Canadiens Reassign Owen Beck, Jacob Fowler
The Canadiens announced they’ve loaned center Owen Beck and goaltender Jacob Fowler to AHL Laval. They’re now left with two open roster spots – one of which could go to LTIR-bound Kirby Dach as he nears a return from a foot fracture, Eric Engels of Sportsnet speculates.
Beck and Fowler have been up with the Habs for over a month. They were summoned on Dec. 10 as the Habs opted to further embrace the youth movement in the wake of injuries to Dach, Patrik Laine, and Alex Newhook, as well as a spell of underwhelming goaltending.
The 21-year-old Beck has now put up back-to-back seasons with good defensive play in a fourth-line role during a double-digit games played window. In 15 contests this season, he’s only scored once – his first NHL goal – but has a +4 rating while controlling 52.0% of shot attempts at even strength. He’s averaging 9:11 of ice time per game and, after going 44-for-75 on draws, he’s the best faceoff-taker on the Habs with a 58.7% win rate.
All those points point toward Beck establishing his floor as a bottom-six defensive stalwart sooner rather than later. Selected 33rd overall in the 2022 draft, the 6’0″ pivot was viewed by many as potentially the best defensive-minded forward available in the class, although concerns abounded about his offensive upside.
So far, both of those statements appear to be on track. He had a promising showing on the scoresheet as a rookie in Laval last year with 44 points in 64 games. This season, though, he’s lit the lamp just three times in 22 AHL games with 11 total points.
Beck had been a healthy scratch in two straight games anyway to make way for Josh Anderson to get back into the lineup after an upper-body injury. Regardless of Dach’s status, it made sense for the Habs to get Beck more consistent reps in Laval instead of sitting in the press box in Montreal.
Fowler’s demotion means Montreal’s three-goalie rotation is coming to an end, at least for now. They have a light schedule for the rest of the month, and with his next “scheduled” start for the Habs not until next Thursday – assuming they continue to stick religiously to the rotation – it would make sense for him to get a game in Laval in the interim.
It’s hard to imagine Fowler’s demotion carrying any sort of permanence for a team in the playoff race. Through his first 10 NHL starts, the 21-year-old has clearly shown why he’s the organization’s top goalie prospect and one of the highest-ceiling netminders in the league.
His .902 SV% and 2.62 GAA are better than his counterparts, Jakub Dobes and Sam Montembeault, by significant margins, even if his 4-4-2 record doesn’t jump off the page. He’s recorded the team’s only shutout this season – a 31-save performance against the Penguins before Christmas – and leads them with 1.8 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck.
Flames Ramping Up Rasmus Andersson Trade Talks
It appears the Flames have finally received the type of offer they want to part ways with pending UFA defenseman Rasmus Andersson. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports that “talks have intensified” in the last several days, and a deal could come by the end of the weekend.
Since Andersson’s name first hit the trade block in earnest last season, the Golden Knights and Stars have been the most frequently linked destinations. Little has changed to suggest those two wouldn’t be the favorites to both acquire and, particularly in Vegas’ case, extend him.
The Senators are also a team with documented interest in him over the last few weeks. They’d also had interest in him dating back to the offseason, but it was reported then that Ottawa is on his six-team no-trade list.
Once viewed as a potential long-term top-pair piece in Calgary, the team’s still relatively early positioning in their rebuild has made it hard to justify giving the 29-year-old a significant financial commitment. For his part, he’s rebounded well after a difficult 2024-25 campaign. Through 47 appearances, he’s churned out 10 goals and 29 points – just two shy of last year’s total already. His two-way game has also recovered from last year’s career-worst -38 rating, gelling well with shutdown partner Kevin Bahl and averaging a career-high 24:12 of ice time per game.
Among non-Dallas or Vegas suitors, the Maple Leafs will be near the top of the list. They made an attempt to acquire him last season and were linked to another puck-moving righty in the Devils’ Dougie Hamilton this week. Andersson, who checks in at a $4.55MM cap hit this year, is the far more financially viable option.
