Ottawa Senators Reassign Stephen Halliday, Hunter Shepard
The Ottawa Senators announced today that forward Stephen Halliday and goaltender Hunter Shepard have been reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators.
Over the past two days, NHL clubs have been making various reassignments to get players rostered in the AHL for the Olympic break, since keeping some names on an NHL team set to go several weeks without a game would be less than ideal for some players. These two reassignments fit that mold.
Halliday, 23, has split time between Ottawa and Belleville this season, which is his rookie campaign in the NHL. The 6’4″ center was a 2022 fourth-round pick who was able to instantly translate his scoring success from the NCAA level with Ohio State to the pro level with Belleville. He scored 14 points in 17 combined AHL regular-season and playoff games after signing with the Senators in the spring of 2024, and scored 19 goals and 51 points in his first full year of pro hockey.
So far this season, Halliday has been able to enhance his production level at the AHL level, and has even begun to translate some of that scoring to the NHL. In 22 AHL games, Halliday has scored 26 points. In 25 NHL games, Halliday, who averages just 8:08 time on ice per game, has 11 points. The 1:56 per game he averages on the power play has helped, of course, but his results have been undoubtedly promising for the Senators.
Entering the season, Halliday was ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the Senators’ system by Elite Prospects, who wrote that he “could top out as a top-nine playmaking power forward” if he made improvements to his skating and pace of play.
While it’s too early to tell if Halliday will be able to ultimately fulfill that projection, this year has been a step forward in his development, and he’ll be tasked with sustaining that step forward back at the AHL level over the Olympic break.
As for Shepard, his reassignment is more standard as he’s been mostly an AHL player this season. Shepard has six games of career NHL experience and has played in 36 minutes at the NHL level in 2025-26. Once a star AHL netminder who led the Hershey Bears to back-to-back Calder Cup titles, Shepard’s form in the league has declined over the last two years.
In 2024-25, he posted an .891 save percentage across 39 games in Hershey, and the Washington Capitals pivoted to other goalie options. He signed with the Senators this offseason, but has been unable to get his numbers trending in the right direction. He has an .888 save percentage in just 14 games played for Belleville, and is a pending UFA.
Buffalo Sabres Reassign Three Players
The Buffalo Sabres have reassigned three players to their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans: forwards Konsta Helenius and Isak Rosen, as well as defenseman Zach Metsa. The moves are part of the Sabres’ preparations for the Olympic break now that their slate of NHL games before the Olympics has concluded.
It’s no major surprise that Buffalo would want to see this trio of players become available for the Americans over the break. Getting each one back onto the AHL roster will give Rochester a significant, immediate boost in its odds of winning games, starting tonight when they take on the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Helenius and Rosen are two of Rochester’s best forwards. Helenius, 19, was Buffalo’s 2024 first-round pick and the No. 14 overall pick of his draft class. Helenius was selected after a strong 36-point rookie campaign playing against men in Finland’s Liiga, meaning his quick transition to the AHL game isn’t hugely surprising.
He scored 14 goals and 36 points last season as an AHL rookie, and has nine goals and 30 points across 34 AHL games this season. Despite spending some time on the Sabres NHL roster, Helenius remains ranked No. 2 in scoring among forwards on the Americans roster in 2025-26.
The Americans’ leading forward scorer is Rosen, one of the club’s 2021 first-round picks. It’s a big year for the pending RFA, as he’s looking to finally seize a more permanent role on the Sabres’ NHL roster. That will have to wait until after the break, but during the break, he is expected to be one of Rochester’s key forwards. He scored 28 goals and 55 points in the AHL last season, and has 20 goals and 32 points in 30 games this year.
Unlike both forwards that were reassigned, Metsa is not a first-round pick and top prospect. Instead, the blueliner is a 27-year-old undrafted player who has carved out a real NHL role for himself after putting together a steep, positive development trajectory in Rochester. The right-shot blueliner scored 24 points in 54 games as an AHL rookie in 2023-24 before jumping up to 46 points in 69 games last season.
This year, Metsa has spent more time in the NHL than the AHL. He has 13 points in 14 AHL games, and has played in 26 NHL games, scoring two points. He’s largely been a sheltered third-pairing blueliner in the NHL, averaging just 9:42 time on ice per game.
While he’s yet to fully earn the trust of head coach Lindy Ruff, the fact that he’s been able to play in so many NHL games over other depth blueliners indicates just how much his standing has grown in the Sabres organization over the last year.
