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Pacific Notes: Oilers, Walman, Poehling, Parekh

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It has been a consistently inconsistent season for the Oilers who have shown flashes of dominance at times and have struggled mightily at others.  The end result has been a middling 9-9-5 record to start the campaign.  Despite that, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic suggests (Twitter link) that management isn’t quite ready to start making moves yet and would like to get closer to the 30-game mark which would allow them to ideally have a healthier roster to help them better assess what they need to do.  More specifically, the better assessment might be what they can afford to do as they’ve been operating in LTIR all season and will have very limited cap space when the team is fully healthy, putting them in a money-in, money-out situation when it comes to the trade market.

More from the Pacific:

  • Still with the Oilers, defenseman Jake Walman is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, notes team reporter Tony Brar (Twitter link). Head coach Kris Knoblauch suggested that the blueliner should be back within a week, meaning an IR placement is unlikely.  Walman is in his first full season with Edmonton after being acquired near the trade deadline last season and has been impactful, collecting 10 points in 17 games while logging a little more than 20 minutes per night of ice time.
  • Ducks center Ryan Poehling took to the ice today for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury a week and a half ago. However, it will still be a little while before he’s cleared to return as head coach Joel Quenneville told reporters, including Derek Lee of The Hockey News, that the earliest that Poehling could return is next weekend.  The 26-year-old is in his first season with Anaheim and had a goal and five assists in 16 games prior to the injury.
  • Flames defenseman Zayne Parekh has resumed skating as he works his way back from an upper-body injury, relays Flames Nation’s Ryan Pike (Twitter link). He has missed the last couple of weeks due to the injury and even if he’s cleared to return sooner than later, he won’t be with the team for long as he has already been confirmed to be going to the World Juniors if healthy by then.  Parekh is in his first full professional season after recently surpassing the nine-game threshold and has an assist in 11 outings so far while averaging a little less than 15 minutes per night of playing time.

Devils And Flyers Seeking Depth Centers

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Considering that we’re basically just at the one-quarter mark of the season, the trade market hasn’t really materialized aside from a handful of smaller moves.  But that doesn’t stop teams from setting their respective wish lists and determining what areas they’d like to add to their rosters.

As is often the case, help down the middle is an area that a lot of teams will be targeting.  Among them are a pair of Metropolitan Division teams.  Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reports that while acquiring a top replacement for Jack Hughes is unlikely, they’d like to add a depth center to the mix.  Meanwhile, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that the Flyers are also looking for an extra depth middleman.

New Jersey had been looking to add a center last season.  However, when Hughes suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, they pivoted from looking to make a big addition to more of a depth one in Cody Glass.  Speculatively, that’s the type of depth addition they’d likely want to make, one that would add to the roster without costing too much to acquire.

The other element in play is the player’s actual cost.  The Devils are deep into LTIR with Johnathan Kovacevic and Brett Pesce currently on there while Hughes is eligible given that he’s out for the better part of two months.  But eventually, when they’re all healthy, New Jersey is going to be right against the Upper Limit of the salary cap so if they go add someone to help at center, it ideally would be a lower-cost addition that’s easier to fit on their books.

As for the Flyers, they haven’t really replaced Jett Luchanko after he was assigned back to junior last month.  Rodrigo Abols has been filling a role as a fourth-line center but the 29-year-old only has 36 career NHL games under his belt.  In a perfect world, a more proven and impactful option would be a good way for them to go.

On the other hand, Philadelphia enters play today seventh in the Metropolitan Division and the expectation heading into the season was that they’d be a non-playoff team and a likely seller.  Not enough has happened yet to change those expectations so taking a big swing on the trade front might not the prudent move.  Instead, a smaller addition now that doesn’t cost a lot but could still help would make sense for GM Daniel Briere.  Unlike the Devils, cap space isn’t a concern for the Flyers so they could have a bigger pool of players to potentially target.

The good news for these teams is that depth centers are a little easier to come by and the odd one finds their way onto the waiver wire as John Beecher did earlier this week.  The bad news is that with the number of teams seeking center help, New Jersey and Philadelphia will likely be battling several suitors even for the types of depth upgrades it appears that they’re looking to make.

