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Snapshots: Rangers, Maple Leafs, Hyman

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While we’re still a ways away from prime trading season in the NHL, it’s not too early to at least begin considering which teams might target which sorts of players to acquire. The Athletic’s Vincent Z. Mercogliano did just that today with the New York Rangers, identifying a puck-moving defenseman with legitimate offensive ability as one of the Rangers’ top priorities in terms of who they might want to acquire in a deal.

While the Rangers are led by Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox, who is having another strong season, the top offensive blueliners behind him are Vladislav Gavrikov and Braden Schneider – neither of whom profiles as a real candidate to quarterback a power play. The Rangers acquired top prospect Scott Morrow, who carries that profile, in this offseason’s K’Andre Miller trade, but Mercogliano wrote that “the early whispers” from AHL Hartford regarding Morrow “haven’t been overly positive.” As a result, if the Rangers continue to hang around the playoff race and appear in need of external reinforcement, expect the club to target a blueliner who fills that specific offensively-oriented role.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have gotten off to a poor start to their 2025-26 campaign, and currently sit 25th in the NHL with an 8-8-2 record. The team’s struggles have led those covering the team to consider the club’s various options to dig itself out of its slump. The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel wrote today that while “a lot of the Leafs’ struggles right now do appear to be systems-related,” it’s unclear whether a coaching change would be legitimately considered at this time. Head coach Craig Berube still has two seasons remaining on his contract beyond this one, and changing coaches so early in the season would not be a decision team ownership “will love,” per Siegel. But he did add that a coaching change “will have to become a serious consideration” if the team’s struggles persist. At the moment, the top veteran coaching free agent appears to be Peter DeBoer, the former Dallas Stars head coach whose teams have made a run to the Western Conference Final in five of the past six seasons.
  • Earlier this week, we covered news that Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman was set to make his season debut very soon. Today, the Oilers confirmed that, barring something unforeseen, Hyman will make his season debut tonight in Raleigh when Edmonton takes on the Carolina Hurricanes. Hyman’s return is a major boost for the Oilers. The 33-year-old scored 54 goals in 2023-24 and ranked fifth on the team in scoring in 2024-25.

Tampa Bay Lightning Recall Jakob Pelletier

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forward Jakob Pelletier from their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.

Today’s move marks Pelletier as the third forward recalled from Syracuse over the last two days. Yesterday, the Lightning recalled forwards Boris Katchouk and Scott Sabourin.

Out of the three newly-recalled Lightning forwards, it’s Pelletier who has had the most successful season so far. The 24-year-old leads the Crunch in scoring with 14 points in 13 games. He’s proven to be a quality AHL scorer, hovering at around a point-per-game scoring rate since he made his professional debut in 2021-22 with the Stockton Heat, who have since been relocated.

The 2019 first-round pick hasn’t been able to translate that AHL success to the NHL level so far, though. In 86 career NHL games, Pelletier has 29 points. It was Pelletier’s inability to earn consistent, productive NHL minutes that led to him being non-tendered by the Philadelphia Flyers this past summer.

As an undersized winger without dynamic skating ability, Pelletier has always faced an uphill battle to earn a regular role in the NHL. So far, he hasn’t yet been able to stick in the world’s top league on a full-time basis, though he did get into almost 50 games last season.

With today’s recall, Pelletier gets his latest chance to prove himself at the NHL level. At this moment, it remains to be seen whether he’ll draw into head coach Jon Cooper’s lineup for the team’s contest this evening.

Taking a moment to look at the financial ramifications of this recall, it’s worth noting that this is the only year of Pelletier’s three-year, $775K AAV deal with the Lightning that carries a two-way structure. In each of 2026-27 and 2027-28, Pelletier is set to make $775K regardless of whether he’s on Tampa’s roster or in Syracuse.

But for 2025-26, Pelletier stands to make $250K in the AHL, $775K in the NHL, and carries a $350K total guarantee. While it’s unclear at this point how long Pelletier will remain on the Lightning’s NHL roster, this recall does at least enhance the player’s chances of eventually exceeding his $350K guarantee by the end of the season.

Morning Notes: Zuccarello, Greaves, Thompson

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After missing the first month of the season due to injury, Minnesota Wild forward Mats Zuccarello returned to the ice on Nov. 7 and has been solid for the Wild, scoring two points in three games. With his health no longer in question, the focus of the conversation surrounding the veteran forward has shifted from his availability to his future in Minnesota beyond this season. Zuccarello, 38, is playing out the final year of a $4.125MM AAV deal with the Wild, and is a pending unrestricted free agent.