He’ll be one of the Americans’ top defensemen during the break and could very well land back with the team if the Sabres elect to add defensive reinforcements from outside the organization via a trade at some point after the roster freeze, but before the trade deadline.
Rangers Reassign Anton Blidh, Spencer Martin
The New York Rangers made a trio of transactions to prepare their roster for the Olympic break, reassigning forward Anton Blidh and netminder Spencer Martin to their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.
In a corresponding move, the club recalled netminder Hugo Ollas from their ECHL affiliate, the Bloomington Bison. Because CBA rules stipulate that a team must carry three healthy goalies at all times, the Rangers needed to recall a goalie from somewhere if they wanted to send Martin down.
Since recalling Hartford starter Dylan Garand would be relatively counter-productive to their goal of positioning Hartford to win as much as possible during the break, Ollas became the natural choice for the recall.
Blidh, 30, is one of Hartford’s key veterans and has been recalled a few times this season to play a fourth-line role in New York. He has one assist in four NHL games this season and eight points in 35 AHL games. Blidh scored 19 goals and 36 points with the Wolf Pack last season, and is under contract through next season with a two-way structure and a $385K annual guarantee.
Martin, 30, was a mid-season signing by the Rangers, one that helped them shore up their goaltending depth amidst an injury suffered by star Igor Shesterkin.
Martin had over 60 games of NHL experience when he left North America over the summer to sign with the KHL’s CSKA Moscow. Martin put up a .905 save percentage across 13 games before leaving the KHL to get an NHL opportunity with the Rangers organization. In six games with Hartford this year, Martin has a .906 save percentage. He also has six NHL games played this year, but only has an .864 save percentage in that limited sample.
As for Ollas, the 23-year-old is a massive goalie prospect in the middle of his second professional campaign in the organization. The 6’8″, 238-pound netminder has an .895 save percentage in 14 games for ECHL Bloomington this season.
Jets Reassign Elias Salomonsson, Isaak Phillips
The Winnipeg Jets announced two reassignments as the team prepares for the Olympic Break: defensemen Elias Salomonsson and Isaak Phillips have been sent to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.
Both Phillips and Salomonsson have been depth defensemen for the Jets this season, each splitting time between the NHL and AHL.
Salomonsson, 21, is a 2022 second-round pick and one of Winnipeg’s better defensive prospects. He’s played in 25 games at the AHL level this season, skating in a major role, and has gotten into 13 NHL games. In the NHL, Salomonsson is averaging 16:57 time on ice per game including sporadic usage on the penalty kill.
Phillips, 24, is in the middle of his first full season with Winnipeg after being acquired by the team in January of last year. He’s occupied a spot below Salomonsson on the depth chart, and has just two NHL games played this season. In the AHL, Phillips has scored 15 points across 35 games played in 2025-26, which ranks third on the Moose in terms of scoring by a defenseman.
With Manitoba sitting third place in the AHL’s Central Division, those reassignments will help reinforce their defense and give them greater odds of utilizing the Olympic break to make a push for the No. 2 spot in their division, which is currently being held by the Chicago Wolves.
Washington Capitals Activate Pierre-Luc Dubois
The Washington Capitals announced today that forward Pierre-Luc Dubois has been activated off injured reserve and will play tonight.
Dubois has not played since October and has been recovering from abdominal surgery that he underwent in early November. Dubois told The Hockey News’ Sammi Silber that he wasn’t able to skate at full speed earlier in the season and could feel the lingering effects of the injury before undergoing surgery in the aftermath of a collision with New York Islanders forward J.G. Pageau.
In hindsight, it’s not a huge surprise to hear from Dubois that he was not fully healthy to start the year. He missed some time before landing on IR, and failed to register a point in his six NHL games. After scoring 66 points in his debut season with the Capitals, it didn’t take much to observe that something was out of order for Dubois earlier in the season.
While Dubois’ return comes just before the Olympic break, meaning he’ll have to wait to get into the rhythm of playing regularly again, his activation comes at a crucial juncture of the season for the Capitals.
The team is currently on the outside of the Eastern Conference’s playoff picture, sitting six points behind the Boston Bruins for the final Wild Card spot and four points behind the Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
Getting Dubois back should be a significant boost to the Capitals’ hopes of rallying and making a push for a playoff spot. Even if it takes him some time to get back up to speed, he should immediately upgrade the Capitals’ standing at the all-important center position.
