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Lightning Recall Conor Sheary, Assign Matt Tomkins

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forward Conor Sheary from, and re-assigned goaltender Matt Tomkins to, the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. Sheary was assigned to the minor leagues on October 24th, setting him up to play his first 11 AHL games since the 2015-16 season. He scored three goals and seven points, good for fifth on the Crunch in scoring on a point-per-game basis (0.64).

Sheary’s last stint in the minor leagues came during the first two years of his professional career, after signing a three-year entry-level contract with the Penguins as an undrafted college free agent in 2014. He scored 20 goals and 45 points in 58 games as an AHL rookie, and earned an NHL call-up as a sophomore after 36 points in 30 games. Sheary didn’t breakout as an NHL scorer right away, but excelled at handling the intangibles and making impactful plays away from the puck. That earned him a hardy spot in Pittsburgh’s bottom-six as they approached the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, where Sheary’s 10 points in 23 games were a major piece of the team’s eventual championship-win. That level of success in his rookie year gave Sheary plenty of momentum headed into 2016-17, where he solidified an everyday role with 23 goals and 53 points in 61 games – an 82-game pace of 71 points – and tallied another seven points in 22 playoff games as Pittsburgh chased their second-straight Cup win.

Sheary’s 53-point season stands as a career-high, but he’s been an impactful third-liner ever since – continuing to provide valuable depth through stints with the Buffalo Sabres, Washington Capitals, and as of last season, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Now, eight seasons since his last Cup-win, the wheels finally seem to be slowing for the 32-year-old Sheary. He scored just 15 points in 57 games with Tampa Bay last season, and went without any points in their first three games this year. Sheary signed a three-year, $6MM contract with the Lightning in 2023, but has so far failed to find the spark that led him to 102 points in 206 games with Washington in the three years prior. He’ll get another chance to find that spark now, hoping that a pass through waivers and productive stint in the minors will be enough fuel. Sheary will step into a Bolts offense in need of help, and could bump Cam Atkinson or Darren Raddysh out of the lineup.

Meanwhile, Tomkins will return to the minors just one day after being called up. He served as an emergency third-string option in Tampa’s trip to Nashville on Friday, but has yet to step into the lineup at any point this season. His only playing time this season stands as eight games in the AHL, where Tomkins has managed three wins and a .890 save percentage. He’s a career depth-goaltender, setting a 29-37-6 record and .898 save percentage in 73 games and six seasons in the AHL. Tomkins also took a brief, two-season trip to Sweden’s SHL, where he posted a .910 in 65 games split between Frolunda HC and Farjestad BK. His return to the AHL will provide some support to Syracuse starter Brandon Halverson, who has a .938 in 10 games this season – second-highest in the AHL.

Flames’ Young Stars Fueling Unexpected Success

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The Calgary Flames held a fire sale between last season and the summer, moving out multiple top-of-the-lineup pieces – including top forward Elias Lindholm, top defenders Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev, and starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom. Calgary moved out more than $24MM in cap space between all of their trades, and yet – as the 2024-25 season prepares to enter December – the Flames sit comfortably in a playoff spot. They’re 12-8-4 so far, ranked third in the Pacific Division and sixth in the Western Conference. Even better, Calgary boasts the third-most cap space in the league – with a projected $25.9MM in current available funds. The hot start and open budget put Calgary in the best spot they’ve been in years, and it’s a direct result of novice general manager Craig Conroy’s timely reliance on the prospect pool.

Conroy emphasized on Sportsnet’s Flames Talk podcast this summer that the goal of the Flames’ season would be to create opportunity for their in-house prospects. 24 games into the season and it seems every single prospect to receive a chance has seized it in full.

