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Latest On David Kampf

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Over the offseason, the Maple Leafs were looking to find a new home for veteran center David Kampf but no trade came to fruition.  As a result, he was ultimately waived in training camp and, after going unclaimed, he was assigned to AHL Toronto.

Considering that GM Brad Treliving signed the 30-year-old to a four-year, $9.6MM contract a little more than two years ago, this was an outcome that wasn’t expected.  The plan was that he’d continue to anchor the fourth line while providing strong work at the faceoff dot and on the penalty kill.  But his role was reduced last season under Craig Berube and other lower-cost players now occupy his spot on the roster.

This season, Kampf had only played in four of seven games with the Marlies heading into the weekend.  He didn’t suit up on the road in Chicago either as  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (video link) that the veteran is taking a couple of days to ponder his future.

In recent years, we’ve seen a handful of players walk away from guaranteed money in the hopes of getting a more favorable opportunity in the NHL or simply to get back into the NHL.  Among that group are Conor Sheary, Brandon Saad, and Filip Zadina.  It’s possible that Kampf is pondering a similar route although he’d be walking away from more than $3MM in money owed between his salary this season and next plus next season’s signing bonus.

While that possibility is on the table, TSN’s Darren Dreger recently noted that the Maple Leafs are still trying to find a new home for Kampf.  However, with the team needing to free up cap space to accommodate Joseph Woll’s pending return from LTIR, they’re not necessarily in a spot where they can afford to take a similarly-priced player back.  Meanwhile, retaining salary would also make getting back to compliance a little trickier although they are dealing with a $1.25MM dead cap charge while Kampf is in the minors.  Technically, retaining less than that amount would still save them some cap room but it would tie up a salary retention slot through June 30, 2027.

If Woll’s return is the pressure point on the team, that could still be a week or two away as it’s expected that he’ll need a conditioning stint with the Marlies, one that would last three games but could be extended by two more with league approval.  However, if Kampf doesn’t want to wait that long, he could try to force the issue sooner but he’d likely have to walk away from the rest of his contract to do so.  If that were to happen, his contract would come off Toronto’s books entirely beyond what has already been accrued over the first few weeks of the season.

 

Canucks Believed To Have Inquired About Steven Stamkos

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The Canucks have long been searching for extra help down the middle, a need amplified by the latest injury to Filip Chytil.  To that end, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic recently reported (audio link) that he has been told that Vancouver has kicked the tires on Predators forward Steven Stamkos as they continue to cast a wide net in their search for a center.

Stamkos was one of Nashville’s splashy signings in the 2024 offseason, a summer that also saw GM Barry Trotz bring in winger Jonathan Marchessault and defenseman Brady Skjei in the hopes of establishing themselves as a contender in a tough Central Division.  While Marchessault has worked out reasonably well so far (though underachieving relative to expectations), the other two haven’t.

Stamkos is in the second season of a four-year, $32MM pact, signed with the belief that he could still be a steady scorer away from Tampa Bay where he spent the first 16 years of his career.  However, after putting up 40 goals and 81 points in his final season with the Lightning, the 35-year-old managed just 27 goals and 53 points last season.  This year, he’s off to a much slower start, managing just a goal and an assist through 13 outings.

It should be noted that on top of having a contract that looks to be well above market value with how he has played so far, Stamkos also has a full no-move clause.  That means that even if the two teams could agree on a trade, he has full veto power if he doesn’t want to go there.

At this point, there’s no indication that Stamkos is interested in even considering a change of scenery.  However, with how things went off the rails for the Preds last year, another quiet start this season, and his own struggles, it wouldn’t be shocking if he or the team decided to ponder the possibility.

Vancouver’s salary cap situation is quite tight; they’re nearly $2.8MM into LTIR, per PuckPedia.  That means that the Canucks would need to match money to make a move work, something that could be mitigated in part by Nashville retaining salary.  On the other hand, the Predators only have one retention slot remaining this season having already utilized them on Mattias Ekholm and Colton Sissons.  Considering his value has dropped considerably, does it make sense to use that last slot (retaining several million dollars a year for multiple seasons) to elicit what would likely be a middling return?  Or, would they be better off saving that last slot for someone else this season and revisiting the idea over the summer after those other two slots open back up?