Metropolitan Notes: Rangers, Dowd, Grebenkin

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The Rangers will be without a key forward tonight against Utah as Peter Baugh of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that center J.T. Miller is listed as out day-to-day due to an upper-body injury.  In his first full season back with New York following a midseason trade in 2024-25, the 32-year-old is logging 20:41 per game and taking a regular turn on both special teams units.  However, as has been the case for a lot of the team so far, offense has been hard to come by as he has just six goals and six assists in 22 games despite seeing a lot of ice time on the top line.

Meanwhile, Baugh also noted that defenseman William Borgen remains listed as day-to-day with his upper-body injury which suggests he’ll miss a second straight game.  He has been a regular on the second pairing for the Rangers this season, picking up three points, 24 blocks, and 26 hits in 19 outings.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Capitals center Nic Dowd was a full participant in practice today but will miss his third straight game tonight, relays Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. The 35-year-old has missed the last two contests due to an upper-body injury.  Dowd has a goal and four assists in 19 games so far this season while logging over 15 minutes per night of playing time.  Sonny Milano has played the last two games in Dowd’s absence and is expected to stay in the lineup for their game tonight against Tampa Bay.
  • The hope was that Flyers winger Nikita Grebenkin would be able to grab a hold of a full-time spot in the lineup this season. However, he has been scratched in seven of 19 games so far and has played just 9:35 per night in the dozen appearances he has made.  However, Jackie Spiegel of the Philadelphia Inquirer mentions that the organization is okay with how the 22-year-old has been handled, even with the limited action.  Grebenkin is waiver-exempt so if it’s decided that he could benefit from a bigger role and more ice time, they will be able to assign him to AHL Lehigh Valley to get him that opportunity.

Predators Activate Roman Josi Off Injured Reserve

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With the Predators sitting at a 6-10-4 record through their first 20 games, it’s fair to say that things haven’t gotten off to a good start this season.  There is some good news coming today, however, as the team announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Roman Josi will return to the lineup tonight against Colorado and has been activated off injured reserve.  The team had two open roster spots so corresponding moves were needed to activate him.

The 35-year-old has missed the last dozen games due to an upper-body injury sustained just under a month ago against Vancouver.  He was off to a nice start as well, chipping in with five points and 15 blocked shots in his first eight outings while averaging a team-high 24:05 per night of playing time.

When healthy, Josi remains a legitimate top-pairing defender although staying healthy has been a challenge as of late.  He missed the final 25 games last season and was later diagnosed with Postural Tachycardia Syndrome but was cleared to return for training camp.

Arguably, Nashville’s biggest move over the offseason was the trade acquisition and subsequent signing of blueliner Nicolas Hague with the hopes that he and Josi could form the new top pairing.  However, Hague missed the first eight games of the season with an upper-body injury of his own and his first game back was the first one that Josi missed.  Now, more than six weeks later than expected, the Preds will get a chance to see that duo in action as they were paired together at today’s morning skate.

Rangers Loan Talyn Boyko To Finnish League

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The Rangers have seven goaltenders under contract following the recent signing of Spencer Martin to a two-year, one-way contract.  When everyone’s healthy, that means someone is going to be a third-stringer which isn’t an ideal situation.

For now, at least, the Rangers have found a solution.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they have loaned netminder Talyn Boyko to KalPa in Finland.  It wasn’t specified if this is a rest-of-season loan or something more short-term with an eye on getting him some game action.

The 23-year-old was a fourth-round pick by New York back in 2021, going 112th overall.  At the time, he was the backup with WHL Tri-City but a move to Kelowna the following season put him into the clear starting role, one he held for two seasons before turning pro in 2023-24.

Over his first two professional campaigns, Boyko played primarily at the ECHL level with Cincinnati in his rookie year and Tulsa last season, Anaheim’s affiliate.  He posted a solid 2.66 GAA and a .913 SV% in 33 games with them, earning himself a five-game look with AHL Hartford.

This season, Boyko started off the campaign as the backup goalie with the Wolf Pack, playing behind Dylan Garand.  He has made five appearances, putting up a 3.10 GAA and a .894 SV% but now with Martin in the fold (though he has yet to play since signing), he was set to be relegated to third-string status.

Instead of loaning him to a different AHL or ECHL affiliate (Callum Tung and Hugo Ollas comprise the tandem with ECHL Bloomington), the Rangers have found a different opportunity for Boyko with a look in Finland.  A pending restricted free agent, it doesn’t seem likely that Boyko will be tendered a qualifying offer as things stand so this may be a chance for him to make a case for a contract overseas for 2026-27.

