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Snapshots: Nylander, Blues, 2026 Draft

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The Toronto Maple Leafs announced tonight that star forward William Nylander would miss their game against the Columbus Blue Jackets with a lower-body injury, and is considered day-to-day. That Nylander is managing a lower-body injury isn’t a new development; he was previously reported to be a game-time decision for the team’s game yesterday against the Calgary Flames, and the Swedish star ultimately played in that game. He wasn’t able to play tonight against Columbus, though, dealing a significant blow to the Maple Leafs’ hopes of winning the game.

Nylander has been the Maple Leafs’ best player so far this season, leading the club in scoring with 15 points in just nine games played. The offseason departure of Mitch Marner turned up the pressure on Nylander to keep the Maple Leafs’ high-powered offense running, and so far he’s done so, picking up the slack as captain Auston Matthews (eight points through 10 games) navigates a slower-than-usual start to the season. The injury that has kept him out of tonight’s game appears to be a relatively minor one, which is certainly good news for a Toronto team that will need Nylander on the ice if they’re going to build momentum in the Atlantic Division playoff race.

Other notes from around the NHL:

  • The St. Louis Blues have suffered a slow start to their 2025-26 season, going 3-6-1 in their first 10 games. Things have been especially bad recently, as the club blew a four-goal lead to the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 25, lost 6-3 to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 27, and just yesterday wasted a strong start and surrendered four unanswered goals en route to a 5-2 loss to Detroit. With the Blues playing particularly poor hockey of late, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford wrote that the Blues “are broken” and “need a lot to change,” but noted that due to the contracts owed to key players, it’s unlikely any change will come to the team’s core. Head coach Jim Montgomery expressed optimism that the Blues will be able to turn things around, but if the current trends continue, they could be one of the more interesting teams to watch once we get closer to peak trade season.
  • While the upcoming NHL Entry Draft feels quite far away, the work teams put into preparing for the all-important event is a year-round process. As a result, it’s not too early to begin contemplating which prospects might go at the top of the draft. Earlier this month, NHL Central Scouting released its preliminary watchlist, and today, one of the more prominent public-facing scouts, Corey Pronman of The Athletic, released an update to his 2026 draft rankings. Penn State star Gavin McKenna retained his spot at the top of the rankings, followed by USHL forward Tynan Lawrence and North Dakota defenseman Keaton Verhoeff to round out the top three. A notable faller in Pronman’s early-season rankings has been big OHL forward Ryan Roobroeck, who was ranked No. 3 in Pronman’s September list but fell to No. 14 in October. That fall appears to be related to his work rate, with Pronman writing that despite standing 6’4″, 215 pounds, Roobroeck “doesn’t play hard, and the consistency in his effort level is a question.”

Lightning Reassign Mitchell Chaffee, Scott Sabourin

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Oct. 29: The Lightning announced Wednesday that they’ve reassigned Sabourin to Syracuse. With his suspension now served, he’s unlikely to see another stint on the NHL roster in the near future.

Oct. 28: The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forward Scott Sabourin and assigned forward Mitchell Chaffee to the AHL. Chaffee cleared waivers earlier on Tuesday. Sabourin will serve the final game of a four-game suspension picked up during the preseason, making him eligible to return to the NHL lineup as soon as Thursday.

Tampa Bay has been strategic with its call-ups of Sabourin. He served his suspension gradually, over multiple call-ups, while also appearing in five games for the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. He’s racked up two points, seven penalty minutes, and a plus-two in those appearances. It’s a relatively meager stat line for the usually-chippy Sabourin, who ranked second on the San Jose Barracuda with 111 penalty minutes in 65 games last season. He led the Barracuda with 192 PIMs in 2024 and led the Belleville Senators with 177 PIMs in 2023.