Dustin Wolf is quickly establishing himself as a franchise goaltender, posting eight wins and a .918 save percentage through 13 games in what is his formal rookie season. That kind of performance will command respect in the race for the Calder Trophy, even against Matvei Michkov and Logan Stankoven rivaling point-per-game scoring. Wolf is thriving in what is the first hardy starting experience of his career, continuing to dominate North American pros after taking home the AHL’s Les Cunningham ’MVP’ award in 2023, and the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award for goalie-of-the-year in both 2022 and 2023. He spent just a bit too much time with the NHL roster last season to rival either award, but recorded a cumulative 97 wins and .926 save percentage through 141 games and four seasons in the AHL. That ability is now directly benefiting the Flames. Wolf has posted a save percentage above .900 in 61.5 percent of his starts this year, just 0.4 percent behind Markstrom’s tally in 2021-22 – when he finished the year second in Vezina Trophy voting.

Wolf’s dazzling defense of Calgary’s garrison has given youngsters Connor Zary and Matthew Coronato plenty of space to lead the offensive charge. Zary has become Calgary’s third-most utilized forward at even-strength, with 349 minutes of five-versus-five ice time in 24 games – 13 minutes fewer than Nazem Kadri, two fewer than Mikael Backlund, and 12 more than Jonathan Huberdeau. Zary’s had no trouble keeping up with the studded veterans he’s keeping company with, scoring six points at even strength and 12 points on the year as a whole – tying Huberdeau and one behind Kadri. He’s become a core piece of Calgary’s top-six – a role flirted with when he recorded 14 goals and 34 points in 63 games as a rookie last season. The bulk of his scoring, between this year and last, has come thanks to a nonstop motor and ability to play at top speeds. But while Zary’s outskates his opponents on the top-line, Coronato has taken to outworking them in the middle-six. He’s also jumped up the Flames’ scoring chart, with six goals and 10 points in 19 games this season. That’s one fewer goal than each of Kadri and Huberdeau, and puts Coronato on pace for 26 goals across 82 games – which would mark the highest scoring from a U22 Flame since Matthew Tkachuk and Sean Monahan each surpassed the 25-goal mark three separate times before their 22nd birthday.

The surge of production from Zary and Coronato in the top-nine has helped Calgary’s lineup truly settle into place. Utility winger Blake Coleman has been able to resign to a top-notch supporting role, rather than needing to drive play on his own; while Coronato’s role of gritty scorer opens more space for Martin Pospisil to embrace his bruiser tendencies. It’s created a lineup that’s cohesive, multifaceted, and capable of taking on the NHL’s best lineups – made evident by Calgary’s recent three-game stretch of wins over the New York Islanders, Rangers, and Minnesota Wild.

A year intended for retooling has instead become a year of success for the Flames. They’re on an upward trajectory, fueled almost entirely by the team’s timely leaning into their prospect pool. Wolf’s performance as a formal rookie will have Calgary as a top mention in the Calder Trophy race, while Zary and Coronato’s mix of scoring could push the team into the postseason for the first time since 2022. Even without either accolade, the performance of Calgary’s top youngsters this season sets up plenty of reasons to be excited about their long-term outlook.

Sabres Recall Tyson Kozak With Sam Lafferty Out

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Buffalo Sabres Sam Lafferty left the team’s Friday loss to the Vancouver Canucks with a lower-body injury. Head coach Lindy Ruff shared that Lafferty isn’t expected to play against the Islanders on Saturday, prompting the team to recall forward Tyson Kozak, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. Lysowski adds that Kozak could make his debut right away, leapfrogging Nicolas Aube-Kubel as the team’s extra forward.

Lafferty has just one goal in 21 games this season from Buffalo’s fourth line. He’s added onto that 14 penalty minutes, a -2, and 26 hits – the slimmest stat line of any routine Sabres lineup piece. That should pave a strong path to minutes for Kozak, who seems to have finally found his groove at the pro level. He has five goals and six points in 14 game this season, already matching his goal-totals from 55 games in 2022-23, and 41 games in 2023-24. He’ll become the first seventh round pick from the 2021 NHL Draft to make his debut, should he step in – with the closest NHL company being fifth-round pick Joshua Roy, who’s played 25 games with Montreal.

