Injury Notes: Hellebuyck, Ellis, Perbix
On today’s episode of Insider Trading, Darren Dreger of TSN discussed Connor Hellebuyck, saying that the Jets goaltender is nearing a return, as soon as next week. Dreger says the star wanted to return even sooner, but Winnipeg is making sure he is eased back in properly. Next Monday’s home game vs. Ottawa could be the focus.
Hellebuyck underwent a minor arthroscophic knee procedure in November, which came with an estimated 4-6 week timetable, but thankfully the back-to-back Vezina winning netminder has recovered quickly and is set to come back by year’s end. He was 8-6-0 with a .913 save percentage and 2.51 GAA prior to going down.
The defending President’s Trophy winners have faltered a bit so far this season, losing six out of their last 10 and currently three spots out of a wild card spot, but the team has had to lean heavily on Eric Comrie, a respectable backup who has never played in more than 20 games a season. Hellebuyck’s return will be instrumental for the group going into 2026 as they look to get back on track.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Midway through tonight’s game the Buffalo Sabres announced that goaltender Colten Ellis will not return due to an upper-body injury, leaving Alex Lyon to take duty. He was shaken up after Oilers forward David Tomasek drove to the net, catching the goalie’s head with his shoulder, which earned a penalty, and ending Ellis’ night with a minute remaining in the first period. The 25-year-old has flashed potential as a backup this season, after being claimed off waivers from St. Louis in October.
- Nashville beat reporter Brooks Bratten shared that defenseman Nick Perbix would return to the lineup tonight against Colorado. The Minnesota native had missed the last three games with an upper-body ailment, and has been a dependable blueliner since signing from Tampa Bay last summer. Nashville opted for seven defensemen tonight, as forward Tyson Jost was healthy scratched against his former team.
Lightning’s Victor Hedman Leaves Due To Injury
The Tampa Bay Lightning announced during the second intermission that star defenseman Victor Hedman will not return versus Montreal due to injury. The Swede left after 06:14 of ice time, which was all in the first period. Further details have not been provided at this time on possible severity.
The hits keep coming for Tampa Bay, already having a defense corps ravaged by injury, to go with Andrei Vasilevskiy landing on IR yesterday. Hedman himself just came back after missing a large chunk of November with an undisclosed ailment, and naturally, it is unclear if today’s injury is related. Regardless, losing their captain when Ryan McDonagh and Erik Černák remain sidelined is a serious blow. Despite facing such adversity, the longtime contenders have mostly continued their winning ways, currently second in the Atlantic Division. J.J. Moser has stepped up and risen to the occasion in his second season as a Bolt, emerging as a highly reliable top four defender, a savvy pickup helping the team extend its contention window.
Hedman himself, now 34, has been remarkably durable throughout his career. The towering defender is already well above 1,100 career games, not to mention another 170 playoff appearances, leading the team in heavy minutes throughout runs over the past decade. Despite all of it, when healthy, the 2009 draftee remains elite, having 12 points in 17 games this season.
As is symbolic of their season so far, Tampa Bay handled business over the Canadiens tonight even being short on the back-end. However, Hedman’s status will be a huge question, along with how long the team can sustain success with so many key players shaken up for the time being. Tonight’s win ended a four game skid, but things won’t get any easier without Vasilevskiy or Hedman.
Evening Notes: Pastrnak, Predators, Askarov
The Boston Bruins are getting a huge boost tonight, as Conor Ryan of Boston.com shared that star forward David Pastrňák is returning versus St. Louis. It was speculated yesterday that he, as well as Charlie McAvoy, would come back at some point on the club’s road trip, and sure enough, Pastrňák slots back in on a line with Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov this evening.