Kraken Activate Brandon Montour
The Kraken announced Thursday that they activated defenseman Brandon Montour from injured reserve. To open a roster spot, they reassigned forward Jacob Melanson to AHL Coachella Valley.
It’s an ahead-of-schedule return for the puck-mover, who underwent hand surgery shortly before Christmas. He was initially expected to miss at least four weeks, but returns with several days to spare.
Last year, Montour led Seattle’s defense with 41 points in 82 games after cashing in with the Kraken on a seven-year, $50MM deal in free agency. He’s been overtaken again now by Vince Dunn, but is still having a reasonably productive year with six goals and 16 points in 27 outings. He’s averaging 21:56 of ice time per game and is having a great year in the possession department, leading Seattle rearguards with a 51.3 CF%.
That possession control makes Montour an increasingly important factor on a Seattle team that is abysmal at generating quality scoring chances but has been propped up by semi-sound defense and elite goaltending. They control just 41.4% of high-danger chances at 5-on-5, but have nevertheless cashed in on them by a score of 31-24.
Melanson had seen consistent ice time as of late, temporarily leapfrogging Tye Kartye on the depth chart, but his waiver-exempt status made him the logical odd man out. After making a one-game NHL debut last year, he’s scored a goal and four points in 15 games this time around. The 22-year-old was a fifth-round pick in 2021 and has 14 points in 23 AHL games.
Sabres Recall Konsta Helenius, Place Joshua Dunne On IR
The Sabres have recalled top forward prospect Konsta Helenius from AHL Rochester, according to Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News. He could make his NHL debut tonight in Montreal. In a corresponding move, Joshua Dunne was moved to injured reserve with the mid-body issue that’s expected to keep him out for four to six weeks.
Helenius may be entering the lineup as Joshua Norris exits it. Buffalo’s oft-injured pivot left yesterday’s win over the Flyers with an upper-body injury and is day-to-day, head coach Lindy Ruff said.
Selected No. 14 overall in 2024, Helenius is the latest in a years-long slate of high-drafted Sabres forwards to get his first NHL look. The selection was nearly universally lauded at the time. Most had him touted as a top-10 selection after he rattled off 36 points in 51 games for Jukurit in Liiga, Finland’s top professional league, as a 17-year-old.
Helenius took an unusual path, immediately signing his entry-level contract with Buffalo and reporting to Rochester last season at age 18. First-round picks out of Europe are permitted to do so, but teams and players usually opt to give their prospects a bit more runway in a familiar overseas environment before bringing them to the NHL or AHL.
He didn’t blow the doors off in Rochester last year, but in year two of his North American professional career, concerns over his offensive ceiling have quieted. A two-way center first and foremost, he’s now Rochester’s second-leading scorer with a 9-21–30 line in 34 games.
Given he’s within spitting distance of a point per game in the minors as a teenager, he’s more than deserving of at least a brief NHL trial. He entered the season as the organization’s No. 1 prospect, per NHL.com, a billing he’s lived up to so far.
While injuries have continued to plague Norris, limiting him to 19 appearances this year, he’s played the best hockey of his career when he’s been dressed. He’s been as natural a fit as hoped in Buffalo’s top six and has six goals and 17 points in 19 games, placing second on the team at 0.89 per game. That would also stand as a career-high for the 26-year-old and is his best per-game production in four years.
Golden Knights Activate Adin Hill, Place Two On IR
The Golden Knights activated goaltender Adin Hill from long-term injured reserve on Thursday, per Jason R. Pothier and Ken Boehlke of Sin Bin Vegas. Netminder Carter Hart and winger Brandon Saad were placed on IR in corresponding moves, leaving the Knights with an open roster spot. They announced they’ve used that spot to recall forward Tanner Laczynski from AHL Henderson. With William Karlsson still on LTIR alongside Alex Pietrangelo on season-ending LTIR, Vegas remains cap-compliant.