Kozak was a diligent playmaker in junior hockey, recording 109 points across 152 games with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, though that tenure was interrupted by COVID-19 cancellations. He served as Portland’s captain in his final season of 2021-22, posting 69 points in 66 games with a letter on his chest. He’s not been as diligent at the pro level, but could still hit a strong groove should this hot start to the season continue.

Evening Notes: Smith, McLaughlin, Oesterle, Portillo

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The Carolina Hurricanes have brought defender Ty Smith back to the NHL roster per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff. He was assigned to the minor leagues in a corresponding move to their recall of goaltender Yaniv Perets, who filled in while Pyotr Kochetkov was day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Smith has been back-and-forth between the NHL and AHL rosters all season, though he hasn’t played an NHL game since 2022-23. His only ice time this year has come through four games with the Chicago Wolves. Smith has three points, all assists, in those outings. Smith has a defined history in North American pros, originally going 17th-overall in the 2018 NHL Draft after a strong WHL career and making his NHL debut in 2020-21. He recorded 23 points in 48 games as a rookie, but has since failed to follow-up – with just 47 games across 123 career games. He’s spent the last two years fully in the minors, recording 67 points across 102 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Smith will now return to a role as Carolina’s seventh defender, hoping to fight for ice time above Sean Walker or Shayne Gostisbehere.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Boston Bruins have assigned forward Marc McLaughlin and defenseman Jordan Oesterle to the minor leagues per the AHL transactions log. The move was first reported by Robert Chalmers of Cohen’s Hockey Media. It’s unclear if the move is a paper move – though Chalmers suggests it could be lasting. Neither McLaughlin or Oesterle suited up in Boston’s Wednesday win over the Islanders. In fact, McLaughlin has only stepped into one Bruins game this season – Boston’s loss to Vancouver on Tuesday. He didn’t record any scoring in that outing but did add one block and three hits in 9:36 of ice time. Oesterle has served a bit hardier of a role – albeit as an injury fill-in for Hampus Lindholm – stepping into three games but yet to find his first point of the year. Oesterle’s only stat changes come through three blocks, three hits, and a -2. Both players will return to the minors, where McLaughlin has scored 10 points in 15 games and Oesterle has eight points in nine games.
  • Top Los Angeles Kings goalie prospect Erik Portillo is expected to make his NHL debut on Friday shares team manager of editorial content Zach Dooley. Portillo will take on an Anaheim Ducks with a 5-4-1 record in their last 10 games, though they’ve tied opponents in scoring 31-to-31. The Kings called Portillo up for the first full recall of his career on November 24th. He’s the only Ontario Reign goaltender with a save percentage above .900 – boasting a .906 through six AHL games this year. Portillo was more formally Ontario’s starter last year, recording 24 wins and a .918 through 39 games as an AHL rookie. He was a standout at the University of Michigan, accumulating a .918 save percentage over 87 games and three seasons with the Wolverines.

Snapshots: Hronek, Friedman, Pickering, Sillinger, Chinakhov

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Vancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek is expected to miss a “while” with an upper-body injury per Irfaan Gaffar of Daily Faceoff. Hronek seemed to suffer a shoulder injury in Vancouver’s Wednesday loss to the Penguins, after getting hit awkwardly into the boards by Pittsburgh defenseman Jack St. Ivany.

Any extended absence from Hronek would be hard for Vancouver to bear. He’s continued to serve a top-line role this season, averaging over 23 minutes of ice time a game opposite of Canucks superstar Quinn Hughes. Hronek has managed one goal and nine points in 21 games in the role – on pace for 35 points, a dip from the 48 points he scored last season.

