Jets’ Colin Miller Out Week-To-Week, Placed On IR
1/14/26: While Miller’s IR placement telegraphed to a certain extent that Miller’s absence would be an extended one, we now have a bit more clarity on his recovery timeline. Jets head coach Scott Arniel indicated today that Miller is week-to-week with his injury. As a result, the Jets are likely to need to increasingly rely on depth blueliners with a trio of established NHLers now sidelined on a week-to-week basis.
1/12/26: Back in action tomorrow, the Winnipeg Jets announced this afternoon that Isaak Phillips has been recalled from AHL Manitoba, while Colin Miller has landed on injured reserve.
Winnipeg, finally finding their game after an 11-game winless streak which possibly has sunk their season, has to reach deep into the organization’s defense stock for Phillips, especially with Haydn Fleury out, and Miller now banged up. If able to suit up this week, it would be Phillips’ first action as a Jet.
Miller, who has struggled considerably in what will likely be his third and final season with the team, left mid-game against New Jersey with a lower-body injury. At this point it is unclear when he will return, but with the 33-year-old a healthy scratch often, playing in just 15 games so far, it is not the biggest impact for the Jets as they desperately look to turn things around.
Phillips, 24, was acquired from Chicago just three days shy of exactly one year ago, as the team gave up prospect Dmitri Kuzmin last January to in exchange for a respectable NHL-capable depth defender. The Ontario native was a fifth round choice of Chicago in 2020, making 56 appearances for the team from 2021-2025, recording 12 points. After solid contributions for the rebuilders despite being a former fringe prospect, Phillips became expendable as he was passed up in favor of prospects with higher upside.
Since then, Phillips has yet to appear with the Jets, playing in 72 games for Manitoba over the last two seasons. A physical lefty standing at 6’3″, he earned a two year extension with Winnipeg last summer, which will keep him around through next year, followed by restricted free agent status. Interestingly, he gets the nod over other notable defenders in Manitoba. Prospect Elias Salomonsson, who last got a look in early December, will remain in the AHL, along with former standout prospects Ville Heinola and Kale Clague.
For now, Winnipeg will move forward with Phillips as a seventh defender, as Luke Schenn has re-entered the lineup, who is eager to prove himself to suitors as last week it was noted that the 36-year-old pending free agent would be open to a trade.
Naturally, Phillips figures to be the best option to come up as depth, without rocking the boat in Manitoba. The Jets will host the Islanders tomorrow, looking for their third straight win.
Evening Notes: Ducks, Heiskanen, Sourdif
The struggling Anaheim Ducks will be especially short handed tonight, as Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, and Troy Terry are all absent, per Derek Lee of The Hockey News. The team updated that Carlsson has a lower-body injury and Gauthier is ill, along with Terry’s known upper-body injury.
Terry was considered a game-time decision, clearly unable to go, while Carlsson and Gauthier were last minute surprises. Lee went on to add that as a result of being down three forwards, Anaheim will have to go into an 11-forward, 7-defensemen configuration, but defender Ian Moore may slot in as a forward.
After a great start to the season, the Ducks have faltered recently, with just one regulation win in their last 10 games, and a five game losing streak. Carlsson, Gauthier, and Terry rank in order as the team’s top three scorers, so all of them out of the mix against the league’s second best team, Dallas, will make an especially formidable challenge.
In such situations, sometimes teams give undersized puck moving defenders the opportunity to move up, but if Moore plays forward, he is known as a more stay-at-home player with size. Regardless, tonight may be a night to remember for the 24-year-old.
Updates on the status of Anaheim’s three top forwards will be watched closely, as the group is back in action Friday and Saturday, with a home-and-home against their in-state rivals from Los Angeles.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Things will also be unusual in Anaheim from the other side, as the Dallas Stars announced that defenseman Miro Heiskanen will not play due to a personal matter. The 26-year-old had yet to miss a contest prior to tonight, posting 36 points in 46 games. In place of their #1 defender who averages just over 26 minutes a night, Ilya Lyubushkin will return to the lineup, who has skated 33 games this season.
- Washington Capitals forward Justin Sourdif missed tonight’s game, as he’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury, reported by Sammi Silber of The Hockey News earlier today. It marks just the second game of the campaign that Sourdif has not dressed. The 23-year-old came to Washington in a summer trade from Florida as a primary AHLer with just four NHL games under his belt. Since then he has earned a real role as a middle six forward under Head Coach Spencer Carbery. Sourdif has 19 points on the year, including a three-goal, five-point effort on January 5, and hopefully will return Thursday against San Jose. In his absence, the Capitals defeated Montreal in overtime.
