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Sharks’ Vincent Desharnais Week-To-Week, Pavol Regenda Recalled

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12/2: Vincent Desharnais will be out week-to-week, per Max Miller, San Jose Beat Reporter with the upper-body injury. He has missed the last three games, and the IR placement is retroactive to his last appearance on Nov. 26.

12/1: The Sharks announced Monday they’ve placed defenseman Desharnais on injured reserve and recalled winger Pavol Regenda from AHL San Jose in a corresponding move. Their active roster remains full.

The 29-year-old stay-at-home righty is arguably having the best season of his four-year NHL career. He’s only got two assists through 20 games but has been San Jose’s second-best shutdown defender behind Mario Ferraro, posting a +1 rating and a 2.12 GA/60 at 5-on-5. That second mark is third-best on the team overall among qualified skaters. He also ranks sixth in shots against per 60 (29.17), fourth in expected goals against per 60 (2.45), and second in scoring chances against per 60 (25.17).

Desharnais features alongside Ferraro on the Sharks’ top penalty kill and has spent most of his time at even-strength in third-pairing duties sheltering rookie Sam Dickinson. They’ve been the Sharks’ best pairing at controlling expected goals with a 56.9 xGF% at 5-on-5. He’s a notable loss if he’s to miss significant time, particularly as the Sharks have cooled off to the tune of a 4-5-0 record in their last nine games.

Regenda comes up to ensure the Sharks have 12 forwards for tonight against Utah. He could make his Sharks debut if Adam Gaudette, who Max Miller of NHL.com reports is questionable due to illness, can’t go. Regenda, 26 next week, was acquired from the Ducks in exchange for Justin Bailey midway through last season but played out the year in the AHL after his pickup. Anaheim initially brought him over as an undrafted free agent out of Slovakia in 2022 and, while he could have tested Group VI unrestricted free agency last summer, opted to return to San Jose on a two-way deal.

Since being acquired by the Sharks, the 6’4″, 212-lb Regenda has a 12-20–32 scoring line in 55 AHL appearances, including seven points in 19 games this year. He has 19 games of NHL experience, all with Anaheim, but hasn’t seen the top level since March 2024. He has one career goal with a pair of assists alongside a -4 rating. He’s not much more than a fourth-line plug-in call-up option but provides a physical edge should the Sharks need one.

Lightning Place Niko Huuhtanen On Unconditional Waivers

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The Lightning placed winger Niko Huuhtanen on unconditional waivers today, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. He will have his contract terminated tomorrow if he clears, and will become an unrestricted free agent.

Huuhtanen’s stock as a prospect has resembled a bell curve. Tampa Bay selected the 22-year-old in the seventh round with the final pick of the 2021 draft out of his native Finland, where he’d scored 20 goals and 34 points in 37 junior league games in the Tappara organization. He came to North America to finish his junior career in 2021-22 as an import draft selection by the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. There, he exploded for 37 goals and 77 points in 65 games, leading the league in goals by a rookie. He returned home the following season to begin his pro career, where he again adjusted seamlessly, putting up a 17-13–30 scoring line in 48 games for Jukurit to win the rookie scoring crown and earn Liiga Rookie of the Year honors.

By that time, Huuhtanen was on the map as a potential NHLer. Elite Prospects tabbed him as the No. 11 prospect in Tampa’s system entering the 2023-24 season, noting that his skating mechanics were still an issue despite his gaudy production in juniors and overseas. They were onto something. While Huuhtanen remained in Finland and had continued success with Jukurit that year, notching 19 goals and 46 points in 52 games, that was the last time he looked like he had a legitimate chance of reaching the top level.

Huuhtanen signed his entry-level contract with the Bolts in 2024 and arrived last season to play out the year with AHL Syracuse. As forewarned, the production didn’t translate as either side had hoped. The 6’3″ winger was limited to eight goals in 51 appearances, although he did add 12 assists for 20 points and a respectable +13 rating.

