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Minor Transactions: 12/20/2025

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The midpoint of the season has sparked a flurry of action across the hockey world. Some players are finally being moved from a slow start to the season, while others are finding their first contracts of the year. The notable moves have been rounded up and captured below:

  • Former New York Islanders center Leo Komarov has signed a one-year contract with HC Davos of Switzerland’s National League. The 38-year-old Estonian spent the last two seasons with HIFK of Finland’s Liiga. He scored 23 points in 55 games with the club, but wasn’t able to secure a contract for this season. That will change with a move to Switzerland, marking the eighth professional hockey league that Komarov has played in – on top of tenures in Finland’s Mestis and Liiga, Russia’s KHL, the AHL and NHL, and Sweden’s SHL. He will offer Davos veteran depth.
  • Also signing an overseas contract is former Buffalo Sabres goaltender Dustin Tokarski, who has left his professional try-out contract with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins to sign a deal with Lowen Frankfurt of Germany’s DEL. Tokarski made two appearances with Grand Rapids on his try-out, posting one win and a .929 save percentage. He posted a .897 Sv% in 21 AHL games, and a .902 Sv% in six NHL games, in the Carolina Hurricanes’ organization last season. He’ll join Frankfurt for the second-half of the year and could have an open path to the starting role, with all three of Frankfurt’s goaltenders posting sub-.900 Sv% through the first half of the season.
  • Hard-hitting Utah Mammoth prospect Tomas Lavoie has been traded in the QMJHL. He will head to the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in exchange for five draft picks, including a first-rounder, headed back to the Cape Breton Eagles. Lavoie was a core piece of the Eagles this season, offering stalwart defense and reliable puck-moving. The former third-round pick has 21 points in 24 games this season and could bring a reliable, shutdown role to a Saguenéens lineup currently leaning on high-octane defenders like Alex Huang.
  • Seattle Kraken prospect Alexis Bernier will also head to the Saguenéens in exchange for Leo-Gabriel Gosselin and five draft picks. Bernier is a volume shooter who racked up 14 goals and 46 points in 59 games with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar last season, but hasn’t yet played this year. He could be due for a major breakout after rivaling point-per-game scoring last season, which should only bolster a Saguenéens lineup that has already propped up shoot-first wingers Maxim Massé and Émile Guité. The Saguenéens will go all-in on this season before likely losing Masse, Guite, and many others to pro deals.

Injury Notes: Evans, Kleven, Samoskevich

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The Montreal Canadiens lost an impact center in Saturday’s win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jake Evans left the game partway through after his knee was awkwardly hit by Pittsburgh’s Justin Brazeau. He promptly left the game and didn’t return.

Evans will move forward with a questionable tag, while Canadiens fans hold their breath hoping the knee-to-knee collission doesn’t result in a long-term absence. The 29 year old has served an important depth role for Montreal through the first half of the year. He has racked up 10 points, split evenly, and a minus-13 through 33 appearances while averaging third-line minutes. Evans scored a career-high 13 goals and 36 points last season – but generally hasn’t been one to rack up the scoring. He’s instead found impact with a strong, physical play and consistent lineup presence. He has only missed one game since 2023 – a streak that could change with this latest injury.

More injury updates from around the league:

  • Ottawa Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven left the team’s win over the Chicago Blackhawks with a lower-body injury. The injury occured on an awkward fall against the boards, after getting his foot swept out from under him. He has already been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Boston Bruins, head coach Travis Green told TSN’s Claire Hanna. Kleven has four assists and a minus-12 in 31 games this season. He has offered stout depth for the Senators, and will be replaced by Jordan Spence in the short-term.
  • Ahead of Saturday’s loss to the St. Louis Blues, the Florida Panthers announced that forward Mackie Samoskevich is day-to-day with a lower-body injury sustained on Friday, per NHL.com’s Jameson Olive. Samoskevich has 17 points and a minus-four in 34 games this season, operating from a third-line role. He’s been on a hot streak as of late, with three points in his last five games. That run will halt for the time being, while Florida turns towards Jack Studnicka to fill Samoskevich’s hole in the lineup.

