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Blackhawks Place Petr Mrazek On IR; Recall Kevin Korchinski, Drew Commesso

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The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled defenseman Kevin Korchinski and goaltender Drew Commesso, per Charlie Roumeliotis of Chicago’s WGN Radio. The duo will help fill in for starting goaltender Petr Mrazek and top-four defender Alec Martinez. Both players left Chicago’s Saturday game early with injury – Mrazek after getting his legs swept from under him, and Martines after a deflected shot found its way under his visor. Roumeliotis adds that Mrazek has been moved to injured reserve with a left-groin injury.

With Martinez joining top Hawks defender Seth Jones on the list of injuries, Chicago will give top prospect Korchinski another chance to establish an NHL role. The 20-year-old spent the entirety of last season on the NHL roster amid a severe lack of defense depth. He recorded five goals, 15 points, and a -39 in 76 games – prompting Chicago to start him in the minors this year. That’s proven the right move early on, with Korchinski leading Rockford IceHogs defenseman in scoring with two goals and 11 points in 21 games. He’s served a top-line role for Rockford and seems to be gaining more and more confidence on the puck, with routine highlights showing him driving play from end to end.

This call-up likely won’t guarantee Korchinski minutes. He’ll have to first earn a role over Nolan Allan and Wyatt Kaiser – assuming Chicago doesn’t play any of their defenders on their off-hand. Allan has proven a stout fill-in amid injuries, with four assists and a -5 through 20 games this season. Kaiser has been far less productive, boasting just one assist, 14 penalty minutes, and a -1 in 25 games. Korchisnki’s scoring upside could be enough to earn minutes, but he’ll likely have to quickly take advantage of the opportunities he’s provided.

Commesso has spent the last two seasons splitting starts in Rockford. He found his way into the role of de facto starter last year – his first professional season – stepping into 38 games and recording 18 wins and a .906 save percentage. He narrowly beat out Jaxson Stauber in ice time and save percentage – with Stauber posting a .902 in 31 games – but Commesso hasn’t found the same success this year. He’s lost the majority share of starts to three-year pro Mitchell Weeks, who has a .901 save percentage in 12 starts to Commesso’s .879 in 10 starts. Both netminders have four wins.

Mrazek’s forced week-long absence should give Commesso a chance to earn his NHL debut. Meanwhile, Rockford has recalled ECHL starter Benjamin Gaudreau to help support the AHL lineup in Commesso’s absence. Gaudreau – another top goalie prospect in his draft year – has set a 5-5-2 record and .907 save percentage in his first 12 pro games this season.

Snapshots: Tomasino, DeAngelo, Tracey, Stephens

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Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has shared that red-hot winger Philip Tomasino will be held out of Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury. Seth Rorabaugh of Pittsburgh’s Tribune-Review Sports adds that Tomasino is out on a day-to-day basis.

Tomasino has been on fire since joining the Penguins. He’s on a four-game scoring streak, netting three goals and four points along the way. Tomasino has already lapped the one assist he managed in 11 games with Nashville to start the year – likely thanks to the near-four minutes more in average ice time he’s received in Pittsburgh, jumping from 11:18 a night with Nashville to 15:00 with Pittsburgh. Tomasino is one of seven Penguins rivaling point-per-game scoring over the last four games. That standing will earn him a quick return to the Penguins’ top-six when he’s back to full health.

Other quick notes around the league:

  • Polarizing defenseman Tony DeAngelo shared that he’s not optimistic about an NHL return with Larry Brooks of the New York Post. DeAngelo signed a contract with Russia’s SKA St. Petersburg this summer. He’s managed four goals and 24 points in his first 23 games with the club. He told Brooks that his goal is to return to the NHL, but didn’t specify what’s limiting his hopes. DeAngelo played through eight NHL seasons, mostly spent between the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes. He stood as a high-scoring, but minimal-defense option for both teams. With no NHL deal in sight, DeAngelo moved to Russia over the summer and may be kept there despite scoring above a point-per-game. DeAngelo is joined on the SKA roster by former NHL players Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nikita Zaitsev, and Mikhail Grigorenko.
  • Brayden Tracey, the 29th-overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, has signed a one-year contract with Jukurit of Finland’s Liiga. He’ll move over seas after starting this season with no points through four games with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Tracey has spent the bulk of the last five seasons with the Anaheim Ducks’ minor league affiliate, totaling 84 points through 188 games. He’s received just one NHL game over that tenure – recording nine minutes of ice time and no scoring in a win over Detroit in January of 2022. He was returned to the minors immediately after, and hasn’t earned a look since. Tracey will now try to prove his worth, and earn another NHL contract, with a strong year in Finland’s top league.
  • The Seattle Kraken have returned forward Mitchell Stephens to the minor leagues, per the AHL Transaction Log. Stephens slotted into Seattle’s last four games, recording six shots on net but no scoring while operating on the Kraken’s fourth line. He’ll return to a middle-six role in the AHL, where he currently has three goals and four points in 11 games. Stephens split time between the Montreal Canadiens’ NHL and AHL roster last season, recording three points in 23 NHL games and 35 points in 49 AHL games.

