Canadiens Recall Rafael Harvey-Pinard
Montreal has added some extra forward depth in advance of their game tonight against New Jersey. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Rafael Harvey-Pinard from AHL Laval.
The 26-year-old started the season on injured reserve, missing the first 22 games with a leg injury. Following a conditioning stint with the Rocket, he then cleared waivers at the beginning of December and has been with them ever since. Harvey-Pinard has played in 24 games with Laval this season, recording four goals and seven assists.
Harvey-Pinard has seen extensive NHL time in the last two years. In 2022-23, he impressed as a midseason recall, ultimately collecting 14 goals and six assists in 34 games. That helped earn him a two-year, $2.2MM contract in the 2023 offseason. But things didn’t go as well for him last year as he was limited to just two goals and eight helpers in 45 appearances while also missing time due to injuries.
Montreal hasn’t had much success filling Emil Heineman‘s spot on the fourth line since he was struck by a car in Utah last week. Veteran Michael Pezzetta has been given several looks but has failed to clear five minutes of playing time in any of his last seven games. Prospect Owen Beck received a two-game look but has since been returned to the minors and now it appears Harvey-Pinard will get a chance to reclaim his spot from last season on that line.
With the recall, Montreal’s active roster is now full. Jayden Struble remains on the roster while on a conditioning loan to Laval while despite Heineman’s injury, they’ve elected not to place him on injured reserve just yet.
Maple Leafs Place Connor Dewar On Injured Reserve, Recall Nikita Grebenkin
The Maple Leafs have made a pair of roster moves heading into tonight’s Battle of Ontario against Ottawa. The team announced (Twitter link) that they have placed center Connor Dewar on injured reserve. Taking his place on the roster is winger Nikita Grebenkin who was recalled from AHL Toronto.
Dewar was acquired by the Maple Leafs at the trade deadline last season in a move intended to add some extra depth down the middle and help on the penalty kill. He wound up with 11 goals and eight assists in 79 games between Minnesota and Toronto while suiting up in six of their seven playoff contests. That helped earn him a one-year, $1.18MM deal from the Maple Leafs this past summer. He’ll be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent at that time.
But things haven’t gone as well for the 25-year-old this season. Dewar, who is dealing with an upper-body injury at the moment, missed 14 games with a shoulder injury earlier in the year and has even been healthy scratched periodically as well. When he has played, Dewar has been quite limited as he has just three assists in 29 games while his playing time is just over ten minutes a night compared to nearly 13 down the stretch with them last season. The placement is retroactive to January 20th so he’ll be eligible to return as soon as Wednesday against his former team in Minnesota.
As for Grebenkin, he’s in his first season in North America after putting up 41 points in 67 KHL games last season. He has spent the bulk of the campaign with the Marlies, posting eight goals and eight assists in 29 games. He did get into seven games with the Maple Leafs earlier in the season and was held off the scoresheet while recording 13 hits in 8:45 of playing time per night.
Lightning Acquire Ryder Korczak From Rangers
The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired forward prospect Ryder Korczak from the New York Rangers in exchange for forward prospect Lucas Edmonds. Both players are in the midst of their third AHL season, after third-round selections in the 2021 and 2022 drafts respectively.
Neither player has managed much scoring in their early pro careers. Korczak has spent slightly longer in an NHL system. He was originally selected 75th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, after a season of being heralded as a second-to-third round pick. He was admired for his hard-working two-way play, high scoring, and leadership abilities through four years with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors. He worked his way up to a staggering 69 points in 48 games in 2022-23, his final WHL season, before joining the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack for five games at the end of the year. Korczak has since worked his way through a middle-six role in Hartford. He scored 20 points in 67 games last season and is currently riding 11 points in 35 games this year. It’s commendable depth scoring, but far from what New York was hoping for from their gritty third-rounder.
After not landing a draft selection in 2019, 2020, or 2021 – the early-birthday Edmonds finally earned the 86th-overall selection in 2022 after posting 113 points in 68 games with the Kingston Frontenacs. He moved to the AHL in the following season and posted a commendable 15 goals and 27 points in 49 games as a rookie. But Edmonds has struggled to match those numbers since, totaling just 21 points in 71 games through the last two seasons.