Hronek’s stat line may not jump off the page, but he’s seemed to be the key to unlocking a Norris Trophy-level Quinn Hughes. The two have outscored opponents 18-to-10 at even-strength this season, compared to Hughes’ tying opponent scoring five-to-five without Hronek. The two have recorded a 55.07 expected-goals-for percentage since being paired together last year.

The Canucks are expected to recall veteran defenseman Mark Friedman in response to Hronek’s injury, per Noah Strang of Daily Hive. Friedman has four points through eight AHL games this year but has yet to make his season debut with Vancouver. He recorded one assist in 23 games with the Canucks last year, marking his sixth season serving the role of seventh or eighth defenseman for an NHL club. Friedman has tallied 13 points in 88 career games in the minutes he’s earned. Friedman will likely step right into the lineup hole, though he’ll face pressure from Vincent Desharnais on the bench – and Jett Woo and Cole McWard from the minors. With a potential long-term vacancy opening up, all four defenders could find a way into the lineup.

Other Thanksgiving notes:

  • Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Owen Pickering missed another practice due to illness shares Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports. Head coach Mike Sullivan added that the rookie is still being evaluated, and remains questionable for the team’s road game in Boston on Friday. Pickering sat out of Wednesday’s game against Vancouver. He has one point – an assist – through the first four career games. Pickering will return to competition with Ryan Shea when he’s back to full health.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets will have the services of Cole Sillinger on Friday, but Yegor Chinakhov is “banged up” and questionable, per Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers. Both players missed Columbus’ Thursday practice. The two have returned as core pieces of Columbus’ middle-six. They sit next to each other on the team’s scoring ranks, with Chinakhov posting 14 points in 21 games and Sillinger posting 12 in 20 games.

Sharks Place Barclay Goodrow On IR, Recall Ethan Cardwell

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The San Jose Sharks have placed forward Barclay Goodrow on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. He left the team’s Wednesday night loss to the Senators in the first period. Goodrow took a high hit from Ottawa’s Ridly Greig in his first shift and only played through three more 30-second shifts before heading back to the locker room. San Jose made no indication of what specific injury Goodrow suffered, though he’s had bad luck with head injuries –  going on a liquid diet for a month after blocking a shot with his face in a game against Ottawa last December. He’ll miss San Jose’s next three games, at least, with this new IR designation.

Goodrow has struggled to find his footing with the Sharks, standing with just two goals in 25 games this season. He’s recorded 31 shots on net, earning a 6.5 shooting percentage – ranked in the bottom 25 of all forwards to score at least one goal this season. It continues his struggling scoring from last year, when Goodrow posted a 6.6 shooting percentage with four goals in 80 games. Despite the snakebite, he’s still offering meaningful veteran value to a young Sharks lineup – filling a routine role on the second unit of both special teams. San Jose is expected to slot Givani Smith in the lineup in Goodrow’s absence, meaning special teams minutes will need to be distributed around the lineup’s younger options.

In a corresponding move, Ethan Cardwell has been called back to the NHL lineup. He’ll step into the role of extra forward but could work his way into the lineup with an extended recall. Cardwell played in the first three NHL games of his career earlier this season, going without any scoring but recording three shots and five hits. He’s recorded one goal and seven points in 13 AHL games this season, slightly below the scoring pace of his 43-point rookie year last season.

Sabres Reassign Isak Rosen, Activate Tage Thompson

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Nov. 27, 10:25 a.m.: Thompson will come off injured reserve and play tonight against the Wild, head coach Lindy Ruff confirmed to reporters, including Heather Engel of NHL.com.

Nov. 26, 5:50 p.m.: The Buffalo Sabres have assigned top prospect Isak Rosen back to the minor leagues, clearing up the room to activate star forward Tage Thompson off of injured reserve per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. Thompson has missed Buffalo’s last five games after suffering a lower-body injury in the team’s November 11th matchup against Montreal. He returned to practice in full earlier today and shared that he’ll be good to go on Wednesday with reporters, including Jonathan Acosta of WGRZ.