Brendan Lemieux Clears Unconditional Waivers

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Saturday: Lemieux has cleared waivers, reports James Mirtle of The Athletic.  In the team’s announcement of his waiver placement yesterday, GM Eric Tulsky indicated that Lemieux requested the release to pursue a new opportunity.  A report from Puck Empire in Switzerland suggests that Lemieux is likely to sign with HC Davos of the Swiss NL.

Friday: The Carolina Hurricanes are expected to place forward Brendan Lemieux on unconditional waivers for the purpose of contract termination, per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. Lemieux signed a one-year, league-minimum contract in Carolina this summer but has spent the entirety of the early season in the minor leagues. He has just two goals, 30 penalty minutes, and a -4 through 12 AHL games this season. He’s the lowest-scoring forward among Chicago Wolves with 10 or more games this season.

Lemieux made a name for himself as a sharp-edged bruiser with the drive to play at the NHL level. That’s what kept him in the top league from 2017 to 2024 – through trips with the Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, and Carolina. He served a fourth-line role at every stop, making more noise with his penalty minutes than his scoring. Lemieux has 548 penalty minutes through 307 career games, with his statement year coming in 2019-20 – when he posted 111 PIMs in 59 games with the Rangers. He’s only added 74 career points – 36 goals and 38 assists – in those outings, with 18 points in 2019-20 also standing as a career-high.

This season marks Lemieux’s second in the Carolina organization, after playing through last year on a separate one-year contract. He earned 32 games on the deal, recording five points and 64 penalty minutes. That wasn’t enough to stick in the Hurricanes’ lineup with the emergence of top youngsters Jack Drury and Jackson Blake, pushing Lemieux to the minor leagues this season – his first time playing AHL hockey since 2017-18. With both scoring and meaningful penalties hard to come by this year, Lemieux will now look forward to more productive minutes in his next landing spot.

Metro Notes: Zibanejad, Haula, Tatar, Engvall

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The New York Rangers have made the brazen decision to scratch team captain Jacob Trouba, in anticipation of a trade or waiver placement. But the team isn’t looking to shake things up too much further, with Mollie Walker of the New York Post sharing that centerman Mika Zibanejad has yet to waive his no-movement clause. Zibanejad’s name has been side-by-side with Trouba’s in fan discussions about the team’s issues. He’s in the third year of an eight-year, $60MM contract – carrying a cap hit of $8.5MM each season. The deal features a full no-movement clause in every season, something that’s become quickly contentious as Zibanejad has struggled to make a mark off the puck this season.

To his credit, Zibanejad still has five goals and 18 points in 24 games this season. Still, that’s an 82-game pace of just 62 points – Zibanejad’s lowest scoring pace since the 2017-18 season. Four of his goals have come at even-strength, but his assists are nearly perfectly-split between five-on-five and special teams. That’s undermined Zibanejad’s role in the top-six, not helped along by a -14 showing off his defensive woes. There seemingly has to be more for the 31-year-old centerman who scored 39 goals and 91 points just two seasons ago – and who has received Selke Trophy votes in four of the last five seasons. For now, the Rangers will look to rediscover those talents internally – while they sort through a similar situation with their top defender.

More notes from the Metro Division:

  • The New Jersey Devils will see the return of both Erik Haula and Tomas Tatar on Friday, per NHL.com’s Amanda Stein. Tatar has missed the team’s last two games with a lower-body injury in the Devils’ last Friday matchup against Detroit. He logged just six shifts and three minutes of ice time before stepping away with a lower-body injury that game, but still found a way to record an assist – bringing him up to four points in his last five games. Tatar will return to the lineup with nine points in 26 games this season, operating out of New Jersey’s bottom-six. He’ll be joined in that assignment by centerman Haula, who missed practices this week with an undisclosed injury. Haula hasn’t missed any gametime, and returns to full health with five goals, 11 points, and 46 shots through 28 games this season.
  • The New York Islanders will be scratching forward Pierre Engvall on Saturday. When asked about the decision, head coach Patrick Roy told Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, “I know Pierre is trying hard, and we are all trying hard. Right now, maybe, my expectations are higher than what he’s been showing. That’s all it is.” Engvall has been a contentious piece of the Islanders lineup. He posted a three-game scoring streak earlier in the month, but has no points and a -4 in six games since – while rotating through New York’s bottom-six. He’ll now head to the press box, creating room for Kyle MacLean and Hudson Fasching to earn more ice time.