Hill is expected to start tonight against the Maple Leafs, his first appearance in nearly three months. The 29-year-old has made just five starts this season and none since Oct. 20, when he sustained a lower-body injury in the first period against the Hurricanes.
It was an inauspicious start to the first season of Hill’s six-year, $37.5MM extension that he signed last March. Before exiting the lineup, he started the season on a cold run with a 1-0-2 record, .888 SV%, and 2.73 GAA. He allowed one goal above expected in 220 total minutes of action, per MoneyPuck.
Hart was signed in part due to concern over how much time Hill would miss. That experiment has been an early failure. Hart’s .871 SV% in 12 starts is the worst figure among the four netminders to suit up for Vegas this season. Among goaltenders with at least 10 appearances, only Leevi Merilainen and Petr Mrazek have allowed more goals above expected on a per-60-minute basis than Hart at 0.837.
Now, Vegas gets its true No. 1 back in the lineup. Akira Schmid has operated as the club’s de facto starter with a team-high 24 appearances and has provided great value for his $875K cap hit, logging a .896 SV% and 2.47 GAA with two shutouts and a 14-4-5 record. His 2.0 GSAx is first in Vegas and 34th in the league overall.
His rocky start aside, though, Hill is clearly the better long-term option. He’s never finished a season below .900 aside from a four-game run with the Coyotes in 2017-18 to open his NHL career. For a streaking Vegas team that’s struggled to get consistently above-average goaltending this season, his return could be an X-factor in them widening their lead in the Pacific Division.
Hart has already missed three games with a lower-body injury he sustained one week ago against the Blue Jackets. Since seven days have passed since his injury, he’s eligible to come off IR at any time. However, since he was administered a week-to-week designation last weekend, that won’t be coming anytime soon.
Saad is in the same boat in terms of his activation eligibility, sustaining an undisclosed injury in the Columbus game. He remains day-to-day and will presumably be an option sooner than Hart will. It’s been a trying season for the 33-year-old, who’s shooting at just 3.1% and has been limited to a 2-5–7 scoring line in 39 games with a -1 rating.
Laczynski’s recall comes as Vegas opens the roster flexibility to give itself injury insurance at forward. In addition to the injured Saad taking up a spot on the active roster for the last few games, Brett Howden has missed two contests with a lower-body injury and isn’t expected to be available against Toronto tonight, either.
It would be Laczynski’s season debut if he enters the lineup against the Leafs. The 28-year-old depth option was recalled once from Henderson in November but didn’t play. Now in his second year in the Knights organization, he suited up eight times last season and scored once while averaging 8:36 of ice time per game.
The 6’1″, 205-lb pivot has been the Knights’ most consistent minor-league producer since signing a two-year, league-minimum deal in 2024. After racking up 37 points in 41 appearances for Henderson last year to lead the team in scoring despite only playing in 57% of their games, he’s upped his production to 13 goals and 35 points in 32 games this season, along with a team-high +22 rating. He’s the biggest reason why the Silver Knights are tracking for their first season above .500 since 2021-22.
Image courtesy of Nick Wosika-Imagn Images.
Maple Leafs Assign Dakota Mermis On Conditioning Loan
The Maple Leafs announced they’ve assigned defenseman Dakota Mermis to AHL Toronto on a conditioning loan. Since he is on long-term injured reserve, his conditioning stint is subject to added restrictions – he can only remain in the minors for up to three games or six days, whichever comes first, until they must activate him and/or place him on waivers.
Mermis has been rehabbing a lower-body injury for just over a month. The veteran depth option last played on Dec. 8 against the Lightning. While it was only ever publicly reported he was on standard IR, the team’s announcement implies they shifted him to LTIR at some point in the last few weeks for added breathing room under the salary cap.
Mermis, fresh off his 32nd birthday, is in his second season as a Leaf. He spent most of last year in the minors with the Marlies, aside from a few brief call-ups to Toronto and a short stint in Utah after getting claimed off waivers and subsequently being re-claimed by the Leafs. This season, though, he’s gotten into 11 contests for the Leafs amid their earlier rash of blue line injuries. It’s the second-most action the career minor-league option has seen aside from his career-high 47 games with the Wild two years ago.