Sabourin has played in only 12 NHL games since his rookie season ended in 2020. He has two points and 25 PIMs in his limited appearances. He’s otherwise been a core piece of lineups across the AHL, offering imposing size and an old-school enforcer style. Tampa Bay could lean on that hard-nosed presence to turn around its 3-4-2 start to the season, though Sabourin would need to leapfrog Yanni Gourde or Dominic James to crack into the Lightning lineup.

Meanwhile, Chaffee will head to the minor leagues after appearing in the first seven games of Tampa Bay’s season. He recorded no scoring and 19 hits in those appearances. This move will push Chaffee towards his first AHL games since the 2023-24 season, when he posted 26 points in 36 AHL games and seven points in 30 NHL games. That scoring was enough to earn the Michigan-native a full season with the Lightning last year. He marked it with 12 goals and 18 points in 66 games, though he couldn’t keep that scoring up through this season. Chaffee has 25 points in 105 career NHL games and 89 points in 123 career AHL appearances.

Hurricanes’ Shayne Gostisbehere, Joel Nystrom Leave With Injury

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Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere exited Tuesday’s loss to Vegas at the end of the first period due to a lower-body injury. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour revealed post-game that the injury was separate from the lower-body injury that held Gostisbehere out of the last three games, and forced a brief stint on injured reserve. Brind’Amour described the new injury as to Gostisbehere’s midsection per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff.

Shortly after Gostisbehere exited the game, fellow Hurricanes defender Joel Nystrom was forced to leave after blocking a slapshot from Golden Knights defender Brayden McNabb with his face. Nystrom was not on the bench to start the third period, forcing Carolina to play the final frame with just four defenders. Their last-four-standing included Domenick Fensore, who was making his season debut and playing in just the third game of his NHL career. He posted a minus-two.

Both Nystrom and Fesnore were recently called up to help Carolina address injuries to K’Andre Miller and Jaccob Slavin. Miller’s injury is luckily considered short-term, though Slavin was placed on injured reserve and could miss “a while”. That will make any further blows to Carolina’s blue-line hard to bear. Extra defenseman Mike Reilly will step back into the lineup in Gostisbehere’s spot, giving him a chance to build on three assists in six game so far.

Carolina could also recall prospects Dominik Badinka, Aleksi Heimosalmi, or Gavin Bayreuther from the AHL. Heimosalmi and Bayreuther have three points in four and five AHL games respectively, while Badinka has one point in five games.

But no mix of prospects will make up for Gostisbehere’s absence. Even after missing three games, he continues to lead Carolina’s battered blue-line in scoring with seven points in six games. He also led the defense in scoring last season, with 45 points in 70 games. Gostisbehere has proven a capable, and reliable, offensive threat in Carolina’s system. In his absence, much of that responsibility will fall on rookie Alexander Nikishin, at least until Miller is back to full health.

Flyers Recall Emil Andrae

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The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled defenseman Emil Andrae. He should step back into a role on the team’s third pair, after scoring three points in his last four AHL games. Andrae is tied for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms’ scoring lead with five assists in six games.

Andrae has once again found consistent scoring in the minor-leagues. Including his seven appearances in the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs, he has effectively recorded 11 assists in his last 13 games in the AHL. It’s a welcomed boost to his stat line, after he only recorded one assist through 14 AHL games in March of this year. The newfound confidence has directly impacted Andrae’s ability to recover loose pucks, and turn them into fastbreaks.

But Andrae hasn’t yet discovered that ability at the NHL level. He played through his rookie NHL season last year, but only managed seven points, 16 penalty minutes, and a minus-five through 42 games. The lack of production has earned Andrae a mere 17 minutes of ice time, on average, through 47 career appearances in the NHL. He’s an undersized, but strong, puck-mover who could stand to offer power-play upside one day, though that’d sit on the other side of an NHL breakout.

