Injury Notes: Evans, Kleven, Samoskevich
The Montreal Canadiens lost an impact center in Saturday’s win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jake Evans left the game partway through after his knee was awkwardly hit by Pittsburgh’s Justin Brazeau. He promptly left the game and didn’t return.
Evans will move forward with a questionable tag, while Canadiens fans hold their breath hoping the knee-to-knee collission doesn’t result in a long-term absence. The 29 year old has served an important depth role for Montreal through the first half of the year. He has racked up 10 points, split evenly, and a minus-13 through 33 appearances while averaging third-line minutes. Evans scored a career-high 13 goals and 36 points last season – but generally hasn’t been one to rack up the scoring. He’s instead found impact with a strong, physical play and consistent lineup presence. He has only missed one game since 2023 – a streak that could change with this latest injury.
More injury updates from around the league:
- Ottawa Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven left the team’s win over the Chicago Blackhawks with a lower-body injury. The injury occured on an awkward fall against the boards, after getting his foot swept out from under him. He has already been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Boston Bruins, head coach Travis Green told TSN’s Claire Hanna. Kleven has four assists and a minus-12 in 31 games this season. He has offered stout depth for the Senators, and will be replaced by Jordan Spence in the short-term.
- Ahead of Saturday’s loss to the St. Louis Blues, the Florida Panthers announced that forward Mackie Samoskevich is day-to-day with a lower-body injury sustained on Friday, per NHL.com’s Jameson Olive. Samoskevich has 17 points and a minus-four in 34 games this season, operating from a third-line role. He’s been on a hot streak as of late, with three points in his last five games. That run will halt for the time being, while Florida turns towards Jack Studnicka to fill Samoskevich’s hole in the lineup.
Canadiens Win Big In Re-Acquisition Of Phillip Danault
The hockey world was graced with a mini Trade Deadline in the late hours of Friday, the eve of a one-week trade freeze that went into effect on Saturday. There were only two moves, both swapping draft picks for roster players, but for the Montreal Canadiens this mini Deadline could be one to remember. They won a sweepstakes for Los Angeles Kings center Phillip Danault – a strong, veteran center who they were able to land at a fairly negligible price.
The Canadiens only gave up a 2026 second-round pick in exchange for Danault. It was one of two second-rounders Montreal held in next year’s draft. The other originally belonged to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who sit dead last in the Metropolitan Division through the first two months of the season. Their pick could end up close to the first round – unless their Friday trade turns things around – while Montreal’s own pick could land near the other end of the second-round.
Another pick moved will mean just a bit more space for Montreal’s current prospects to find their ways. The Canadiens sit in playoff position despite carrying the youngest roster in the league this season. They’ve received major impacts from young players like Lane Hutson, Ivan Demidov, and Oliver Kapanen. Rookies Jacob Fowler, Adam Engstrom, Owen Beck, and Florian Xhekaj; with even more top prospects, like Michael Hage and Alexander Zharovsky, soon behind them. The Canadiens won’t have the space to continue adding multiple top draft picks to the shelves every season.
Instead, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes leveraged the surplus value to acquire what should be a great lineup piece. Danault has struggled to score this season. He scored five points, all assists, in 30 games on a Kings offense that has scored the second-fewest goals in the league so far. But the 32-year-old centerman has managed back-to-back seasons with 22 goals over the last two years. He boasts a career-high of 54 points, set in the 2022-23 season, his second year with the Kings. On top of commendable scoring, Danault posted a positive plus-minus in four of his five years in Los Angeles – fortifying a reputation as one of the league’s better, and more reliable, defensive-centers.
Before his veteran days in L.A., Danault carved out his first NHL roles in the Canadiens’ roster. He was originally a first-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks but joined Montreal in a move that worked out tremendously well for the Canadiens. They acquired Danault and the draft pick used to select Alexander Romanov in exchange for sending Tomas Fleischmann and Dale Weise to the Blackhakws. Danault was an immediate impact for Montreal, scoring 40 points and playing in all 82 games during his rookie season in 2016-17. He averaged third-line minutes in his first year and grew into a stout second-line role over the next four seasons.
Danault ended his first tenure with the Canadiens with a top-10 finish in Selke Trophy voting in three consecutive seasons. He had one more top-10 finish, and two more seasons receiving votes, in five years with the Kings.
