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Pacific Notes: Jarry, Hyman, Vatrano, Chiarot

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It appears the Oilers won’t have to wait too much longer to get their new starting goalie back.  Head coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters following last night’s game (video link) that they’re hoping to have Tristan Jarry back around mid-January.  That would mean he’ll miss another couple of weeks but ideally not much more than that.  Diagnosed as out week-to-week just before the holiday break due to a lower-body injury, Jarry was injured in just his third game following last month’s swap.  Connor Ingram has played well in three of his four games in Jarry’s absence and will now have a couple more weeks to make the case that he should take over as Edmonton’s backup moving forward over Calvin Pickard.

More from the Pacific:

  • While Hockey Canada didn’t reveal any of its players on their standby list for next month’s Olympics when they announced their roster yesterday, Oilers winger Zach Hyman is on that list, according to Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. Hyman missed the start of the season while recovering from wrist surgery but has been productive in his limited action, collecting 12 goals and 10 assists in 22 games, 16 of which have come in his last 11 outings.  That made him a candidate for the team given his chemistry with linemate Connor McDavid but he’ll now need someone to miss due to injury to have a chance to make it.
  • Unsurprisingly, following Wednesday’s announcement that Frank Vatrano will miss six weeks due to a fractured shoulder, the Ducks have moved him to injured reserve, notes Derek Lee of The Hockey News (Twitter link). Anaheim had been carrying a full 23-player roster so they now have an opening to recall someone from AHL San Diego, a move that could be made relatively soon.
  • Earlier this week, Canucks prospect Gabriel Chiarot was traded in the OHL with Kitchener announcing that they acquired him from Brampton in exchange for eight draft picks. The 19-year-old was a sixth-round pick by Vancouver back in June, going 175th overall.  He has 15 goals and 10 assists in 33 games so far this season.  Chiarot turns 20 in mid-September, meaning he is eligible to play full-time in the minors in 2026-27 so this could be a particularly expensive rental if the Canucks decide that moving to the next level is better than an overage season in junior.

Golden Knights Recall Jaycob Megna

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With Brayden McNabb sustaining an upper-body injury on Wednesday against Nashville, the Golden Knights have brought up an extra blueliner.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled Jaycob Megna from AHL Henderson.

The 33-year-old is in his first season in the organization after spending 2024-25 with Florida.  Vegas saw fit to give Megna a two-year, one-way deal worth $800K per season for situations like this where he could be playable depth where needed or as injury insurance so as to not disrupt the development of their prospects with the Silver Knights.

This is Megna’s third recall of the season although the first two didn’t result in any playing time.  He does, however, have 193 career NHL appearances under his belt between five different organizations where he has 27 points along with 313 blocks and 258 hits in 17:38 of playing time per game.  Meanwhile, he has two goals and four assists in 23 games so far this season with Henderson.

With Megna’s recall, Vegas is up to a full 23-player roster.

Blue Jackets Recall Danton Heinen

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When the Blue Jackets placed winger Miles Wood on injured reserve earlier today, they opened up a roster spot.  They didn’t waste much time filling it as the team announced that they’ve recalled winger Danton Heinen from AHL Cleveland.  They still have one open slot on their 23-player roster.

The 30-year-old hasn’t been in the organization for very long as he was only acquired by Columbus back on Monday as part of the Yegor Chinakhov deal.  However, his inclusion was more for salary-matching purposes rather than being a specific target as Heinen has gone through waivers unclaimed twice already this season.

Heinen has split this season between the NHL and AHL, playing in 13 games at each level, including one with Cleveland following the trade.  In the minors, he has been dominant, notching six goals and 12 assists in his first taste of minor league action since 2017-18.  Meanwhile, in the NHL with Pittsburgh, he has a goal and an assist while averaging 11:40 per night of ice time.

When Heinen sees any game action with Columbus, it stands to reason that his playing time will be similarly limited.  But he does have a strong track record of being productive in a bottom-six role as evidenced by his career numbers of 243 points in 579 games despite an ATOI below the 14-minute mark.  Given their growing list of injuries, he should get a chance to add to those numbers before long.

Zach Dean Exits Player Assistance Program, Assigned To AHL

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Back in September, Blues prospect Zach Dean entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and has yet to play since then.  Today, the team announced that the forward has been cleared from the program and that he has been assigned to AHL Springfield; he’s expected to join the Thunderbirds on Friday.

The 22-year-old was originally a first-round pick by Vegas back in 2021, going 30th overall.  However, he never suited up for them as two years later while he was still playing in junior, he was moved to St. Louis in a one-for-one swap for Ivan Barbashev.

