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Evening Notes: Hutson, Plante, Sherwood, Leddy

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Washington Capitals defense prospect Cole Hutson and Detroit Red Wings prospect Max Plante are both dealing with day-to-day injuries with Team USA at the 2026 World Junior Championship per NHL.com’s Mike Morreale.

Hutson was injuried when a stray puck hit him in the back of the head in Saturday’s game against Switzerland. It was a scary moment that ended with Hutson being carted off the ice and transported to the hospital. Luckily, he left the hospital later that night avoided the worst case scenario. He returned to Team USA’s practice on Monday morning.

Plante hasn’t yet returned to practice after sustaining an injury in the second period of Monday’s game against Slovakia.

Both players sat out of USA’s Wednesday matchup against Team Sweden. The Americans lost that matchup 3-6. Hutson led the 2025 World Juniors in scoring with 11 points in seven games. Plante led the NCAA in scoring before leaving for this tournament. He has 30 points in 20 games. The two are major pillars of the American lineup. Their day-to-day status will be a silver lining as the Americans eye a tough elimination round.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The San Jose Sharks have expressed interest in Vancouver Canucks scorer Kiefer Sherwood per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in a recent interview on the FAN Hockey Show. The 30-year-old winger would be an interesting buy for a Sharks club well outside of playoff contention. He has offered Vancouver a unique mix of goal-scoring and heavy-hitting. Sherwood recorded 19 goals, 40 points, and an NHL record 462 hits in 78 games last season. He is continuing in that line this year, with 16 goals and 184 hits in only 39 games. Those numbers put him on pace for 34 goals and 387 hits in 82 games this season. Bringing in that impact could help San Jose protect their young stars and add a bit more veteran shooting to the mix as they eye cheap additions to the lineup.
  • Sticking in San Jose, young defender Shakir Mukhamadullin rotated back into the lineup for Nick Leddy in Wednesday’s shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. He recorded two shots on goal and no points. The Sharks have rotated between the two defenders over their recent stretch. Mukhamadullin has managed six points, 10 hits, and 21 shot blocks in 21 games. Leddy has three assists and 20 shot blocks in 15 games. The two will continue rotating while San Jose waits on Timothy Liljegren’s nearing return.

Rangers Activate Adam Fox, Reassign Scott Morrow

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Dec. 31: The Rangers announced that defenseman Scott Morrow has been assigned to AHL Hartford, indicating Fox will be activated from long-term injured reserve and return to the lineup tonight against the Caps. Morrow had been up since just before Fox exited the lineup and had gotten a few reps as New York’s top power play quarterback in Fox’s absence, but the 23-year-old transition defender remained relatively unproductive.

As the Blueshirts’ most dynamic defense prospect continues to shift between the NHL and AHL, he’s up to three assists and a -1 rating in 16 games in the top flight this season while averaging 15:34 of ice time per game.

Dec. 30: The New York Rangers might soon be able to put a nightmare injury behind them. Star defenseman Adam Fox has been designated as a game-time decision for Wednesday’s match against the Washington Capitals, per Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic. Fox has missed the last 14 games with a shoulder injury sustained on Nov. 29.

Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan called Fox a “very difficult guy to replace,” speaking with Mollie Walker of The New York Post. That sentiment has reflected on the scoreboard for the Rangers, who have a 6-5-3 record and 34-to-39 goal differential since Fox’s injury.

Even after a month out of the lineup, the 2021 Norris Trophy winner still ranks third on the Rangers in scoring with 26 points in 27 games. Fox was tied with Artemi Panarin for the scoring lead at the time of his injury. He was also riding a six-game scoring streak that saw him rack up 10 assists, including one in the game he was injured.

Fox could keep that scoring streak rolling with a strong return from injury. He has been taking practice reps alongside Vladislav Gavrikov, who stepped up as New York’s top defender in December. Gavrikov averaged 25:11 in ice time over the last month, the seventh-most of all defensemen in the NHL. That run included Gavrikov reaching nearly 29 minutes of ice time in New York’s December 20th shootout-win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

Fox should help shoulder that load and could find a chance to ease back into minutes against a Capitals team that New York beat 7-3 last week.

Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images.

Kings Activate Darcy Kuemper, Reassign Pheonix Copley

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The Los Angeles Kings will have a major piece back in the lineup when they face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. 2025 Vezina Trophy finalist Darcy Kuemper has been activated off of injured reserve after missing the last six games and 15 days with an upper-body injury. He returned to practice on Saturday. To make room for Kuemper’s return, the Kings have reassigned depth goaltender Pheonix Copley.