While Stamkos is probably better off as a winger at this stage of his career, he has played with some regularity at center for the past few years after primarily playing the position before that.  Given Vancouver’s need for help down the middle, he would certainly help there.  However, considering how difficult it would be to make the cap fit work for the Canucks, Stamkos doesn’t seem like the most plausible of candidates at the moment.  That said, they appear to be examining all possibilities as they look to upgrade the center position.

Hurricanes Recall Pyotr Kochetkov From Conditioning Stint

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Sunday, 7:10 p.m.: Kochetkov’s conditioning stint wound up being short-lived as the Hurricanes announced that they’ve recalled him, along with defenseman Domenick Fensore, from Chicago.  Kochetkov made 22 saves on Saturday against the Marlies while Fensore, sent down just yesterday, was held off the scoresheet for the Wolves this afternoon.

Friday, 5:31 p.m.: Kochetkov will be returning to game action, just not for the Canes just yet. They’ve assigned him to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves on a conditioning stint, which can last up to two weeks. He remains on the active roster during this time.

Friday, 12:23 p.m.: Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov is off injured reserve and will be available to dress for the first time this season when they take on the Bruins on Saturday, the team announced. Defenseman K’Andre Miller landed on IR in a corresponding move retroactive to Oct. 20, so he’s eligible to come off at any time.

Kochetkov was in and out of the lineup during the preseason with an undisclosed injury. That led the Canes to make a claim for Brandon Bussi on waivers, snagging the Panthers’ anticipated No. 3 option off the wire. Kochetkov’s return kept getting pushed back. He was initially labeled day-to-day to start the year, but during the first weekend of the campaign, the team ruled him out for at least another week. He landed on injured reserve a few days later and, nearly two weeks after he was last expected back in the lineup, he’s finally cleared to play.

For now, Carolina will carry three goalies. Bussi has earned the right to stay on the roster with a 3-1-0 record, .916 SV%, and 2.25 GAA in his first four NHL starts. He’s saved 3.6 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck, and has been the superior option to starter Frederik Andersen thus far, albeit in a less taxing workload – although Bussi has started two of Carolina’s last three games.

At the moment, it’s Andersen’s playing time that’s most vulnerable with Kochetkov now being a factor. The 13-year vet has been middling out of the gate, posting a .892 SV% and 3.11 GAA in six appearances with a 4-2-0 record. Carolina is playing better defensively this year in front of Bussi than Andersen, though, so those above-average numbers at face value still translate to 0.9 GSAx, according to MoneyPuck.

The 26-year-old Kochetkov is kicking off the third season of a four-year, $8MM extension he signed in 2022. The 2019 second-round pick is looking for a redemption campaign in 2025-26 after a pedestrian 2024-25 campaign in which he logged a .897 SV%, 2.60 GAA, and two shutouts in a career-high 47 starts. Those aren’t horrible numbers by any stretch, but were a significant step back from his .911 and 2.33 marks that earned him All-Rookie Team honors the year prior.

Miller has missed the last four games with a lower-body injury and only just resumed skating. Before his injury, he was operating as Carolina’s de facto No. 1 defenseman after inking an eight-year, $60MM deal this summer as part of a sign-and-trade with the Rangers. Through his first six games with the Canes, he had four points and a +1 rating while averaging 23:32 of ice time per night. He’s one of three top-six defensemen that the Canes are currently missing, joining Shayne Gostisbehere and Jaccob Slavin.

Oilers Receiving Interest In Troy Stecher

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The Oilers should be getting some help on the injury front over the next couple of weeks with Zach Hyman, Mattias Janmark, and Alec Regula all potentially returning.  That means a roster crunch will soon be coming and when Hyman comes off LTIR, they’ll have to get back to a cap-compliant roster, meaning moves will have to be made as they’re nearly $2.8MM over the cap ceiling, per PuckPedia.

It appears that one of the possibilities to be dealt is defenseman Troy Stecher.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (video link) that there appears to be some interest in the veteran blueliner while Edmonton is open to finding him a soft landing where he’d have a chance to stay on an NHL roster.