Zuccarello commented on his future to The Athletic’s Michael Russo yesterday, stating that when deciding on his future, he will “take the season” to see how he feels, and will continue his career only if he feels he is “good enough to play at this level.” He added that he wants to be mindful that he does not “take a spot” on the Wild if he feels he is not capable of playing at a high level anymore. So far, Zuccarello hasn’t shown indications of any steep decline in form, but given that the 38-year-old will be closely monitoring his play to determine whether to continue his career, his ongoing form will be a notable storyline to watch in Minnesota.

Other notes from around the NHL:

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets leaned heavily on netminder Jet Greaves this past week, a change from most of the season where they’ve split starts evenly between Greaves and Elvis Merzlikins. According to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, that should not be viewed as an indication that Columbus is moving away from Merzlikins and moving to a more traditional starter-backup model. Per Portzline, head coach Dean Evason maintains that the decision on which goaltender to start remains a day-to-day decision. Greaves has posted an .897 save percentage across 10 games this season, while Merzlikins has a .908 through seven games played. Merzlikins dealt with an illness this past week while Greaves got the larger workload.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have struggled as of late, and are currently trying to navigate their way out of a five-game losing streak. One of the cards head coach Lindy Ruff is playing to help jump-start his team’s offense has been moving star forward Tage Thompson back to the middle of the ice. Thompson has been playing center, in part due to the injury suffered by incumbent first-line center Josh Norris. Thompson told The Athletic’s Matthew Fairburn that the move back to center has allowed him to feel “like [him]self,” and that he feels he can have more control over the game from that position. Thompson ranks second on the Sabres in scoring with 14 points in 17 games, and if this move back to center can help unlock an even higher level of play for the 28-year-old, it’s a move Ruff might have to consider even after the team gets players back from injury.

Snapshots: Zegras, Penguins Trade Plans, Team Canada

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Going into the 2025-26 campaign, one of the central questions surrounding the Philadelphia Flyers was the matter of whether 24-year-old Trevor Zegras, once seen as one of the game’s bright young star forwards, would be able to rediscover the level of play he’d once achieved – and then lost – as a member of the Anaheim Ducks. The early returns for Zegras and Flyers have been exceptional. Zegras leads Philadelphia in scoring with 16 points in 15 games, and has looked exactly like the creative, dynamic playmaker he was at times as a Duck.

As a result of Zegras’ strong start to his time in Philadelphia, increased attention has been paid to the fact that the player is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights. Although he’s looked great as a Flyer, Zegras is still a player with a track record of inconsistency, and he has struggled with injuries over the last two years. But even considering those factors, it appears the Flyers are looking to get Zegras locked into an extension that will keep him in Philadelphia moving forward. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts Podcast said “I think” Zegras and the Flyers “are talking about an extension.” While he didn’t offer concrete details on what a Zegras extension could look like, it’s fair to say his early form has greatly increased the chances he earns a raise from the $5.75MM AAV he’s currently making.

Other notes from around the NHL:

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins were expected by most to be one of the NHL’s weaker teams in 2025-26, but so far they’ve flipped the script on those observers to start this season. First-year head coach Dan Muse has his Penguins sitting seventh place in the NHL standings with a 9-5-1 record. Their strong play threatens to alter the team’s calculus when it comes to deciding whether to trade their key veteran contributors. The Athletic’s Josh Yohe wrote today that “As long as the Penguins keep playing like they have been, I don’t see [Bryan Rust, Erik Karlsson, or Rickard Rakell] being traded.” That’s a big deal for the Penguins, who regardless of their struggles in past years, are likely to want to give the core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang the chance to make one last run for a Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh.
  • As Hockey Canada continues to plan for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, they’re reportedly relying on past leaders to guide their current management group. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported today that Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong has cut their long list of considered players to a set of 35–40 names. In addition, LeBrun noted that Canada’s management invited Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman, who built Canada’s gold-winning teams for 2010 Vancouver and 2014 Sochi, to speak to the current management team to offer his guidance. If Canada can manage to build a team anything like the ones they brought to Sochi and Vancouver, they’ll be an incredibly difficult team to beat.