Kuemper could be eased back into Los Angeles’ lineup over their upcoming four-game home stretch. He has continued to be an elite option in net for the Kings, posting 10 wins and a .917 save percentage in the 23 games he has played in this season. That’s narrowly in-line with the .921 save percentage that Kuemper recorded in 50 games last season, while again battling routine injury. He earned a third-place finish in Vezina Trophy voting – and a top-20 finish in Hart Trophy voting – with that performance.

Overall, Kuemper has averaged a .920 save percentage over the last two seasons, tying him with Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck and Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy for the highest in the NHL. He also has seven shutouts in that span, tied for second in the league behind Hellebuyck, Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky, and Minnesota’s Filip Gustavsson who all have eight.

The Kings have struggled significantly in Kuemper’s absence. They posted a 2-4-0 record and 16-to-20 goal differential since his injury, while leaning on Anton Forsberg as their starter. Forsberg has totaled a 6-6-3 record and .901 save percentage in his first season with the Kings. He held the lion’s share of minutes while Kuemper was out, though Copley did appear in one game. Los Angeles lost that game while Copley recorded a .893 Sv%. That is narrowly above the .885 Sv% he has recorded in 13 AHL games this season. With this move, Copley will have a chance to boost up those minor-league numbers, while Los Angeles get a much-needed upgrade in net.

Golden Knights’ William Karlsson Won’t Be Healthy For Olympics

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Bad news has come through for a potential core memebr of Team Sweden’s 2026 Winter Olympics squad. Despite hoping to return before the tournament, Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson won’t be healthy enough to play per TSN’s Darren Dreger. Karlsson is recovering from a lower-body injury sustained in Vegas’ November 8th loss to the Anaheim Ducks. He appeared in 14 games and scored seven points before the injury.

Karlsson has run into a streak of bad injury luck stretching back to the start of last season. He didn’t make his season debut until Vegas’ ninth game of the 2024-25 season and fell back out of the lineup for 21 games in late January. Those absences, and 23 missed games this season, give Karlsson more than 50 absences since October 2024.

That injury luck has left Vegas with a major hole in their center position. Tomas Hertl has stepped up to help fill the hole – posting a 58.0 faceoff percentage on 584 faceoffs. That success rate puts Hertl near the bottom of the top-10 faceoff takers this season. Hertl also has 29 points in 37 games this season, putting him on pace to narrowly pass his 61 points last season. Those impacts have helped Vegas lean on Colton Sissons and Brett Howden as their bottom-six centers. Both have posted faceoff percentages north of 50 percent though they only have five and 11 points respectively.

Karlsson is routinely challenges 50 points  when he’s at full health. He scored 30 goals and 60 points in 70 games during the 2023-24 season, the highest marks he’s reached since posting career-highs with 43 goals and 78 points in 2017-18. Karlsson was scoring well below his career-average to start this season. Now, he won’t be able to right that ship until Vegas returns from the NHL’s Olympic break on February 25th, at the soonest. That return date would force Karlsson to miss 20 more games.

More than hurting Vegas’ lineup for the start of the new year, this news will pull Karlsson’s first chance to play for Sweden’s Olympic roster. He has seldomly played for his country over the course of his NHL career, largely thanks to Vegas’ success in the postseason. An appearance at the 2025 World Championship, where Karlsson posted one point in four games, was his first international tournament since the 2017 World Championship. Karlsson has won a Gold medal at the World Championship and World Junior Championships with Team Sweden.

The former SHL ’Rookie-of-the-Year’ would be a reliable center for Sweden in the Olympic games, even though he has only scored four points in 14 World Championship games in his career. Sweden leaned on Mika Zibanejad, Joel Eriksson Ek, Leo Carlsson, and Elias Lindholm as their centers at the 2025 4-Nations Face-Off. This news could help cement those four down the middle when Sweden heads to the Olympic games in Milan.

Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews Out Day-To-Day

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The Toronto Maple Leafs announced that star forward Auston Matthews will miss Tuesday night’s game against the New Jersey Devils and will be out day-to-day due to a lower-body injury. Matthews sustained the injury on a blocked shot in Sunday’s overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings. He missed Tuesday morning’s practice and was designated as a game-time decision before being ruled out.

The Maple Leafs are already down forward Dakota Joshua and defenseman Chris Tanev due to injury. Defender Matt Benning and forward Jacob Quillan were recalled to fill-in for those absences. Calle Jarnkrok will step back into the lineup for Matthews after four games on the shelf.

Even with the committee effort, and a quiet year from their star, Toronto is still going to face a steep test trying to make up for Matthews’ absence. He snapped a four-game scoring drought on December 27th and has four points in two games since. That brings Matthews up to 27 points in 33 games this season, good for fourth on the team in scoring. He is riding a 11.7 shooting percentage this season – roughly four percent lower than his career average of 15.6 percent. Matthews’ shooting success has dwindled over the last two seasons after he managed a career-high 18.7 percent – and 69 goals – in the 2023-24 season.

