Evening Notes: Liljegren, Dubois, Fensore
San Jose Sharks defenseman Timothy Liljegren exited the team’s Saturday win over the Colorado Avalanche in the first period after a deflected puck hit him in the face while he was on the bench. The injury looked painful, but Liljegren isn’t expected to miss the long-term with a serious injury, head coach Ryan Warsofsky told Bay Area News Group’s Curtis Pashelka.
Liljegren recorded seven minutes of ice time and a minus-one before exiting. The injury forced an end to a red-hot streak for the veteran defender. He scored three points across his last three games, prior to Saturday, and averaged over 24 minutes of ice time across his last five. He’s begun to show some sea legs after being thrust to the top of a young Sharks blue-line in the early season. Liljegren and defense partner Dmitry Orlov have outscored their opponents three-to-one – the best mark on San Jose blue-line. That will make him tough to replace, even though he’s only managed three assists in eight games.
The Sharks are currently carrying Sam Dickinson and Vincent Iorio as their extra defenders. Right-shot Iorio would likely be the preferred fill-in, though Warsofsky wouldn’t committ to either defender yet.
Other notes from around the league:
- It seems the Washington Capitals have avoided serious injury with centerman Pierre-Luc Dubois, who sustained an injury in Friday’s game against the New York Islanders. He’s been designated as out day-to-day with a lower-body injury, per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. Dubois was playing his third game back from a previous injury that held him out for two weeks. His struggles to find the scoresheet stuck around, though, pulling the reigning 66-point scorer through a sixth game with no scoring this season. He will miss Washington’s Saturday match against the Buffalo Sabres, but should return to his hunt for a score in the first week of November.
- With K’Andre Miller nearing a return from injury, the Carolina Hurricanes have assigned defenseman Domenick Fensore back to the minor-leagues. Fensore played in his first game of the NHL season, and third of his career, on October 28th. He recorded two shots on net and a minus-two. He’s been far more productive in the AHL, where his seven points in four games still leads the Chicago Wolves in scoring, despite the team playing two games without him. Fensore will now return to his cushy top-defender role, where he’ll look to bolster a Wolves offense that’s only scored three goals across their last three games.
Oilers Hire Andy Slaggert As Director Of North American Recruiting
The Edmonton Oilers have brought a prolific college hockey coach into the fold. Longtime University of Notre Dame assistant coach Andy Slaggert has joined the Oilers as their Director Of North American Recruiting. He leaves behind over 30 years with the Fighting Irish. The University held a ceremony for Slaggert before Friday night’s loss to longtime the rival University of Michigan.
Slaggert will leave behind a true legacy with Notre Dame. The Saginaw, Michigan native joined the Fighting Irish as a player in 1985. He was part of the men’s hockey team through four years at the school, then returned as an assistant coach in 1992 – just three years after graduating. He’s served on the team’s bench in the 32 years since, filling 19 seasons as an assistant coach and 12 as an associate head coach.
Over that time, all three of Slaggert’s sons earned a chance to play for their dad. Graham Slaggert spent four years at the University before signing with the Toronto Marlies for two seasons. He’s spent the last three years in a nightly role with the Rochester Americans. Middle-son Landon Slaggert was a third-round draft pick to the Chicago Blackhawks in the year before he attended Notre Dame. He turned pro with Chicago after four years in South Bend, and has since appeared in 53 NHL games. Youngest son Carter Slaggert is currently in his junior year at Notre Dame, and plays with the grit and heads-up IQ that’s become trademark to Slaggert hockey.
Through his decades at Notre Dame, Slaggert was often front-and-center in the recruiting process. He was involved early and often in player development, and worked to ensure players were just as comfortable off-ice and around campus. Former Irish head coach Jeff Jackson said about Slaggert:
He is the best recruiter for Notre Dame… [He] is also extremely important to our players, from the time they are introduced to Notre Dame to long after they become alumni. He is more than a hockey coach to our young men, he’s a life coach to them. Andy has been immensely loyal to Notre Dame and the Irish hockey family
Through Slaggert’s time with the club, Notre Dame has seen 25 players suit up for Team USA a the World Junior Championships and 70 have been drafted into the NHL. That includes first-rounders Ian Cole, Kyle Palmieri, and Riley Sheahan. Nine of those draft picks, including Landon, are in the NHL this year. Cole (919), Palmieri (911), and Anders Lee (852) lead Slaggert’s former players in NHL games played, while Palmieri (535), Lee (515), and Bryan Rust (447) lead in NHL points.