Thompson will return to the lineup with an intact four-game goal streak since he scored once in the game when he sustained his injury. He has 11 goals and 18 points in 16 games this season and is still the only Sabre to cross 10 goals despite five fewer appearances. Thompson has continued to serve as the heart of Buffalo’s lineup this season, averaging over 19 minutes of ice time and a key role on the power-play. He’ll jump right back into a top role when Buffalo hosts Minnesota on Wednesday, likely between his usual wing pair of JJ Peterka and Alex Tuch.

Buffalo has persevered through Thompson’s absence, setting a 4-1-0 record in their last five games. But the offense has taken a notable hit, with Buffalo averaging just 2.8 goals-per-game without Thompson – down from the 3.44 goals they averaged in their first 16 games. It’s been defender Bowen Byram and goaltenders Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stepping up in response, with Byram averaging nearly 24 minutes of ice time and the netminders averaging 2.40 goals against without Thompson.

Meanwhile, Rosen will return to the minors after receiving 6:30 of ice time in Buffalo’s Saturday win over San Jose. He didn’t record any points in the outing, pulling Rosen through his eighth career NHL game with still no scoring. That’s despite the young Swede serving as the Rochester Americans’ leading scorer, with 13 points through 14 games this year. He ranked second on the team in scoring last year, with 50 points in 67 games as an AHL rookie. Rosen still stands as one of Buffalo’s top-shelf prospects, and will rejoin company like Konsta Helenius, Viktor Neuchev, and Anton Wahlberg in Rochester. All four prospects will fight to climb Buffalo’s call-up list before the winter break by righting a sinking Rochester lineup currently on a seven-game losing streak.

Leafs Notes: Matthews, Knies, Domi, Kampf

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The Toronto Maple Leafs received a string of injury updates at practice today, kicked off by captain Auston Matthews taking the ice for his first team skate since November 3rd. Matthews has missed Toronto’s last eight games with an upper-body injury. He returned to the ice on Saturday, working on individual drills after arriving back from a trip to see a specialist in Germany. But despite the return to full practice, Matthews said he’s uncertain if he’ll play on Wednesday, adding that he may need a couple more practices before he feels ready per TSN Sports. The Leafs begin a two-game road trip to Florida tomorrow that will take them through the end of the week.

It goes without saying that Matthews’ return is hotly anticipated. He has a modest 11 points in 13 games this season, but had a career year in 2023-24 – scoring 69 goals and 107 points. His goal-scoring set a Leafs record and marked the most anyone has scored in one season since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96. But the Leafs have been doing surprisingly well in his absence, posting a 7-1-0 record and outscoring their opponents 25-to-13. Their 3.125 goals-per-game average on this run is a boost over the 3.0 goals they averaged through their first 13 games. They’ve even improved their goals-per-game average, rising to 3.125 goals over this span after averaging 3.0 in their first 13 games. Matthews is a tremendous talent to add to a hot lineup – and Toronto will hope they can maintain the run through a stretch of tough matchups.

Other updates from today’s Leafs practice:

  • Matthew Knies also returned to practice donning a no-contact jersey, shares David Alter of The Hockey News. Knies is currently on injured reserve with an upper-body injury suffered in Toronto’s November 20th matchup against Vegas. Knies will be another notable addition to the top-six when he returns. He’s so far scored eight goals and 12 points in 20 games while averaging roughly 18 minutes of ice time, and served a key role on both special teams units. Knies is playing through his second full NHL season, after scoring 15 goals and 20 points as a rookie last year.
  • From great, to good, to bad – center Max Domi won’t join Toronto on their two-game road trip, as he continues to heal from a lower-body injury per Alter of The Hockey News. Domi will mis his third and fourth consecutive games with this news. He’s been on injured reserve since the 20th as well, and head coach Craig Berube didn’t provide an update on when Domi may return. Berube similarly didn’t have an update on David Kampf, shares Alter’s colleague Evan Doerfler. Kampf was placed on long-term injured reserve on November 16th and is expected to miss through mid-December.