Reliable defensive-centers often have a more level aging curve than their high-scoring counterparts. Danault has struggled to find his offense in L.A. but should look much more at home in a Canadiens’ offense that plays with much more pace. Montreal already wields a Selke Trophy-hopeful in top-line center Nick Suzuki. Now, they’ll fortify their two-way game even more with Danault, which should provide a stable backing for Demidov and Juraj Slafkovsky to focus on their scoring, and rookie Kapanen to continue easing into a role.
More than the stability, and surefire penalty killing role, that he’ll offer the lineup – Danault could be invaluable as Montreal looks to promote more star prospects to the NHL. University of Michigan star Hage has improved in every season and seems close to breaking into the pro flight, but there’s no doubt that he’ll face a tough physical challenge once he gets there.
With Danault’s addition, Montreal can be confident in their depth down the middle for the foreseeable future. Suzuki will continue in his top role, while a mix of Kapanen and Danault hold down the middle lines, until Hage, Beck, and Aatos Koivu are ready to carry on the next era of Canadiens hockey. Montreal was able to secure that short-and-long-term security at the cost of their third-most valuable pick next year. It’s a shrewd acquisition that could prove to be an X-factor as Montreal chases their second-straight postseason berth.
Photo courtesy of Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports.
Blackhawks’ Frank Nazar Expected To Miss Four Weeks With Injury
Injury news turned from bad to worse during the Chicago Blackhwaks’ Saturday loss to the Ottawa Senators. Already without star Connor Bedard, the Blackhawks also lost top forward Frank Nazar after he took a slapshot from Ottawa’s Claude Giroux hit him in the face. Nazar went straight to the locker room and was announced as out soon after. The puck appeared to hit him square in the cheek.
Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill said postgame that Nazar is expected to miss four weeks with his resulting injury per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
This is another blow in a difficult season for the Blackhawks’ second-string star. Nazar missed two games earlier in the year with a separate injury. He has also been hit with a scoring drought – going six consecutive games without a point and 21 games without a goal. Both of those streaks snapped on Thursday night, when Nazar scored Chicago’s only goal in a 1-4 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
Despite the struggles, the 22 year old has still emerged as a key part of Chicago’s offense this season. He has 21 points in 32 games, good for fourth on the Blackhawks in scoring. That’s strong standing after the team made the shocking decision to sign Nazar to a seven-year, $46.2MM contract extension in August, with only 56 games of NHL experience under his belt. That new deal kicks into effect next summer, while Nazar looks to prove his worth on the last year of his entry-level contract this season.
Now without two of their top four scorers, the Blackhawks offense could be in some trouble. Veteran center Jason Dickinson should elevate to a top-line role in Nazar’s absence, while rookie Ryan Greene assumes a top-six role for one of the first times in his career. Neither player has lit the lamp all too often this season – with Dickinson boasting six points in 21 games and Greene holding 10 points in 34 games. Amid the shuffle, Chicago could also recall depth forward Landon Slaggert, who has served as a go-to fill-in for much of the year. Slaggert could assume the role of bottom-line center – or Chicago could move Oliver Moore, Ryan Donato, or Sam Lafferty off of the wing to fill their gap. Through the decisions, one thing is clear: Chicago is in for a tight squeeze with five games remaining in December. Nazar will miss the start of 2026, while Bedard injury won’t be re-evaluated until early-January.
Hurricanes Recall Bradly Nadeau, Place Seth Jarvis On IR
More bad news has come through for the Carolina Hurricanes. Top winger Seth Jarvis will be forced out for an extended period after crashing into the net post in overtime of Friday’s loss to the Florida Panthers. The Hurricanes placed Jarvis on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and recalled winger Bradly Nadeau on Saturday.
The timing could work to Carolina’s benefit. This move will force Jarvis to miss at least two games but he could be activated before the Hurricanes’ match against the Detroit Red Wings next Saturday.
Carolina will hold their breath hoping that timeline works out. Jarvis has, again, been one of their best. He leads the team with 19 goals, and ranks second with 29 points, through 34 games so far. More than that, he was riding a streak of good health, not missing any games to start the year after he missed nine last season. Jarvis was still able to net 32 goals and 67 points last season, matching his point totals from – and one goal less than – he managed in 81 games of the 2023-24 season.