Nashville Predators Place Jonathan Marchessault On Injured Reserve
Ahead of their game against Edmonton tonight, the Nashville Predators shared that Jonathan Marchessault has been played on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury, and remains day-to-day. No corresponding transaction was made.
It has been a tough season for the 35-year-old both on and off the ice. As noted by Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Pucks, Marchessault’s absence tonight marks his 12th straight, along with 18 so far in the campaign.
Even when healthy in his 28 games so far, Marchessault has just 10 points and is a -18. Signed to a five-year deal worth $5.5MM per season after a career best 42-goal season with Vegas in 2023-24, Nashville were aware the veteran would slow down as he entered his mid-thirties, but such production so far this year indicates decline two years or so ahead of schedule. Whether the 2023 Conn Smythe winner’s output is more a result of age, or a poor fit as a Predator where he could offer more elsewhere, is not entirely clear.
After his 56-point output last year, the undrafted Stanley Cup Champion sought to turn the page in 2025-26, but it has not gone to plan yet. Seemingly dead in the water when he was healthy, the Predators have found their stride recently without Marchessault, leaving Head Coach Andrew Brunette with a difficult choice of how to slot back in the winger when he returns. Rookie Reid Schaefer has been a good fit on the fourth line, making a case to stay up for the rest of the season.
Still with three additional years on his contract, Marchessault will hopefully find his game again and help the Predators make a push this spring, as a possible change-of-scenery may be difficult for GM Barry Trotz to work out. The Predators take on Marchessault’s former team in Vegas on Saturday, and it is hard to imagine he will return before then.
Blues Sign Logan Mailloux To One-Year Extension
Having just started their game tonight, the St. Louis Blues announced that defenseman Logan Mailloux has been signed to a one-year, one-way contract extension worth $850k.
Acquired by the Blues last summer from Montreal in exchange for Zachary Bolduc, Mailloux has had his struggles this season across 31 games. The 6’3″ righty known as an offensive defender has just two points, and is a -21.
St. Louis, in the process of a youth movement of sorts, clearly still values the former first round pick and is intent on developing him further. Interestingly, given his previous draft status and current production underwhelming, Mailloux will come in on his next deal at a cap hit $25k below his current $875k, although it brings stability with one-way status.
A restricted free agent at season’s end, the organization was in no particular hurry to work out a deal, but with Mailloux now settled, they can turn attention to their other pending restricted free agents: Dylan Holloway, Jonatan Berggren, and Matthew Kessel, with a core essentially locked up.
Subject to criticism considering his play this season, which offers metrics among the league’s worst both offensively and defensively, the 22-year-old is still a project of sorts. Mailloux is in a strange place at the moment, in which he has contributed at the highest level considerably more than his counterparts, other defensemen selected in the back half of the 2021 draft’s first round, but also not showing much progress either.
Fresh out of the OHL, the Windsor, Ontario native burst onto the scene with the Laval Rocket in 2023-24, posting 47 points and representing the team at the AHL All Star Game. There were concerns with his decision-making, especially in his own zone, but Montreal figured to have an intriguing prospect, offering the size and skill on the back end that scouts salivate over.
Breaking into the NHL in eight games as a Hab, Mailloux recorded five points, but he was unable to solidify a role, spending most of 2024-25 back in Laval. After recording 33 points, a step back from his rookie campaign, the Canadiens brought in star Noah Dobson, further clouding Mailloux’s future, already contending with fellow top prospect David Reinbacher.
In a simple player swap, Mailloux was brought in to St. Louis in exchange for Bolduc last July, another 2021 draftee. Since then, he has struggled under Head Coach Jim Montgomery, his defensive lapses especially magnified. Remaining confident in his potential, the Blues have remained patient, keeping him in the lineup of late, mostly in sheltered third pairing roles.
After a hot start with Montreal, Bolduc has cooled off a bit, with 17 points in 46 games. Another restricted free agent to-be, we may figure out the team’s plans with the forward sooner rather than later. Naturally, it will be compared to Mailloux and his deal today, which is indicative that St. Louis remains cautiously optimistic.