This season, though, he’s seen a further reduction in role. He started the season on the non-roster list due to an undisclosed injury. When he got healthy and was assigned to Syracuse at the beginning of November, he had a two-assist game in his debut but didn’t stick in the lineup. After just five games with three assists, the Bolts sent Huuhtanen down to ECHL Orlando. He suited up once for them on Nov. 22 and hasn’t appeared since.

Huuhtanen has still managed 23 points in 56 career regular-season AHL games. That might be enough for him to catch on with another NHL team on a two-way deal since he’s still relatively young, but in all likelihood, he’s angling for a return to Europe and will sign a new deal in the coming days.

Flyers’ Tyson Foerster Out Two To Three Months

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Flyers winger Tyson Foerster is expected to miss two to three months with the upper-body injury he sustained in last night’s loss to the Penguins, the team announced.

The news sidelines Foerster, who leads the Flyers with 10 goals in 21 games, through the Olympic break. It was a non-contact injury as Foerster appeared to hyperextend his right shoulder or otherwise injure the upper arm area while unloading a one-timer midway through the second period (video via Flyers Clips on X).

It’s been a rough ride for the 23-year-old over the past few months. His status for opening night was doubtful through much of training camp after he sustained an elbow injury while playing for Canada at the World Championship back in May. The procedure itself wasn’t expected to keep him out through the start of the season, but he developed a related infection that delayed his recovery. He ended up not missing any time but sustained a lower-body injury at the beginning of November that landed him on injured reserve and kept him out for four games.

This absence will be in the 30-game range, though. If he returns right at the two-month mark, he could technically get a few reps in before the Olympic break – the Flyers’ last game before the schedule pause is on Feb. 5. But in the likely event he’s out until Philly resumes play on Feb. 25 (or even later if he misses a full three months), he’ll be out for at least 31 contests.

Under new head coach Rick Tocchet, the Flyers have flexed a high-end defensive system and a breakout season between the pipes from free-agent pickup Daniel Vladař to a 14-8-3 record, good for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference at the time of writing. Their offensive output, however, ranks 26th in goals per game (2.76) and 29th in shots per game (24.8). Missing their best finisher in Foerster, who’s shooting at a 24.4% clip and also ranks fifth on the team in shots per game, threatens to sink those numbers even further.

Since arriving in the NHL in 2023, Foerster has quietly emerged as one of the league’s better young two-way wingers. The 2020 first-round pick is a career 15.9% shooter – right in range with names like Auston Matthews, Zach Hyman, and Elias Pettersson over the same span. He’s also averaged over 17 minutes per game, factors in on the Flyers’ second penalty kill unit, and consistently boasts above-average possession impacts. He’s been on a different level defensively this year, only on the ice for 0.88 goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5.

Fresh off signing a two-year, $7.5MM extension that looked to be one of the best value bets in the league this season, he’s now ticketed for an extended absence. As for who will be the beneficiary of his top-nine minutes, rookie Nikita Grebenkin is a solid bet to get the first crack. He’s already seen some elevation from his usual fourth-line duties, skating a handful of games alongside Noah Cates and Travis Konecny. The offensive production hasn’t quite arrived for the 22-year-old Russian, who’s notched one goal and three points through 16 games, but boasts solid possession numbers in his limited minutes and is worth a look higher up in the lineup.

With Foerster unavailable, the Flyers no longer have a healthy extra forward on their roster. With five games left on a six-game homestand, there likely isn’t much motivation to make a recall unless another injury occurs.

Stars’ Lian Bichsel Out Six Weeks

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Stars defenseman Lian Bichsel needs surgery to address the lower-body injury he sustained Sunday against the Senators and will miss around six weeks of action, head coach Glen Gulutzan told reporters today (including Peter Baugh of The Athletic). Dallas hasn’t made a roster move, but with no healthy extra defensemen available anymore on their road trip, it wouldn’t be surprising to see an injured reserve placement for either Bichsel or Thomas Harley, who’s out week-to-week with a lower-body issue, to open up a roster spot.

