Afternoon Notes: Robinson, Gostisbehere, Rooney
A new injury hit the Carolina Hurricanes during Monday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. Forward Eric Robinson left the game with roughly eight minutes left in the first period after being awkwardly knocked down by former teammate and Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin. Robinson appeared to be nursing his left shoulder as he left the ice and has been designated with an upper-body injury.
Robinson has continued to offer all-around utility in a bottom-six role this season. He has 10 goals, 15 points, and a plus-seven in 43 games this season. His performance has been a nice continuation on a strong debut with the Hurricanes last season. Robinson recorded 14 goals, 32 points, and a plus-14 while playing in all 82 games last season – all career-highs. He missed his first games as a Hurricane in late October, when an upper-body injury forced him out of six games.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Hurricanes were again without defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere on Monday per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff. It was Gostisbehere’s fourth straight absence due to a lower-body injury and illness. The 32-year-old defenseman has now missed 14 games on the season. Despite that, he still leads the Hurricanes blue-line in scoring with six goals and 32 points in 35 games. He has 10 more points than K’Andre Miller, who ranks second. Gostisbehere will have a clear path into an important role when he returns from another absence.
- The Utah Mammoth have assigned center Kevin Rooney to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. He has served as an extra forward all year long and played his only NHL game in late November. Rooney has built a more prominent role in Tucson, where he has seven goals and 10 points in 20 games. He will slot back into a familiar role with the Roadrunners and could be a top call-up option when Utah needs another hand.
Central Notes: Miller, Nazar, Heiskanen, Ivan
1/19: With another game looming, the Avalanche have once again recalled Ivan to the NHL roster. This is already Ivan’s fourth recall of 2026.
1/17: Jets defenseman Colin Miller recently underwent knee surgery, head coach Scott Arniel told reporters including Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link). The bench boss noted that the procedure was similar to the one that goaltender Connor Hellebuyck had, one that kept him out four weeks earlier this season. Officially, Miller remains listed as out week-to-week. The 33-year-old has had a limited role in 2025-26, playing in just 13 games. He’d have had an opportunity to play more regularly with Neal Pionk and Haydn Fleury also out week-to-week but now after having surgery, that doesn’t appear to be in the cards.
More from the Central:
- Blackhawks center Frank Nazar took part in the morning skate today and is expected to be a full participant in practice tomorrow as he works his way back from an upper-body injury, notes WGN Radio’s Charlie Roumeliotis (Twitter link). The 22-year-old has impressed in his first full NHL season, picking up six goals and 15 assists in 33 games while seeing his playing time push past 18 minutes per night. Originally expected to miss four weeks due to the injury, Nazar appears to be pretty close to that recovery timeline although he’s still a few days away from returning.
- After missing Thursday’s game to tend to a personal matter, Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen was back with the team at practice today, relays Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports (Twitter link). The 26-year-old is back in top form this season after a quieter 2024-25 campaign by his standards. Through 46 games, Heiskanen has 36 points and 87 blocks while averaging a career-high 26:04 per game of ice time, third-most in the NHL.
- The Avalanche announced last night (Twitter link) that they have once again assigned forward Ivan Ivan back to AHL Colorado. It’s the third time in barely a week that he has been recalled and subsequently reassigned. The 23-year-old did suit up against Nashville on Friday, his sixth NHL contest of the season. In those outings, Ivan has one assist while in 31 games with the Eagles, he has two goals and six helpers.
Flyers Recall Lane Pederson, Rodrigo Abols Replaced On Olympic Roster
1/19: After being placed on IR by the Flyers on Sunday, centerman Abols has been replaced by Rihards Bukarts on Team Latvia’s roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics per a team announcement. Bukarts currently has eight points in nine games with Presov HC of Slovakia’s Tipsport Extraliga. This move suggests that Abols’ scary-looking injury will indeed knock him out of contention at another Olympic event.
1/18: The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that center Rodrigo Abols has been placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. In a corresponding move, the club recalled forward Lane Pederson from their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Abols suffered a lower-body injury against the New York Rangers on Jan. 17, and will now miss at least a week as a result of his IR placement. He was centering the Flyers’ fourth line in between Garnet Hathaway and Carl Grundstrom, a role that will likely now go to Pederson, who can play center.