With the team seemingly out of playoff reach, Mailloux offers enough raw potential that they have little to lose in giving it another year. By the end of the extension, the righty will be 24, still on the young side, but at an age in which their evaluations can be grounded. St. Louis features accomplished veteran puck movers Justin Faulk and Cam Fowler, who the youngster can lean on.
Typically regarded as the Blues’ top defense prospect, if he’s unable to pan out, thankfully the team has Adam Jiříček coming along, who offers the same size as Mailloux with potentially more sound defensive play. Selected 16th overall in 2024, the Czech is still a ways away from contribution. Philip Broberg, another former first rounder brought in by the team in their retool, has flourished in a big way. The lefty earned a six-year extension last Saturday.
Things have yet to work out for Mailloux, but still in need of youth, the Blues will give it another year to try and unlock his potential.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Snapshots: Blue Jackets, Slavin, Guhle
New Blue Jackets Head Coach Rick Bowness is missing two key defenders in his first game behind the bench tonight, as Denton Mateychuk (upper-body injury) and Damon Severson (illness) are unable to play against Calgary, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.
If he’d been able to go, Mateychuk would have tied his rookie season total’s 45 games played in last season, but will have to wait for now. The 21-year-old left early on Sunday against Utah, and will be getting a second opinion, as the club recalled Dysin Mayo this afternoon. Their 12th overall selection in 2022 has progressed nicely this season, averaging 20:20 of ice time with 21 points in 44 games.
Severson, 31, has recorded 17 points in 45 games, tonight being the first contest of the season he has had to miss.
Coming in tonight is Jake Christiansen, along with Mayo. The former has served as the Jackets’ seventh defender often this year, with one helper in 26 games, in year five with the Columbus organization.
Mayo, recalled for the fourth time of 2025-26 today, was once a regular with the Arizona Coyotes. The 29-year-old has just seven points in the AHL this season with Cleveland, but he is a conservative right-handed option, capable of jumping into the NHL lineup seamlessly at a moment’s notice.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Shortly before their game in St. Louis, the Carolina Hurricanes announced that Jaccob Slavin will miss tonight’s game due to “injury rehab protocol”. Given that he played 21:41 last night against Detroit, leading all defenders, Slavin will sit out of the second of the back-to-back. Clearly, Carolina is taking no chances with their elite shutdown man coming back from an upper-body injury, who already was re-injured early in his last return in December. The difficulties have limited him to just seven games so far, where he’s notched one assist. Mike Reilly re-enters the lineup tonight, but Slavin figures to be gearing up for full-time duty before long.
- Similar to Slavin, Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle will also sit tonight, as noted by Marco D’Amico of RG Media. The 23-year-old is in early stages of returning after a groin injury sidelined him for nearly three months. He managed to play just shy of 20 minutes last night in the win over Vancouver. In his absence, Jayden Struble has jumped back in against Washington. The physical depth defender has averaged 14:28 a night in 35 games this season. Meanwhile, Guhle should return by Thursday as the team travels to Buffalo.
Lightning’s Brayden Point Out Week-To-Week
Jan. 13th: Head Coach Jon Cooper spoke with the media ahead of tonight’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Per beat writer Benjamin Pierce, Cooper articulated that they’ve avoided the worst-case scenario with Point, meaning Team Canada has as well. Cooper shared that Point is expected to miss the next few weeks with a lower-body injury.
Jan.12th: A star forward named to Team Canada in the upcoming Winter Olympics may have suffered a significant knee injury tonight, as Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point was helped off the ice in Philadelphia, and will not return, as confirmed by the team.
The incident was a strange play, in which Point banged home a rebound for the power play tally, putting Tampa up 3-0, but immediately after, Flyers defender Cam York landed on Point, making him come down awkwardly. York had been sprawling to try and clear the rebound.
Point immediately shook off his gloves and grabbed at his right knee, subsequently being helped off the ice.
The center missed seven games across November-December to close out 2025, but otherwise has been durable over the last three seasons, absent for just five regular season games over the previous last three campaigns. Turning 30 in March, Point has taken a step back from his usual elite scoring pace, with 29 points in 36 games, but still ranks fifth on the team in scoring. The Alberta native anchors the team’s first line as well as their top power play unit. He needs just seven more games to reach the 700 mark with Tampa Bay.