Bichsel left the 6-1 drubbing of the Sens midway through the second period and didn’t return. He was on the receiving end of what seemed like an innocuous hit by Ottawa winger Fabian Zetterlund in the neutral zone, but he lost an edge, and his left leg buckled awkwardly against the boards. He didn’t put any weight on his leg and needed assistance getting off the ice.

That’s now three regular defenders the Stars are without. In addition to Bichsel and Harley, Nils Lundkvist remains on long-term injured reserve after sustaining a lower-body injury in the fourth game of the season. Harley’s absence meant an elevation in minutes for his fellow lefty in Bichsel, who’s played almost exclusively on a pairing with Alexander Petrovic this year, with middling results.

The 2022 first-round pick has three points and a +6 rating in 26 appearances, but his under-the-hood numbers aren’t as promising. Dallas has controlled just 40.5% of shot attempts when Bichsel is on the ice at 5-on-5, the third-worst figure on the team behind Adam Erne and Ilya Lyubushkin. A heavy bit of defensive zone workload doesn’t help his case, but considering Petrovic has posted better numbers in isolation in every meaningful category, it’s clear the 21-year-old still has plenty of development to do defensively before he’s ready to challenge for top-four minutes.

Still, their left-side depth looks quite weak until Harley’s able to get back into the fold. Lefty Miro Heiskanen has played his offside all year long on the top pairing with Esa Lindell. Behind Lindell, it’s now mid-season call-ups Kyle Capobianco and Vladislav Kolyachonok holding down the fort on the second and third pairings. Those two have done as well as can be expected and actually lead the team in even-strength shot-attempt share at 51.8% and 53.8%, respectively.

The Stars haven’t played great possession hockey this season – as to be expected, given injuries have also robbed key forwards Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene of significant time – and have ridden an unsustainably high 13.5% team shooting rate. That’s propped their record all the way up to 17-5-4, even riding a four-game win streak to sit comfortably in second place in the Central Division behind the league-leading Avalanche. Regression is bound to bring their points percentage down at some point, but the longer they can ride the wave with their defensive depth stretched as thin as it is, the healthier margin they’ll build for the back half of the schedule.

Mammoth Recall Daniil But, Reassign Dmitri Simashev

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The Mammoth are swapping a pair of their top prospects. The team announced they’ve recalled winger Daniil But from AHL Tucson while sending down defenseman Dmitriy Simashev in a corresponding move. Center Kevin Rooney was also placed on waivers and will be assigned to Tucson if he clears.

But and Simashev were both top-15 picks in the 2023 draft, the last premier prospects drafted under the Coyotes moniker before the franchise’s hockey operations were sold and reestablished in Utah. Simashev went sixth overall, while But went 12th. The two spent their entire careers in Lokomotiv Yaroslavl’s system in their native Russia, winning a Gagarin Cup championship together last year before signing their entry-level contracts and heading to the Mammoth for 2025-26.

While Simashev managed to wrestle a roster spot on the blue line, But was left on the outside as one of the Mammoth’s final roster cuts. He took the demotion in stride. After netting back-to-back 20-point seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League with Lokomotiv, he’s rattled off eight goals and 17 points in 19 games with Tucson to lead the club in scoring.

After a hot start to the season, Utah’s offense has cooled off. They’re now 19th in the league with 2.96 goals per game. Some of that can be attributed to a power play that’s languishing at a league-worst 13.2%, but their 10.3% finishing rate is also below average by a few ticks. Chance generation hasn’t been much of an issue – they’re 12th in shots per game and have the fifth-most scoring chances in the league at 5-on-5 – but the offensive output outside of their top five forwards leaves a little to be desired. Alexander Kerfoot’s persisting absence has been a contributing factor there, as well as underwhelming performances from middle-six centers Barrett Hayton and Jack McBain, who have five points each in 24 and 27 appearances, respectively.