Filling Jarvis’ role has proven to be a difficult task for Carolina, marked by a 4-5-0 record without him last season. This time around, Jarvis’ absence should pave way for Jackson Blake to take on top-line minutes. Blake has 21 points in 34 games this season. He also ranks third on the offense in takeaways (14) behind Jarvis (19) and Sebastian Aho (17). Blake has proven his ability to fill any role throughout the last two seasons but this opening could be a chance to step up and cement his spot in the Hurricanes’ top-six long-term.
It will also offer a chance for Nadeau to finally find his stride at the NHL level. He is in the midst of a five-game scoring streak in the AHL and has 13 points in his last 10 games. That stretch has brought the 20 year old up to 20 points in 18 games this season, good for third on the Chicago Wolves in scoring. Nadeau finished second in scoring for Chicago last season, with 58 points in 64 games. Despite the streak of strong offense, he hasn’t yet found his production at the top level. Nadeau has just two points in nine career games with Carolina, including one goal in six games this season. He should slot into a bottom-six role as Blake, Taylor Hall, and Eric Robinson step up in Jarvis’ absence, but could offer much more upside if he finally finds his touch.
Blue Jackets Acquire Mason Marchment
The Columbus Blue Jackets have acquired winger Mason Marchment from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for Columbus’s 2027 second-round pick and the New York Rangers’ 2026 fourth-round pick. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the move. There is no salary retention in the trade, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic.
It’s been exactly six months since Marchment originally joined the Kraken in an offseason trade. Seattle used a combination of a 2025 fourth-round pick and a 2026 third-round pick at the time. Despite Marchment’s play leaving much to be desired, they were able to improve their draft capital somewhat.
Outside of some mild injury concerns, Marchment never looked fully at home in the Pacific Northwest. Before the trade, the 30-year-old winger was tied for eighth on the team in scoring with four goals and 13 points in 29 games with a -4 rating. Seattle was likely looking for much more offense since Marchment was averaging nearly 17 minutes of ice time per night.
In fairness, Marchment had been averaging a 13.4% shooting percentage since the 2021-22 season, meaning his 8.7% mark this year was likely going to increase at some point. His possession metrics and on-ice save percentage at even strength have each stayed fairly consistent.
Still, there was no sticking around in Seattle for the long haul this year. The Kraken started relatively well this year, managing an 11-5-5 record through their first 21 contests. At the time, Seattle was second in the Pacific Division and only one point back of the division-leading Anaheim Ducks.
Unfortunately, it has been an unmitigated disaster since, winning only one of their previous 11 contests, falling to a tie of last place in the entire league. That made Marchment and the rest of the Kraken’s pending unrestricted free agents obvious trade candidates.
The trade is somewhat peculiar from the Blue Jackets’ perspective. While the Kraken are tied for last place in the Western Conference (and league), Columbus can say the same in the Eastern Conference. At the time of writing, the Blue Jackets are six points back of the final wild-card spot, and seven points back of a Metro Division playoff position.
Furthermore, they aren’t having many issues regarding offense. Columbus is currently 21st in the league, averaging 2.88 GF/G and an 18th-ranked power play (18.07%). It’ll help if Marchment can return to the 55-point average he enjoyed from 2021-22 to 2024-25, but the Blue Jackets needed much more help on defense.
The Blue Jackets are 32nd in the league in GF/G (3.50), 30th in penalty kill percentage (72.04%), 21st in SV% (.887), and 30th in shots against (1056). Marchment is a perfectly capable winger on the defensive side of the puck, but there’s no guarantee he’ll garner enough ice time in Columbus to make a real difference in that aspect. Assuming he’s placed in a familiar middle-six role while at even strength, the Blue Jackets may continue to struggle regardless of adding Marchment to the lineup.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.
PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article.
Oilers’ Tristan Jarry Leaves With Injury
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Tristan Jarry exited Thursday night’s game against the Boston Bruins with an apparent lower-body injury, after stretching across his crease to make a save. The Oilers leaned on backup Calvin Pickard to carry them to the eventual win, while emergency backup goaltender Jason San Antonio suited up to take Edmonton’s bench. Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch had no update on Jarry’s injury after the game, other than to say that the team isn’t yet sure how serious it is, per Sportsnet’s Gene Principe.
