. To make room on the roster, forward Spencer Smallman has been sent back to AHL Hershey.
Frank didn’t make Washington’s roster out of training camp but was recalled less than two weeks into the season. However, the 27-year-old sustained an upper-body injury in his third game of the year, landing on IR soon after. Frank has an assist in those three outings to go along with four goals and three assists in 24 games with the Caps last season in his first taste of NHL action. He also had two goals and three helpers with the Bears prior to his recall.
As for Smallman, the 29-year-old received the first recall of his career last weekend. However, he will have to continue to wait to make his NHL debut as he was the reserve forward for Washington while on recall. Smallman had two goals and an assist in six outings with Hershey before the recall and has ranged between 21 and 34 points in his last four minor league campaigns.
With these roster moves, Washington’s active roster remains at the maximum of 23 players.
Rangers Place Matt Rempe On IR, Send Connor Mackey To AHL
Nov. 8: The Rangers announced that Mackey has been sent back down to Hartford. He didn’t see any game action while on recall. They now have one open roster slot.
Nov. 3: The New York Rangers have recalled defenseman Connor Mackey from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. They have also placed enforcer Matt Rempe on injured reserve, per the NHL media site. Rempe is expected to be out long-term after sustaining an injury in a fight with San Jose Sharks bruiser Ryan Reaves.
Mackey has bounced between the NHL and AHL lineups this season, but has still found his way into all nine of Hartford’s games so far. He’s posted two assists, one penalty, and a minus-five in those appearances, and also serves as one of four alternate captains. Despite the routine call-ups to the Rangers roster, Mackey hasn’t appeared in the NHL since December 2024, when he appeared in two games and recorded no points and one fight. He’s played just three NHL games since 2023, and 42 across a five-year career. He’s posted 11 points, 80 penalty minutes, and a minus-one in the NHL.
Mackey will serve as an insurance option for New York’s extra defenseman Urho Vaakanainen, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury per Stephen Whyno of AP News. Vaakanainen has played in 10 games and recorded one assist, eight penalty minutes, and a plus-one this season. He is expected to be replaced in the lineup by fellow left-shot defenseman Matthew Robertson, who has one goal in seven NHL games this season.
To make room for Mackey’s recall, the Rangers will now move Rempe to the inactives list. The 6-foot-9 bruiser managed one goal, seven penalty minutes, and a plus-one in nine games before going down with injury. He looked noticeably more impactful when play was moving this season, taking a stride towards impact that helped round out his enforcer presence. New York has turned towards Jonny Brodzinski to fill Rempe’s fourth-line role. Brodzinski has two points in five games this season.
Wild Assign Tyler Pitlick To AHL
The Wild have opened up a roster spot as the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Tyler Pitlick has been sent down to AHL Iowa. They now have 22 players on their active roster.
The 34-year-old was recalled last month and got into nine games. That’s particularly noteworthy as had he suited up one more time, he would have needed to pass through waivers to return to Iowa. By sending Pitlick down now, they can hold onto his waiver exemption a little while longer.
In those nine outings, Pitlick was held off the scoresheet offensively but added 24 hits and 22 penalty minutes in 7:23 per game of ice time. 20 of those penalty minutes came on Thursday against Carolina after he was given a match penalty for a hit on Carolina’s Jalen Chatfield. It appears the league rescinded that penalty as no supplemental discipline came his way.
In his career, Pitlick has played in 429 NHL games over parts of 11 NHL seasons and has 56 goals and 53 assists in those appearances. He had two goals in three games with Iowa before being recalled last month.
Hurricanes Claim Cayden Primeau Off Waivers From Toronto
2:02 PM: The Hurricanes announced that Primeau has been assigned to AHL Chicago, meaning they were the only team to put in a claim. Meanwhile, the team also confirmed that wingers Eric Robinson and William Carrier were activated off injured reserve as previously reported earlier today.
1:04 PM: The Hurricanes have plenty of goaltending depth in their organization and they have just added a bit more. Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Carolina has claimed goaltender Cayden Primeau off waivers from Toronto.
It’s a return to the Hurricanes for the 26-year-old. Carolina acquired him from Montreal in late June for a seventh-round pick and quickly signed him to a one-year, one-way contract at the league minimum salary of $775K. The thought was that he’d serve as the third-string option for them this season. However, those plans changed late in training camp when they picked up Brandon Bussi off waivers from Florida to fill that role, meaning Primeau was waived soon after.
With the Maple Leafs not having Joseph Woll to start the season after he took a leave of absence, Toronto claimed Primeau and had him spend the first four weeks of the season as Anthony Stolarz‘s backup. He won two of his three starts but struggled, allowing 13 goals on just 80 shots in those outings. With Woll now on a conditioning stint in advance of his return, the Maple Leafs elected to waive Primeau.