But isn’t a guaranteed fix, but the 20-year-old’s smooth adjustment to North America shows he’s worth a shot. Most will see him listed at 6’5″ and 203 lbs and assume a high-ceiling power forward – he is not. Physical elements aren’t entirely absent from But’s game, but he’s a skill guy first and foremost. In their draft-year scouting report of But, Elite Prospects highlighted “his ability to chain difficult pass receptions into handling moves and handling moves into passes or shots” and praised his release as well. He’s another name in a star-studded Mammoth forward pool that’s now also gained Tij Iginla at sixth overall in 2024 and Caleb Desnoyers at fourth overall this year. Those two are viewed as slightly higher-ceiling talents, pushing But down to the No. 4-ranked prospect in Utah’s pool last offseason by Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff and by NHL.com.

As for Simashev, the writing was on the wall regarding his demotion. He’s run into a recent string of healthy scratches following Sean Durzi’s return from injured reserve, sitting in the press box three times in Utah’s last eight games. His first NHL sample didn’t change his status as the Mammoth’s No. 3 prospect behind Iginla and Desnoyers and as their top young defenseman. Also of hulking stature at 6’4″ and nearly 200 lbs, he’s a shutdown man who’s never put up flashy point totals – he scored just once in 29 junior games in his draft year – but does have some good first-pass ability.

His initial audition, though, shows that some minor-league time wouldn’t be the worst thing. Rarely does a defender with his skillset make a smooth adjustment to the NHL at age 20. In 24 appearances, he notched one assist and a -9 rating while averaging 15:28 of ice time per game. He got some top-pairing deployment with countryman Mikhail Sergachev, but also saw significant time lower on the depth chart with Ian Cole. The lefty was outscored 15-7 at 5-on-5 and controlled 47.5% of shot attempts, 7.1% worse than how Utah fared without him on the ice. With Durzi back in the fold and veteran Nick DeSimone posting better possession impacts in a limited sample, it was hard to justify keeping Simashev in a regular role – at least for now.

Rooney’s waiver placement signals the end of his third stint on Utah’s roster this season without receiving much playing time. He finally made his Mammoth debut last week on Friday against the Stars, notching a goal in 9:44 of ice time. The 32-year-old has served as a No. 14/15 forward for much of the year after signing a two-way deal at the end of training camp. It’s his second time on waivers after he cleared them following his signing. Across a few brief loans to Tucson, the 6’2″ pivot has five goals and an assist in eight appearances.

Image courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.

Avalanche’s Valeri Nichushkin Returning To Lineup

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The Avalanche will have winger Valeri Nichushkin back in the lineup for tonight’s game against the Canucks, Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now reports. He was never placed on injured reserve, so no corresponding move is required.

While Nichushkin remains a core piece of Colorado’s top six forward group, the first-place Avs haven’t looked worse for wear without him. Since Nichushkin went down with a lower-body injury on Nov. 11, the Avs have gone 7-0-1 and still have a four-point gap on first place with an 18-1-6 record overall. Their first and only regulation loss came more than a month ago against the Bruins on Oct. 25.

Nichushkin was ruled week-to-week as a result of his injury, but it was clear in the past couple of days that his return was imminent. He’s no stranger to lengthy absences, notwithstanding his stints in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in the last few years. Ankle issues took out a good portion of his 2022-23 campaign, and he missed 21 games with a lower-body issue last year.

Still, the 10th overall pick back in 2013 has been an elite two-way presence since his big breakout with the Avs in 2021-22. In the five years since, he’s recorded a 96-102–198 scoring line in 226 games while averaging nearly 20 minutes per game. Among players with at least 100 appearances during that time, Nichushkin’s 0.86 points per game rank 58th and his +54 rating ranks 27th. His production has dipped since last season’s return from another stint in the program, though. He’s put up a more conservative 5-7–12 scoring line in 17 games this year and has churned out 0.77 points per game since the beginning of 2024-25.

Captain Gabriel Landeskog’s return from a multi-year absence has eaten into Nichushkin’s ice time this season, bringing it down to around the 18-minute mark. His reduced output should likely remain the expectation going forward, but that’s still spectacular value for his $6.125MM cap hit as he trods along through the fourth season of his eight-year deal. His line with Landeskog and Brock Nelson has been dominant at controlling play – as has virtually every line combo Colorado’s rolled out this year – controlling 60.7% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck.