The 6’0″ lefty has one goal with a -3 rating while averaging 13:02 per game. He’s generally been a net positive possession player in his short looks in the Leafs lineup, and with 554 games of NHL and AHL experience, there’s legitimate value in Mermis as a plug-and-play option.
While Chris Tanev remains on the shelf, Brandon Carlo‘s return from injury and Troy Stecher‘s inclusion in the lineup makes it likelier than not he’ll end up on waivers when his conditioning stint ends this weekend. He might also be kept around as an eighth defenseman while Matt Benning hits the wire, though.
Avalanche Recall Ivan Ivan
Jan. 12: The yo-yo continues for Ivan, who’s been added to the Avs’ roster once again ahead of tonight’s game against the Maple Leafs. He’s eligible for such a quick recall because he suited up for the Eagles on the 9th and 10th – playing three games in three nights across the NHL and AHL. Appearing tonight would make it four games in five days.
Jan. 9: The Avalanche announced they returned Ivan to the AHL following last night’s drubbing of the Senators. Ivan had a +1 rating in the win while skating 9:37 of ice time. A different name will likely be elevated tomorrow before their game against the Blue Jackets.
Jan. 8: The Avalanche announced they’ve recalled forward Ivan Ivan from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. They were operating with an open roster spot after sending Taylor Makar down yesterday, so no corresponding move is required.
Colorado has shown a tendency to frequently rotate depth forward options on the roster when needing to dip into its minor-league depth to address injuries. With Gabriel Landeskog and Joel Kiviranta now sidelined, that hasn’t changed.
Ivan, 23, gets his second recall of the season and will presumably draw into the lineup tonight against the Senators as the fourth-line left wing. Makar had skated in that role alongside Zakhar Bardakov and Parker Kelly in two of the last three games.
The 6’0″, 190-lb Ivan made three appearances for the Avs near the end of November, scoring one assist with a +1 rating while averaging 8:19 of ice time per game. Initially an undrafted free agent signing by the Eagles out of the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Eagles in 2023, he quickly worked his way up toward landing an NHL contract and being a frequently relied-upon call-up option. He made 40 appearances for the Avs as a rookie last year, notching five goals and eight points.
While the Czech native stood out as a rookie with the Eagles in 2023-24, he hasn’t been able to recapture that offensive success in the minors. He went from a 12-19–31 scoring line in 67 games as a first-year pro to churning out just four goals and 20 points in 64 AHL games since the beginning of last year.
Ivan’s always profiled as more of a penalty-killing forward with good playmaking skills, though, so the lack of goal-scoring isn’t entirely unexpected. Nonetheless, for a talent who twice hit a point per game in high-level junior hockey, he’ll be looking for more production as the season rolls on.
Penguins Assign Caleb Jones On Conditioning Loan
The Penguins announced they’ve assigned defenseman Caleb Jones to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a conditioning loan. Since he is on standard injured reserve and not long-term injured reserve, he can remain in the minors for up to 14 days without needing to be activated from IR or placed on waivers.
Jones, 28, hasn’t played since October. The 6’1″ lefty appeared in seven of Pittsburgh’s first eight games before sustaining a lower-body injury that’s now kept him on IR for well over two months, blowing past his initial eight-week return timeline.
Last Friday, Jones told Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he was targeting a return next weekend. That either means his conditioning stint in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will be brief, or he won’t get into game action with the Baby Pens until then. WBS has two games this week: Wednesday at Providence and Friday at home against Hartford, marking the first half of a back-to-back.
The AHL is a familiar environment for Jones. A lineup regular with the Oilers and Blackhawks a few years back, he’s split the last couple of seasons between leagues and played almost exclusively in the AHL last season while in the Kings organization. His fortunes appeared to change after making Pittsburgh’s opening night roster. However, with their defense group stabilizing and the acquisition of Brett Kulak taking away a spot on the left side, it remains to be seen whether Jones will remain on the active roster or land on waivers once he’s activated from IR in the coming days.