Senators Activate Thomas Chabot, Assign Lassi Thomson To AHL

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The Senators have made a pair of roster moves in advance of their game tonight against San Jose.  First, the team announced that defenseman Lassi Thomson has been sent back to AHL Belleville.  That opened up a roster spot which will be filled by blueliner Thomas Chabot who has been activated off injured reserve, per the NHL’s Media site.

Chabot has missed a week and a half due to an upper-body injury sustained against Dallas.  Before the injury, the 28-year-old was his usual two-way self on the back end, picking up two goals and eight assists in 17 games while blocking 35 shots and averaging a little under 22 minutes per game of playing time, second only to fellow blueliner Jake Sanderson.

Chabot will likely play on the second pairing in his return and it would make sense for Nick Jensen to move back into the other spot on that duo, a pairing that has played a lot together in the early going.  Whose spot Chabot takes in the lineup isn’t as certain though as Nikolas Matinpalo left Thursday’s game due to an injury.  If he can’t play, then Chabot will take his place but if Matinpalo is available, it could be him or Jordan Spence being scratched.

As for Thomson, the 25-year-old was brought up earlier this week as injury insurance for the first leg of Ottawa’s road trip but didn’t see any game action.  He last played in the NHL in the 2022-23 campaign and has five assists in 18 career NHL appearances.  In 15 games with Belleville, he has three goals and an assist.

Atlantic Notes: Maple Leafs, Benson, McAvoy

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While the Maple Leafs had both Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies available at practice yesterday, it appears they’ll be without both of them for at least one more game.  Head coach Craig Berube told reporters including TSN’s Mark Masters (Twitter link) that both forwards are considered as doubtful for tonight against Montreal.  Matthews has missed the last week and a half with a lower-body injury while Knies hasn’t played since last weekend due to a lower-body injury of his own.  Both players are key cogs in Toronto’s top-five attack (in terms of goals scored) with Matthews being tied for second on the team in goals while Knies sits third in points but they’ll have to wait another game at least before returning.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • After welcoming back Jason Zucker last night against Chicago, the Sabres should get another key winger back on Sunday versus Carolina. Head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters including Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic (Twitter link) before last night’s game that winger Zach Benson probably could have suited up in that one but they elected to be cautious and give him a couple of extra days of rest.  Benson has missed a little more than three weeks with his lower-body injury but had been a strong playmaker beforehand, picking up eight assists in as many games.
  • Earlier this week, Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy underwent facial surgery after taking a redirected puck to the face against Montreal. While there’s no firm timeline for a return, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan recently reported (Twitter link) that the expectation is that he should be cleared to return for the Olympics in February.  McAvoy was part of Team USA’s entry for the 4 Nations Face-Off last winter (before being injured midway through the event) and should have a strong chance of making the Olympic roster which will be announced in early January.

Canucks Reportedly Looking To Move Lukas Reichel

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It has been an eventful year for Canucks forward Lukas Reichel.  Despite a solid start in limited action in Chicago, the Blackhawks had already decided that he was not going to be part of their long-term plans and moved him to Vancouver last month for a 2027 fourth-round pick.  With the Canucks dealing with several injuries, he was a low-cost NHL-level replacement.

Unfortunately for him and the team, that hasn’t gone quite as planned.  Reichel has been limited to just one assist in 13 games since the move and hasn’t even recorded a shot on goal in six straight contests.  As a result, he found himself a healthy scratch in yesterday’s loss to Dallas.

With some players trending toward being closer to returning, it appears that Reichel might not be in Vancouver’s plans for much longer.  In an appearance on Sportsnet 650 (audio link), CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reported that the team has now made Reichel available and is okay with trying to move him.

While he spent a lot of his time with Chicago on the wing, Vancouver’s injury situation down the middle resulted in them trying Reichel at center, an experiment that clearly hasn’t worked out well given his struggles.  On the other hand, he’s still just 23 and with a $1.2MM cap charge, he’s someone that a lot of teams looking for forward depth could realistically afford on their books.

Of course, with Reichel not performing well, it would seem like GM Patrik Allvin would be hard-pressed to acquire a replacement 2027 fourth-round pick for his services.  But if it’s trending toward a situation where he’s on the outside looking in at a roster spot, the potential to get something over running the risk of losing him for nothing on waivers down the road might be worth looking into.