San Antonio’s last full season of organized hockey was all the way back in 2013-14, when he played his third and final year for Bryant University’s ACHA Division-II team. He won two Rhode Island high school state championships during his four-year tenure at Mount St. Charles Academy.
Pickard made 12 saves on 12 shots in 24 minutes of action. His performance helped Edmonton hold onto a lead that they established while Jarry was in net. The spotlight performance will boost Pickard’s numbers after a measly start to the year. He had a 3-4-2 record and .851 save percentage headed into Thursday night’s game. That was the lowest save percentage of any goaltender with at least 10 starts this season. He could have a chance to really fortify his stat line, should Jarry be forced to miss multiple games.
Edmonton will certainly hope that isn’t the case, though. Jarry joined the team less than a week ago alongside winger Samuel Poulin in a trade that sent Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak, and a second-round pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jarry won both of his first two games with the Oilers – though he did allow seven goals on 58 shots (.880 Sv%). The 30-year-old, former Stanley Cup champion posted nine wins and a .909 Sv% in 14 games with the Penguins prior to the trade. He will be in line for a major role in Edmonton whenever he’s back to full health.
Sharks Notes: Dellandrea, Gaudette, Skinner, Kurashev
The San Jose Sharks will see the return of depth forwards Ty Dellandrea and Adam Gaudette in Thursday night’s game against the Dallas Stars, per Max Miller of The Hockey News. Dellandrea sustained a hand injury after blocking a shot in Tuesday’s win over the Calgary Flames. He left the game briefly but returned before things wrapped up – though still carried a questionable tag through the rest of the week. Gaudette sat out on Tuesday after sustaining a lower-body injury last Saturday.
Both returnees are slated to fill out San Jose’s third-line alongside winger Ethan Cardwell. Gaudette snapped a four-game scoring drought with a goal before his injury on Saturday. He has seven goals and 11 points in 29 games this season. Nearly half of those points – five – came across an eight-game streak between late November and early December. Dellandrea is having a career year, with 10 points in 34 games. That’s well above the scoring pace from the 2022-23 season, when he set a career-high 28 points in 82 games.
Other notes out of San Jose:
- To make room for Gaudette and Dellandrea, the Sharks will once again send veteran winger Jeff Skinner to the press box. Skinner has been in-and-out of the lineup through much of the last two months. He’s appeared in five of San Jose’s eight games in December. The Sharks won four of those games but Skinner didn’t manage any scoring. He has just seven points in 22 games this season, a career-low scoring pace. Skinner will continue to serve as a plug-and-play winger for the Sharks.
- A timeline has also become clear for Sharks forward Philipp Kurashev, who sustained a long-term upper-body injury last week. He is expected to be back to full health before the NHL’s February break, and should be prepared to take the ice for Team Switzerland should he be named to the team, per Curtis Pashelka of Mercury News. Kurashev has found a surprising bit of offense with a move from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Sharks. He has six goals and 15 points in 31 games on the year, putting him on pace for 40 points across 82 games. That will be a tough mark to reach on the other side of a long injury, but could be enough of a scoring spark to catch the eye of Switzerland’s management. Kurashev has represented Switerland at the last four World Championships – dating back to his age-18 season, when he played in both the World Championships and World Junior Championships. He has 15 points in 32 total games at the World Championships.
Rangers’ Artemi Panarin Out, Adam Fox Returns To Practice
The New York Rangers will be without both of their stars up front in Thursday night’s game against the St. Louis Blues. On top of an injury to top defender Adam Fox, the Rangers will also be without top winger Artemi Panarin, who is out with an illness per Peter Baugh of The Athletic. Fox, who has missed the last eight games with a shoulder injury, did make his return to practice in a non-contact jersey on Thursday per Baugh.
Missing their top two skaters will only pull the Rangers lower. New York has struggled with Fox on the shelf, posting a 3-3-2 record and 17-to-24 goal differential in his absence. Panarin has been the heart of the offense in those games, with eight points – all scored at even-strength – and over 21 minutes of average ice time. Without him, New York will be forced to lean on Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller, who both have two goals and six points in the last eight games. Zibanajed will have a little extra motivation to perform, after being scratched in New York’s Tuesday loss to the Vancouver Canucks for disciplinary reasons.