Blues Place Nathan Walker On IR, Out Eight Weeks

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The Blues announced that winger Nathan Walker has been placed on injured reserve after he sustained an upper-body injury in Monday’s 4-1 loss to the Ducks. He’ll miss at least eight weeks. They didn’t immediately announce a corresponding recall since they’re off until Thursday, so one likely won’t come until later in the week.

Walker’s appearance yesterday came following his second healthy scratch of the season for Saturday’s home game against the Mammoth. The injury wasn’t obvious, which makes such a lengthy return timeline a surprising announcement. In fact, it was a fairly normal outing for the diminutive high-energy forward, who posted a -1 rating in 12:21 of ice time and recorded a team-high five hits. That’s in line with the 12:38 of ice time and 3.80 hits he’s averaged per game this season.

Perhaps the Blues are being cautious with a well-liked veteran amid a season where getting reps for younger players is increasingly becoming a priority. With a 9-11-7 record, their .463 points percentage is fourth-worst in the Western Conference, and their -26 goal differential is 31st in the NHL. MoneyPuck gives them an 8.2% chance of making the playoffs, also the second-worst figure in the league.

It’s still tough news for the 31-year-old Walker, who signed a two-year, $1.775MM extension in September. After rattling off three goals in seven playoff games last year, the Australian-born depth forward was off to one of the best starts of his career with a 3-6–9 scoring line in 25 games. That’s good for 0.36 points per game, a mark he’s only eclipsed once before when making double-digit appearances in a season.

Not only do Walker’s 95 hits lead the Blues by a significant margin, but he’s factored in as a depth penalty-killer as well. His possession metrics universally rank down the middle among team ranks. With Walker on the ice at 5-on-5 this season, St. Louis has been outscored 17-14 and outshot 117-109, but has won the high-danger chance battle 58-46. That 55.8% share of high-danger chances ranks third among qualified Blues skaters behind Jordan Kyrou (66.7%) and Pius Suter (56.6%).

Walker had spent most of his time as St. Louis’ fourth line left wing at even strength alongside Oskar Sundqvist and Alexey Toropchenko. With the latter unavailable indefinitely after sustaining burns on his legs in an at-home accident, Jimmy Snuggerud out multiple weeks following wrist surgery, and Suter out day-to-day, the Blues are now without four regular forwards for the time being. They only have 11 healthy ones on the active roster, so unless Suter is ready to play Thursday against the Bruins, a recall from AHL Springfield is virtually guaranteed.

In the meantime, Walker’s long-term absence could mean extended playing time for 21-year-old Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, who was scratched for yesterday’s game after being recalled earlier in the day but is now ticketed to make his NHL debut in Boston.

Kings Sign Samuel Helenius To Two-Year Extension

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The Kings announced that they’ve signed center Samuel Helenius to a two-year contract extension. The deal is worth $1.75MM for a cap hit of $875K, carrying him through the 2027-28 season. That will be paid out via a $850K base salary in the first year and a $900K base salary in the second, per PuckPedia. He was due to become a restricted free agent next summer. His agent, Gold Star Hockey’s Dan Milstein, was the first to report the signing.

Helenius, 23, was a second-round pick by the Kings in 2021. The son of former Stars enforcer Sami Helenius checks in at 6’6″ and 201 lbs and was drafted with the hopes of panning out as a long-term bottom-six piece as a checking center. So far, he’s close to delivering on that ceiling. After playing out the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons with AHL Ontario, Helenius earned his first NHL recall in November last season and spent a good chunk of the season in the Kings’ lineup as their fourth-line center. In 50 appearances, he notched four goals and three assists for seven points with a +1 rating. His deployment was limited to even strength only, keeping his ice time down at 8:39 per game. He won 46.8% of his faceoffs and recorded 150 hits, second on the team.