The Latvian international was signed out of the SHL by the Flyers in advance of the 2024-25 season, and he earned his way into the NHL with a solid campaign at the AHL level. In 47 games for the Phantoms, Abols scored 32 points, a performance that helped him get into a total of 22 NHL games that year.
So far this season, Abols has been able to carve out a steady role on the Flyers’ fourth line. Though he only has 10 points in 42 games, he’s been able to provide the kind of size and game-to-game reliability teams are looking for in the fourth-line center position. Abols has also seen sporadic deployment on the penalty kill, where he averages 0:39 time on ice per game overall, but has a single-game high of 2:13.
With this recall, it’s Pederson who will get the chance to replace Abols in head coach Rick Tocchet’s lineup. It’s highly unlikely Pederson alone will be able to reverse the Flyers’ recent struggles, but he does have nearly 80 games of NHL experience and a solid record of scoring at the AHL level.
From Pederson’s perspective, this recall is a significant opportunity for him as he’s a pending unrestricted free agent. Depth players in his position often have to squeeze everything they can out of the limited NHL exposure they receive, so he’ll be under some pressure to step up in advance of an important free agent summer for the future of his career.
Canucks Announce Multiple Roster Moves
The Canucks have made some shakeups to their roster heading into tomorrow’s game against the Islanders. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled goaltender Jiri Patera and defenseman Elias N. Pettersson from AHL Abbotsford. To make room on the roster, netminder Nikita Tolopilo and blueliner Victor Mancini were sent down.
Patera is up with Vancouver for the fourth time this season but playing time in his first three stints was limited to just one start, one that saw him allow seven goals on 40 shots. The 26-year-old has spent the bulk of the year in Abbotsford, posting a strong 2.49 GAA with a .915 SV% in 16 games. He’ll now serve as Kevin Lankinen’s backup for the time being while allowing Tolopilo to get some extra game action in.
As for Pettersson, he has spent the majority of the year in the NHL but was sent down to get into a couple of games with Abbotsford. He was held off the scoresheet in those outings while he has a goal and five assists in 38 games with Vancouver while averaging 13:40 per night of playing time.
Tolopilo was brought up when Thatcher Demko went down with his latest injury. He made two starts while on recall but didn’t fare particularly well in either of them, allowing six goals to both Montreal and Edmonton. He has fared a little better in the minors, putting up a 3.02 GAA and a .900 SV% in 11 outings in Abbotsford.
Mancini, meanwhile, got the call to rejoin Vancouver last week when Pettersson went down. He got into four games on this stint, bringing his season total to nine although he’s still looking for his first point. The 23-year-old has suited up in 20 games for Abbotsford, picking up a goal and five assists and will now get a chance to add to those totals.
Penguins Activate, Reassign Rutger McGroarty, Recall Joona Koppanen
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced today that forward Joona Koppanen has been recalled from the club’s AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In a corresponding move, the club activated forward Rutger McGroarty off injured reserve and reassigned him to the AHL.
McGroarty has been sidelined since Jan. 3 with a concussion. This reassignment allows McGroarty to build back up to NHL readiness at the AHL level after missing seven games. The 21-year-old began the year in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, scoring seven points in just five games. That performance, likely coupled with the fact that he’s widely considered one of the team’s top prospects, landed McGroarty a spot on the team’s NHL roster.
Before his injury, McGroarty had managed to dress for a total of 16 NHL contests this season. Averaging 12:13 time on ice per game without much special teams usage to speak of, McGroarty only managed three points.
As a prospect, the most significant question mark surrounding McGroarty was his skating. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman classified McGroarty’s foot speed as “mediocre,” while David St-Louis of Elite Prospects wrote that McGroarty could become a quality middle-six NHLer if he could further develop his skating stride.
While McGroarty is widely credited with having improved his skating over the course of his time in the Penguins organization, the pace of NHL hockey proved to be a steep challenge for him during his 16 games of action so far this season. As a result, he has thus far been unable to translate his offensive production from the AHL level to the NHL, even as other positive qualities in his game have begun to surface.
Not only does reassigning McGroarty to the AHL give him a chance to ramp up from his injury recovery in a lower-pressure environment, it also gives him the chance to build up some confidence as a scorer. While the Penguins have not indicated any clear timeline for McGroarty’s return to the NHL level, it would be a surprise to see him with the AHL Penguins for an extended period.