Canadiens Win Big In Re-Acquisition Of Phillip Danault

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The hockey world was graced with a mini Trade Deadline in the late hours of Friday, the eve of a one-week trade freeze that went into effect on Saturday. There were only two moves, both swapping draft picks for roster players, but for the Montreal Canadiens this mini Deadline could be one to remember. They won a sweepstakes for Los Angeles Kings center Phillip Danault – a strong, veteran center who they were able to land at a fairly negligible price.

The Canadiens only gave up a 2026 second-round pick in exchange for Danault. It was one of two second-rounders Montreal held in next year’s draft. The other originally belonged to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who sit dead last in the Metropolitan Division through the first two months of the season. Their pick could end up close to the first round – unless their Friday trade turns things around – while Montreal’s own pick could land near the other end of the second-round.

Another pick moved will mean just a bit more space for Montreal’s current prospects to find their ways. The Canadiens sit in playoff position despite carrying the youngest roster in the league this season. They’ve received major impacts from young players like Lane Hutson, Ivan Demidov, and Oliver Kapanen. Rookies Jacob Fowler, Adam Engstrom, Owen Beck, and Florian Xhekaj; with even more top prospects, like Michael Hage and Alexander Zharovsky, soon behind them. The Canadiens won’t have the space to continue adding multiple top draft picks to the shelves every season.

Instead, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes leveraged the surplus value to acquire what should be a great lineup piece. Danault has struggled to score this season. He scored five points, all assists, in 30 games on a Kings offense that has scored the second-fewest goals in the league so far. But the 32-year-old centerman has managed back-to-back seasons with 22 goals over the last two years. He boasts a career-high of 54 points, set in the 2022-23 season, his second year with the Kings. On top of commendable scoring, Danault posted a positive plus-minus in four of his five years in Los Angeles – fortifying a reputation as one of the league’s better, and more reliable, defensive-centers.

Before his veteran days in L.A., Danault carved out his first NHL roles in the Canadiens’ roster. He was originally a first-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks but joined Montreal in a move that worked out tremendously well for the Canadiens. They acquired Danault and the draft pick used to select Alexander Romanov in exchange for sending Tomas Fleischmann and Dale Weise to the Blackhakws. Danault was an immediate impact for Montreal, scoring 40 points and playing in all 82 games during his rookie season in 2016-17. He averaged third-line minutes in his first year and grew into a stout second-line role over the next four seasons.

Danault ended his first tenure with the Canadiens with a top-10 finish in Selke Trophy voting in three consecutive seasons. He had one more top-10 finish, and two more seasons receiving votes, in five years with the Kings.

Reliable defensive-centers often have a more level aging curve than their high-scoring counterparts. Danault has struggled to find his offense in L.A. but should look much more at home in a Canadiens’ offense that plays with much more pace. Montreal already wields a Selke Trophy-hopeful in top-line center Nick Suzuki. Now, they’ll fortify their two-way game even more with Danault, which should provide a stable backing for Demidov and Juraj Slafkovsky to focus on their scoring, and rookie Kapanen to continue easing into a role.

More than the stability, and surefire penalty killing role, that he’ll offer the lineup – Danault could be invaluable as Montreal looks to promote more star prospects to the NHL. University of Michigan star Hage has improved in every season and seems close to breaking into the pro flight, but there’s no doubt that he’ll face a tough physical challenge once he gets there.

With Danault’s addition, Montreal can be confident in their depth down the middle for the foreseeable future. Suzuki will continue in his top role, while a mix of Kapanen and Danault hold down the middle lines, until Hage, Beck, and Aatos Koivu are ready to carry on the next era of Canadiens hockey. Montreal was able to secure that short-and-long-term security at the cost of their third-most valuable pick next year. It’s a shrewd acquisition that could prove to be an X-factor as Montreal chases their second-straight postseason berth.