Despite a tough game ahead, the Rangers’ struggles shouldn’t carry on for too long. Panarin should return to a top-line role when New York returns home on Saturday. Fox could be shortly behind him. He’ll have six games left to return before December ends. The return of the former Norris Trophy winner should quickly bring the Rangers back to life. Fox was riding a six-game scoring streak prior to his injury – netting 10 points, all assists, in that span. New York had an 8-7-0 record and 44-to-42 goal differential throughout November, leaning heavily on both Panarin and Fox.
Afternoon Notes: Misa, DiVincentiis, Team Canada
San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky elaborated on why top prospect Michael Misa missed the start of Team Canada’s World Junior Championship training camp. Misa is not too injured to miss any World Juniors time, but was still considered recovering day-to-day, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. That was enough for San Jose to keep Misa with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda for a couple more days, and a couple more practices.
Misa taking in a tad more pro coaching before headed to camp will be no bad news for Team Canada. They will be bringing in a potential tournament MVP in Misa, who scored an incredible 62 goals and 134 points in 65 OHL games last season. That earned Misa the second-overall selection in the 2025 draft, behind New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who will not head to World Juniors camp. Misa will form a formidable top-line with Gavin McKenna and Porter Martone and look to bring Canada their first World Junior Gold since 2018.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Winnipeg Jets have reassigned depth goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis in the wake of Connor Hellebuyck‘s return. DiVincentiis served as backup for a few days after Thomas Milic – who earned three starts in Hellebuyck’s absence – was reassigned earlier in the month. DiVincentiis did not make his NHL debut. He has six wins and a .915 save percentage in 13 AHL games this season, and will battle with Milic for the Manitoba Moose’s starting role.
- Hockey Canada will announce their men’s Olympic roster on New Year’s Eve per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Team Canada has already locked six players into the lineup – Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Connor McDavid, Brayden Point, and Sam Reinhart. They also hosted an orientation camp that invited 42 players to prep for Olympic selection. The camp roster only featured three goalies – Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill, and Sam Montembeault. All three goalies have struggled in the season since, which could make for some interesting decisions come the last day of the year. With Crosby, McDavid, MacKinnon, and Makar getting ready for their first Winter Olympics, Canada will be the early favorite for 2026 Gold.
Hurricanes Activate Jaccob Slavin, Reassign Joel Nystrom
A major piece will be back in the Carolina Hurricanes lineup when the puck drops in Sunday’s matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers. Defenseman Jaccob Slavin was activated from injured reserve just before the game, after being designated as a game-time decision before warmups. He will return from a lower-body injury sustained in the second game of the season. He’s missed the last 29 games. To make room for Slavin’s return, Carolina has reassigned defenseman Joel Nystrom to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. Nystrom signed a four-year extension on Friday.
Slavin only played in 36 minutes of ice time before going down with injury. He managed no scoring, a minus-one, and three shot blocks in those minutes. But two games was hardly enough for Slavin to settle into his usual role on top of Carolina’s defense. He has averaged more than 22 minutes of ice time each game through 11 years with the Hurricanes. He brings a shutdown presence to hard matchups, giving Carolina the flexibility to deploy offensive defensemen like Shayne Gostisbehere.
The Hurricanes had to turn to a committee approach to round out their top-four in Slavin’s absence. Jalen Chatfield and Alexander Nikishin both rotated into the top-four, while Nystrom did well to carve out a role on an open bottom-pair. The 23-year-old rookie recorded five assists, a plus-three, and 14 shot blocks in the first 24 games of his NHL career. He played well enough to earn a multi-year, seven-figure extension just before this reassignment. That’s a tidy bit of confidence for Nystrom, who had only played in seven AHL games before his name was called to fill-in. He spent the last five seasons with the SHL’s Farjestads BK, where he won a league championship in 2022. Carolina drafted Nystrom in the seventh-round of the 2021 NHL Draft.
Slavin’s return will suddenly provide Carolina with a heap of defense depth, after going through a start to the season that saw most of the blue-line banged up. They will carry a confident three pairs, with Slavin watching over rookie Nikishin, into Sunday’s match against Philadelphia. That should only ramp up a Hurricanes squad that’s gone 6-2-0 in their last eight games, including back-to-back shootout wins in their last two.