At the moment, Teddy Blueger (despite a recent setback) and Nils Hoglander are the forwards on IR who are closest to coming back.  Meanwhile, Jonathan Lekkerimaki is currently with AHL Abbotsford on what feels like a conditioning stint and it’s likely he’ll be back up sooner than later.  With 14 forwards on a full 23-player roster, each of those players will require another forward going down to make room.

At the moment, the only waiver-exempt forwards with the Canucks are Mackenzie MacEachern (who hasn’t played in ten games or been on the roster for 30 days since clearing waivers) and Max Sasson, who has played in all but three games this season.  It’s a good problem to have but a roster crunch is on the horizon for Vancouver and it looks like Reichel could soon be one of the casualties.

Central Notes: Burakovsky, Rantanen, Predators

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Blackhawks winger Andre Burakovsky suffered an undisclosed injury last night against Seattle and was quickly ruled out for tonight’s game against Buffalo as well.  However, it doesn’t sound like he’ll be out for too much longer.  Head coach Jeff Blashill indicated to CHGO Sports pregame (Twitter link) that the veteran is listed as day-to-day.  Acquired from the Kraken over the offseason, the 30-year-old has rebounded quite well with his new team.  He has seven goals and eight assists in 18 appearances so far, his best point-per-game mark since 2020-21 when he was with Colorado.  Landon Slaggert returned to the lineup tonight to take Burakovsky’s spot in the lineup.

More from the Central:

  • While Stars winger Mikko Rantanen didn’t receive any supplemental discipline for his hit on Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov earlier in the week, he is a little lighter in the wallet. Today, the league announced that he has been fined $2K for his second citation of embellishment this season.  The first instance came back on October 16th while the second was a week and a half ago against Ottawa.  The fine money will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
  • With the Predators off to a tough start this season following a rough 2024-25 campaign, some have wondered if GM Barry Trotz, a long-time coach, might think about returning behind the bench if he wants to make a coaching change. Trotz poured cold water on that suggestion, telling Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean that there is a 0.0% chance he’d return behind the bench on a full-time basis.  Trotz took over as GM back in 2023 and while it used to be relatively common for someone to serve as head coach and GM, those days are long gone.  Nashville has won just six of their 20 games so far in 2025-26 after recording only 68 points last season.

Latest On Harrison Brunicke

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Generally speaking, having a key young player sitting as a healthy scratch for an extended period of time is far from ideal from a development perspective.  But that has been the case for Penguins defenseman Harrison Brunicke, a rookie blueliner who has only played twice this month and not since November 3rd.

However, it appears that his time in the press box will continue for at least a little while longer.  GM Kyle Dubas recently mentioned in an interview on the Penguins Radio Network (audio link) that the 19-year-old will remain with the big club through the weekend but will continue to be a healthy scratch.

Brunicke has now been scratched for more than five games.  While that normally doesn’t mean a lot, it does allow Pittsburgh to give him a two-week assignment to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  That’s doable even though he’s not eligible to play there full-time due to the NHL-CHL agreement that dictates that junior players can’t play full-time in the AHL until they’re in their age-20 season.

That strategy is likely by design, even though sitting him for what will be more than three weeks was required to get to that point.  Brunicke has played in nine NHL games this season, meaning that the next one he plays this year officially will activate the first season of his entry-level contract.  He has held his own in those outings while averaging a respectable 15:43 per game of playing time.

Clearly, Dubas isn’t ready to make that call yet so this pending stint will be the next determinant in their decision.  When assigned, he can go down for a maximum of two weeks and they’ll likely time it to give him as many games in that stretch as possible.  He will continue to count against the 23-player limit while in the minors.

Dubas also acknowledged that there is a possibility that Brunicke will be loaned to play for Canada at the World Juniors; that tournament begins in a little less than five weeks from now.  Their training camp is around three weeks away and Dubas noted that they don’t want to put Brunicke in a spot where he’s going to be not playing for an extended stretch again.  That could factor into when the assignment is made.

At this point, it feels like Pittsburgh is going to drag out the decision process as long as possible.  By loaning him to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and then to the World Juniors soon after, they can kick the can on making a final call until early January.  From there, they could either bring him back to the Penguins and officially start his contract or assign him back to WHL Kamloops to play what would amount to basically half of a junior season.

Either way, playing time will soon be on the way for Brunicke but it will be a while yet before his fate for this season ultimately gets decided.

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