Penguins Sign William Dufour To AHL PTO

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The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, AHL affiliates of the Pittsburgh Penguins, announced today that they have signed forward William Dufour to an AHL PTO.

With this PTO signing, Dufour returns to North American pro hockey after a short period away. The 23-year-old began this season playing for Lada Tolyatti in the KHL, but only lasted seven games before returning to his home province of Quebec to play in the LNAH. After a short stint in the LNAH, playing there presumably to stay fit while waiting for a new high-level pro opportunity, he’s now found a new place to play in the AHL.

A 2020 fifth-round pick of the New York Islanders, Dufour was once seen as one of the club’s more promising prospects. In 2022, The Athletic’s Corey Pronman ranked Dufour as the No. 2 prospect in the Islanders’ system, stating at the time that Dufour “projects as a second-line winger with a chance to be a major value pick by the Islanders.” Dufour rocketed up prospect lists after a stellar final season in the QMJHL, one where he scored a whopping 56 goals and 116 points in just 66 games.

Dufour made his pro debut in the fall of 2022 with the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders, and his rookie campaign in the AHL was a success. He scored 21 goals and 48 points in 69 games, and after the season, was ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the Islanders’ system by Elite Prospects.

Those high rankings from public-facing scouts did not translate to sustained pro success, though, as Dufour’s first AHL season has proven to be his best thus far. He managed only 25 points the following season, and scored 22 points in 2024-25. He was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in the middle of last season as part of the Brock Nelson deal, but was non-tendered by the Avalanche after putting up just four points in 12 games for their AHL affiliate.

Still just 23 years old, Dufour now has an opportunity in front of him to re-establish himself as a quality AHL player. The AHL Penguins currently rank second in the AHL in goals scored, so Dufour has the advantage of joining one of the league’s high-powered offenses.

Minnesota Wild Recall David Spacek

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The Minnesota Wild have announced that defenseman David Spacek has been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild. After Minnesota’s move to send Tyler Pitlick down to Iowa yesterday, the Wild cleared a spot open on their roster, and that spot has now gone to Spacek.

The Wild currently have two defensemen whose status is either questionable or confirmed to be out in advance of the Wild’s next game, which is tomorrow night. Veteran Zach Bogosian is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, while Jacob Middleton was a late scratch before the team’s most recent game on Sunday.

With that level of uncertainty on defense heading into tomorrow’s game, it’s understandable that the Wild would want to recall an additional blueliner to give head coach John Hynes an additional healthy option to work with when constructing his lineup.

The move presents a significant opportunity for Spacek: he has a chance to make his NHL debut tomorrow as a result of this recall. The 22-year-old was a 2022 fifth-round pick out of the QMJHL, in a year when he scored an impressive 63 points in 68 combined regular season and playoff games. Spacek struggled in his first season in the AHL with Iowa, scoring just 12 points in 61 games in 2023-24. He even had to play three contests in the ECHL.

But Spacek appears to have made significant improvements, and his 2024-25 campaign was a major developmental step forward. He scored 31 points in 72 games, good for the team lead in defensive scoring. Last season, Spacek became Iowa’s No. 2 defenseman, playing a role on both special teams units. He has maintained that role this season, which has earned him a chance to make his NHL debut.

David Jiricek drew into the lineup on Sunday after Middleton’s late scratch, but only received 9:01 time-on-ice during the Wild’s shutout win. If the Wild don’t yet trust Jiricek to handle regular minutes, it’s possible they give Spacek a chance, given his solid performance in the AHL.

Detroit Red Wings Recall Nate Danielson

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The Detroit Red Wings have announced that center Nate Danielson has been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.

The ninth overall pick at the 2023 NHL Draft, Danielson is now in line to make his NHL debut at the earliest in today’s matinee contest against the Chicago Blackhawks or in Thursday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks.

The 21-year-old center began this season injured before he was reassigned to the AHL on Oct. 24. It took just four games in the AHL (where he scored five points) for Danielson to earn a recall to the team’s NHL roster.

The former Brandon Wheat Kings captain is in his second season playing professional hockey. He scored 12 goals and 39 points in 72 games for Grand Rapids last season, and added a goal in three playoff contests.

Entering the season, Danielson was ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the Red Wings’ system by Elite Prospects, though his ranking there can vary, as The Athletic’s Corey Pronman slotted Danielson as the team’s No. 1 prospect in August. Pronman wrote that he sees Danielson as a future top-six center, while Elite Prospects projects him more as a middle-six pivot.