The 31-year-old is in his third season with the Oilers and has been in and out of the lineup in the early going this season.  Stecher has made six appearances so far in 2025-26 and has been held off the scoresheet while picking up three blocked shots in a little under 14 minutes a night of playing time.

Over his career, Stecher has played in 566 games over parts of ten seasons, generally playing on the third pairing.  He has 22 goals and 95 assists in those appearances along with 629 blocks and 562 hits in 17:29 per game of ice time.  At this stage of his career, he might be better off in more of a sixth or seventh role where his minutes would be a bit more limited but after playing 66 games in 2024-25, he can still be a regular when called upon.

Stecher is in the final season of his contract, one that carries a $787.5K cap charge and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.  Given their looming roster crunch, Edmonton likely won’t be able to command a significant return if they decide to move Stecher and not a different defender but even if it’s a late-round pick in return, it would be an asset for a player they’d otherwise be likely to lose on waivers when their injured players return.

Kyle Burroughs Clears Waivers, Assigned To AHL

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Sunday: The Kings announced (Twitter link) that Burroughs has been activated off injured reserve, cleared waivers, and has been assigned to AHL Ontario.

Saturday: Veteran defenseman Kyle Burroughs has yet to play this season due to an upper-body injury sustained in the preseason.  It appears he is now ready to return but he won’t be suiting up for the Kings as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Los Angeles has placed the blueliner on waivers.

The 30-year-old is in his second season with the Kings who acquired him a little more than 14 months ago in exchange for winger Carl Grundstrom.  The move gave Los Angeles some extra defensive depth and grit on the heels of Burroughs’ best showing, a 2023-24 campaign that saw him play in 73 games where he recorded eight points, 134 blocks, and 233 hits while averaging over 19 minutes a night of playing time.

However, his first season with the Kings didn’t go anywhere near as well.  Burroughs often found himself on the outside looking in when it came to a place in the lineup and when he was dressed for a game, his role was much different.  Head coach Jim Hiller used Burroughs rather sparingly as his playing time was below eight minutes a night, making it hard for him to have the type of impact he had with San Jose.  In 33 outings, he had three assists, 14 blocks, and 42 hits.

With Burroughs cleared to come back and Los Angeles not having an open roster spot available, the Kings had a choice.  They could either send someone down (Brandt Clarke is the only waiver-exempt player so a different player would have needed to be waived) or try to send Burroughs down instead and clearly, they chose the latter route.

Burroughs is in the final season of a three-year, $3.3MM contract signed back in 2023 with the Sharks.  A $1.1MM price tag for an experienced blueliner with 201 appearances at the NHL level isn’t overly high so if there’s a team looking for some experienced depth, it’s possible that a team places a claim by Sunday’s 1 PM CT deadline.  If that doesn’t happen, the veteran will be on his way to AHL Ontario for what would be his first taste of minor league action since the 2020-21 campaign.  His entire cap hit would be cleared off the books if that happens.

Rangers Recall Jaroslav Chmelar, Assign Brennan Othmann

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The New York Rangers have swapped rookies on the NHL roster. They have recalled right-winger Jaroslav Chmelar from the AHL, while reassigning left-winger Brennan Othmann back to the minor-leagues.

Othmann has been a healthy scratch for the last three games, after making his NHL season debut last Sunday. He managed no scoring and a minus-one in the outing, and generally failed to impress in his limited 12 minutes of ice time. The match was Othman’s 26th game in the Rangers lineup, dating back to the 2023-24 season. He’s recorded two assists and a plus-six through his early career, but still hasn’t found his first NHL goal. In fact, Othmann is still searching for his first goal of the AHL season as well, so far sitting on one assist in four games with the Hartford Wolf Pack. He was a major piece of the Wolf Pack lineup last season, when he managed 12 goals and 20 points in 27 games.

With the shoot-first Othmann headed back to the minors, New York will bring up the imposing size of Chmelar. The Czechia native has five points through nine games to start Hartford’s season, tying him for third on the team in scoring. He finished fifth on the Wolf Pack in scoring as an AHL rookie last season, netting 12 goals and 29 points in 71 games. Standing at 6-foot-5, 220-pounds, Chmelar offers the hard-nosed physicality that’s become much more accustom to the Rangers’ bottom-six. He could be an interesting addition as New York looks to address a long-term injury to enforcer Matt Rempe. Chmelar would be making his NHL debut if he cracked into the Rangers’ lineup. He has scored 36 points in 87 AHL games, and 28 points in 59 NCAA games, through his young hockey career.