While Justin Sourdif has been something of a revelation in his first full campaign in the NHL (he has 12 goals, 26 points in 54 games) he’s not at the point in his career where he’s a true top-six center. Dubois is, and his return to the Capitals lineup should create a ripple effect that allows a player like Sourdif to occupy a more appropriate spot in the lineup.
Dubois’ return to the lineup is no guarantee Washington will be able to return to the playoffs. But given how good he was for the team last season, it will certainly help.
Photos courtesy of Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Vancouver Canucks Reassign Three Players
The Vancouver Canucks announced a series of transactions to prepare their roster for the Olympic break: forward Jonathan Lekkerimäki, defenseman Victor Mancini, and netminder Nikita Tolopilo have all been reassigned to the club’s AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. The team also announced that netminder Jiri Patera has been recalled from the AHL on an emergency basis.
The move allows this trio of players to play in games for Abbotsford while the NHL Canucks are on pause. Lekkerimäki, 21, is the club’s 2022 first-round pick and has split time this season between Vancouver and Abbotsford. He has scored 10 goals and 16 points in 16 AHL games this season, and has three points in 16 NHL games.
Mancini, 23, is in the middle of his first full season as part of the Canucks organization. A part of last season’s J.T. Miller trade, the blueliner has skated in 10 NHL games this season, averaging 13:38 time on ice per game. In 23 AHL games this year, he has eight points.
By sending Tolopilo down as well as the two skaters, the Canucks have returned a key tandem goalie to Abbotsford. The 26-year-old Belarus native played in 36 games last season, posting a .902 save percentage on a team that ended up winning the Calder Cup. So far this season, he has a .901 save percentage in 13 AHL games. Tolopilo has impressed at the NHL level so far this year, posting a .910 save percentage in nine games.
While Abbotsford loses their most frequent starting goalie by recalling Patera, today’s move gives Tolopilo the chance to sustain his positive momentum by getting in some starts at the AHL level during the break.
Jonathan Huberdeau To Undergo Season-Ending Hip Surgery
Calgary Flames star winger Jonathan Huberdeau has played in his final game of the 2025-26 season. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Huberdeau “needs hip surgery,” and will miss the rest of the year as a result.
The development is a difficult one for both the Flames and Huberdeau himself. For Calgary, they obviously lose one of their most talented players for the rest of the season, which is a massive blow in and of itself. 
While Huberdeau hasn’t looked quite like his normal self this year (and perhaps now the reason why has become clear), he’s still the Flames’ most accomplished scoring forward.
The fact that his season has now ended has cost him the chance to put together a strong second half and enter the offseason with real momentum.
Instead, Huberdeau will begin his offseason early having scored just 25 points in 50 games for the Flames in 2025-26.
Huberdeau has undoubtedly not been the same caliber of scorer in Calgary as he was as a member of the Florida Panthers. He scored 115 points in his final year in Sunrise, but has a high of 62 points in Alberta.
Huberdeau’s struggles since arriving as part of the Matthew Tkachuk trade have mirrored the wider decline of the Flames’ competitive fortunes. They were a regular playoff team in the years prior to the deal, but have not reached the playoffs since trading Tkachuk.
Although more more extensive detail on the full nature of Huberdeau’s injury has yet to emerge, hip surgery is obviously a serious setback, and one that further threatens Huberdeau’s chances of fully rediscovering his form at some point in the future for the Flames. When Huberdeau returns, he will be 33 years old and entering his fifth season removed from his days as a point-per-game producer with the Panthers.
While Calgary does not appear to be all that close to seriously competing for Stanley Cups, Huberdeau’s presence, when he’s at his best, could have still presented a lot of benefits to the team. Having a high-end scoring winger, one that could even drive production on his own line, could seriously benefit the development of any young Flames forwards who got the chance to play with him.
Because of this significant injury, young scorers like Connor Zary and Matvei Gridin (who lined up next to Huberdeau last night against the Edmonton Oilers) won’t get the benefit of playing on a line with such an experienced playmaker.
Photos courtesy of Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Colorado Avalanche Reassign Taylor Makar
The C0lorado Avalanche announced that forward Taylor Makar has been reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles.
The move comes as the Avalanche enter their Olympic break. The club is next set to play on Feb. 25. By sending down Makar, the Avalanche put their depth winger in a position to be able to continue to play over the Olympic break. Makar has spent most of the 2025-26 season in the AHL, so it’s unsurprising that the club would want to have him play in their games over the break.
