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Archives for October 2025

Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

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The 2025-26 NHL regular season is now underway.  As is often the case, we saw a flurry of extensions before the season started, plus one more early on in the year while there has been some interesting action early on.  With that in mind, it’s a good time to once again open up the mailbag.

Our last call for questions yielded enough questions for a pair of mailbags.  Topics in the first included one of the early CBA changes regarding paper transactions, getting out the crystal ball when it comes to non-playoff teams, and the Hughes brothers.  Meanwhile, included in the second column were thoughts on what’s next for the Flyers, what type of impact Jonathan Toews could have with Winnipeg this season, and why we don’t see a lot of prominent players signing short-term contracts compared to other leagues.

You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter/X or by leaving a comment down below. The mailbag will run this weekend.

Sabres’ Justin Danforth Out Several Weeks With Lower-Body Injury

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Sabres forward Justin Danforth will miss more than a month with the lower-body injury he sustained in Wednesday’s 8-4 drubbing of the Senators, head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters today (including Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News). It was never made clear what play actually caused the injury, but he left the game early in the second period and didn’t return.

It’s nothing Buffalo isn’t used to by now. Injuries have decimated their forward group early in the season. Jordan Greenway and Joshua Norris remain on injured reserve. New top-line winger Zach Benson only just made his season debut after a rather significant facial injury kept him out of the first three games, and he lit up the Sens for four assists to immediately assume the team lead in scoring.

Danforth, 32, inked a two-year, $3.6MM deal with the Sabres in free agency after spending the first four years of his NHL career with the Blue Jackets. He began the year on the fourth line but was quickly elevated into top-nine duties with Jiri Kulich and Jack Quinn when Norris got hurt in Buffalo’s first game. He’s without a point in any of his four appearances and hasn’t been particularly effective otherwise, aside from taking some faceoffs and going 54.8% on the dot, on pace for a career high. He’s managed four blocks and three hits with a -2 rating, only controlling 41.5% of shot attempts despite starting 55.6% of his shifts in the offensive zone at even strength.

The Sabres can place Danforth on injured reserve at any point if they need his roster spot, although they haven’t done so yet. They have enough cap space ($3.12MM) that long-term injured reserve shouldn’t be a consideration. For now, it appears recent call-up Joshua Dunne will maintain a spot in the lineup in Danforth’s place when Buffalo hosts the Panthers tomorrow afternoon.

Kraken Place Freddy Gaudreau On Injured Reserve

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The Kraken announced that center Frédérick Gaudreau has been placed on injured reserve after leaving last night’s game with an undisclosed issue. Forward John Hayden has been called up from AHL Coachella Valley in the corresponding move.

The nature or severity of Gaudreau’s injury isn’t known, but it looms over what’s otherwise been an inauspicious start to his tenure in Seattle. He’s got one assist through four games and has been centering the Kraken’s fourth line between Tye Kartye and Jani Nyman while factoring in on the penalty kill. He has an even rating but has been tasked with difficult defensive matchups, only controlling 41.4% of shot attempts at even strength as a result.

It’s a small sample size, though, and the Kraken should still be expecting him to be the reliable bottom-six piece he was for the previous four years for the Wild aside from a brief nosedive in 2023-24. Gaudreau averaged a 15-21–36 scoring line per 82 games in Minnesota from 2021-25, winning 49.2% of his faceoffs and averaging 15:33 of ice time per game. His possession impacts have been trailing off for quite some time, though, culminating in a career-worst 44.2 CF% last year. Seattle acquired Gaudreau, who’s signed through 2027-28 at a cap hit of $2.1MM, for a fourth-round pick back in June.

With Gaudreau and Kaapo Kakko on IR, Seattle is already without a pair of lineup regulars up front four games into the young season. They haven’t let it affect them yet, though – they’re one of four teams left without a regulation loss and boast a 2-0-2 record with a +1 goal differential.

The question now is whether the veteran Hayden will replace Gaudreau in the fourth-line center slot, or if 2024 No. 8 overall pick Berkly Catton will get a crack at making his NHL debut tomorrow against the Maple Leafs after sitting in the press box for all four games so far. It will likely be the former. If Catton is scratched for five consecutive games, he becomes eligible for a two-week conditioning stint in Coachella Valley. The 19-year-old isn’t yet eligible for a full-time AHL assignment and must be returned to his junior team, WHL Spokane, if he’s not on the NHL roster. A conditioning stint still counts against Seattle’s roster limit and is thus permitted. The Kraken took a similar approach with top-five pick Shane Wright in 2022-23 before subsequently loaning him back to juniors later in the year.

Hayden, 30, is now in his fourth year with the Kraken. He suited up 20 times for Seattle last year, his highest games played total since making 55 appearances with the Sabres in 2021-22. The bottom-six grinder has 18 goals and 39 points with a -30 rating in 269 career NHL games and has appeared in parts of nine consecutive seasons.