Sharks Shake Up Lineup With Wlliam Eklund Out, Timothy Liljegren Back

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The San Jose Sharks will once again shake up their lineup in the hours ahead of gametime. Top winger William Eklund is out with a lower-body injury, while Timothy Liljegren wil lreturn from a short-term absence, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. The Sharks will operate with 11 forwards and seven defensemen on Sunday, with Ethan Cardwell stepping into the bottom-six for rookie Michael Misa.

Few players would be harder to lose than Eklund. He ranks second on the Sharks with five goals and 11 points through 12 games, only behind Macklin Celebrini (seven goals, 18 points). Eklund has averaged nearly 20 minutes of ice time through the early season, and played as much as 25:29 in a recent overtime win versus the Minnesota Wild. He’s returned as a core piece of the Sharks offense this season, after posting a career-year with 17 goals and 58 points in 77 games last season. His role in the lineup, and performance on the scoresheet, both continue to grow.

That will leave San Jose with an important decision as they reshape the lineup. Collin Graf should be the biggest beneficiary, moving into a top-six that also features Tyler Toffoli and Philipp Kurashev in heavy-use roles. Graf has only scored three points in 11 games this season, but his lack of offense could be offset by Kurashev, who has a dazzling seven points in his last four games.

Still, the need to replace Eklund’s offense makes the decision to scratch Msia all the more confusing. The reigning second-overall pick had a three-game point-streak between October 21st and October 26th, though hasn’t managed any scoring in his last two games. He has, however, offered up a 52.6 percent faceoff win-rate, third-highest among Sharks centers. Misa has experience at center, and on the wing, and could have been an interesting bet for top-six minutes in light of Eklund’s injury. Instead, San Jose will turn towards depth forward and grinder Cardwell, who has four points and 10 penalty minutes in seven AHL games. Cardwell was recalled on Sunday morning in a corresponding move to Ryan Reaves’ placement on injured reserve.

The Sharks will find a silver lining in the return of Liljegren, who has served in a top-pair role for much of the season. Liljegren has only scored three points in nine games, though he and D-partner Dmitry Orlov have posted the best goal-differential of any Sharks pairing at even-strength. Getting him back into the fold after just one game out will prompt a major sigh of relief from the Sharks blue-line. Liljegren exited Saturday’s game in the first period, after a puck was deflected into the bunch and hit him in the face.

San Jose will return Liljegren to the lineup alongside rookie Sam Dickinson, who will play in his 10th game of the season. Dickinson hasn’t yet found his first NHL point through nine games. He should be rotated into favorable situations, while Liljegren steps back into an important role next to Orlov.

Flyers’ Tyson Foerster Out, Sean Couturier Returns

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The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that winger Tyson Foerster will miss Sunday night’s game versus the Calgary Flames with a lower-body injury. Foerster played through Philadelphia’s Saturday loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but will now need to miss at least a few days. Head coach Rick Tocchet said Foerster will need to miss at least a few games, per Charlie O’Connor of All PHLY Sports.

Foerster will be replaced by the return of Flyers captain Sean Couturier, who sat out on Saturday after leaving Thursday’s game in the first period. Couturier sustained an upper-body injury after a shot from teammate Noah Juulsen caught him up high.

The Flyers will trade one top scorer for another with this news. Couturier has managed nine points in 10 games this season, more than any other Flyer except for Trevor Zegras, who has 13 points in 11 games. Foerster ranks third on the team in scoring, with seven points in 11 games. But while Philadelphia won’t lose much firepower with this swap, they will need to shuffle their lines around to fit their top-center back in. Couturier is expected to take over Zegras’ role centering Owen Tippett and Matvei Michkov, while Zegras fills Foerster’s role on the second-line wing. This shuffling will notably benefit Noah Cates, who should solidify a top-six center role for the time being.