Returning from the injury in December, Point has been on a tear, with 19 points in his last 16 games, figuring to be fully healthy before tonight.
Currently second in the Atlantic, winners of nine in a row, Tampa has shown off their remarkable resilience despite missing players such as Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh. They seem to be a lock to reach the playoffs for the eighth straight season, seeking to make another run after three straight first round exits. If Point has to miss significant time, it may force them to enter the center trade market, but the club lacks trade capital along with cap space, and may be forced to lean on more offense internally from Anthony Cirelli and Yanni Gourde.
Also impossible to ignore are possible implications for Team Canada, as the Olympic Games are set to start next month. If needed, the group would have an embarrassment of riches to choose from down the middle, the likes of Connor Bedard, Sam Bennett, Wyatt Johnston, or Mark Scheifele. GM Doug Armstrong would have no shortage of talent to choose from, but would need to select the player best suited for bottom-six duty.
Although the hope is that the star has avoided a major injury, there is reason for both Tampa Bay and Team Canada to be fearing the worst. Updates will be watched urgently, as the Bolts are back in action tomorrow at Pittsburgh.
Lightning Assign Curtis Douglas To AHL On Conditioning Loan
Earlier this evening the Tampa Bay Lightning announced that Curtis Douglas has been assigned to AHL Syracuse for conditioning purposes. The forward has been a healthy scratch for each of Tampa’s last six games. Even when dressed, he has played very sparingly this season, averaging 5:58 a night.
Claimed off waivers from Utah in October, the 25-year-old may not make his mark in the stat sheet, but his road to the show has been impressive. Selected in the fourth round back in 2018 by Dallas, Douglas spent each of his past five seasons in the AHL across three different organizations, never getting a look at the highest level, and regularly recording over 100 penalty minutes each season. The 6’9″ center then caught the attention of Tampa Bay, who inherited the final year of his contract worth $775k at the NHL level, ending in unrestricted free agent status this summer.
In 27 games, Douglas has two assists and 75 penalty minutes. 25 years ago or so, this may be business as usual, but such output in today’s game is a testament to the Ontario native’s work ethic. He has managed to make an impact, on one of the league’s top teams, no less.
Although Douglas is back to the AHL for now, he will retain his full NHL salary, and the loan can last no longer than two weeks. Syracuse, currently 10th in the AHL, will enjoy having the hulking forward in their lineup for the time being. Tampa Bay won their 10th straight game tonight, as they won’t exactly miss a beat without their enforcer, but Douglas will get some game action and be ready to return when needed.
Snapshots: Stolarz, Konecny, Samuelsson
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz reached another milestone as he approaches his return. David Alter of The Hockey News revealed that Stolarz skated with the regular group today.
The 31-year-old will be eager to get back into action after what’s been a trying 2025-26 so far. Unable to play since November 11 after an upper-body injury, even beforehand, Stolarz struggled a bit. His .884 SV% and 3.51 GAA are below expectations from the upcoming four year extension worth $3.75MM per year, in which Toronto is banking on the late-bloomer to hold down their crease for his first true #1 role.
Winners of seven out of their last 10, the Leafs have turned the corner after it appeared their season was in serious danger. Just shy of a Wild Card spot for now, the team could finally have two-punch stability between the pipes. Joseph Woll has exceeded expectations since coming in for Stolarz, with a .921 SV% and 10-4-2 record.
There’s not yet a specific return date for Stolarz, but he and Woll figure to give Toronto a formidable duo entering the final push of the season.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Philadelphia Flyers star Travis Konecny has had an eventful last few days, but returned to the lineup tonight, shared by Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Enquirer. Konecny missed Saturday’s game after an upper-body injury from the day before, and came back to practice yesterday, which seemed to be a good sign. The 28-year-old then left yesterday’s skate with another injury, unable to catch a break. Thankfully back tonight without a hitch, Konecny was ejected from the game for abuse of officials, as reported by Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. The Flyers top forward will look ahead to next Wednesday’s game in Buffalo.
- Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson was shaken up late in tonight’s loss against Florida, and Head Coach Lindy Ruff had no immediate update postgame, per Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News. Samuelsson has missed just two games on the year, his play as a top pairing blueliner a huge part of Buffalo’s revival of late. The 25-year-old appeared to be favoring his right arm after taking a spill. The Sabres are back in action Wednesday, hosting Konecny and Philadelphia, hopefully not sans their lefty minute-eater in the midst of his best campaign yet.
