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Blues Reassign Mackenzie MacEachern

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Feb. 7: As expected, the Blues returned MacEachern to Springfield on Friday, according to a team announcement. He was scratched from last night’s loss to the Panthers, as Joseph was available to play.

Feb. 5: The St. Louis Blues have recalled depth forward Mackenzie MacEachern to the NHL. The Blues have two games remaining before going on a two-week break for the 4-Nations Face-Off. MacEachern will be insurance for bottom-six forward Mathieu Joseph, who missed the Blues’ Wednesday practice due to illness. Defenseman Tyler Tucker also missed the skate with an upper-body injury.

MacEachern has had a productive 2024-25 campaign, even despite missing nearly two months of action between late October and the end of December. He didn’t play routine minutes until the start of January and has been red-hot ever since. MacEachern has 14 points in 12 games since the calendar turned over, and six points in his last five games. Those numbers have helped him climb to 15 points in 17 games this season, good for the third-highest point-per-game scoring on the Springfield Thunderbirds. He’s also recorded 36 penalty minutes and a plus-nine this season.

Those are stout numbers for the career depth forward, and he’ll now get a chance to support the Blues amid more absences. MacEachern is no stranger to the role of injury fill-in. He’s operated as the top forward on St. Louis’ call-up chart since the 2018-19 season and played in 51 NHL games during the 2019-20 season. He’s often filled the role of fourth-line bruiser at the top level and has just 20 points in 123 career NHL games as a result. But his impact is consistent enough to stay in favor of the Blues’ top brass. That trust, and his recent scoring streak, could land MacEachern his NHL season debut before the 4-Nations break, should Joseph need to miss time.

Islanders Activate Hudson Fasching

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The New York Islanders have activated forward Hudson Fasching off of injured reserve per Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. Fasching has missed the Islanders’ last 13 games with an upper-body injury in the team’s January 5th game against the Boston Bruins.

He was designated as day-to-day in the immediate wake of the injury, but was quickly downgraded to week-to-week, then earned an injured reserve placement on January 17th. He was assigned to a minor league conditioning stint at the start of February and appeared in two games with the Bridgeport Islanders. The Islanders recalled Fasching on Tuesday and are expected to bring him on their upcoming two-game road trip. Defenseman Scott Mayfield won’t be going on the road trip, per Rosner, as he continues to sit out day-to-day with a lower-body injury, and has been placed on IR to make room on the roster.

Fasching has been a fourth-line forward for the Islanders all year long. He’s appeared in 199 games but is still searching for his first point of the season. One penalty and a minus-six stand as his only notable stat changes. Fasching has been a bit more productive in the minors, with two points in seven games – but he’s still far off from the 14 points he posted in 45 NHL games last year. He moved to the Islanders organization ahead of the 2022-23 season, after spending four years as a top depth forward for the Arizona Coyotes. Fasching proved to be a productive minor leaguer with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, netting 106 points across 174 games and serving as the team’s captain in 2021-22. This return will place him back in the competition for bottom-line minutes in New York, pitted against Pierre Engvall and Marc Gatcomb.

Afternoon Notes: Dickinson, Pitlick, Acklin, Philp

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The NHL is gearing up for a two-week break for the 4-Nations Face-Off, giving teams plenty to do before many of their players head off for vacation, international play, or minor-league stints. The spree of afternoon news begins in Chicago, where center Jason Dickinson has avoided the worst-case scenario after suffering a scary-looking injury in the team’s Wednesday loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Dickinson took an awkward crash into the boards that trapped his leg under him in the second period. He left the game immediately and was later seen leaving the arena in a walking boot. After testing, Dickinson has been diagnosed with a high ankle sprain and should only miss a couple of games, head coach Anders Sorensen told ESPN.

That’s relieving news after Dicksinon seemed poised to miss the long-term. He hasn’t racked up the points this season, with just seven goals and 16 points in 53 games – but Dickinson has returned to his role as one of Chicago’s top defensive centers. He leads all Blackhawks forwards with 137 minutes of ice time on the penalty-kill, and ranks fourth on the offense in xGA/60 (expected goals-against per-60) per Evolving Hockey. Dickinson’s stout defense has earned him top minutes, centering a top-six line between Teuvo Teravainen and Ilya Mikheyev – the two players above him in xGA/60. His role would have been tough for the Blackhawks to replace for an extended period, but with this news the team can rest assured that he’ll be available when they return from break.