Photo courtesy of Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports.

Blackhawks’ Frank Nazar Expected To Miss Four Weeks With Injury

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Injury news turned from bad to worse during the Chicago Blackhwaks’ Saturday loss to the Ottawa Senators. Already without star Connor Bedard, the Blackhawks also lost top forward Frank Nazar after he took a slapshot from Ottawa’s Claude Giroux hit him in the face. Nazar went straight to the locker room and was announced as out soon after. The puck appeared to hit him square in the cheek.

Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill said postgame that Nazar is expected to miss four weeks with his resulting injury per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

This is another blow in a difficult season for the Blackhawks’ second-string star. Nazar missed two games earlier in the year with a separate injury. He has also been hit with a scoring drought – going six consecutive games without a point and 21 games without a goal. Both of those streaks snapped on Thursday night, when Nazar scored Chicago’s only goal in a 1-4 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

Despite the struggles, the 22 year old has still emerged as a key part of Chicago’s offense this season. He has 21 points in 32 games, good for fourth on the Blackhawks in scoring. That’s strong standing after the team made the shocking decision to sign Nazar to a seven-year, $46.2MM contract extension in August, with only 56 games of NHL experience under his belt. That new deal kicks into effect next summer, while Nazar looks to prove his worth on the last year of his entry-level contract this season.

Now without two of their top four scorers, the Blackhawks offense could be in some trouble. Veteran center Jason Dickinson should elevate to a top-line role in Nazar’s absence, while rookie Ryan Greene assumes a top-six role for one of the first times in his career. Neither player has lit the lamp all too often this season – with Dickinson boasting six points in 21 games and Greene holding 10 points in 34 games. Amid the shuffle, Chicago could also recall depth forward Landon Slaggert, who has served as a go-to fill-in for much of the year. Slaggert could assume the role of bottom-line center – or Chicago could move Oliver Moore, Ryan Donato, or Sam Lafferty off of the wing to fill their gap. Through the decisions, one thing is clear: Chicago is in for a tight squeeze with five games remaining in December. Nazar will miss the start of 2026, while Bedard injury won’t be re-evaluated until early-January.

Hurricanes Recall Bradly Nadeau, Place Seth Jarvis On IR

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More bad news has come through for the Carolina Hurricanes. Top winger Seth Jarvis will be forced out for an extended period after crashing into the net post in overtime of Friday’s loss to the Florida Panthers. The Hurricanes placed Jarvis on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and recalled winger Bradly Nadeau on Saturday.

The timing could work to Carolina’s benefit. This move will force Jarvis to miss at least two games but he could be activated before the Hurricanes’ match against the Detroit Red Wings next Saturday.

Carolina will hold their breath hoping that timeline works out. Jarvis has, again, been one of their best. He leads the team with 19 goals, and ranks second with 29 points, through 34 games so far.  More than that, he was riding a streak of good health, not missing any games to start the year after he missed nine last season. Jarvis was still able to net 32 goals and 67 points last season, matching his point totals from – and one goal less than – he managed in 81 games of the 2023-24 season.

Filling Jarvis’ role has proven to be a difficult task for Carolina, marked by a 4-5-0 record without him last season. This time around, Jarvis’ absence should pave way for Jackson Blake to take on top-line minutes. Blake has 21 points in 34 games this season. He also ranks third on the offense in takeaways (14) behind Jarvis (19) and Sebastian Aho (17). Blake has proven his ability to fill any role throughout the last two seasons but this opening could be a chance to step up and cement his spot in the Hurricanes’ top-six long-term.

It will also offer a chance for Nadeau to finally find his stride at the NHL level. He is in the midst of a five-game scoring streak in the AHL and has 13 points in his last 10 games. That stretch has brought the 20 year old up to 20 points in 18 games this season, good for third on the Chicago Wolves in scoring. Nadeau finished second in scoring for Chicago last season, with 58 points in 64 games. Despite the streak of strong offense, he hasn’t yet found his production at the top level. Nadeau has just two points in nine career games with Carolina, including one goal in six games this season. He should slot into a bottom-six role as Blake, Taylor Hall, and Eric Robinson step up in Jarvis’ absence, but could offer much more upside if he finally finds his touch.