Benefiting from McGroarty’s reassignment is Koppanen, who returns to the NHL roster after almost two months in the AHL. The 27-year-old last played in the NHL on Nov. 29, skating 13:28 in a tough 7-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He’s played in 10 games this season, registering one assist on 12:28 time on ice per game.
While it’s possible Koppanen’s recall lasts only as long as it takes for McGroarty to return to the NHL, this transaction is nonetheless a significant opportunity for the winger to gain some NHL experience in advance of his unrestricted free agency in the summer.
Earlier in the season, The Athletic’s Josh Yohe wrote that Koppanen “isn’t an NHL player.” He hasn’t gotten into an NHL game since that point. The key for Koppanen to flip that narrative and earn both an extended stint in the NHL and a one-way NHL contract for next season (he’s playing this year on a two-way deal with a $475K AHL salary) will be to bring a consistent defensive and physical element to the table on a shift-by-shift basis.
Koppanen stands 6’5″ and already got some time on the penalty kill in his last NHL stint. He has all the tools necessary to be an impactful fourth-line role player, and now this recall gives him another opportunity to show he can translate those tools into meaningful on-ice value.
As a pending UFA, every strong NHL game he can add to his résumé could make a difference in the summer, so how he performs in this newfound opportunity will be interesting to monitor in Pittsburgh’s next few games.
Devils Recall Lenni Hameenaho, Assign Colton White To AHL
The Devils have made a pair of roster moves heading into tonight’s game against Carolina. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Lenni Hameenaho from AHL Utica. To make room on the roster, defenseman Colton White was assigned to AHL Utica.
Hameenaho was a second-round pick by New Jersey back in 2023, going 58th overall. He spent the last three seasons with Assat in Finland and had a breakout offensive showing last season, picking up 20 goals and 31 assists in 58 games, good for 15th in league scoring.
That showing was good enough for him to earn his entry-level deal with the Devils back in May. This is Hameenaho’s first NHL recall after spending the first three-plus months of the season in the minors with the Comets. Through 33 games, he has nine goals and 12 assists, good enough to lead the team in scoring. With Ondrej Palat uncertain for tonight due to illness, there could be a chance for Hameenaho to suit up and make his NHL debut.
As for White, he passed through waivers unclaimed earlier today. The 28-year-old has been up with New Jersey for the bulk of the season, getting into 23 games where he has four assists in 12:15 per night of playing time. This was his first NHL action since the 2022-23 campaign when he was with Anaheim. With the Devils back to full health on the back end, keeping him as an eighth defender made little sense to he’ll return to Utica where he’ll have a much more prominent role in their lineup.
Golden Knights Recall Dylan Coghlan
Dylan Coghlan is no stranger to finding himself in transactions this season as he has been frequently shuffled between Vegas and AHL Henderson. That move is once again being made as the Golden Knights announced (Twitter link) that the defenseman has been brought up from the Silver Knights.
This is now the fourth time in the last six weeks that Vegas has recalled the 27-year-old. However, it hasn’t yielded much playing time for Coghlan as he has only suited up once for the Golden Knights this season, bringing his career NHL appearances to 113. It’s his second stint with the franchise after signing with them as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and returned to Vegas as an unrestricted free agent last July.
Coghlan has played in 29 games this season with Henderson. While his offensive numbers are down a bit from 2024-25 when he had 28 points in 36 games with Manitoba, he has still contributed five goals and 11 helpers for the Silver Knights.
Coghlan cleared waivers back in early October during training camp, making him exempt until he reaches 10 NHL games or 30 NHL days. Despite the frequent recalls, he has only been up for 13 days to this point so he won’t have to go through the waiver process for a little while yet. He’ll likely once again serve as the seventh defender for however long this particular stint lasts.
Flames Make Several Roster Moves
The Flames have made a series of transactions heading into their game against the Islanders. The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Matvei Gridin has been recalled from AHL Calgary. To make room on the roster, winger William Stromgren was sent back to the Wranglers. Additionally, defenceman Zayne Parekh was also sent down on a conditioning loan.
Gridin was a first-round pick by Calgary in 2024, going 28th overall. While he had a solid showing last season with QMJHL Shawinigan, he wasn’t expected to realistically contend for a roster spot in training camp. However, after potting three goals in six preseason contests, Gridin broke camp with the Flames and got into four games with them, picking up his first NHL goal before being sent down to the Wranglers a little more than a week into the season.