Headed to the West Coast, the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda have signed veteran forward Rem Pitlick to a minor-league contract for the rest of the season. Pitlick hasn’t played this season, but spent last year split between the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Rockford IceHogs. He accumulated 57 points in 59 games between the two squads, and got called up for nine appearances with the Chicago Blackhawks – though his stat line read no points, two penalty minutes, and a minus-seven. Those appearances brought Pitlick up to 132 career NHL games over the course of his seven-year pro career. He has totaled 21 goals, 54 points, and 54 penalty minutes. A deal with the Barracuda will mark a chance for him to rediscover his red-hot minor league scoring, and try to show his worth to a San Jose Sharks club that currently ranks dead-last in the NHL.

Across the Conferences, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ President of Business Operations, Kevin Acklin, has stepped down from the squad per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Acklin had been in the role since 2022, and previously served as a Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the team. In his presedential role, Acklin oversaw the day-to-day business operations, strategic planning, corporate partnerships, and marketing and communication of the Penguins brand. He also supported the development of a live music venue in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District, and supported maintenance of the former site of Civic Arena – the Penguins’ home rink from 1967 to 2010.

After stops at each region of the States, we head North for our final update – where the Edmonton Oilers have assigned forward Noah Philp to the AHL for the duration of the 4-Nations break. Philp has been one of Edmonton’s top call-up options this season. He received his NHL debut on October 31st and has since played in 12 games with the Oilers lineup, including their most recent nine outings. Philp has just two assists so far, and is still searching for his first NHL goal. He’s been much more productive in the minors, where his 17 points in 28 games places him fourth in points-per-game (0.60) among players with 20-or-more appearances. Philp will now get a chance to build on those totals while the Oilers are away.

Leafs Activate Anthony Stolarz, Mitch Marner To Return

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Two pillars of the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup are in line to return for the team’s Thursday game against the Seattle Kraken. Top winger Mitch Marner will slot back in after missing one game with a lower-body injury, and starting goaltender Anthony Stolarz has been activated off of injured reserve after missing nearly two months with a knee injury, per David Alter of The Hockey News. Stolarz was removed after the first period of Toronto’s December 12th win over the Anaheim Ducks. There was no clear indication of where he may have suffered his injury. He’d go on to miss 24 games with the injury, with little ever being revealed about what specifically occurred.

The Maple Leafs sorely felt Stolarz’s absence. He’s returning from injury still standing as the league leader in save percentage, with a .927 through 17 games narrowly beating out Connor Hellebuyck’s .925 in 42 games. Stolarz has complemented that with a strong 9-5-2 record and 2.15 goals-against-average. Those strong stats are made even more impressive by Stolarz having just one shutout on the season, showing his propensity for keeping games low-scoring even when he does get beat once. Stolarz joined the Leafs on a two-year, $5MM contract this summer after winning the Stanley Cup in the Florida Panthers’ backup role last season. He recorded a dazzling .925 save percentage through 25 starts with the Panthers, and brought that performance with him in the move up North. His strong start to the 2024-25 campaign stole away Toronto’s starting role from youngsters Joseph Woll or Dennis Hildeby – and Stolarz getting the nod immediately upon returning is a good indication that he’ll remain the Leafs’ go-to netminder.

Marner’s return will also be hotly anticipated, even despite his minimal absence. The 27-year-old winger leads the Leafs in scoring by a large margin, with 70 points through 52 games putting him 15 points ahead of William Nylander in second place. Marner has earned that scoring on the back of fantastic playmaking. He ranks third on the team in xGF/60 (expected goals-for per-60) and HDCF/60 (high-danger chances-for per-60), behind only Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies, per Natural Stat Trick. Marner has also alleviated any concerns that his injury may stick around, describing it as a bizarre case of losing sharpness to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox.

The Maple Leafs have two games remaining before taking a two-week break for the 4-Nations Face-Off tournament. Stolarz could be in line to start both outings, then get an extended break to ensure he’s ready to return to a workhorse role in Toronto’s second-half. The Leafs currently rank second in the Atlantic Division with a 32-19-2 record and 66 points. They’ll be looking towards the playoffs soon, but will need all hands on deck to ensure they can get by the first round.