Quillan and Jarnkrok will fill out the fourth-line on Tuesday night, while Scott Laughton earns a bump up to the third line. Laughton has stepped up as a responsible veteran over the recent stretch, bringing some support to a Maple Leafs offense that has leaned more on their depth as of late. His defense-first approach has helped multiple depth players step up their scoring. Toronto has scored 16 goals over their last three games, with multiple points from Matias Maccelli, Bobby McMann, and Nicholas Robertson. Those players will need to continue stepping up to keep the offense firing without Matthews in the lineup.

Oilers Activate, Assign Connor Clattenburg

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The Edmonton Oilers have activated defenseman Connor Clattenburg off of long-term injured reserve. He has missed the last 11 games after sustaining an eye injury in Edmonton’s December 4th win over the Seattle Kraken. Now, he’ll return to action in the minor-leagues where he has spent the bulk of the season.

Clattenburg is in his first pro season after making his AHL debut at the end of last season. He recorded two points and 59 penalty minutes in 15 games with the Bakersfield Condors to start the season. 41 of those penalty minutes came in just two games in which Clattenburg had three fights. That start tot he year was enough to earn Clattenburg the first NHL call-up of his career in late November.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound bruiser made a quick impact at the bottom of Edmonton’s lineup. He scored his first NHL goal in his second game and has racked up 13 penalty minutes in his first five games. His first NHL fight game in his third game against Seattle forward Frederick Gaudreau and only lasted a few punches.

Clattenburg took on his enforcer style over three years in the OHL. He racked up 115 penalty minutes in 56 games as an OHL rookie in 2022-23. That was, at the time, the most of any OHL rookie since Ty Bilcke recorded 221 PIMs in the 2011-12 season. Clattenburg finished his junior career with 74 points and 302 penalty minutes in 162 games. He will bring that grit back to Bakersfield lineup and could earn a return to the NHL with continued physical play.

Ducks’ Frank Vatrano, Radko Gudas Out On Monday

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The Anaheim Ducks will be without players in Monday’s game against the San Jose Sharks. Forward Frank Vatrano will miss the game with an upper-body injury while defenseman and captain Radko Gudas will be forced out by an illness head coach Joel Quenneville told Derek Lee of The Hockey News. Quennville added that the team did not know quite how long Vatrano would need to miss.

Vatrano and Gudas both serve important, physical roles on the Ducks. Gudas leads the defense in hits (94) while Vatrano ranks second on the offense (67) behind Ross Johnston (111). Vatrno also ranks second to Johnston in penalty minutes on the Ducks. He has stepped into a pest role this season and was recently fined by the NHL Department of Player Safety for an unsportsmanlike conduct against Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson. Vatrano has six points in 38 games to back his nasty style, while Gudas has eight points in 29 games.

Anaheim will now face injury challenges on the heels of a recent losing skid. The Ducks have lost five of their last eight games, including a 6-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. Jansen Harkins is set to take over fourth-line center duties in Vatrano’s absence. He has two goals, 11 shot blocks, and 51 hits in 16 games this season. Harkins is the only Duck with a higher hits-per-game average than Johnston or Vatrano, which should make his adjustment to Vatrano’s role a bit smoother. Ian Moore will step in for Gudas. Moore has five points and 47 shot blocks in 24 games this season. One more game will officially cement this season as his rookie year in the NHL.

Hurricanes’ Pyotr Kochetkov Placed On IR, Potentially Out For Season

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The Carolina Hurricanes have placed goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov on injured reserve. Kochetkov has been battling a hip injury since the start of the season. He missed all of October and the last week of November due to the issue. Now, after being forced out of the lineup for a third time, Kochetkov has elected to undergo surgery to address the injury, head coach Rod Brind’Amour told Chip Alexander of The News and Observer.

Kochetkov has only played in nine games this season. He was successful in those appearances, posting a 6-3-0 record, .899 save percentage, and 2.33 goals-against-average. He also had one shutout on the year. Kochetkov’s stat line ranked second in Carolina’s goaltending room across the board, behind emerging starter Brandon Bussi.

Bussi will be who Carolina leans on in Kochetkov’s absence. The 27-year-old has posted 12 wins, a .910 Sv%, and a 2.10 GAA in the first 14 games of his NHL career this season. He has been a standout in the minor leagues since signing with the AHL’s Providence Bruins out of college in 2022. Bussi posted a first .922 Sv% in the first 37 games of his AHL career, spanning the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. That entrance into the league earned Bussi an AHL all-star recognition in 2023 – an accolade he followed with 23 wins and a .913 Sv% in 41 games with Providence in 2023-24.