Stars Place Tyler Seguin On IR, Recall Justin Hryckowian

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The Dallas Stars have shifted things around ahead of their Monday matchup against Utah. They’ve recalled forward Justin Hryckowian and assigned defender Alexander Petrovic. Additionally, star forward Tyler Seguin has been placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.

Seguin has carried a lingering lower-body injury through most of the season, and was expected to miss at least one up coming game to nurse the issue. Seguin has been on-fire recently despite the teetering health. He has multi-point games in two of Dallas’ last four outings, including a two-point effort on Friday. The Stars’ star has nine goals and 20 points in 19 games this season, ranking third on the team in scoring.

Seguin will be replaced by young forward Hryckowian, who’s yet to make his NHL debut. The 23-year-old winger is in the first full season of his career. He played in 12 AHL games, and scored three points, at the end of last season – signing with the Texas Stars as an undrafted college free agent. He’s played exceptionally well in the pro setting, with a team-leading 16 points in 17 AHL games this season.

Meanwhile, Petrovic will return to the minors after two games, and no scoring, on the Dallas roster. Petrovic has nine points in 14 AHL games this season, the highest scoring pace of his 14-year professional career. He’s totaled 50 points in 266 career NHL games; and 160 points in 441 AHL games.

Flames Place Justin Kirkland On IR, Recall Two

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The Calgary Flames have recalled forwards Jakob Pelletier and Walker Duehr, two of the top three scorers for the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers. They’ve made room for the call-ups by assigning forward Adam Klapka to the minor leagues, and placing Justin Kirkland on injured reserve. This latter move was first reported by Ryan Pike of Flames Nation. Kirkland left Calgary’s Friday loss to Columbus early with a lower-body injury. He sat out of the team’s Saturday game, and will now miss at least three more games while on IR.

Pelletier and Duehr have been core pieces of the Wranglers roster over the last month. They both have 19 points in 20 games, with Duehr’s scoring split as 11 goals and eight assists and Pelletier posting three goals and 16 assists. Duehr has been particularly red-hot, with eight points in his last 10 games. He also boasts more NHL experience between the two, stepping into 68 games across the last four seasons and scoring an evenly-split 18 points. Pelletier has played 37 NHL games of his own across the last three seasons, netting four goals and 10 points. Neither of the two have found their stride at the top flight just yet, but stand as two of Calgary’s top prospects outside of the NHL – especially Pelletier, who was selected 26th-overall in the 2019 NHL Draft.

One of the two will likely slot into Calgary’s lineup right away, set to fill Klapka’s role on the fourth-line wing. Right-shot Duehr seems the sensible choice. Klapka will return to the minors after playing through six NHL games with no scoring. He has five goals and eight points in seven AHL games this year, and potted 46 points in 65 games last season. He’ll get a chance to return to that level of production on this assignment, while hoping his Wranglers teammates don’t leapfrog him on the depth chart.

Devils Recall Mike Hardman, Nathan Legare; Assign Shane Bowers

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The New Jersey Devils have recalled forwards Mike Hardman and Nathan Legare, and assigned forward Shane Bowers. Bowers will head back to the minors after a week on the NHL roster. He stepped into three games on this call-up, recording no socring, a -2, and two penalty minutes while averaging a little over eight minutes of ice time.

New Jersey will swap out the unproductive Bowers with veteran minor-leaguers Hardman and Legare. Only the former has played in the NHL, stepping into 37 games with the Chicago Blackhawks between 2020 and 2023. He scored three points in his first eight career games, but only added two assists in the proceeding 29. Hardman has also amassed 174 games across four seasons in the AHL. He started his career there with similar productivity – netting 32 points in his first 43 games – but he’s only added 63 points in 131 games since. Legare has been even less productive, with just three points, all goals, in 18 games this season. He’s managed just 50 points in four seasons and 197 career games in the AHL.

Hardman seems to be the more likely of the two to step into the lineup, receiving a well-timed call-up after winning the AHL’s ’Player of the Week’ award with seven points in a three-game span.

Hardman’s call-up comes at a good time, just days after he won the AHL’s ’Player of the Week’ award with seven points in a three-game span last week. His NHL precedent likely makes him New Jersey’s next-man-up, though both call-ups could line up with New Jersey bearing with injuries to Curtis Lazar, Nathan Bastian, and Tomas Tatar.

Islanders Recall Marcus Hogberg, Semyon Varlamov Day-To-Day

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The New York Islanders have recalled goaltender Marcus Hogberg under emergency conditions. He’ll fill in for backup Semyon Varlamov, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury but is expected to travel with the team to Montreal. Varlamov played through New York’s Friday overtime-loss to the Washington Capitals and didn’t seem to suffer an injury. He backed up Ilya Sorokin’s shutout win on Saturday as well.