Trade Interest Growing For Sabres’ Dylan Cozens

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Buffalo Sabres’ centerman Dylan Cozens has been at the focal point of trade rumors all season long – but the recent moves of fellow top trade candidates Mikko Rantanen, J.T. Miller, Marcus Pettersson, and Mikael Granlund have made the spotlight even hotter. Cozens now sits as one of the most desired forwards on the trade market. In addition to the Calgary Flames, who were attached to Cozens in mid-January, the Sabres are also said to be receiving interest from the Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, and Toronto Maple Leafs, per NHL.com’s Kevin Weekes.

Cozens seems next in the line of young, productive centermen who can’t quite figure it out in Buffalo. He has just 10 goals and 26 points through 53 games. That’s an 82-game pace of just 40 points, which would continue Cozens’ slide in production over the last three seasons. He posted a career-high 31 goals and 68 points in 81 games in the 2022-23 season but fell to just 18 goals and 47 points last year. That halt in scoring has persisted despite Cozens’ role growing over the last two years. His average ice time has climbed from 16:30 in his career year to 17:30 this season – and he’s improved in his ability to win faceoffs and limit opponent shots, evidenced by a 50.4 faceoff-percentage and 49.84 Corsi-for-percentage (CF%). Cozens has shown a lot of strength as a speedy and controlled play-driver, capable of working well with his teammates when they have momentum – though Buffalo hasn’t had the chance to support his style well for much of the year.

Perhaps more notable than his stats is Cozens’ age. He’s still only 23 years old and already has one 30-goal season under his belt. He ranks ninth among all active U24 forwards in career scoring with 192 points in 333 games, in company with players like Brady Tkachuk and Cole Caufield. Those numbers are slightly skewed by Cozens breaking into the league at age 19, though his 0.58 points-per-game scoring still sits among players like Mason McTavish, Joel Farabee, Cole Perfetti, and Anton Lundell. That’s welcome company, and certainly speaks to Cozens’ future potential as he continues to find consistent scoring.

His scoring upside makes it clear why so many teams are eager to buy Cozens away from the Sabres. But the price of a trade will be harder to gauge. The similarly productive Farabee was recently traded to the Flames alongside Morgan Frost in exchange for roster player Andrei Kuzmenko, prospect Jakob Pelletier, and a second and seventh-round draft pick. That framework could help the Sabres find much-needed support for their blue-line without jeopardizing their top-six. But Cozens is one of just 39 players since 2000 to record a 30-goal season before their 22nd birthday, which could warrant a much loftier return. The Sabres were able to swap productive center Casey Mittelstadt for top, young defenseman Bowen Byram at last year’s trade deadline – accomplishing a best-of-both-worlds swap of young, high-upside players. Current trade boards don’t have a clear parallel to Cozens on the open market – perhaps Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson, if Buffalo is willing to add in a substantial premium – but the idea of swapping young forwards could still be optimal for the Sabres.

In the mix of familiar trade rumors, Buffalo’s spot in the standings haven’t changed. The Sabres rank dead-last in the Eastern Conference with a 22-26-5 record and 49 points. That’s even despite a winning uptick as of late – marked by a 6-4-0 record in their last 10 games. The acquisition of Byram has paid dividends for the Sabres early on, but it hasn’t been the boost the team needed to jump up the standings. The same can be said about their trade of Jack Eichel in 2021, which landed them difference-making forwards in Alex Tuch and, to a lesser extent, Peyton Krebs – but still hasn’t tilted the needle. Plenty of interest in Cozens should mean plenty of chance for Buffalo to find a return that’ll work best for them, but they’ll have to be diligent to find a deal that will actually support their roster climb – lest they trade another high-upside scorer well before his prime for a moot return.