The Texas native played solid bottom-pairing hockey to open the season. In seven appearances, he registered an assist and a +1 rating while averaging 17:10 of ice time per game. He was credited with 15 blocks and 10 hits, but controlled only 41.4% of shot attempts at 5-on-5 in a taxing defensive deployment.
Jones signed a two-year, $1.8MM deal with Pittsburgh in the offseason and is due $1MM in actual salary next season. If he’s placed on waivers, a claim is unlikely.
Islanders’ Dmitry Gamzin Signs Two-Year Extension In Russia
The Islanders will have to wait at least two more seasons for goaltending prospect Dmitry Gamzin to arrive in North America. The Kontinental Hockey League announced he’s signed a two-year extension with CSKA Moscow, keeping him in Russia through the 2027-28 campaign.
Most high-profile Russian goaltending prospects wait until their mid-20s before coming to the NHL, opting to complete the entirety of their development at home rather than seeing any AHL time. It appears Gamzin will be no exception. The 22-year-old was initially draft-eligible back in 2021 but went unselected for several years until the Islanders took a flyer on him in the fourth round in 2024.
So far, it looks like a wise decision. The 6’3″, 174-lb netminder has since emerged as the starter for one of the country’s most successful organizations and put NHL veteran Spencer Martin out of a job earlier this season.
Now, he’s on track to win KHL Goalie of the Year honors, leading the league in save percentage (.933) and goals against average (1.71) in 26 appearances. He’s done so behind an unusually weak CSKA roster that just traded away its leading point-getter in Daniel Sprong and no longer has a skater producing above 0.67 points per game.
All signs point to him having a legit shot as a high-end backup to countryman Ilya Sorokin in the last few years of his deal. Sorokin, who also emerged from the CSKA organization, came over at age 25.
As a player drafted out of a Russian league, the Islanders hold Gamzin’s signing rights indefinitely.
Noah Gregor Clears Waivers
Saturday: Gregor was not claimed on waivers according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. He can now be sent down to AHL Charlotte whenever a roster spot is needed to activate Tkachuk.
Friday: The Panthers are shaking up their depth forward group after a tough-to-swallow blowout loss. PuckPedia reports that the club has placed winger Noah Gregor on waivers.
Gregor had appeared in back-to-back games for the Cats after sitting out five straight. Florida’s fourth line of him, Luke Kunin, and Jack Studnicka had a garish showing in the 6-2 loss to Montreal, failing to generate any expected goals at 5-on-5 while getting outscored 2-0 in less than five minutes of ice time.
His waiver placement should serve a dual purpose of opening a roster spot for Matthew Tkachuk, who’s been skating for a few days now and should be ready to come off long-term injured reserve and make his season debut in the near future. That’s must-hear news for a Florida squad that’s now 3-5-1 in its last nine, losing ground in a tight Eastern Conference playoff race. Injuries have taken an incredible toll on their record, which now stands at 22-18-3, leaving the two-time defending champs three points out of a playoff spot.
As for Gregor, the 27-year-old could bounce to his fifth NHL organization if he’s claimed off the wire. Non-tendered by the Sharks last year, he went unsigned before landing a professional tryout with the Cats in September and converting that into a two-way deal at the end of training camp. He’s been in and out of the lineup as a 12th/13th forward option with Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Tomas Nosek, and more missing all or most of the year.
In 24 appearances, the high-motor depth option has one goal and two assists with a -7 rating. He’s averaged just 8:05 per night while posting an ugly 45.8% shot attempt share despite receiving sheltered offensive zone starts. Especially seeing as he’s on a two-way deal, he was always going to be one of the first names to hit waivers if Florida needed a roster spot.
For a league-minimum price tag, there might be some interest in Gregor, who has 73 points in 317 career NHL games dating back to his debut in San Jose in 2019-20.