Lightning Recall Steven Santini

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The Lightning announced that they have recalled right-shot defender Steven Santini from AHL Syracuse. With an open roster spot and space in their LTIR pool, they don’t need to make a corresponding move. He comes up following yesterday’s news that fellow rearguard Maxwell Crozier is out for at least the next two games, potentially longer, with an undisclosed injury.

Santini first joined Tampa Bay’s organization as a two-way signing ahead of the 2024-25 season, and he made one appearance for the club last year in December, logging a shot, hit, and two blocks in 11:37 of ice time. He signed a two-year, two-way extension in June to remain with the club through 2026-27. He cleared waivers during the preseason and has one assist in two games in Syracuse’s young season, serving as an alternate captain for the club for the second year in a row.

The 30-year-old Santini was a second-round pick by the Devils back in 2013. He has 124 total games of NHL experience, most of which came in a New Jersey uniform early in his pro career. He made 30-plus appearances in three straight years from 2016-19 but has made just 10 NHL appearances since the beginning of the 2019-20 season. He made stops in the Predators, Blues, and Kings organizations between his departure from Jersey and his arrival in Tampa. The 6’3″, 214-lb righty has a 5-18–23 scoring line in those 124 games with a -8 rating, averaging 17:10 per game with a subpar CF% of 42.1 at even strength.

A defensive specialist, he’ll slot in as a fine healthy extra with Crozier out for the time being. He isn’t expected to draw in tonight against the Red Wings; that will be Darren Raddysh after sitting as a healthy scratch for the Bolts’ last two games. Raddysh had a goal and two assists in Tampa’s first two games of the year alongside Victor Hedman, but was relegated to the press box once J.J. Moser was eligible to return from suspension.

Santini can remain on Tampa’s roster for up to 30 nonconsecutive days until he needs to clear waivers again to head back to Syracuse.

Rangers Reassign Connor Mackey

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The Rangers announced that defenseman Connor Mackey was assigned to AHL Hartford. They’re left with an open roster spot for now.

There are multiple potential motivations for the demotion. Mackey was recalled last weekend to serve as a healthy extra in conjunction with Carson Soucy landing on injured reserve. Soucy is eligible to come off IR tomorrow after sustaining his upper-body injury last Saturday, Oct. 11. He hasn’t skated since then, though, so a return this weekend seems unlikely. The Blueshirts were also carrying eight defensemen on the active roster entering today. They recalled top prospect Scott Morrow on Wednesday amid an injury concern for William Borgen, but Borgen ended up being able to go for yesterday’s overtime loss to the Maple Leafs.

Hartford is also light on its blue line, with the Mackey and Morrow recalls leaving them with just three NHL-contracted defensemen on their roster. Sending Mackey back gives them a fourth and a stable veteran presence as their schedule ramps up.

Notably, the waiver-exempt Morrow stays up for now. That could change when Soucy is ready to return, but reassigning Mackey over Morrow indicates the Rangers may look to get the latter into his season debut sooner rather than later. They’re still ironing out some question marks on their blue line. It’s hard to justify taking rookie Matthew Robertson out of the lineup – after starting the year as New York’s No. 7, he’s been elevated into top-four duties with Borgen with Soucy out. That pairing has dominated to the tune of a 70.4 xGF% and 53.5 CF% at 5v5, per MoneyPuck. While dressing Morrow would give them four righties and two lefties, they may be mulling a benching for Urho Vaakanainen, who’s been a non-factor on the scoresheet through six games.

Mackey, 29, is in his third season with the organization. This recall didn’t result in any playing time, but he did log one appearance for the Blueshirts in 2023-24 and two in 2024-25. The 6’3″ lefty is a pending UFA on a two-way deal and has recorded an 8-27–35 scoring line with a +12 rating in 111 games for Hartford over the past three years.

Mackey does not need waivers for today’s demotion because he’s played fewer than 10 NHL games and spent less than 30 days on the active roster since he last cleared them. This recall lasted five days, so he’s got 25 left on his clock before he needs to hit the wire again to return to Hartford.

Capitals Recall Ethen Frank

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The Capitals have announced the recall of winger Ethen Frank from AHL Hershey. Frank will likely be Washington’s scratch at forward for its game against the Wild tonight, but will be on hand to enter the lineup in case of a last-minute injury. Since a roster spot opened up yesterday when Vincent Iorio was claimed off waivers by the Sharks, no corresponding transaction is required.

Frank, 27, returns to Washington’s NHL roster after making his big league debut last season. Undrafted, Frank has worked his way up the depth chart from AHL signing to reliable call-up option in just a few years. He made his pro debut for Hershey late in the 2021-22 season after a five-year run at Western Michigan and ended up signing his first NHL contract late the following season.