Korczak and Edmonds share a lot of parallels – and will now get a chance to use a change of scenery to try and return to the heights of their junior scoring.
Atlantic Notes: Cernak, Stolarz, Brown, DiPietro
The Tampa Bay Lightning will once again be without defenseman Erik Cernak, who was announced as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury short before puck-drop, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times. He has missed Tampa Bay’s last three games since suffering an undisclosed injury on January 16th. Cernak left that game after just one shift but didn’t seem to suffer a clear injury.
Cernak has returned to the Lightning’s top four this season. The 27-year-old has scored 10 assists and averaged 18:15 in ice time through 41 games, putting him on pace to narrowly pass his career-high of 18 points set during the shortened 2020-21 campaign. He has been replaced in the lineup by rookie Maxwell Crozier, who’s still searching for his first point of the season after three NHL games. Crozier has also scored nine points in 22 AHL games this year. Cernak’s absence will likely return Crozier to the team’s second pair next to Ryan McDonagh, while Darren Raddysh‘s role on the top pair will go unchallenged for at least one more game.
Tampa Bay visits Chicago on Friday, and Detroit on Saturday. Cernak will be at risk of missing both outings.
More from the Atlantic:
- Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz is ahead of schedule in his recovery from his knee injury, relays David Alter of The Hockey News. He has missed nearly six weeks due to the injury but head coach Craig Berube believes the goalie won’t be out for much longer. Before getting hurt, Stolarz was off to a very strong start to his season, putting up a 2.15 GAA with a .927 SV% in his first 17 starts; that save percentage still leads the league among qualifying netminders.
- The Bruins announced that forward Patrick Brown and goaltender Michael DiPietro were assigned to AHL Providence. Both players were brought up earlier this week to cover injuries. Brown has done well in the minors with 25 points in 37 games but has made just two appearances with Boston so far. As for DiPietro, he has a stellar 1.95 GAA and a .930 SV% in 22 AHL outings but with Jeremy Swayman expected to return Saturday, his stint with the big club was short-lived.
Winnipeg Jets Reassign Dominic Toninato
After nearly a month on the NHL roster, Dominic Toninato is heading to the AHL. The Winnipeg Jets announced they’ve reassigned Toninato to their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.
It’ll likely be his last stint with the Jets. Toninato has been on the active roster for 24 days, so if he spends six more days in Winnipeg, he’ll need to clear waivers again this season. The Jets are back down to 12 healthy forwards after the roster move thanks to Mason Appleton‘s recent activation from injured reserve and Adam Lowry‘s placement on it.
Winnipeg hardly used him during his recent call-up, as he went scoreless in four games and averaged 8:03 of ice time per game. Still, it’s reasonable to think the Jets will want another forward on their roster in case of additional injuries.
Toninato has the most NHL experience of any prospective forward call-ups but not the only one. Winnipeg could recall any of Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Mason Shaw, or Axel Jonsson-Fjällby should they want a depth forward familiar with the top level.
The Jets’ most pressing need is down the middle of the ice after Lowry’s injury giving Anderson-Dolan the inside track for a potential call-up. He’s spent the entire season with AHL Manitoba scoring two goals and two assists in 24 games.
West Notes: Appleton, Fleury, Wood, Silovs, Utah
The Jets welcomed back a pair of players for their game tonight against Colorado. The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Mason Appleton and defenseman Haydn Fleury have been activated off injured reserve. To make room on the roster, center Adam Lowry, who’s set to miss the next few weeks, was moved to IR.
Appleton has missed the last three weeks with a lower-body injury. The 29-year-old has been a capable depth contributor for several seasons now and has six goals and nine assists through 37 games. As for Fleury, he missed a little more than three weeks with a knee issue. The 28-year-old is in his first season with the Jets, picking up six assists in 25 games thus far. Following the moves, Winnipeg’s roster now stands at the maximum of 23 players.