Whatever his ultimate NHL role may be, it’s unlikely he’ll take up that role in Detroit any time soon. All four of the Red Wings’ NHL centers (Dylan Larkin, J.T. Compher, Andrew Copp, Michael Rasmussen) are under contract at least through 2026-27, and they have a combined cap hit of nearly $23MM.

One of those players could be shifted to the wing, of course, as could Danielson, but it’s important to nonetheless note how set-in-stone things appear to be at center for the Red Wings in this short-term future, and that’s before even bringing up the fact that the team’s top pick from 2022, Marco Kasper, is a natural center.

Having an abundance of capable NHL pivots is hardly a problem, and the addition of Danielson only further enhances the team’s depth in that area. He’s not yet proven himself at the NHL level, of course, but if his AHL performances are any indication, it would seem that Danielson has a long NHL career ahead of him.

Thanks to this recall, that NHL career could start very soon.

Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

New Jersey Devils Reassign Brian Halonen

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The New Jersey Devils have reassigned forward Brian Halonen to their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, according to a team announcement. The move drops the Devils down to 13 forwards on their active roster with 22 of 23 spots filled.

Halonen, 26, has played in nine games with New Jersey this season, his original NHL recall coming on Oct. 12 as part of the team’s response to the injury suffered by veteran winger Evgenii Dadonov.

Of Devils players to play more than one game in the NHL this season, Halonen ranks last in average time-on-ice per game. He’s played in just a shade over seven minutes of ice time per game, with the entirety of that usage coming at even strength. He did manage to score his first NHL goal during this recall, in the team’s Nov. 1 contest against the Los Angeles Kings.

As a depth forward who did not present any special teams utility to the Devils, it is not a massive surprise to see Halonen sent down. The former undrafted NCAA free agent has mostly been an AHL scorer for the Comets since he signed his entry-level deal with New Jersey in 2022.

The Minnesota native has posted solid numbers at the AHL level, scoring 103 points across 168 career games. He’s been especially effective as a goal scorer, notching 27 tallies last season and 20 across just 35 games in 2023-24.

While he’s received just 13 total NHL games in his career, his nine-game stint on his most recent recall was by far his most extensive NHL opportunity so far in his career. His quality goal-scoring performances in the AHL have propelled him to the top of the Devils AHL recall pecking order, and it would be no surprise to see him back on the team’s NHL roster at some point down the line.

Halonen is playing out the final year of a two-year, two-way contract that pays him a league-minimum salary at the NHL level and a $275K salary at the AHL level. If Halonen can continue to earn NHL call-ups and put together another 20-plus goal season in Utica, he could push for a one-way contract (or at least a really high-end AHL guarantee) in his upcoming unrestricted free agency.

St. Louis Blues Reassign Logan Mailloux, Recall Hunter Skinner

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The St. Louis Blues announced this morning that defenseman Logan Mailloux has been reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. In a corresponding move, the team recalled defenseman Hunter Skinner.

The move comes amid what has been an extremely difficult start to the 2025-26 season at the NHL level for Mailloux. Blues GM Doug Armstrong spoke to The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford about the move. Armstrong said Mailloux “needs a reset” but refused to place all the blame for Mailloux’s tough start on the player himself. He noted that St. Louis is, as a whole, “not functioning at a high level right now” and that Mailloux’s struggles have been a small part of that.

In explaining the motivations behind this move, Armstrong said the team wants Mailloux to be able to play without the level of “anxiety” and pressure that exists at the NHL level. The Blues believe, Armstrong said, that sending Mailloux back to the AHL will help him “get his game back” and “unlock his mind.”

St. Louis acquired Mailloux, who is a 2021 first-round pick, from the Montreal Canadiens over the summer in a one-for-one trade, sacrificing forward Zachary Bolduc after his promising rookie year in the NHL. Trading away a rookie forward right after a 19-goal, 36-point rookie season that saw him earn down-ballot Calder Trophy consideration certainly isn’t a decision a team takes lightly. But the Blues saw an opportunity to acquire a young right-handed defenseman with a rare combination of size and dynamic offensive ability.

Big right-shot defensemen who can skate and play a quality offensive game are one of the hardest-to-find commodities in the NHL, yet players of that archetype remain extremely in-demand among NHL teams.