In the minors, Gridin has been quite impressive. He has 10 goals and 18 assists in 32 games with the Wranglers, good for a share of second overall among all rookies which has helped earn this promotion. Gridin can play up to five more games with the Flames this season without burning the first year of his entry-level contract so it will be interesting to see if the team intends to give him just a quick look or a longer opportunity that officially activates his deal.
As for Stromgren, he received his first NHL promotion earlier this month and was in and out of the lineup, getting into three games with the Flames altogether. The 22-year-old had a very limited role in those outings, playing just 7:17 per game while being held off the scoresheet. Stromgren has been one of the better playmakers for the Wranglers, however, picking up 23 assists in 33 contests. He’ll now get a chance to go back to playing a much more prominent role compared to the fourth-line minutes he was seeing with the big club.
Parekh, meanwhile, has yet to play since returning from playing for Canada at the World Juniors. The 19-year-old isn’t eligible to play full-time for the Wranglers but now that he has been scratched long enough, he is eligible for this conditioning stint which can last for up to two weeks. It seems likely that management will want him to play the full two weeks in the minors, meaning he won’t likely rejoin the Flames until the end of the month. Parekh, a top performer with OHL Saginaw to the tune of 203 points over his last two seasons, has one assist in 11 NHL contests while playing a little under 15 minutes per night of playing time.
Ducks Recall Sam Colangelo, Place Troy Terry On Injured Reserve
Earlier today, the hope was that the Ducks would welcome back winger Troy Terry from the upper-body injury that has kept him out of the lineup for the last three games. However, that won’t be the case as the team announced that Terry has been placed on injured reserve. Taking his place on the roster is winger Sam Colangelo, who has been recalled from AHL San Diego.
After seeing his point total dip to the mid-50s over the last couple of seasons, Terry has bounced back quite nicely this season, flirting with the point-per-game mark for most of the year. He currently sits second on the team in scoring with 13 goals and 29 assists in 43 games. Terry was originally viewed as a game-time decision back on Tuesday so the fact he’s now set to be out a little longer could be a sign for concern or merely the team exercising a bit more caution with one of their top players. His placement is retroactive to January 6th, meaning he has already served the required week and thus can be activated at any time.
As for Colangelo, this is his first recall back to Anaheim since being sent down in mid-November. At the time, he had only played sporadically, getting into just seven games where he had one goal while averaging just over 10 minutes per night. The 24-year-old has fared better in the minors, however, picking up seven goals and nine assists with the Gulls in 23 games but that’s still below the point-per-game showing he had in 40 outings last season.
With Leo Carlsson (lower body) out once again and Jeffrey Viel still on his way to join the team after being acquired earlier today, Anaheim wouldn’t have had enough forwards for tonight’s game without Colangelo. But with Terry ideally back soon and Viel likely to report to the team on Saturday, it could be a short-term stint for Colangelo on Anaheim’s roster.
Hurricanes Recall Joel Nystrom, Place Noah Philp On Injured Reserve
With blueliner Shayne Gostisbehere out for tonight’s game against Florida, the Hurricanes have brought up some extra defensive depth. The team announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Joel Nystrom from AHL Chicago. To make room on the roster, center Noah Philp has been placed on injured reserve.
Nystrom is familiar with going back and forth between the NHL and the minors as this is now his third recall of the season. The 23-year-old has received his first taste of action at the top level this season, getting into 33 games with Carolina. He’s still looking for his first goal but he has eight assists while averaging 15:37 of ice time per game.
That showing was good enough to earn Nystrom a four-year, $4.9MM one-way extension last month, a sign that the Hurricanes feel that he is part of their longer-term plans. Despite a pair of demotions with the team taking advantage of his waiver exemption, Nystrom has only played in six times with the Wolves, collecting one assist.
As for Philp, he was claimed off waivers from Edmonton in late December but hasn’t had much of a chance to make an impression on his new team. The 27-year-old suffered a concussion in his second game with the team and has been out of the lineup for the last week and a half. Adding in his time with the Oilers, Philp has two goals and an assist in 17 games so far this season. Carolina has back-dated Philp’s placement back to January 6th, meaning that he is eligible to be activated at any time.