Despite three games of four-or-more goals, the Flyers offense has only averaged 2.67 goals-per-game across their last week, and three games, of action. Bringing back top playmaker Couturier and spreading their top scorers across multiple lines could be enough to turn those tides. They face a hot-and-cold matchups over their next five game, with matchups against the bottom-dwelling Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators offset by bouts with the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, and Edmonton Oilers.

Maple Leafs Place Chris Tanev On Injured Reserve, Recall Dakota Mermis

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Sunday: Toronto has reversed this move after Tanev left Saturday’s game on a stretcher in the third period. Tanev will head back to IR, while Mermis has been recalled to the active roster, per Lance Hornby of Post Media. No specifics of Tanev’s injury, or timeline, have been revealed, though Hornby points out that Toronto did not feel the need to place Tanev on long-term injured reserve.

Saturday: The Maple Leafs announced that Tanev has officially been activated.  As expected, Mermis has been assigned to the minors to make room for Tanev on the active roster.

Friday: Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev told reporters today, including David Alter of The Hockey News, that he’s cleared concussion protocol and is likely to play Saturday against the Flyers. He’ll need to come off injured reserve to do so, meaning the team must create a roster spot before tomorrow night. Dakota Mermis was the player recalled when Tanev landed on IR last week and could return to AHL Toronto after sitting as a healthy scratch in three straight games.

Tanev will have missed 11 days and four games when his absence comes to an end this weekend. He was on the receiving end of a hit on Oct. 21 against the Devils that caused him to leave the game early.

Before exiting the lineup, the 35-year-old had been his usual stable self. The stalwart rearguard only had one assist in seven games, but his +3 rating is still second among Toronto defensemen despite the absence, and the Leafs were allowing just 1.7 goals per 60 minutes at even strength when he was on the ice. The raw shot attempt numbers aren’t in Tanev’s favor so far – his 46.3 CF% at even strength is 19th out of 22 skaters to play a game for Toronto this season – but that has more to do with a lack of offense coming from Toronto’s forwards when he and usual partner Jake McCabe were on the ice. The duo’s 2.27 xGA/60 is still the lowest among the Leafs’ three regular pairings.

Toronto’s defense needs all the help it can get with its goaltenders not holding up their end of the bargain. After receiving some of the best puck-stopping in the league last season, the Leafs’ goaltenders have been the main culprit behind their underwhelming 5-5-1 record through October. Anthony Stolarz has only managed a .886 SV% in eight starts, while waiver-claim backup Cayden Primeau, playing in place of Joseph Woll (who’s on the verge of returning from an extended personal leave), has an .838 mark in his three starts.

Golden Knights, Noah Hanifin Eyeing Tuesday Return

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The Vegas Golden Knights are planning to have defenseman Noah Hanifin return to the game lineup for Tuesday’s matchup against the Detroit Red Wings, per Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Hanifin hasn’t played since Vegas’ season opener on October 8th. He’s missed the last 10 games with a lower-body injury, but returned to Vegas’ practices in a full contact jersey on Sunday, adds Webster.

Hanifin played 24 minutes of ice time in his sole game on the season – a shootout loss to the Los Angeles Kings. He  managed three shots and a minus-one in the outing. It appeared Hanifin was going to be heavily leaned on in the wake of a long-term injury to Alex Pietrangelo. The Golden Knights deployed him next to the burly Zach Whitecloud, offering a defensive cushion that could have spurred Hanifin’s offense. The 29-year-old defender scored 10 goals and 39 points in 80 games with Vegas last season. That production brought him up to 12 goals and 51 points across 99 games in the Vegas organization. His career year currently stands as the 2021-22 season, when he scored 10 goals and 48 points in 81 games with the Calgary Flames.

The Golden Knights will have to juggle their blue-line to fit Hanifin back into the fold. They’re expected to remove Ben Hutton from the lineup in favor of Jeremy Lauzon, despite Hutton sitting higher on the depth chart. Lauzon leads the Golden Knights with 41 hits, and ranks fourth on the team with 16 blocked shots. He’ll continue to bring that physical presence, while Hanifin looks to join Kaedan Korczak as the only Golden Knights defenseman to score a goal this season.

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