This is the final season of Dean’s entry-level deal.  In 2023-24, he got into nine games with the Blues but he is still looking for his first point at the top level.  Meanwhile, he had nine goals and five assists in 49 games for the Thunderbirds in a relatively quiet rookie campaign.

Things didn’t get any better for Dean last season.  Multiple injuries, including a long-term lower-body issue, limited him to just 11 games with Springfield where he managed one goal and three assists.  The multiple absences prevented any chance of him getting a recall to St. Louis.

Now cleared to return from the program, Dean will likely need a long runway after being off for so long (he’s played just twice since mid-February).  However, a strong showing in the second half of the season could give him another chance with St. Louis, especially if they wind up being a seller before the trade deadline in March.

Conor Garland And Marco Rossi Out At Least A Week

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The new calendar year hasn’t started off on a good note on the injury front for Vancouver.  Sportsnet 650’s Randip Janda relays (Twitter links) that winger Conor Garland and center Marco Rossi will be out at least a week with respective lower-body injuries.

Garland sustained his injury on Tuesday against Philadelphia when he received a slew foot.  The veteran has had an okay first half to his season, notching 22 points in 33 games but just seven have been goals.  Given that Vancouver is likely to be a seller before the trade deadline in March, the 29-year-old has popped up in trade speculation again, even with a new six-year, $36MM extension set to begin next season.

As for Rossi, he was one of the pieces that came to the Canucks in last month’s Quinn Hughes trade.  Injured at the time he was acquired, he has since returned and got off to a quiet start with his new team.  In eight games since the swap, the 24-year-old has been held to just one goal and one assist but he was more productive in Minnesota, notching four goals and nine assists in 17 outings.  The hope is that he’ll be a top-six piece for the long term but that’s on hold for now with this latest injury.

Since they each will miss at least a week, both Garland and Rossi will be eligible to go on injured reserve and open up some roster flexibility.  Janda adds that the team does intend to recall at least one forward from AHL Abbotsford which would bring them back to 13 healthy options on their active roster.

Penguins Reassign Ryan Graves

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Dec. 31: The Penguins announced they’ve reassigned Graves to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after he cleared waivers today.

Dec. 30: Graves was formally waived today, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Dec. 29: After acquiring Yegor Chinakhov earlier today, the Penguins needed to open up a spot on their active roster for him.  They’ve determined how to do that, as Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports (Twitter link) that the team has designated defenseman Ryan Graves as a non-roster player and will place him on waivers on Tuesday when the next waiver period opens.

This will be the second time this season that the 30-year-old will land on the waiver wire.  Graves also found himself on waivers during training camp as he was among Pittsburgh’s last group of training camp cuts.

Despite passing through unclaimed and starting the season with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Graves has actually spent more time in Pittsburgh than with them.  He got into 10 games at the minor league level to start the year and was productive, picking up a goal and six assists.  That earned him a recall in early November and has been up since then, a stint that’s about to come to an end.

Graves has played in 17 games with Pittsburgh this season, albeit in a limited role as he’s barely averaging 15 minutes per night of ice time.  In those outings, he has just one point – a goal – along with 31 blocked shots.  While offense has never been his calling card, it’s fair to say that Graves isn’t living up to his $4.5MM per season contract, one that runs through the 2028-29 campaign.

Given that price tag, it’s a certainty that Graves will once again pass through unclaimed and be sent back down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, where he’ll join Mathew Dumba on a high-priced AHL back end.  From there, he’ll look to work his way back to Pittsburgh, an outcome that could happen should the Penguins move any of their pending UFA blueliners, a group that includes Connor Clifton, Brett Kulak, and Ryan Shea.

Snapshots: Toninato, Lundestrom, Barzal, Eichel

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The Blackhawks announced that they’ve assigned center Dominic Toninato back to AHL Rockford.  Recalled three weeks ago, the 31-year-old got into five games with Chicago while on recall, picking up an assist and ten hits in 9:12 per game of playing time.  Toninato has been much more productive with the IceHogs, notching five goals and 12 assists in 24 games with them.  With his assignment, the Blackhawks now have an open roster spot.  Don’t expect that spot to go to Connor Bedard, however, as while he returned to the ice today per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, it was a light skate and there remains no firm timetable for his return.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • Blue Jackets center Isac Lundestrom is expected to miss a week or two with a lower-body injury sustained in practice over the weekend, reports Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 26-year-old is in his first season with Columbus and has been rather quiet offensively, scoring just once while adding four assists in 35 games although he does take a regular turn on the penalty kill.
  • Islanders center Mathew Barzal is a little lighter in the wallet today. The league announced that he has received a $5K fine for his slash on Columbus winger Mason Marchment in the second period of Sunday’s game.  Barzal received a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct on the play.  The fine, which is the maximum allowable under the CBA, goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
  • Golden Knights center Jack Eichel took part in today’s morning skate in a non-contact jersey, relays Fox 5 Vegas’ Vince Sapienza (Twitter link). While he has been ruled out for tonight’s game versus Minnesota, he could return Wednesday against Nashville.  Eichel has missed the last two weeks due to both an illness and a lower-body injury.  Despite missing that much time, he remains the team leader in scoring with 12 goals and 29 assists in 41 games.