The 29-year-old sniper posted 29 points in 25 games before going down with an undisclosed injury in late November. Without their go-to scorer, Boston went 3-2, and despite losing their two stars, the team remains firmly in the mix, currently third in the Atlantic. McAvoy proved unable to return today, but eyes will be on the defender later in the week, as the Bruins travel to Winnipeg for a Thursday matchup.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Hockey posted comments from Predators GM Barry Trotz’s radio segment on 102.5 The Game, that he is “listening to everything”. Trotz went on to say that if a team approaches him for Steven Stamkos, he’s “going to listen”. Kieser also shared that Trotz is open to taking on unfavorable contracts in deals. The Predators, still 32nd in the league, appear set to finally embark on a full scale teardown. As they’ve retained salary on Mattias Ekholm and Colton Sissons (both set to end after this season) they have just one remaining retention slot, complicating things a bit. Although the team has a deep prospect pool, they lack NHL ready talent, so bringing back veteran placeholders would be beneficial as they navigate a rough season. Trade talks for the likes of Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Ryan O’Reilly have yet to reach serious stages, but once suitors officially emerge, Trotz will have to get creative to find his highly respected veterans new homes on teams with limited cap flexibility.
- An unlikely figure has dressed for the Sharks tonight, as the team announced that Justin Kowalkoski has been added to the roster on an ATO to back up Alex Nedeljkovic, as Yaroslav Askarov has fallen ill. Kowalkoski, 39, played collegiately for Colgate University until 2007-08 as a backup netminder, now finding himself at the highest level in what will be a memorable night. The goaltender also made emergency backup appearances with the Red Wings and the ECHL’s Reading Royals in past years, but has not appeared in a contest.
Avalanche’s Scott Wedgewood Leaves Due To Injury
The Colorado Avalanche announced mid-game that goaltender Scott Wedgewood will not return versus Vancouver due to an upper-body injury. It is not immediately clear what happened to the netminder, but given that he managed to complete the second period, hopefully his absence is cautionary, and the veteran will not need to miss any additional time.
Wedgewood, 33, has been one of the top stories so far this season. In his first full season with Colorado, he has posted a remarkable 13-1-3 record, with a .921 save percentage and 2.08 goals-against-average. Such performance fetched himself a one-year extension, which was inked in mid-November. Although it is hard to ignore the strength of the team in front of him, Wedgewood has played at such a level as a backup with Arizona and Dallas in the past, as he and Colorado have been a perfect match.
Mackenzie Blackwood, another attainable goalie who flashed enough potential elsewhere to earn an envious position with the Avalanche, took over for the third period. Now, updates on Wedgewood will be watched closely, but given the recent play of the NHL’s top team, they will likely not miss a beat.
Jarred Tinordi Seeking Opportunity
Insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet shared earlier today that Jarred Tinordi has been cleared after a knee surgery in the summer, and he is now hoping to resume his career. The defenseman spent 2024-25 with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers before the injury, and last played in the NHL with the Blackhawks two seasons ago.
Drafted 22nd overall by Montreal in 2010, Tinordi, 6’6”, once projected as a reliable stay-at-home top four defenseman, but things did not quite pan out. Son of NHL defender Mark Tinordi, Jarred had the pedigree to go along with strong reach and defensive upside. A physical force on the London Knights, he recorded just 30 points in his OHL career, and as the game evolved into the 2010s, players in his mold seldom appeared as high draft picks any longer.
Unable to break through with the Canadiens, Tinordi was dealt to Arizona in early 2016, in a controversial trade involving All-Star-to-be, John Scott. He appeared in just seven games with the ‘Yotes, spending 2016-17 with AHL Tucson. His one goal on the season went into the history books however, the first in the Roadrunners’ home debut as a franchise.
After a stop in the Penguins’ system, Tinordi signed with the Predators, set to serve as captain of their affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. By this point, he was a strong AHL player with leadership qualities, but any sustained NHL future seemed out of the picture. Tinordi worked his way up to the Preds lineup in 2019-20, appearing in 28 games and scoring his first NHL goal, at age 27, a sign of his resilience. One year later, in 2021, he was waived, leading to short stops with the Bruins and Rangers. Tinordi, then 30, was picked up by the Blackhawks.
No less than a decade of grinding away between the AHL and NHL, across six different organizations, Tinordi’s determination paid off in 2022-23 as he became a full time NHLer for Chicago. The veteran played in 96 games for the Hawks, and while the numbers were not pretty, especially suiting up for a rebuilding team, Tinordi brought needed physicality and leadership to a team in darker times.