For now, Andrae will step into a rotation with Egor Zamula and Noah Juulsen for NHL minutes. Both players have recorded one assist on the season – Zamula through five games, and Juulsen through eight. Given his recent flash in the AHL, a measly one-assist standing should be surmountable for Andrae. A hot performance in his next NHL appearance could be enough to leapfrog Zamula on the depth chart – though repeated struggles could land him back in the AHL sooner rather than later.

Devils’ Brett Pesce Out At Least One Month

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Oct. 28: Pesce’s upper-body injury will keep him out of the lineup for at least a month, according to the team’s Amanda Stein.

Oct. 26: The New Jersey Devils will head on their upcoming four-game road trip without defenseman Brett Pesce, head coach Sheldon Keefe told team reporter Amanda Stein after Sunday’s win over the Colorado Avalanche. Pesce left that game in the first period after blocking a shot. Keefe told the media that Pesce’s injury was “not great”.

This is yet another blow to the Devils’ blue line. They are already missing reliable depth defender Johnathan Kovacevic, who is still recovering from a knee injury sustained during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. New Jersey has avoided major lineup changes in light of Kovacevic’s injury, largely thanks to young pro Simon Nemec, who has seven assists in nine games this season. But Pesce’s absence will force the Devils to reach into their depth chart. Dennis Cholowski is currently on the NHL roster as an extra defenseman and should receive the first chance to step into a nightly role. New Jersey could also lean on AHL prospects, and collegiate teammates, Ethan Edwards and Seamus Casey.

Even with the promising upside of their young prospects, New Jersey will struggle to fill Pesce’s role entirely. The 11-year pro has recorded three points and a plus-two in eight games this season, while averaging the second-highest ice time on the team (21:21) behind Dougie Hamilton (21:53). Pesce has spent almost all of his even-strength minutes next to top youngster Luke Hughes. Now in their second year playing together, the two have managed to outscore their opponents four-to-one at even-strength. They lead the team’s blue line in Goals-For percentage (80 percent) and Expected-Goals-For percentage (63.1 percent) per MoneyPuck.

Pesce and Hughes were plenty effective together last year as well. They were outscored 31-to-38 at even-strength, but generated a lofty 953 shots across the full season – over 100 more than any other Devils pairing. New Jersey averaged over one shot on net for every minute Hughes and Pesce were on the ice. They won their Expected-Goals battle as a result of the volume shooting, posting a 53.1 xGF% across 70 games together.

Pesce’s absence could push Nemec into an important, top-pair role next to Hughes, which would preserve the high-firing pairing of Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler. Nemec received the third-most ice time on New Jersey’s defense (23:35) in Sunday’s overtime matchup. It’s the fourth-most he’s ever played in a regular-season game, and he vindicated it with three assists, two shots, and five blocked shots. That kind of performance will be exactly what New Jersey needs as they face the absence of a 700-game pro.

Canucks Recall Tom Willander, Place Victor Mancini On IR

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Oct. 28: Willander has officially been recalled with Mancini being placed on injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 26 as the corresponding transaction, the team announced. Mancini has been ruled out for the next three games as a result and will be eligible for activation against the Predators on Nov. 3. The Canucks also increased their spending flexibility by moving defenseman Derek Forbort to long-term injured reserve. Forbort was already on IR and has not played since Vancouver’s second game of the season back on Oct. 11 due to an undisclosed injury. An LTIR replacement requires 24 days missed, so he’ll be eligible to return on Nov. 5 against the Blackhawks.

Oct. 27: Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK shared this evening that the Vancouver Canucks are calling up top defensive prospect Tom Willander. The 20-year-old had been assigned to the AHL just two days ago, but now is back on the big club. The transaction may signal that he could be called up, as Willander had just been with the Canucks for salary purposes and has not actually debuted yet. 

Since being sent down, Willander appeared in one game with Abbotsford (AHL), adding an assist, now up to two points in his first 5 North American professional games. Drafted 11th overall in the 2023 draft by Vancouver, Willander is widely considered the club’s No. 1 prospect and one of the top defensive prospects in the league. 