Afternoon Notes: Hughes, Pederson, Puljujarvi

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A busy day across the NHL has started with bad news in Vancouver. Vancouver Canucks superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes won’t travel with the team for their Thursday matchup against the San Jose Sharks, per Sportsnet’s Brendan Batchelor. This will be Hughes’ third straight absence due to a lower-body injury. This is just a one-game road trip for Vancouver. Hughes was red hot prior to injury, with 14 points over his last 10 games and over 25 minutes of average ice time. Hughes’ absence was preceded by Vancouver’s acquisition of veteran defenseman Marcus Pettersson and rookie Victor Mancini. The Canucks still triumphed without their Norris Trophy favorite on Tuesday, beating the Colorado Avalanche 3-0. Pettersson and Tyler Myers each carried extra minutes in Hughes’ absence.

Despite coming off a win and setting up to face a last-place Sharks team, the Canucks are still going to sorely miss Hughes. He has been a force this season, currently sitting with 59 points in 47 games – a mark that leads both the Canucks and all NHL defensemen. He’s once again a favorite for the Norris Trophy, which he won last year, and an emerging candidate for the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP. Hughes has notably played through injury this year, including a hand injury at the turn of the year. He’s still tracking for a 100-point season despite that, and will be aiming to get quickly back to that pace once his lower-body injury subsides. Hughes is currently listed as out day-to-day.

Staying in Western Canada, the Edmonton Oilers will be without depth forward Lane Pederson for the remainder of the season after he underwent a successful shoulder surgery. Pederson managed an impressive 12 points in 18 AHL games before falling to injury. He’s been a hot scorer in the minors for a few years, netting 24 points in 18 games in 2022-23 and 52 points in 66 games last year. He was rewarded with 27 NHL games in 2022-23 – split between the Vancouver Canucks and Columbus Blue Jackets – but recorded a moot six points and 26 penalty minutes. Pederson will now focus on working his way back to full health in advance of next season’s training camps, where he’ll work to climb up an NHL call-up chart.

Jumping to the East coast, the Pittsburgh Penguins have assigned forward Jesse Puljujarvi to the minor leagues. The former top-10 pick has been a healthy scratch in three of Pittsburgh’s last four games. This will be his second stint in the minor leagues, after spending a brief, three-game trip with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in late January. Puljujarvi recorded three points and a minus-two in the appearances – far more production than he’s managed at the NHL level, where he only has nine points in 26 appearances. The routine trips to the minor leagues are the start of a poor pattern for Puljujarvi, who joined the Penguins partway through last season in an effort to maintain his NHL career. He’s struggled to do that up to this point, and will now be tasked with trying to find his groove once again with a productive stint in the minor leagues.

Blue Jackets Reassign Dylan Gambrell

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Feb. 5: Gambrell is back with Cleveland today, per a team announcement. He didn’t play in last night’s loss to the Sabres.

Feb. 3: The Columbus Blue Jackets have utilized an emergency recall on forward Dylan Gambrell following news that star forward Kirill Marchenko suffered a broken jaw. Gambrell hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2022-23 season, when he recorded 10 points, 35 penalty minutes, and a minus-four in 60 games with the Ottawa Senators.

Gambrell was a routine NHL fixture from 2019 to 2023. Through two seasons with the San Jose Sharks and one additional year in Ottawa, he totaled 30 points in 162 games. He signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Marlies last season, and his 36 points in 66 AHL games were stout enough to convince the Blue Jackets to sign him to a two-way deal this summer. That’s proven to be a sound bet, with Gambrell now ranked seventh on the Cleveland Monsters in scoring with 20 points in 31 games. Two of the six players above him are already on the Blue Jackets roster – Denton Mateychuk and Luca Del Bel Belluz.

Gambrell likely won’t join his peers in the Blue Jackets lineup right away, instead set to serve as the team’s extra forward in their three remaining games before the upcoming 4-Nations break. If he does get into the lineup, it will be over one of Mikael Pyyhtia, Kevin Labanc, or Zach Aston-Reese – who have each posted no scoring in their last 10 games.

Gambrell will be eligible to stay with the Blue Jackets roster for 10 games or 30 days under the conditions of his emergency recall. After that, the team will have to use a formal recall to keep him on the lineup. Columbus could also opt to recall one of Trey Fix-Wolansky, Rocco Grimaldi, or Owen Sillinger. All three have outscored Gambrell in their minor league appearances.