But it seems Varlamov may now need a break to ensure he’s at full health. The 36-year-old goaltender has appeared in 10 games this season, recording a 3-4-3 record and .889 save percentage. Varlamov has finished with a save percentage below .900 just once in his 17-year NHL career – when he managed a .898 in 24 games of the 2016-17 season. He more often finds his save percentage north of .910 – a mark he’s hit 12 different times, including his .918 in 28 games last season. Varlamov has been as consistent as a pro goaltender can be, making his losing record to start this season all the more surprising.

Hogberg has a chance to return to the NHL lineup should Varlamov step back. He’s spent the start of the season splitting AHL starts with Jakub Skarek. Both goalies have made 10 starts but Hogberg has the better stat line – posting a 2-4-3 record and .908 save percentage, to Skarek’s 3-7-0 record and .896 save percentage. Hogberg made a return to North American pros for this season after spending the last three years starting for Linkopings HC of Sweden’s SHL. He performed well in the role, playing at least 40 games and surpassing a .900 save percentage in each season. Hogberg combined for 59 wins and a .909 save percentage in 124 games over the three year stretch, picking up the tendency for strong play in Sweden that he showed prior to his 2016 move to North America. Hogberg played in 42 NHL games for the Ottawa Senators between 2018 and 2021 – recording nine wins and a .894.

Red Wings Recall Sebastian Cossa On Emergency Basis

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The Detroit Red Wings have recalled top goalie prospect Sebastian Cossa under emergency conditions, after starter Cam Talbot left Sunday’s game early. Talbot was replaced by Ville Husso, who allowed three goals on 18 shots as the Red Wings. Head coach Derek Lalonde didn’t have any updates on Talbot’s outlook, though Cossa’s recall suggests he may miss the next few days. Detroit is already without backup goaltender Alex Lyon, who isn’t expected to travel on the team’s two-game road trip due to a lower-body injury.

This is the first recall of Cossa’s career. He was the 15th-overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, becoming the 13th-highest drafted goaltender in league history and the highest since Spencer Knight went 13th-overall in 2019. Cossa played in a third WHL season after his first-round selection, setting 33 wins and a .913 save percentage in 46 games – and leading the Edmonton Oil Kings to the third Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions in franchise history. Cossa turned pro in the following year, getting assigned to start in the ECHL thanks to a heap of lineup competition in Grand Rapids. He took the third-tier assignment in stride, posting 26 wins and a .913 save percentage – enough to win out the AHL starting role in 2023-24. After showing his resilience in climbing Detroit’s depth chart, Cossa showed his consistency last season – posting a .913 save percentage for the third-straight season, this time in 40 games played and coupled by 22 wins.

Cossa has continued to perform admirably this season, once again serving as Grand Rapids’ clear-cut starter and currently sat with nine wins and a .925 in 14 games. He’s clearly Detroit’s next man up, while the AHL crease will now be held down by Carter Gylander and Jack Campbell. The latter – another former first-round goalie selection – has yet to make his season debut or team debut, after starting the year in the NHL Player’s Assistance program. Campbell could prove a longer-term fill-in once he gets a few games under his belt, should Detroit want Cossa to continue receiving routine ice time.

Leafs Place Jani Hakanpaa On IR, Recall Marshall Rifai

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed defenseman Jani Hakanpaa on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, retroactive to November 16th. Hakanpaa will be eligible to be activated as soon as he’s healthy, though no specifics have been provided on Hakanpaa’s injury or timeline. In a corresponding move, the Maple Leafs have recalled defender Marshall Rifai from the Toronto Marlies. It’s Rifai’s first call-up of the season after clearing waivers and getting assigned to the minors on October 7th.

It’s not clear if Hakanpaa’s lower-body injury is connected to the knee injury that delayed his start to the season. He underwent an arthroscopic procedure last Spring, after his 2023-24 season was cut short in mid-March. He didn’t need any further testing after that procedure, and went on to sign a two-year deal with Toronto on July 1st – though the deal wasn’t formalized until September 11th, when it was adjusted to a one-year deal.

Hakanpaa didn’t return to full health until November 13th. He’s stepped into the lineup twice this season, recording no scoring, four blocked shots, and a -1. He was apparently injured in his second appearance, and has missed Toronto’s four games since. Hakanpaa has rotated into the bottom of Toronto’s blue-line with Simon Benoit and Conor Timmins. That role will now be handed to Rifai, who’s recorded four points – split evenly – through 17 AHL games this season. He has also recorded a Marlies-leading +10.

Rifai played in the first two NHL games of his career last season, recording no scoring and a +1. He averaged just-under 12 minutes of ice time in the pair of outings. Rifai has spent the bulk of the last two seasons in the AHL since signing as an undrafted college free agent in 2022. He recorded 25 points in 126 games across the pair of seasons.

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