Tinordi caught on with Calgary last season, on a two-way deal, where he served as an alternate captain with the Wranglers before the injury. Now healthy, NHL opportunities are not likely for the defender who will turn 34 in February, especially coming off knee surgery, and with the game faster than ever. Yet considering everything he has been through, it would be nice to see an AHL team pick up the veteran to continue his tenure in North America. In September it was speculated the Blackhawks organization might have interest. Regardless of what comes next, Tinordi was able to carve out a long career despite not meeting initial expectations, with 205 games at the highest level.
Image credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
Injury Notes: Appleton, Predators, Wennberg
Red Wings Head Coach Todd McLellan told Daniella Bruce, Detroit’s Broadcast Reporter, that forward Mason Appleton will miss 7-10 days due to a lower-body injury. The 29-year-old longtime Winnipeg Jet, signed by the Wings to a two-year deal last summer, is a key bottom six two way forward with nine points in 26 games this season.
In a skid to close out November, Detroit’s third and fourth lines have been shaken up of late. Marco Kasper has slotted down in tonight’s game versus Boston, as the skilled 21-year-old is trying to find his groove, with just three points (all goals) so far this season. Based on the timeline, Appleton will miss the club’s next three games, and could return by December 10th in Calgary.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Brooks Bratten, Nashville’s beat reporter, shared that Justin Barron, Michael McCarron, and Nick Perbix would miss tonight’s game against Calgary, each player out day-to-day. Barron has been sidelined since the Global Series in mid-November with a lower-body ailment. McCarron, a former first rounder who has established himself as a physical fourth line center, was shaken up after dropping the gloves with Logan Stanley on Saturday. Perbix will miss his first game as a Predator after coming over from Tampa Bay on a two-year deal. He has brought needed stability to the Preds’ defense core, however unfortunately, not enough to move the needle much as the team continues to struggle.
- San Jose beat reporter Max Miller updated that center Alexander Wennberg sustained an upper-body injury in last night’s win over Utah, and he will be questionable for tomorrow against Washington. Wennberg, 31, was brought in by San Jose to hold down a second line center spot at a favorable $5MM. Now, a pending UFA, he could be an eventual trade target in the Sharks’ player recycling strategy of sorts, which has paid off consistently. The Swede has 13 points in 27 games, not yet missing a contest this season.
Flyers Activate, Reassign Oliver Bonk
Earlier today it was announced out of AHL Lehigh Valley that Flyers defenseman Oliver Bonk has been activated from injured reserve, and assigned to Lehigh Valley. The top prospect had a real chance to make the Flyers roster out of camp prior to going down in early October with an upper-body injury. It had been thought to be week-to-week, but finally, he is set to return.
Selected 22nd overall by Philadelphia in the 2023 draft after a tremendous career with the London Knights (OHL) where he finished as a +82, Bonk is finally set to embark on his professional career. He will join a successful Phantoms squad and provide a major boost to their defense corps headed into December, far and away the blueliner with the highest upside on the team.
As the Flyers have held their own, surpassing expectations and seemingly solving their question marks on the back end for now, they do not have to feel rushed with Bonk. Especially considering the injury, it is best for him to start out with the Phantoms and ease back gradually. The son of longtime NHLer Radek Bonk, Oliver, 6’2″, has a real chance to become a top pair defender. Although playing a different position, he has the same reliable traits as his father did, steady defensively and suited for any situation.
Outside of Cam York, Philadelphia has not hit on defensemen in their pipeline in the last few years relative to expectations, so Bonk’s performance in the AHL will be watched closely. As he is a righty, there is a very clear path forward in the organization for Bonk, and thankfully he is finally set to get going with the Phantoms.
Flyers Recall Carl Grundstrom
The Philadelphia Flyers announced this evening that forward Carl Grundström has been recalled from AHL Lehigh Valley. After receiving the tough news that Tyson Foerster is out for two to three months earlier today, the Flyers naturally needed to add a forward to the mix, and opt for Grundström, who brings 293 games of NHL experience.