Primeau has played in 58 NHL games over parts of seven NHL seasons with the other 55 outings before this season coming with Montreal. While he has shown some flashes of upside along the way, he has struggled overall, posting a 15-25-7 record with a 3.73 GAA and a .882 SV%.
It’s fair to say that Carolina isn’t claiming Primeau to take over Bussi’s spot as the third-string option or serve as a number four on the NHL roster. They’ll be hoping that no one else claimed him and if that’s the case, they will be eligible to send him to AHL Chicago as they originally intended to a month ago. While Primeau hasn’t fared well in the NHL, he has been a top goalie in the minors and is coming off a 21-2-3 showing last season with Laval where he had a 1.96 GAA and a .927 SV%. With Amir Miftakhov and Nikita Quapp playing to a combined 3.61 GAA and a .862 SV% in eight games so far this season, he’d be a huge addition for the Wolves if the Hurricanes can send him down. If another team put a claim in though, Carolina would have to either keep Primeau on the NHL roster or put him right back on waivers.
Maple Leafs Recall Dennis Hildeby
With Joseph Woll (conditioning stint) not yet ready to rejoin the Maple Leafs and Cayden Primeau’s performance as the backup landing him on waivers where he was claimed by Carolina, they need a new short-term second option. That will be netminder Dennis Hildeby as the team announced (Twitter link) that he has been recalled from AHL Toronto.
Hildeby appeared to be set to be the backup heading into the season following Woll’s absence and James Reimer being released from his late-camp PTO but Primeau’s claim at the end of training camp ended those plans. Instead, the 24-year-old was sent down to the Marlies with an eye on seeing more playing time than he otherwise would have received as the backup to Anthony Stolarz.
That hasn’t gone quite to plan, however. Hildeby has only made five starts for the Marlies (Primeau made three for the Maple Leafs over that same stretch) so he didn’t wind up seeing much extra action. Over those outings, he has a 2.74 GAA and a .890 SV%, a step back on his career averages of 2.54 and .908 respectively over 78 AHL appearances. Hildeby has six career NHL outings under his belt, all coming last season when he posted a 3.33 GAA and a .872 SV%.
With Toronto kicking off a back-to-back set tonight, it stands to reason that Hildeby will likely get the nod on Sunday against Carolina. But that might be his only action while on this recall with Woll likely to rejoin the big club and come off LTIR within the next week or so.
Hurricanes To Activate Two Off IR, Recall Gavin Bayreuther From AHL
There are plenty of injury updates from Carolina heading into their game tonight against Buffalo. Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer relays (Twitter link) that wingers Eric Robinson and William Carrier will suit up tonight, meaning they will be activated off injured reserve. However, the news isn’t all good as defenseman Jalen Chatfield is now out indefinitely; head coach Rod Brind’Amour is uncertain if the blueliner is dealing with a concussion after taking a hit from Minnesota’s Tyler Pitlick on Thursday. That resulted in the team announcing that blueliner Gavin Bayreuther has been recalled from AHL Chicago with Chatfield landing on injured reserve as the corresponding move.
Robinson had a breakout year last season, his first in Carolina. He picked up 14 goals and 18 assists (both career bests) in 82 games, earning himself some much-desired job security as he signed a four-year, $6.8MM deal in advance of free agency back in June. The 30-year-old got off to a nice start to this season as well, collecting three goals and an assist in seven outings despite his playing time dipping below 10 minutes a night. He has missed a little more than two weeks with an upper-body injury, landing retroactively on IR ten days ago.
Carrier, meanwhile, was injured in the same game as Robinson last month, suffering a lower-body injury. His first season with Carolina in 2024-25 was injury-riddled as he only was able to suit up in 43 games where he had 11 points and 156 hits, not a great return in the first season of a six-year deal. This season, the 30-year-old has a goal and two assists through his seven outings in a little over 10 minutes a night of action. With Carolina having two open roster spots following yesterday’s demotion of Bradly Nadeau to the minors, no other moves need to be made to activate Carrier and Robinson.
As for Chatfield, he has been his usual steadying presence on the back end. In the second season of a three-year, $9MM deal, the 29-year-old has three assists and 14 blocks in his first 13 games while averaging just under 20 minutes a night. He has once again been a big part of Carolina’s penalty kill, carrying the second-highest ATOI among their blueliners in that situation while they sit well above the league average in shorthanded success rate. Chatfield will now miss at least a week as a result of the IR placement.
Bayreuther returned to North America for this season after spending the 2024-25 campaign in Switzerland, signing a one-year, two-way deal back in July. He cleared waivers at the end of September and has spent the full season so far with the Wolves, tallying three goals and three assists in nine games. Bayreuther has 122 career NHL games under his belt over parts of four seasons, the most recent of which came back in 2022-23 with Columbus.