That supply-and-demand consideration had to have played a role in making Mailloux a first-round pick despite the off-ice issues surrounding him, and without question motivated the Blues’ decision to trade Bolduc in order to acquire him.

So far, Mailloux hasn’t been able to reward the Blues’ faith in him with quality play at the NHL level.

Through two professional seasons in the Canadiens organization, Mailloux proved to be an exceptional offensive weapon on the back end, but also a defenseman who at times struggled mightily with decision-making and reading the play in his own end. Those issues have resurfaced in the NHL this season.

He was never able to reach a level of reliability in the defensive zone to earn a consistent NHL role in Montreal, playing with the Canadiens only on a sporadic basis. But he did manage to make his presence felt at the AHL level, playing in two AHL All-Star games and landing on the 2023-24 All-Rookie team.

It’s that previous success he has at the AHL level that has likely led to the Blues’ belief that a stint in the AHL could go a long way in helping Mailloux “reset” his game.

Through nine NHL contests this season, Mailloux has failed to register a point and has logged a -12 plus/minus rating despite averaging the second-fewest minutes per game of any Blues defenseman.

The Blues’ season as a whole has not gone to plan, and surrendering a game-tying goal with a second left and then losing in overtime last night cannot have helped matters. This transaction is unlikely to be the only move the Blues make in order to try to spark a turnaround in results.

From Mailloux’s perspective, it would be understandable to be discouraged by a return to the AHL after making the NHL roster out of training camp. But getting the chance to rediscover his game and build some confidence in a league he’s largely starred in could genuinely make a difference in helping him stay in the NHL on a more permanent basis the next time he’s called up.

This move is a disappointing development for one young defenseman but a significant opportunity for another. Skinner, 24, has yet to make his NHL debut and this recall positions him to do exactly that, with his first opportunity coming Nov. 11 against the Calgary Flames.

The 6’3″ right-shot defenseman was originally acquired in 2023 as part of the trade that sent Vladimir Tarasenko to the New York Rangers, and he has worked his way up to the NHL all the way from the ECHL. While he’s not considered a top prospect by any stretch, Skinner offers the Blues a physical edge they could find useful.

Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Morning Notes: McKenna, Karlsson, Laughton

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17-year-old Gavin McKenna is one of the top prospects in hockey and the presumptive No. 1 pick in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft. Currently playing NCAA hockey for the Penn State Nittany Lions, he’s gotten off to a productive start, scoring 14 points in 12 games. But even with that production, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler has indicated that McKenna’s performances in college hockey thus far have some left NHL teams wanting more.

Wheeler reported yesterday that after McKenna’s Penn State dropped back-to-back games against Michigan State in East Lansing, “the gathering collection of scouts and hockey folks weren’t kind to” McKenna in their thoughts postgame. Wheeler reported that “multiple NHL scouts” commented to The Athletic on McKenna’s “work rate off the puck, a number of backchecks he appeared to give up on,” and perhaps most distressingly for McKenna’s draft stock, “an ongoing desire for more effort.” Wheeler stopped short of saying that McKenna’s status as 2026’s top prospect was truly under threat; he is still a point-per-game NCAA freshman, after all, and his incredible skill level is still evident. But Wheeler did note that “this college hockey season has revealed” that McKenna is right now “a flawed player” whose flaws were better masked when he was playing in, and dominating, the WHL.

Other notes from around the hockey world:

  • Injury issues have once again surfaced for Vegas Golden Knights veteran William Karlsson, who left last night’s loss to the Anaheim Ducks with an injury. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger relayed word from Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy last night, who guessed that Karlsson would be out on a day-to-day basis, but did also note that they don’t know for sure the extent of his injury. Since Vegas is not on the ice today, the earliest an update on Karlsson’s status is likely to be released is Monday. Karlsson played in just 53 games last season due to injury and has seven points through 14 games in 2025-26.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs veteran forward Scott Laughton left last night’s loss against the Boston Bruins with an upper-body injury after finding himself on the wrong end of a Nikita Zadorov body check. Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube told the media after the game, including The Hockey News’ David Alter, that the severity of Laughton’s injury is currently still being evaluated, but he did note that the player will miss the Maple Leafs’ game Sunday. Per TSN’s Mark Masters, Berube expressed frustration regarding the hit that injured Laughton, saying postgame “I thought it was a head shot.” Injuries have limited Laughton to just two games played this season, his first coming on Nov. 5.

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