Bruins Activate Jonathan Aspirot

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The Bruins welcomed back one of their defensemen to the lineup tonight against Calgary as the team announced that Jonathan Aspirot has been added back to the active roster.  More specifically, he was activated off injured reserve.  Boston had an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made.

The 26-year-old signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Bruins for the league minimum in Group Six unrestricted free agency, hoping that a new organization could give him a pathway to his first taste of NHL action.  While it took a bit of time, he ultimately got that opportunity.

Aspirot cleared waivers back in October and got into five games with AHL Providence.  He had a goal and two assists in those outings and three weeks after being sent down, he earned a promotion to Boston and has been with them since.

Aspirot played in 19 games with Boston before the injury, predominantly on their third pairing.  In those outings, he had a goal along with 28 blocks and 32 hits while averaging a little over 16 minutes per night of ice time.  He had missed the last two weeks with an upper-body injury sustained against Winnipeg.

Even with his activation, the Bruins are still without a pair of blueliners.  Henri Jokiharju is on IR with an undisclosed injury that has kept him out for a month while Jordan Harris is on long-term injured reserve and has missed more than two months with an ankle injury.

Senators Activate Shane Pinto

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The Senators welcomed back a key center to the lineup tonight against Columbus.  Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relayed (Twitter link) that Shane Pinto was set to anchor the third line, meaning he has been activated off injured reserve.  Ottawa had an open roster spot so no further moves needed to be made.

The 25-year-old has missed the last four weeks with a lower-body injury.  With Lars Eller also on IR, they still don’t have their full complement of middlemen available to them but their top three are now intact.

Pinto got off to a terrific start to the season.  He had seven goals in six games to start and by the time he reached his 18th game, he had nine goals and six assists, making for a nice return on his $3.75MM bridge deal.  At that 18-game mark, he signed a four-year, $30MM contract extension, buying out his two remaining RFA-eligible seasons as well as his first two years of UFA eligibility.

However, things haven’t gone quite as well offensively for Pinto since then.  In his nine games played since signing, he has just three goals and one assist before sustaining his injury.  Still, he is certainly a welcome addition as they will need as much firepower as possible with starting goalie Linus Ullmark away from the team indefinitely on a leave of absence.

Meanwhile, Ottawa also welcomed back defenseman Tyler Kleven to the lineup after missing the last three games with a lower-body injury.  He has five assists, 48 blocked shots, and 41 hits in 32 games this season.  He remained on the active roster while injured so no corresponding move needed to be made for him either.  Kleven took the place of Nick Jensen (healthy scratch) in the lineup.

Senators Reassign Xavier Bourgault And Dennis Gilbert

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Dec. 29th: After Ottawa’s loss to the Maple Leafs, the team quietly moved Bourgault and Gilbert back to AHL Belleville, according to the AHL transactions log. Neither player participated in last night’s contest against the Utica Comets, so they won’t be eligible for an additional recall until after the new year.

Dec. 27th: The Senators have made a pair of roster moves coming out of the holiday break to give them some extra depth.  The team announced that they’ve recalled forward Xavier Bourgault and defenseman Dennis Gilbert from AHL Belleville.  To make room for them on the roster, center Lars Eller was moved to injured reserve.

This is the first regular season recall of Bourgault’s career (though he has been brought up as a Black Ace in the playoffs before).  The 23-year-old was a first-round pick by Edmonton back in 2021, going 22nd overall but has played exclusively in the AHL since turning pro in 2022.  Ottawa acquired him back in the 2024 offseason.

Bourgault has been quite productive with Belleville to earn this promotion.  In 32 games this season, he has nine goals and 18 assists, including ten helpers in his last nine outings.  As a result, he has already surpassed his output from last season when he had 26 points in 61 contests.  He’s expected to make his NHL debut against Toronto tonight with the team announcing (Twitter link) that Bourgault is expected to slot in on the fourth line.

Gilbert, meanwhile, gets his second recall after being acquired from Philadelphia earlier this season.  He got into one game on that first stint, his only taste of action at the top level in 2025-26 though he was injured for most of the season.  Between Belleville and AHL Lehigh Valley, the 30-year-old has six assists in 13 games.

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