More from out West:
- While the Avalanche got some bad news about a key winger today, there’s some good news on the horizon for another one. In an appearance on Altitude Sports Radio (audio link), GM Chris MacFarland indicated that they’re hoping to get winger Miles Wood back within the next week or so, potentially at some point on their upcoming road trip. The 29-year-old suffered an upper-body injury in late November and hasn’t played since. Through 16 games this season, he has two goals and one assist in a little over 12 minutes a night of playing time.
- After bringing him up on an emergency basis last night, the Canucks announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Arturs Silovs has been sent back to AHL Abbotsford. The 23-year-old started the season as Vancouver’s backup but struggled considerably, posting a 4.11 GAA and a .847 SV% in seven games, resulting in his demotion once Thatcher Demko returned. In the minors, Silovs has fared a lot better, putting up a 2.53 GAA and a .906 SV% in eight outings with Abbotsford.
- Utah’s efforts to find its full-time team name has run into some challenges. Their trademark applications for several team names was rejected by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, per KSL’s Ryan Miller. The presumptive favorite, Yeti (or Yetis) was rejected due to a “likelihood of confusion” as were Blizzard and Venom. Interestingly enough, their current moniker Hockey Club was also rejected though filing some additional paperwork would clear that one up. The franchise is hoping to have its permanent name in place for next season but based on this news, they’re still a while away from that happening.
Canucks Place Noah Juulsen On IR, Recall Elias Pettersson And Linus Karlsson
The Canucks have made a trio of roster moves heading into Thursday’s game against Edmonton. The team announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Noah Juulsen has been placed on injured reserve. In corresponding moves, defenseman Elias Pettersson and forward Linus Karlsson were recalled from AHL Abbotsford.
Juulsen has missed the last week with an undisclosed injury. The 27-year-old has played in 32 games with Vancouver this season and is still looking for his first point. However, he has 57 blocked shots and 89 hits while averaging 16:34 per night, his highest ATOI since he was a prospect with Montreal over his first two professional seasons. The team indicated that Juulsen’s placement was retroactive to January 14th, meaning he has already missed the required seven days and can be activated at any time once he’s cleared to return.
This is the second recall of the season for Pettersson, who has no relation to his namesake in Vancouver’s forward group. The 20-year-old was a third-round pick by Vancouver back in 2022 and he’s in his first full season in North America. Through 36 games in the minors, he has a goal and 12 assists and is still looking to make his NHL debut after his initial recall was only for one day.
As for Karlsson, the 25-year-old has been productive when available in Abbotsford. He’s their only forward averaging more than a point per game as he has 12 goals and six assists through 17 outings at the AHL level. That comes on the heels of a 2023-24 campaign that saw him collect 60 points in as many games. Despite his success in the minors, NHL opportunities have been limited thus far for Karlsson. He has just six games at the top level, two of which have come this season where he has been held off the scoresheet in a little over ten minutes per game.
With these moves, Vancouver’s active roster is now at the maximum of 23 players.
East Notes: Norris, Sillinger, Beck, Pacioretty
While the Senators are set to welcome a forward back to their lineup on Thursday, they’ll be missing another one for at least the next few games. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays that center Josh Norris has been ruled out through the weekend, meaning he’ll miss at least the next three games. The 25-year-old left Tuesday’s game in the first period for what was called precautionary reasons but he has been listed as having an upper-body injury. Norris has 17 goals and 10 assists in 47 games so far this season, numbers that are comparable to the 16 and 14 respectively he had in 50 outings last year. He also ranks second on the Sens in faceoff percentage and hits.
More from the Eastern Conference:
- The Blue Jackets were without center Cole Sillinger for their game in Toronto. The team announced (Twitter link) that the 21-year-old is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. After putting 32 points in 77 games in 2023-24, Sillinger is on pace to eclipse that output relatively soon as he already has seven goals and 16 assists through his first 45 outings this season.