Sabres Recall Isak Rosen, Place Conor Timmins On IR

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The Sabres have added some extra forward depth in advance of their game this afternoon against the Islanders.  The team announced that winger Isak Rosen has been recalled from AHL Rochester.  To make room for him on the roster, defenseman Conor Timmins was placed on injured reserve.

Rosen, a 2021 first-round pick, has been back and forth between the two teams this season; this is his third recall of the campaign.  Rosen has played in a dozen games with Buffalo this season and has fared well, picking up three goals and four assists while averaging just over 14 minutes per night of playing time.  However, his waiver exemption likely works against him as when a spot is needed, sending him down is much safer than potentially exposing a different player to waivers.

Meanwhile, the 22-year-old has been a top-flight producer in the minors with the Americans as well.  He leads the league in points per game at 1.47 thanks to tallying a team-high dozen goals with ten assists in just 15 outings.  He’s certainly playing well enough to earn a longer look with Buffalo, we’ll see if he gets that chance this time around.

As for Timmins, his placement should come as no surprise.  It was revealed on Friday that the blueliner is set to miss the next six to eight weeks due to a broken leg, derailing what had been a solid first half of the season as he is averaging a career-best 19:14 of playing time per night.  He’ll now remain on IR until he returns at likely some point in February.

Canadiens Place Kaiden Guhle And Kirby Dach On LTIR

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When the Canadiens acquired Phillip Danault a little before the holiday roster freeze, they added a $5.5MM price tag to their books.  Even after assigning Jared Davidson to the minors, they still weren’t cap-compliant.  As a result, GM Kent Hughes revealed during his media availability today (video link) that the team has placed defenseman Kaiden Guhle and center Kirby Dach on LTIR.

Guhle has been out of the lineup since mid-October due to an adductor injury.  The original plan was to simply rehab it but after returning to the ice a few weeks later as he tried to work his way back to full health, the decision was made to have the surgery.  The recovery timeline for that procedure is eight to ten weeks, meaning he’s still four to six weeks away from returning.  Guhle has averaged over 20 minutes a night of playing time in each of his first three NHL seasons and, when healthy, is a top-four fixture on Montreal’s back end.

As for Dach, he has missed the last month after sustaining a fractured foot.  The initial recovery timeline was six to eight weeks and it appears he’s on track as he has resumed skating.  Hughes indicated that the 24-year-old won’t be back before the holiday break but shouldn’t be out much longer than that.  Dach has five goals and two assists in 15 games this season, his last one before becoming a restricted free agent with a $4MM qualifying offer and arbitration rights next offseason.

With the two placements, Montreal now has around $2.5MM in its LTIR pool, per PuckPedia.  That gives them ample room to afford recalls if more injuries strike in the short term.  Meanwhile, if they still need LTIR room when Dach returns, they can transfer either Patrik Laine or Alex Newhook on there; both are out for multiple months as well.

Devils Activate Timo Meier, Assign Two To AHL

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The Devils made a trio of roster moves before Friday’s freeze.  The team announced that winger Timo Meier has been activated off the non-roster list while winger Xavier Parent and defenseman Calen Addison were assigned to AHL Utica.

Meier had been away from the team for a little more than a week due to a family health matter.  The 29-year-old is a key cog in New Jersey’s attack and got off to a strong start this season with 11 goals and 12 assists in 30 games while averaging a little under 19 minutes per game of playing time.  Considering that the Devils are without five forwards at the moment (headlined by Jack Hughes and rookie Arseny Gritsyuk), his return will certainly be a significant one.

As for Parent, he received his first career NHL promotion earlier this month.  The 24-year-old got into five games with the Devils while on recall but was held off the scoresheet while recording two shots and seven hits in 8:34 of ice time per night.  Parent has been fairly productive in the minors with the Comets though, chipping in with six goals and six assists through 20 appearances so far.