Despite having limited professional experience so far, the Swede spent the past two seasons starring for Boston University in the NCAA, becoming acquainted with the North American game. Before his time in college, Willander made two appearances for Rögle BK of the SHL as a teenager. 

A smooth-skating right-hander at 6’1”, Willander’s ability in his own end could be NHL-ready. The offense may take some time, but not many have his acumen at this stage of their careers, with his quickness and agility. Vancouver could call on Willander for his awaited debut, partly out of necessity. With Quinn Hughes out day-to-day and Victor Mancini also banged up, the team is particularly depleted on the back-end as they prepare to host the Rangers tomorrow night. 

Although it may seem like a forgone conclusion given the circumstances, fans will watch closely for updates on whether the prospect will make his debut tomorrow. 

Sabres Activate Michael Kesselring From Injured Reserve

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Oct. 28: Kesselring will make his Sabres debut tonight and come off injured reserve, Ruff confirmed to Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News.

Oct. 27: The Buffalo Sabres have assigned defenseman Zach Metsa to the AHL’s Rochester Americans. The move will open the roster space to activate defenseman Michael Kesselring off of injured reserve. Head coach Lindy Ruff said he expects the team to make that roster move before Tuesday’s game against Columbus, as long as all goes well in the morning.

Kesselring has missed the first nine games of the season with a lower-body injury sustained in an October 1st preseason game. The injury delayed his debut with the Buffalo Sabres after joining the team alongside Josh Doan in the June trade that sent JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth.

That trade will be top of mind as Kesselring prepares for his first regular-season game in the blue and gold. Doan has already wowed fans with his early-year performance, netting six points and already rivaling a top-line role. But at the time of the move, many expected Kesselring to have a bigger impact in Buffalo after he proved to be a capable top-four defender in Utah.

Kesselring played in all 82 games of Utah’s inaugural season. He received the lowest average ice time (17:41) among a heavily-rotated Hockey Club defense, but routinely faced challenging roles alongside top defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and against top competition. He was strong on both sides of the puck, showing off a strong stick, lightning-quick speed, and heads-up passing. Those talents led Kesselring to 29 points on the year, the second-most on Utah’s blue line behind Sergachev (53).

Kesselring looked similarly capable in his rookie season of 2023-24. He finished that year with 21 points in 65 games, while operating from a third-pair role with the Arizona Coyotes. With two years of improvement to start his career, he now seems well-poised to bear some more responsibility with the Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo has relied on Conor Timmins and Metsa to fill the right side behind captain Rasmus Dahlin. Timmins has faired pretty well in the second-pair role, recording three assists and 24 blocked shots in nine games. Metsa has been less productive, with no scoring and just two blocks in four games. Kesselring should step ahead of Timmins on the depth chart, placing him next to former first-overall pick Owen Power. Power’s sturdy defense could be a great match for the typically aggressive Kesselring.

Meanwhile, Metsa’s brief appearance in the NHL will come to an end. He played the first NHL games of his career this season, after starting the year with two pointless games with the Americans. Metsa led Rochester’s blue line with 46 points in 69 games last season. It was his second pro season. He posted 24 points in 54 games as an AHL rookie. The 27-year-old will look to return to his top role on the Rochester blue line, and could remain a call-up option should Buffalo face any more injuries.

Penguins Place Rickard Rakell On IR, Recall Ville Koivunen

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10/27: Pittsburgh made Rakell’s move to injured reserve official on Monday evening.

10/26: The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that Rickard Rakell underwent a successful procedure on his left hand this morning, and the forward is expected to miss 6-8 weeks recovering. Just last night Rakell took a puck to the hand vs Columbus, was clearly bothered, and did not return. 

It is a very tough blow for the team, who have come out of the gates looking much better in 2025-26, facing serious pressure to push for the postseason for the aging legends on their roster. Rakell in particular, who has been revitalized in Pittsburgh, headlined by a career high 70 points last year, has also been off to a great start with 8 in 9 games. 