- The Canadiens announced (Twitter link) that center Owen Beck has been assigned to AHL Laval. The 20-year-old was recalled on Sunday and played in Montreal’s last two games, playing just over 15 minutes combined. Beck is off to a solid start to his professional career in the minors, collecting 25 points in 37 games with the Rocket this season. No corresponding recall is expected before their game in Detroit on Thursday.
- Originally believed to be out day-to-day with an upper-body injury sustained versus Montreal on the weekend, Maple Leafs winger Max Pacioretty is now expected to miss more time. Head coach Craig Berube told reporters including Nick Barden of The Hockey News (Twitter link) that the veteran is now expected to be out “probably a little bit longer” than day-to-day. Pacioretty has dealt with multiple injuries this season but has still suited up in 32 games this season, picking up five goals and seven assists. He was placed on IR earlier today but it now appears that he’ll be out longer than the required seven days.
Flyers Reassign Aleksei Kolosov, Olle Lycksell; Recall Anthony Richard
The Philadelphia Flyers will no longer carry three goaltenders on their roster. The team announced that they have reassigned goaltender Aleksei Kolosov and forward Olle Lycksell to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In a corresponding move, they recalled forward Anthony Richard.
Goaltending has been an issue for the Flyers this year. The team is currently in last place in the NHL, with a save percentage of only .874, and has had difficulty maintaining consistency in net for much of the season.
Since the start of 2025, the narrative has shifted. Samuel Ersson has emerged as the primary goaltender, boasting a 5-1-0 record in six starts and a .920 save percentage since New Year’s. Meanwhile, Kolosov, who hasn’t played for the Flyers since January 2nd, has become the odd man out, especially since he is exempt from waivers.
The demotion appears to be a prudent move for the young netminder. Since finally joining the Flyers organization last season, Kolosov has earned a 2-3-1 record in six AHL games with a .878 SV% and 3.20 goals-against average. Given his similar production in the NHL, it might be time for Kolosov to get more consistent starts to build up his confidence.
In the less noteworthy part of the transaction — Lycksell returns to AHL Lehigh Valley after going scoreless in five straight games in Philadelphia. He’s understandably been much more productive with the Phantoms scoring nine goals and 24 points in 25 games this season.
The Flyers have decided to rely on Richard’s more readily available talent. Although he hasn’t played in Philadelphia since mid to late November, he was one of the team’s highest-scoring players during that stretch. In his previous call-up from November 7 to November 20, Richard scored two goals and recorded six points in seven games, with five coming at even strength.
Paper Transactions: 1/22/25
According to a team announcement, the Colorado Avalanche have recalled forwards Ivan Ivan and Jere Innala to the NHL roster. The transaction marks the 10th time this year Ivan has been promoted to the Avalanche and the fifth time for Innala.
Even though he’s been formally reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, nine times, Ivan has only suited up in two AHL contests this season. Most of his playing time has come with the Avalanche, where he’s scored five goals and eight points in 39 games, averaging 10:09 of ice time per game. Ivan hasn’t been without value for the Avalanche this season, sitting 13th out of all 25 forwards used by Colorado this season in CorsiFor% (51.6%) while starting 67.3% of his shifts in the defensive zone.
The same can’t be said for Innala. He’s been a physical presence in Colorado’s bottom six this season over 14 games but has yet to tally his first NHL point. He ranks 23rd of all forwards used in CorsiFor% with a 45.1% mark. Innala will likely have a full-time role in the AHL carved out by the end of the season should the Avalanche add to their forward depth at the trade deadline.
Additional paper transactions:
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have again reassigned defenseman Maxwell Crozier to their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. Crozier has been filling in for the injured Erik Černák, managing a +1 rating in the last three games while averaging 17:06 of ice time per game. Remarkably, thanks to a consistently healthy roster, Crozier is only the eighth defenseman to play more than two games for the Lightning this season.
- Finishing off the list of paper transactions are the Dallas Stars, who have reassigned forward Matěj Blümel to their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars. It is the fifth time Blümel has been reassigned to AHL Texas in a season where he’s scored one goal in seven NHL contests. Since he’ll be 25 and won’t hit 80 career games by the end of the season, Blümel will become a ‘Group 6’ unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.