Central Notes: Bedard, Wild, Blues
Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard will not play tonight against Edmonton, as noted by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, as the star is dealing with the flu.
The bug has ravaged the team of late, as several players have been affected, most notably both goaltenders, Spencer Knight and Arvid Söderblom, leaving Chicago with AHL call-up Drew Commesso to handle a back-to-back last week. He managed to steal a game, shutting out Nashville on Saturday, but now the face of the franchise has to sit out tonight in a big home game against the Oilers.
Bedard leads the Hawks with 46 points, despite playing in 33 of their 45 games. He has surpassed the point-per-game mark for the first time in his young career, as well as avoiding a sunk +/- rating as the Hawks have had success this season. The hope is that he will be feeling better by their next game, Thursday against Calgary. In the meantime, grinder Colton Dach slots back into the lineup on the fourth line, who has posted eight points in 44 games on the season.
Elsewhere across the division:
- Joel Eriksson Ek and Zach Bogosian skated earlier today, as shared by Michael Russo of The Athletic, but neither are playing tonight against the Devils. Eriksson Ek was injured against Seattle last Thursday, missing Saturday’s contest against the Islanders, the first time he was unable to go this season. The center plays a vital role on both ends of the ice, with 32 points in 45 games, and hopefully can return by Thursday against Winnipeg. On the other hand, Bogosian is on injured reserve. The 35-year-old hasn’t played since January 3, dealing with an undisclosed ailment.
- St. Louis Blues Head Coach Jim Montgomery told reporters, including Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic, that Robert Thomas is “probable/questionable” for Tuesday against Carolina. Thomas has a lower-body injury, missing practice today as a result, but he hasn’t lost any game time, posting a goal and an assist on Saturday. Playing in 42 of the club’s 46 contests so far, Thomas leads the Blues in scoring by a wide margin, with 33 points. Losers of three in a row, St. Louis currently ranks dead last in goals scored, in obvious need of their top center to try and make the postseason this spring. Meanwhile, teammate Mathieu Joseph is also day-to-day with an elbow infection, as reported by Rutherford. Joseph has 10 points in 35 games as a bottom six forward.
Senators Sign James Reimer
Jan. 12: Reimer’s pending agreement has been registered. Ottawa announced they’ve inked him to a one-year deal worth a prorated salary of $850K. That’s despite the veteran getting lit up in his debut for Belleville last night, allowing six goals on 28 shots for a .786 SV% in an overtime loss to Rochester.
Jan. 8: The Ottawa Senators will be taking a look at a veteran goaltender, as James Reimer has been signed to an AHL professional tryout agreement, per Darren Dreger of TSN. According to Dreger, Reimer is expected to report to Ottawa in the next few days with an NHL contract.
With #1 option Linus Ullmark taking a leave of absence for personal reasons, the team needs help for the time being. Mads Søgaard was recalled from AHL Belleville earlier today, but he, along with Leevi Merilainen, surrendered eight goals in a resounding defeat against Colorado tonight. Merilainen has backed up Ullmark so far this season and played 15 games, but the 23-year-old has a 6-8 record and an .868 goals-against-average. Such a result tonight was indicative that a move was needed. Even once Ullmark returns, Reimer figures to be a steady enough backup, allowing Merilainen to develop further.
Reimer, 37, was listed as an outside option available to Ottawa just five days ago, and sure enough, the veteran has earned an opportunity to extend his career. Unable to secure a contract from his tryout with Toronto in the fall, Reimer will technically join the AHL’s Belleville Senators for now. If he were to play in a “tune-up” of sorts, it would be his first AHL action since the 2010-11 season as a Toronto Marlie.
As long as he takes the crease for Ottawa at some point, they would become Reimer’s eighth NHL club. Belleville also offers Hunter Shepard between the pipes, a respectable AHLer, but the 30-year-old has not played at the same level as he did with the Hershey Bears over the past several seasons. Currently 23rd in the AHL despite having the league’s second-highest scorer in Arthur Kaliyev, Belleville has lacked stability in net, and the latest news in Ottawa only intensifies it.
At this point, the Sens have little to lose by bringing in a netminder with over 500 games of NHL experience. Reimer’s patience to keep playing has paid off, and the 2006 draftee could appear sooner rather than later, given the circumstances.