Jets Recall Ville Heinola, Place Dylan Samberg On IR

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The Winnipeg Jets have placed Dylan Samberg on injured reserve with a broken foot. Samberg suffered the injury in the second period of Winnipeg’s Saturday matchup against Nashville, blocking a Steven Stamkos slapshot with his skate and immediately leaving the ice. Winnipeg has also recalled the oft-injured Ville Heinola from an AHL conditioning stint in a corresponding move, setting him up to make his season debut after starting the year on the season-open non-roster list. Heinola had surgery on his ankle in September.

Samberg has served a top role for Winnipeg all season long, recording six points through 21 games while averaging over 20 minutes of ice time. He’s once again serving next to Neal Pionk, the same role that Samberg recorded a career-high 31 points in last season. He’s dug his feet in as yet another evergreen defensive-defenseman in the Jets lineup. That role was stamped this summer when the Jets signed Samberg to a four-year, $19.6MM contract extension. He’s recorded 83 points across 316 games with Winnipeg, bringing his career totals to 147 points in 575 games.

Heinola will offer a quick substitute for Samberg, returning to the NHL after scoring one assist in two games on his AHL conditioning stint. Heinola spent all of the 2023-24 campaign in the minors, scoring 27 points in 41 games with the Manitoba Moose. He’s yet to vindicate a 20th-overall selection in the 2019 NHL Draft despite being in North American pros since 2019-20. He jumped into the NHL right away, recording five points in his first eight games with the Jets – but failed to maintain that scoring through injury and moves to the AHL and a return to Finland’s Liiga during the COVID-19 season of 2020-21.

Heinola played in five NHL games at the tail-end of that year, going without any scoring – even despite 11 points in 19 AHL games. He’s since bounced between Winnipeg and Manitoba, intercut by routine trips to injured reserve. Heinola has totaled 11 points in 35 career NHL games and a much-more productive 103 points in 154 AHL games.

Hurricanes Activate Seth Jarvis, Recall Yaniv Perets, Assign Ty Smith

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The Carolina Hurricanes have activated top forward Seth Jarvis from injured reserved. Jarvis missed the last seven games with an upper-body injury. He returned to practice in a no-contact jersey on November 19th. In a corresponding move, Carolina also recalled goaltender Yaniv Perets and assigned defender Ty Smith.

Jarvis will return ahead of a three-game homestand for the Hurricanes, giving a much-needed boost to a Carolina offense that got outscored by New Jersey and Columbus in their last two outings. Jarvis has 11 points through 13 games this season, returning to a pivotal role in the team’s top-six and special teams. He’s coming off a prolific 2023-24 campaign, scoring 33 goals and 67 points despite playing most of the season injured. The 22-year-old has established himself as a pillar of the Carolina lineup, and will now get a chance to get back to point-per-game scoring. His return will likely bump William Carrier or Tyson Jost out of the lineup, with Eric Robinson hanging onto his role with four points in his last four games.

Carolina also bolsters their net with this move, recalling Perets following a scary injury to de facto starter Pyotr Kochetkov. No update on Kochetkov’s prognosis has been given, but Perets’ recall suggests Carolina will deal with at least a few days without their top netminder. They’ll now have to decide between Spencer Martin and Perets for the starting role. Martin has a 1-2-1 record and .870 save percentage through five NHL games this year. Perets hasn’t made his first career NHL start yet, but has stepped into three AHL games – with a .825 save percentage through three games. With both goalies on NHL recalls, the Chicago Wolves are left with Dustin Tokarski and Ruslan Khazheyev in their net.

The Hurricanes will move forward with an improved offense, but tattered goaltending room. They’re 6-3-1 through their last 10 games, outscoring opponents 39-to-28.

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