Addison, meanwhile, received his first recall of the season last weekend but didn’t see any game action.  A veteran of 152 career NHL appearances over parts of four seasons, the 25-year-old has gotten into 21 games with Utica, picking up two goals and seven assists.  He and Parent will have to play in at least one game with the Comets before becoming recall-eligible again.

As a result of these moves, New Jersey now has one vacancy on its 23-player roster.  That spot could be filled before long by one of their players currently on IR or a recall later on from the Comets.

Atlantic Notes: Chabot, Tuch, Matheson

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It has been a tough year on the injury front for Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot.  He has dealt with a pair of upper-body injuries, the second of which came in his first game back from the first one.  They’ll now hope that the second time is the charm as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relayed that the veteran was activated off injured reserve as expected to suit up in their game this afternoon against Chicago.  The 28-year-old has been limited to just 18 games so far this season due to those injuries and has done well when he’s in the lineup, picking up 10 points while averaging nearly 22 minutes per game of ice time.  Chabot has been one of Ottawa’s better two-way threats from the back end for quite some time and if he stays healthy this time around, he’ll give their blueline a big boost.  With his activation, Ottawa’s active roster is now full at 23 players.

More from the Atlantic:

  • While former GM Kevyn Adams held contract talks with pending UFA winger Alex Tuch, it appears they were using Tage Thompson’s deal ($7.14MM AAV) as a benchmark, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in his latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link). Considering the escalation that’s coming to the Upper Limit of the salary cap in future years, that number is certainly too low relative to what he could get on the open market.  New Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen has said that working out an extension with the 29-year-old will be a top priority but clearly, there’s a big gap to bridge based on where talks left off.  Tuch enters play today with 11 goals and 18 assists in 32 games.
  • The Canadiens will get a boost to their back end tonight as they begin a home-and-home set with Pittsburgh. The team announced that Mike Matheson will return to the lineup after missing the last two games with an upper-body injury, taking the place of Jayden Struble who will be a healthy scratch.  Matheson, who signed a five-year, $30MM extension late last month, has four goals and 12 assists in 32 games this season while averaging nearly 25 minutes per game of ice time.

Lightning Recall Jakob Pelletier And Jack Finley, Place Brandon Hagel On IR

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The Lightning have brought up a pair of wingers in advance of their game tonight against Carolina.  The team announced that they have recalled Jakob Pelletier and Jack Finley from AHL Syracuse.

Pelletier is in his first season with Tampa Bay after signing a three-year deal with them in free agency.  However, he didn’t make the team in training camp and cleared waivers, paving the way for him to be sent down.

The 24-year-old played in one game with the Lightning in mid-November but has been with the Crunch exclusively beyond that.  Pelletier has been quite productive in Syracuse as he’s tied for the league lead in scoring with 15 goals and 16 assists in just 24 games.  Nearly a career point-per-game player in the minors (161 points in 163 outings), it will be interesting to see if he gets more of an offensive look with some of Tampa Bay’s better forwards banged up.

To that end, team reporter Benjamin Pierce relays that winger Brandon Hagel will miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury sustained earlier in the week against Florida.  While not announced by the team, he has been moved to injured reserve, per the NHL’s Media Site, meaning he’ll likely be out through the holiday break.  The 27-year-old has been one of Tampa Bay’s top performers this season, collecting 18 goals and 13 assists in 31 games.  Meanwhile, winger Nikita Kucherov is listed as a game-time decision due to illness.

Finley, meanwhile, returns from a conditioning stint that lasted just three games.  He did well in those outings, picking up a goal and two assists while getting a chance to play a much bigger role than he did with Tampa Bay.  The 23-year-old has been limited to just 11 games with the Lightning this season where he has a goal and an assist while averaging 8:49 per game of ice time.  More specifically, he had only suited up twice since November 25th so the timing was right for him to go down and get some work in with the Crunch.

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