While the details of Slaggert’s role with the Oilers weren’t fully revealed, he’ll bring uniquely deep insight into the college hockey landscape to the Canadian club. Reeling in one of the strongest, and most experienced, collegiate recruiters will give Edmonton a strong hand as the junior hockey world approaches a new landscape, where CHL players can play collegiate hockey. That advantage could be shrewd ahead of additional changes to the CHL and USHL, and incoming upgrades in the talent of collegiate free agents.
Islanders Recall Calum Ritchie, Assign Marshall Warren
The New York Islanders have swapped promising prospects on the NHL roster. Top center prospect Calum Ritchie has been officially recalled, while defenseman Marshall Warren has been loaned back to the AHL. Ritchie was expected to make his Islanders debut in place of healthy scratch Mathew Barzal on Thursday, but had his travel impeded by weather conditions.
News of Ritchie’s recall will put the Islanders in an interesting position. The rookie had a clear path to an NHL role with Barzal out of the lineup for disciplinary reasons. But New York head coach Patrick Roy is very unlikely to keep his lineup star, and second-highest scorer, out of the lineup for consecutive games. With Barzal back in, the Islanders will need to scratch another forward to make room for Ritchie. Fourth-line centerman Kyle MacLean seems like the most reasonable option to step out, after posting no scoring, 19 penalty minutes, and a minus-five in six games this season. New York could also try to use this as a chance to spur underperforming scorers like Maxim Tsyplakov (one point in eight games) or Anthony Duclair (three points in 10 games).
No matter who they scratch, it’s hard to argue that Ritchie doesn’t deserve a hardy NHL look. He has scored in all three games he’s played with the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders this season. That productivity continued even through a day-to-day injury that knocked Ritchie out of the lineup last week. He’s proven to be clearly capable in his first full pro season. Ritchie broke camp with the Colorado Avalanche at the start of the 2024-25 season, and scored one goal in his first seven NHL games before being reassigned to the OHL. His first game with the Islanders will be the two-way centerman’s next chance to prove he can stick in the NHL.
Meanwhile, Warren will head back to the minor-leagues after an exciting start to his pro career. He recorded two assists in his NHL debut last Saturday, and followed it up with a stout, bottom-pair performance on Tuesday. Warren leads Bridgeport in scoring even after a week with the NHL club, with five poitns through four games this season. He’s made confident impacts on both blue-lines this season, using a strong stick and decisive playmaking to take advantage of chances many other depth defenders would miss. Warren scored 17 points in 53 games of his AHL rookie season last year. That makes his jump this year a bit of a surprise, though certainly a welcome one amid an Islanders blue-line that’s struggled to score. A move back to the AHL will give Warren a chance to show he can hold onto his hot scoring beyond a couple of weeks. Should he remain on top of Bridgeport’s scoring, it’d be hard to imagine Warren staying in the minor leagues for long.
Logan Cooley Extension Setting RFA Market
The Utah Mammoth became the first to cave when they signed pending-restricted free agent and star center Logan Cooley to an eight-year, $80MM contract extension. Mammoth owner Ryan Smith said after that the deal gives both team and player the assurance that Cooley will be able to plant his roots. For teams across the league, the move could have a deeper impact. With fellow young stars Connor Bedard, Leo Carlsson, and Adam Fantilli all on expiring deals of their own – Cooley’s $10MM annual price tag could be the start of negotiations, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.
That’s great news for Bedard, who is the only on the list to outscore Cooley through their young careers. Cooley boasts 53 goals and 121 points in 168 career games, including this season, while Bedard has managed 51 goals and 142 points in 161 games. There’s no doubt that Bedard has facen the tougher test as well, looking to buoy a desolate Chicago Blackhawks club while Cooley’s rebranded Mammoth look to make their first playoff push.
The heavier load should earn Bedard a boost when negotiations roll around. His yearly cap hit could match Cooley’s $10MM on a shorter deal, potentially four-to-five years, or could go as high as $12MM on a max-term, eight-year deal per LeBrun, who points out that Bedard holds all of the leverage in negotiations. The 20-year-old centerman is a pillar of Chicago’s nightly lineup, and could even be a candidate for their captaincy on his next deal. With no salary cap concerns in sight, Chicago won’t be pressured to spoil Bedard’s importance by trying to save a few extra bucks.
Negotiations could be a bit tougher for Fantilli, who has elevated his play to a true top-line level but hasn’t yet taken over the top forward role for the Columbus Blue Jackets. That title has to stand with right-winger Kirill Marchenko, whose 10 points in 10 games is double what Fantilli’s five points on the year. Part of that scoring dip comes from Fantilli moved away from centering Marchenko, one season after the two played together more than any other Columbus forward pair. Fantilli scored a career-high 31 goals and 54 points, while shooting at a manageable 16.2 percent, in the elevated role last season. This year, he’s been tasked with commanding the team’s second-line, to mixed results.