In a corresponding move, the Penguins recalled Ville Koivunen, who has already bounced back and forth between the NHL and AHL so far. The skilled 22-year-old forward, acquired in the Jake Guentzel trade, did not appear on the scoresheet in 2 games so far with the Pens, but jumps out with 11 points in just 6 games so far with AHL Wilkes-Barre. Now he, along with 18-year-old Benjamin Kindel could be in order for a larger role with Rakell sidelined. Kindel however, is nearing his 10-game threshold as a rookie, and it will be interesting to see GM Kyle Dubas’ plan for their 11th-overall selection last summer. 

In particular for Rakell, the ailment is also especially unfortunate as it means he will miss the 2025 NHL Global Series in his home country of Sweden, as the Pens take on Nashville in mid-November. 

In a critical season for the Penguins as they continue to teeter between win-now for their iconic players, and turning toward the future, the club is already being tested. Yesterday it came out that Caleb Jones, who had been playing well early in his Pittsburgh tenure, will miss eight weeks. Now a star, in the form of Rakell, is set to be absent for a similar timeline.

Ducks Activate, Assign Coulson Pitre

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The Anaheim Ducks have activated fowrard Coulson Pitre from the injured non-roster list and assigned him to the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers. Pitre was recovering from an upper-body injury throughout training camp. Now that he’s back to full health, he’ll head to the third-tier pros to get back into game action.

Pitre played through his AHL rookie season last year. It was marked by 16 points, 19 penalty minutes, and a minus-seven through 61 games played. He filled a depth role for the Gulls, but showed clear improvements as the year went on, particularly on defense. He was a reliable, two-way center through three seasons with the OHL’s Flint Firebirds prior to turning pro. He racked up 159 points in 166 games with the club. That includes 60 points in 59 games of the 2022-23 season – enough to earn Pitre a third-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Pitre’s chippy play has long been the hallmark of his game. Adding back that physicality after missing nearly a month to start the season could be a tough task, and is likely what prompted Anaheim to assign Pitre to the ECHL after originally sending him to the AHL. He’ll get plenty of opportunity on a Tulsa squad with a 1-3-0 record to start the year. Once he adjusts to a top role with the Oilers, he should be pipelined back into a chance to prove his might with the Gulls.

Avalanche Sign Tristen Nielsen

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The Colorado Avalanche have signed forward Tristen Nielsen to a two-year NHL contract. The deal is a promotion from the AHL contract Nielsen entered the season on. His new contract will run through the end of the 2026-27 season.

Nielsen has had a red-hot start to the AHL season. He has scored seven points in seven games, tying him for the Colorado Eagles’ scoring lead alongside Daniil Gushchin, who has seven points in five games. It’s a huge spike in production for Nielsen, who spent the last four years in a depth role on the Abbotsford Canucks. He reached a career-high 41 points in 64 AHL games during the 2022-23 season, but fell all the way to 28 points in 67 games last year.

A scoring decline pushed Nielsen towards a change of scenery this summer. He signed a minor-league deal with the Eagles in early August and joined the Avalanche for their training camp in September. He scored three points in three NHL preseason games throughout camp – an especially impressive milestone given Nielsen only played in two preseason games over the course of four years in the Canucks organization. He’s continued that hot scoring into the regular season, and earned a second-look from the NHL brass as a result.

Nielsen originally signed with Vancouver as an undrafted free agent, after appearing in parts of six seasons in the WHL. He split those years evenly between the Calgary Hitmen and Vancouver Giants, and racked up 175 points across 241 games in the league. That includes a team-leading, and career-best, 65 points in 61 games during the Giants’ 2022-23 season. The Canucks signed Nielsen as a local gem two years later, and while he was never able to strike in Vancouver, his new contract will open the door to a possible NHL debut with the Avalanche soon.

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