The 28-year-old was acquired by the Flyers in October from San Jose in a deal where Ryan Ellis’ contract was moved out. Although Grundström is no longer a viable full time NHLer at this point, and therefore has a slightly inflated contract at $1.8MM (set to expire after this season) adding a solid depth option for a LTIR player was a favorable move for GM Daniel Briere. The Swede has been a top scorer for Lehigh Valley, and considering his contract rate, there is virtually no chance he will be claimed on waivers by another team, so his appeal as a stop-gap forward is obvious.
Once a standout prospect for the Maple Leafs, Grundström was a useful bottom sixer for the Kings for four years after coming over in the Jake Muzzin deal. He never reached 20 points in a season, but brought a simplified, gritty game to the lineup each night. After it was apparent he had lost his role as the Kings returned to contender status, Grundström was sent to the Sharks, but was unable to stick after nine points in 56 games, helping the team weather the storms of their hardcore rebuilding days.
Now, with Foerster out, Grundström will have an opportunity to re-establish himself in the NHL, bringing a playing style very friendly to the orange and black. The Flyers host Buffalo tomorrow as they look to fend off a throng of teams set on contention below themselves, and hold onto their spot in the wild card mix.
Blue Jackets Place Mathieu Olivier On IR, Recall Luca Del Bel Belluz
The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that Mathieu Olivier has been placed on injured reserve, and forward Luca Del Bel Belluz has been recalled from AHL Cleveland on an emergency basis. Thankfully the team will have some time to settle, as they are not in action again until Thursday when they host Detroit.
Olivier is thought to be week-to-week, absent since leaving mid-game against Washington on November 24th with an apparent upper-body injury. The 28-year-old epitomizes the modern-day grinder. Undrafted out of the QMJHL, he caught on with the Predators organization but never broke out. After the 2021-22 season, Olivier got a fresh start as Columbus gave up a fourth round pick for the winger, which at the time felt like a lot for a grinder with limited NHL upside. Instead, Olivier established himself as a Jacket in 2022-23, playing in 66 games and setting career highs across the board. He took a massive step last season with 18 goals and 32 points, earning a well deserved six-year extension worth $3MM per season.
With three goals in 23 games so far, the scoring touch has fallen a bit, but once healthy, Olivier will return as a vital cog in the Jackets’ bottom six, a role he will likely hold for years to come.
On the other hand, Del Bel Belluz, 22, is a top prospect for Columbus after being selected in the second round of the 2022 draft. The Ontario native’s path to the NHL has been a bit clouded with the additions of veterans such as Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood, along with their group of exciting young forwards, but he has certainly held his own in the AHL. Del Bel Belluz has 11 points in as many games with Cleveland this year, and had 53 in 61 games last season. The center got into seven games with the Jackets already this season, but in a limited fourth line deployment, it wasn’t the best scenario for the youngster.
Now, with Olivier down for the time being, Del Bel Belluz has another crack to make his mark, with seven NHL points to his name at this point, and help the Blue Jackets close out 2025 on the right note.
Senators Reassign Hayden Hodgson To AHL
The Ottawa Senators announced this afternoon that forward Hayden Hodgson has been sent back to AHL Belleville. The bruising winger was called up to the big club on November 9th, since then appearing in eight contests, with no points, and 11 penalty minutes, playing in a limited capacity.
Hodgson, 29, has three career NHL points in 17 games between Ottawa and the Flyers, not exactly a world-beater, but considering his path to this point, etching himself into a Senators lineup is seriously impressive. The Ontario native was undrafted out of the OHL, and spent the next several seasons grinding away in the ECHL, even making a short stop in Slovakia before coming back to North America. The decision to return paid off, as he eventually earned an opportunity with the Flyers in the 2021-22 season, scoring a goal in a short NHL run, in his debut, no less.
After catching on with Ottawa on a two-way deal, last season Hodgson led the Belleville Senators with 156 penalty minutes, and in 10 games with them so far in 2025-26, he has three goals. In an age where players in his mold are largely phased out of the NHL, impressively Hodgson has managed to make a name for himself, and is signed through 2026-27 with the Senators organization. Although headed back to Belleville for now, the Sens could call upon their bruiser again in the near future as a reliable fourth line option with serious physicality.