This most recent recall was the longest of Makar’s young professional career. The 24-year-old got to play in seven NHL games starting Jan. 21, a solid stretch of games for someone with just 12 total career NHL games played. The 24-year-old winger has operated in a depth role for the Avalanche, averaging 6:12 time on ice per game. He averages the fewest minutes of any Colorado player with at least 10 games played this season.
Makar, who is the brother of Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar, was selected in the seventh round, No. 220 overall, by the Avalanche at the 2021 draft.
After a four-year NCAA career spent with UMass-Amherst and the University of Maine, Makar turned pro last spring. At the AHL level, he’s so far managed to score 14 points in 38 combined regular season and playoff contests.
Boston Bruins Reassign Matthew Poitras
The Boston Bruins announced today that they have reassigned forward Matthew Poitras to their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins.
The team played its final game before the Olympic break last night, dropping their contest against the Florida Panthers in a shootout. Boston next plays on Feb. 26 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
By sending Poitras back to Providence, the Bruins have given their young forward a chance to get into games while the NHL is on break. The AHL Bruins play in eight games during the Olympic break, which is not an insignificant number of contests for Poitras to be able to play in.
Poitras’ three NHL games from this most recent recall represent his only NHL experience of 2025-26 so far. That is why, per the league’s roster rules for the upcoming break, he can be sent down without restriction. Poitras scored a goal during the Bruins’ outdoor game against the Tampa Bay Lightning last week, but was unable to land on the scoresheet in the other two games he played.
The 21-year-old has managed 24 points in 39 AHL games so far in 2025-26. To earn the chance to return to the Bruins’ roster down the line this season, he’ll likely want to up his production at the AHL level. Stringing together a solid stretch of games during the Olympic break could certainly position himself well for a recall once the Bruins return to action.
Latest On Logan Cooley, Alexander Kerfoot
As the NHL’s Olympic break inches closer, it is becoming increasingly clear which injured players are likely to be able to return to the ice once the NHL returns to action later in the month. Two names included in that group are Utah Mammoth forwards Logan Cooley and Alexander Kerfoot. Both Cooley and Kerfoot were non-contact skaters at Utah practice today, per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports. Bagley also noted that today was the first instance of Cooley actually participating in drills at a Mammoth skate.
While getting Kerfoot back will certainly be a boost for the Mammoth, the return of Cooley is undoubtedly the most significant part of this development. Cooley, 21, is the Mammoth’s emerging star forward, someone who signed a $10MM AAV contract extension in late October. The 2022 No. 3 overall pick scored 14 goals and 23 points in 29 games this season, a solid follow-up to his 65-point sophomore campaign from 2024-25.
Cooley has been out since Dec. 5 with a lower-body injury. It was announced on Dec. 11 that Cooley would miss a minimum of eight weeks, which means he’ll soon be within that originally projected return window. Of course, since the NHL will be on a break and Cooley is not headed to the Olympics in Italy, he has some extra breathing room to work his way back to game fitness at his own pace.
While Nick Schmaltz has certainly acquitted himself well as Utah’s No. 1 center in Cooley’s absence, Cooley’s return to the lineup figures to give the Mammoth a massive boost. He’s one of the team’s deadliest offensive creators, and his return would have a ripple effect on the rest of the lineup that would allow certain players to slot into more appropriate roles. 2018 No. 5 pick Barrett Hayton has been playing as Utah’s No. 2 center, but has just 19 points in 50 games this season. Getting Cooley back would have the effect of giving Utah an enviable level of depth in terms of its bottom-six centers, as they also have Jack McBain and Kevin Stenlund in the lineup.
Kerfoot’s return isn’t quite as significant as Cooley’s, but it’ll help Utah nonetheless. Since the relocation to Utah, the 31-year-old has struggled to replicate his scoring pace from his days in Arizona and Toronto. But even as his numbers have declined, he’s nonetheless managed to carve out a useful role in the team’s lineup. Kerfoot, who has been out since Jan. 11 with an upper-body injury, is a regular penalty killer for the team, and averaged the second-most shorthanded minutes of any Utah forward in 2024-25.
Utah has managed to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race despite the lengthy absences from Cooley and Kerfoot. Getting them back should make the team a serious threat to claim a playoff spot in the conference.