In competition with Michael DiPietro, Bussi fell to a .907 Sv% in 33 AHL games last season. That slip prompted a move to the Hurricanes this summer, which has quickly paid off. Bussi has not appeared in the AHL yet this season and could have a clear path to a true starter’s role ahead of struggling veteran Frederik Andersen.

In a corresponding move to Andersen’s IR designation, the Hurricanes have also recalled defenseman Gavin Bayreuther. He will help the team back up a handful of game-time decisions on defense, Brind’Amour told NHL.com’s Walt Ruff. Bayreuther spent last season with Lausanne HC in Switzerland’s National League. He scored 23 points in 52 games, a small scoring spark that seems to be bleeding into this season. His 13 points in 24 games rank second on the Chicago Wolves’ blue line behind Domenick Fensore. Bayreuther hasn’t played in the NHL this season, his last game being back in 2023, though he has been recalled as a backup once by Carolina.

With their shifting lineup, the Hurricanes will hope surgery helps Kochetkov return to form. He has posted a sub-.900 save percentage across his last 56 NHL games, dating back to the start of 2024-25. The performances have been a steep drop from the 38 wins and .910 Sv% Kochetkov recorded in 69 games through his first three NHL seasons. He is a fringe starter when healthy and should still fill a need in Carolina’s lineup on the other side of his recovery. Kochetkov carries a $2MM cap hit through the end of next season.

Islanders’ Ethan Bear Clears Waivers

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Dec. 29th: Insider Frank Seravalli reported that Bear has successfully cleared waivers and can be safely reassigned to AHL Bridgeport.

Dec. 28th: The New York Islanders have placed depth defenseman Ethan Bear on waivers per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Bear began the year on season-opening injured reserve with an upper-body injury. His waiver placement serves as a strong indication that Bear has fully recovered from that injury. Should he clear, he will likely be assigned to the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders.

Bear spent the entirety of last season with the AHL’s Hershey Bears. It was his first full AHL season since 2018-19 and he took full advantage of the lighter competition. Bear, who had struggled in the NHL for a few years in a row, led Hershey in scoring with 46 points in 62 games last season. The performance was the most a Hershey defenseman has scored since Aaron Ness scored 55 points in the 2018-19 season.

It is too late into Bear’s career to call his AHL season a breakout year – but it went far in solidifying the role he offered an NHL team. He’s stood out as a top-end offensive-defenseman in the minor-leagues, who can offer serviceable, bottom-pair impact with an NHL club. That standing lines up with Bear’s career stat line. He has recorded 67 points and 112 penalty minutes in 275 NHL games, to go with 95 points and 76 penalty minutes in 151 AHL games.

The Islanders will look to add that puck-moving ability to the top of Bridgeport’s lineup with this move. Bridgeport has struggled to win this season. They are currently ranked dead-last in the Atlantic Division and have been outscored by a combined 82-to-94. Bear won’t buoy the team’s defense, but his offensive talent should remove some responsibility from more well-rounded defenders Marshall Warren and Cole McWard.

Flyers’ Egor Zamula Changes Agents, Eyeing Move

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The Philadelphia Flyers could soon be pushed to deal a depth defenseman. Egor Zamula has fired his previous agent and signed with Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey. This move could prelude Zamula mutually terminating his contract with the Flyers and re-signing, for a cheaper price, with another team, per PuckPedia. If that does transpire, Philadelphia would be hoping to acquire a forward on an expiring contract in return for cutting Zamula.

This move would not be unsimilar to the St. Louis Blues’ recent termination of winger Alexandre Texier, another Milstein client. News of Texier’s availability spread quickly around the NHL and had teams lining up to sign him as a free agent. He ultimately signed with the Montreal Canadiens, who he’s scored six points in 15 games with, though St. Louis did not receive any assets in return for the swap.

If the Flyers could command much for Zamula is yet to be seen. He has served as a routine healthy scratch for much of the season, but Philadelphia long avoided assigning him to the minor-leagues for longer than a day or two. That changed after rookie Ty Murchison made his NHL debut on December 16th. Murchison has stuck with the NHL roster – and appeared in three games – since, while Zamula was sent to the AHL for good three days later.

It appears Zamula has been leapfrogged on the lineup by the younger Murchison. Philadelphia is also carrying longtime depth defender Noah Juulsen, who boasts more veteran experience than Zamula could offer. That leaves the 25-year-old Russian as the odd-man-out on the Flyers’ depth chart. Rather than continue on in the AHL, it seems Zamula will prefer to test his chances in another NHL lineup. He’s a 6-foot-3, 200-pound defender who has only scored 41 points in 168 NHL games. That includes one point in 13 games this season.

Zamula’s best attributes are his long reach and physical upside – two pieces that many teams need more of at the bottom of their defense. If that’s enough to impress a lacking defense like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, or Edmonton Oilers – the Flyers could end up with a nice lineup boost in the middle of the season.

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