Over 163 career games in the minors, Frank has 82 goals, 45 assists, and 127 points. He’s led Hershey in goals twice, including netting 30 as a rookie, and has been named to the AHL All-Star Classic in all three of his full-time pro seasons. After recording a 4-3–7 scoring line in 24 NHL appearances last year, he was expected to get a long look at a top-nine role in training camp, but was boxed out by rookie Ryan Leonard, 2020 first-rounder Hendrix Lapierre, and returning vet Sonny Milano, who spent most of 2024-25 sidelined with a concussion. He was waived at the end of training camp and, despite fears he would be claimed due to his strong minor-league track record, went unclaimed and was assigned to Hershey.

Frank already has two goals through two games for Hershey this year. He’ll be one of Washington’s preferred call-up options throughout the year, but they’ll be careful with his waiver status. He has a 10-game, 30-day clock on the active roster until he needs to pass through them again to return to the minors.

He’s coming up today to ensure the Caps keep an extra healthy forward around. They’re still without Pierre-Luc Dubois, who’s day-to-day with a lower-body issue and will miss his second straight game tonight. He practiced today, but with a non-contact designation, according to The Hockey News.

East Notes: Tuch, Crozier, Othmann

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There was a heavy expectation heading into the 2025-26 season that the Buffalo Sabres would get an extension done with forward Alex Tuch. Before the campaign, there was no agreed-upon extension, and Tuch’s future is more uncertain following a disappointing start by the Sabres. In a recent interview with David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, Brian Bartlett, Tuch’s agent, admitted that extension talks had begun to stall.

Bartlett acknowledged that the Sabres wanted to keep Tuch after this season, and Tuch expressed interest in staying as well. However, Bartlett shared further, ” I think we’ve all kind of decided that it’s best to just try to get some wins here. Alex is a leader on that team, both play-wise and kind of, you know, in the room. So he wants to focus on that, not have it a distraction, so we’ve wanted to just kind of let everyone know, like, we’re just gonna put this on the backburner for a little bit – doesn’t mean that we’re closing the door to signing, doesn’t mean anything, just means that, you know, for the time period, he’s gotta try to help the Buffalo Sabres win games.”

Despite earning a win last night, the Sabres haven’t gotten off on the right foot to stave off the 15th year of their playoff drought. If Tuch wants to play on a legitimate contender, few would condemn him for seeking an opportunity outside of Buffalo. Still, there’s plenty of time to correct the disappointing start, and Tuch may feel more inclined to revisit talks if the Sabres can collect more wins.

Additional notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning will be without defenseman Maxwell Crozier for the next few games. After leaving the team’s recent game against the Washington Capitals in the first period, Benjamin Pierce, the team’s manager of media relations, passed along a note from head coach Jon Cooper confirming that he would miss the next few games and potentially the next few weeks. Regardless, the Lightning have a readily available in-house candidate to replace Crozier in Darren Raddysh, who’s scored one goal and three points in two games this year.
  • Earlier, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman asserted that the New York Rangers were listening to offers for forward prospect Brennan Othmann. Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic provided additional context in a new article, indicating that the writing was on the wall during training camp. Mercogliano confirmed that Othmann hasn’t made a formal trade request, but agrees that a fresh start would be best. He noted that the Rangers were wholly underwhelmed by Othmann’s four preseason performances and sent him down nearly one week before the beginning of the season.

Sharks Looking To Add Young Defensemen

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Given their collection of forward prospects, it’s unsurprising that David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period is reporting that the San Jose Sharks are pivoting their attention to their defensive core. San Jose took a step forward in that endeavor today, claiming 22-year-old blueliner Vincent Iorio off waivers from the Washington Capitals.

Still, Iorio won’t be enough to handle the potential mass exodus from the Sharks’ blue line this season. Veterans Nick Leddy, John Klingberg, Mario Ferraro, Timothy Liljegren, and Vincent Desharnais are all pending unrestricted free agents, and that’s likely by design. Given that defensemen are typically at a premium throughout the trade deadline season, San Jose could hypothetically get a haul should they make each of them available leading up to March.

Unfortunately, the Sharks, like most teams, lack the necessary depth to sustain the departure of five defensemen from the active roster. If they move each of the pending UFAs, that would leave San Jose with Dmitry Orlov, Sam Dickinson, Shakir Mukhamadullin, and Iorio penciled in for the rest of the year.

The Sharks could conceivably recall Lucas Carlsson or Jack Thompson to fill in the depth. Still, the former is already 28 years old and isn’t expected to contribute to the next competitive iteration of the Sharks.

In the short term, it would be in the Sharks’ best interest to stick to the waiver wire for additional reinforcements. The Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, and Nashville Predators may put some defensemen on the wire in the next few weeks as some of their injured defensemen return to the lineup.