Signs of continued growing pains does separate Fantilli from the dominant roles of Cooley and Bedard. With those two rivaling for eight-figure contracts, it seems Fantilli would have better luck pushing for a deal in the realm of $9MM each season. Blackhawks winger Frank Nazar recently signed a surprising seven-year, $46.2MM contract after carrying Team USA to a World Championship Gold alongside Cooley. The deal carries a team-friendly $6.6MM cap hit, but pays Nazar $9.1MM and $8.66MM in salary through the first two years respectively. Those numbers could be significant markers for Fantilli, as he looks to sign his own deal as second-fiddle. Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell shared that Columbus doesn’t plan to negotiate a new deal with Fantilli until after the Olympic break, per LeBrun.
Just like at the 2023 Draft, Carlsson’s fate lies somewhere between Bedard and Fantilli. The Swedish-native has taken on a major role for the Anaheim Ducks, offering both top-end impacts both on and off of the puck. He scored a career-high 45 points in 76 games last season. That’s the lowest personal-best on this list, though it came with a Ducks squad that scored the third-fewest goals in the 2024-25 season. Anaheim was led in scoring by Troy Terry‘s 55 points last year, a mark that Carlsson could reasonably clear with some bolstered roles around him. He’s proving as much early on this season, with a team-leading 11 points in nine games while playing alongside Alex Killorn and either Cutter Gauthier or Chris Kreider.
Carlsson appears to have taken a big step forward through the early year. Anaheim won’t have to look far for a comparable deal, after signing Mason McTavish to a six-year, $42MM contract extension in the weeks before the season. The resulting $7MM cap hit is likely a bit cheaper than McTavish could’ve managed on a seven-or-eight-year deal. That should well support Carlsson’s push towards a $9MM contract next summer, especially if he can continue to outscore McTavish through the rest of the year.
The NHL salary cap is presently skyrocketting. It is up $7.5MM this season, and expected to rise another $18MM before the 2027-28 season. That growth has made projecting new contracts a much tougher task – which is where timely extensions like Cooley’s help set the market. He’s been awarded $10MM to man his team’s top-forward role for much of the next decade. That’s set a price tag for the role – one that some 2026 restricted free agents could live up to, while others need to keep trying to play their way into a bigger payday.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.
Bruins’ Jordan Harris Undergoes Surgery, Out For Two Months
Oct. 30th: Harris and the Bruins have opted for surgery. Boston announced that Harris “underwent successful open reduction and internal fixation” surgery on his right ankle, which was fractured. He’s expected to miss the next two months.
Oct. 25th: The bad news continues to roll in for the Boston Bruins. Depth defenseman Jordan Harris is set to miss “a bit” with a lower-body injury, after stepping up to fill in for the injured Hampus Lindholm. Now, it appears Harris’ path to recovery could involve surgery, Bruins head coach Marco Sturm told Scott McLaughlin of WEEI. Boston placed Harris on injured reserve on October 22.
After placing Harris on IR and considering surgery, very little has emerged about the exact nature of the 25-year-old’s injury. He played in 15 minutes of ice time in Boston’s October 21 loss to the Florida Panthers and didn’t appear to sustain a noticeable injury. Nevertheless, Harris has sat out of Boston’s last two games, and could be due to miss quite a few more thanks to this injury.
A long-term absence would stain Harris’ first year in the Bruins organization. He signed a one-year, one-way, $825K contract with Boston on July 1st, and has two points in five games to start Boston’s season.
The move continued Harris’ journey around the Eastern Conference. He was originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the third-round of the 2018 NHL Draft. Harris made his NHL debut four seasons later, after a hardy career at Northeastern University. He scored just one goal in his first 10 NHL games, but proved reliable enough to earn a daily presence at the bottom of Montreal’s lineup. He played 131 games with Montreal between 2021 and 2024 – totaling 32 points, 56 penalty minutes, and a minus-five.
The moot production made Harris expendable when Montreal was faced with the chance to acquire Patrik Laine from the Columbus Blue Jackets. A deal was struck in August 2024, sending Laine and a 2026 second-round pick to Montreal for Harris. His tenure with Columbus was lined by a long string of healthy scratches, with Harris ultimately scoring just five points in 33 games with the club. That was scant enough to leave him unqualified at the start of the 2025 summer, opening the door for a deal in Boston.
After a few healthy scratches in Boston, Harris seemed to have a hardy grip on a bottom-pair role. Instead, he’ll have to once again face an extended period outside of the lineup. Harris has 39 points in 169 games in his NHL career, and has never played in the AHL. He will be a capable depth defender once he’s back to full health, though he may face a tough time getting into the lineup once Lindholm is back from injury.
Snapshots: Nylander, Blues, 2026 Draft
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
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
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
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
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.