Sharks Recall Collin Graf, Shakir Mukhamadullin

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The San Jose Sharks have recalled a pair of top prospects in forward Collin Graf and defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin. Graf could have a clear path to minutes with Alexander Wennberg designated as out, and both Ty Dellandrea and Tyler Toffoli designated as game-time decisions, when San Jose hosts the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. Defenseman Jan Rutta is also out with injury, and isn’t expected to return until after the 4-Nations break. That could open the door for Mukhamadullin to return to the lineup as well, though he’ll face competition for a role from Henry Thrun and Marc-Eduouard Vlasic.

Graf was with the NHL roster through much of January. He played in 10 games and recorded two assists, no penalties, and a minus-four – perfectly matching his stat-line through seven NHL games last season. He was reassigned on January 22nd, but has quickly taken to proving the Sharks wrong with four points and 12 shots on net in four AHL games over the last two weekends. A wave of nagging injuries in the Sharks lineup could provide Graf a chance to bring that hot streak back to the NHL, and hopefully find his first NHL goal along the way.

Mukhamadullin has also played in 10 NHL games this season, but has just one assist to show for it. He’s performed a bit better in the minor leagues, with nine assists in 21 games this season – but his scoring has been inconsistent all year long. Mukhamadullin is still finding his way through North American pros, and a shot at the lineup in San Jose’s final games before break could be a great chance to find his footing.

Hurricanes Recall Scott Morrow, Reassign Riley Stillman

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The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled top defense prospect Scott Morrow to the NHL. It’s the first recall of Morrow’s NHL career, though he did play two games with the Hurricanes at the end of last season. To make room for the move, Carolina has assigned defender Riley Stillman to the minor leagues. This is the third time Stillman has been sent to the AHL this week.

Morrow has been red-hot as of late. He has 10 points, 17 penalty minutes, and 22 shots on net over his last eight AHL games. The hot streak has helped Morrow earn the AHL’s title of highest-scoring rookie defenseman with 29 points in 41 games – just two more than San Jose Sharks prospect Luca Cagnoni’s 27 points in 39 games. Carolina has made the move to recognize Morrow’s strong play, and could quickly reward him with his season debut per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. That might require the Hurricanes to run 11 forwards and seven defensemen in their three remaining games before the 4-Nations break. They could be set up nicely to do that with top winger Andrei Svechnikov day-to-day with an upper-body injury, though the Russian winger did return to practice in full on Monday morning.

The Hurricanes can afford to be a bit relaxed in the days before break. They’ve set a 6-2-2 record over their last 10 games and rank second in the Metropolitan Division with a 32-17-4 record and 68 points. This could be a golden chance to see how Morrow holds up to NHL competition, which will be helpful information with both Dmitry Orlov and Brent Burns headed for unrestricted free agency this summer. Morrow’s minor league performances have more than shown his long-term upside, and strong play over the next few days could earn him a longer NHL stay soon.

Avalanche Activate Oliver Kylington, Place Valeri Nichushkin On IR

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The Colorado Avalanche have activated defenseman Oliver Kylington off of injured reserve. He’s missed the last two months and 31 games due to an upper-body injury suffered in the team’s November 27th win over the Vegas Golden Knights. In a corresponding move, Colorado has also placed winger Valeri Nichushkin on injured reserve retroactive to his last game on December 31st. Nichushkin is working through a lower-body injury and suffered a setback in his recovery in mid-January. He isn’t expected to return until after the upcoming break for the 4-Nations Face-Off.

The lineup implications of these moves are hard to gauge. Kylington has played in just eight games this season. He was a routine healthy scratch prior to injury and has only managed two points, four penalty minutes, and a minus-two in his appearances. Calvin de Haan has planted his feet as Colorado’s extra defender in Kylington’s absence, which could leave the latter exposed to waivers when Nichushkin works his way back to full health. The winger has contributed far more to the lineup this year, immediately returning to productivity in both ends after missing the first month of the season. Nichushkin has 17 points in 25 games this season, a mark that still ranks ninth on the Avalanche in scoring even though he hasn’t played in over a month. He’s scored 73 points over his last 82 regular season games collectively, but that span dates all the way back to April, 2023. Nichushkin’s last fluctuated on the same wave – with spans of high-impact play being marred by extended absences to injury or personal leave. His return after the 4-Nations Face-Off will be an exciting chance to break that spell, and help support a playoff push for an Avalanche roster now sans Mikko Rantanen.

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