Acquiring a younger defenseman would objectively become easier closer to the deadline. As teams begin to separate from the pack and weaknesses become apparent on contending teams, San Jose will be in a much better position as a rebuilding club to take advantage of a buyer’s desperation.

Detroit Red Wings Shopping Defensemen

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David Pagnotta from The Fourth Period reports that the Detroit Red Wings are attempting to resolve their surplus of defensemen through the trade market. Pagnotta specifically mentioned Erik Gustafsson and Travis Hamonic as trade bait moving forward, though Justin Holl could likely be thrown into the mix as well.

Gustafsson would be the least surprising veteran blueliner to move in the next few weeks. Although he technically made the team out of training camp, he was waived before the start of the campaign and was reassigned once the team welcomed James van Riemsdyk to the active roster. Given that he’s only making $2MM this season, Gustafsson would be one of the easiest ones to move.

Still, there’s an argument to be made that Gustafsson is overpaid, even on that reasonable salary. He had a disappointing first year with the Red Wings last season, scoring two goals and 18 points in 60 games despite being marketed as an offensive defenseman. His -19 rating finished as the worst on the team, and his 16:19 ATOI was second to last among defensemen with more than 40 games played.

The latter two would be somewhat trickier to move. Detroit only recently signed Hamonic (August 15th), and has a shortage of depth on the right side. Regardless of his disastrous play during the team’s home opener, it would be relatively uncharacteristic for a team to move on from a free agent signing that quickly.

Meanwhile, Holl would be the most difficult to move given his salary for the rest of the 2025-26 season. In potentially the worst signing for the Red Wings under Steve Yzerman’s stewardship, the team gave Holl a three-year, $10.2MM ($3.4MM AAV) contract in 2023, with a 10-team no-trade list in each year of the deal. Like Gustafsson, Holl was sent through waivers shortly before the start of the regular season. Now playing for the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, Holl is unlikely to have much of a market considering 31 teams passed on him via the waiver wire.

Regardless, with the positive play of newcomer Jacob Bernard-Docker and youngster Axel Sandin Pellikka, the trio of veterans is unlikely to get an opportunity with Detroit anytime soon. A hypothetical trade wouldn’t entirely be without precedent, either. After the emergence of Albert Johansson last year, the Red Wings traded Olli Määttä to the Utah Hockey Club for a 2025 third-round pick in late October.

Still, none of this is urgent. The Red Wings have enough cap space to absorb Gustafsson and Holl’s buried contracts, and could do the same with Hamonic if he continues slumping. However, it would be a better service to the players if Detroit could put them in a situation with more opportunities.

Canucks Activate Pierre-Olivier Joseph

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The Canucks announced that they’ve reinstated defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph from injured reserve. They had an open roster spot after placing Derek Forbort on IR yesterday, so no corresponding transaction is required.

Joseph will be available for tonight’s game against the Stars after sitting out all three games this season with an undisclosed injury. He landed on IR to open the season after an issue arose late in camp, so he hasn’t played since the beginning of the month. He returned to practice in a non-contact jersey on Tuesday, so he’s had a few days of ramp-up.

The 26-year-old lefty will be making his Canucks debut if he enters the lineup tonight, but based on this morning’s line rushes, he’s expected to be a healthy scratch, per Dan Murphy of Sportsnet. He inked a one-year, league-minimum deal with the club in free agency after being non-tendered by the Penguins.

A first-round pick by the Coyotes back in 2017, Joseph is still looking to re-establish himself as an everyday defender. Acquired from Arizona by Pittsburgh in the 2019 Phil Kessel deal, Joseph first broke out as an NHL option in the 2022-23 season, when he made 75 appearances for the Pens and posted five goals and 21 points with a +8 rating. That was good enough to give him a few fringe Calder Trophy votes, but since then, he hasn’t been able to recapture that level of two-way performance.

Joseph only made 52 appearances for Pittsburgh the following year before being non-tendered for the first time. He signed with the Blues on a one-year deal worth $950K for 2024-25, but had two points and a -7 rating in 23 games before they traded him back to the Penguins. His stat line to finish out the year was even more underwhelming – just one assist and a -15 rating in 24 games for a performance that showed out well below replacement value.

He reunites with president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford in Vancouver, who was the GM of the Penguins when they initially acquired him six years ago. He’ll start by slotting in as the Canucks’ No. 7 while Elias N. Pettersson and Victor Mancini cover bottom-pairing duties for now with Forbort out. Still, he might get a look in the lineup if the “other” Elias continues to struggle as he has through the first three games. He’s been held without a point, is averaging 13:36 per game, and has been caved in for a 34.8 CF% and 32.4 xGF% at even strength.

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