His game was as conducive to low-event hockey as advertised. No L.A. skater was on the ice for fewer goals against per 60 minutes at even strength than Helenius at 1.4. Of course, his 1.5 on-ice goals for per 60 was also the second-lowest on the team among skaters with at least 25 games played. No Kings forward averaged fewer shot attempts per game than Helenius’ 1.28, either.

This season, Helenius cracked the opening night roster but has barely played. He’s been surpassed on the depth chart by winger Jeff Malott and now serves as the 14th forward. Considering the Kings’ forward group has avoided injury pile-ups this season, that’s meant only three showings for Helenius in 25 games. He recently went over a month between appearances and skated just 3:25 of ice time in his last outing against the Senators on Nov. 24. In those three games, Helenius has a -1 rating while going 3-for-13 on faceoffs with 10 hits.

With Helenius carrying the profile of a high-floor, low-ceiling prospect, the lack of playing time isn’t doing much harm for his development. He’s already close to his peak anyway as an everyday fourth-line piece with fringe third-line upside. While he may not be a regular in the Kings’ lineup this season, the organization obviously sees his role increasing enough over the next two seasons to warrant an extension. The new deal means he’ll be owed a one-way qualifying offer of $945,000 in the 2028 offseason if the Kings want to retain his signing rights.

Leafs’ Brandon Carlo Likely To Undergo Surgery, Out Indefinitely

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The Maple Leafs will be without defenseman Brandon Carlo for a good chunk of the season. After telling reporters yesterday that Carlo had a setback in his recovery from a lower-body injury and was meeting a specialist, head coach Craig Berube said today that the righty will need surgery and will be out “an extended period of time” (via David Alter of The Hockey News).

Carlo has already missed seven games due to the injury he sustained against the Kings on Nov. 13. It’s still unclear what play caused it; he didn’t appear to miss a shift. It wouldn’t be shocking if Carlo had been playing through something and aggravated it. The 6’5″ shutdown rearguard has been noticeably less involved in the play than normal this season, averaging a career-low 0.67 hits per game. That’s a 56% decrease from his career average of 1.51.

Physicality and defensive smarts are where Carlo makes his money, and they’re why the Maple Leafs parted ways with a steep package – including Fraser Minten and this year’s first-round pick – to acquire him from the Bruins at last season’s trade deadline. Carlo’s contract situation was a significant factor as to why Toronto paid a premium. Not only was he not a rental – he remains under contract through 2026-27 – but Boston retained 15% of his cap hit to bring it down to $3.485MM for the Leafs. That’s a great price tag for someone Toronto imagined would be consistently deployed as a top-four defender as an anchor for Morgan Rielly.

Unfortunately, the Reilly-Carlo experiment has largely fallen flat. The duo was outscored 10-9 in last year’s postseason. This year, they’re allowing 3.11 expected goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, the most of any Toronto defensive pair. Carlo’s -4.2% relative Corsi share is the third-worst figure of his career. And while he’s not known or relied upon for offense, his two assists through 18 games are also a slightly lower pace than what he usually posts.

With another year left on his contract at an already-reduced cap hit, the struggling Maple Leafs might have looked to flip Carlo as they look to retool their depth on the fly, particularly in the name of improving their defensive structure. Only the Sharks have allowed more shots per game this season than Toronto’s 31.4. With fellow top-four righty Chris Tanev also on the shelf as he rehabs a suspected concussion, keeping him out indefinitely, their depth has been tested.

If the Leafs’ focus is still on getting significantly ahead of the .500 mark for the first time this season and putting themselves back in the playoff conversation, finding a higher-profile stopgap on the right side than recent waiver claim Troy Stecher needs to be a priority – especially if Carlo’s return timeline is now months, not weeks.

Blackhawks Activate, Reassign Laurent Brossoit

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Laurent Brossoit is finally getting back into game action. The Blackhawks announced they’ve activated the veteran netminder from the injured non-roster list and assigned him to AHL Rockford for a conditioning stint, bypassing waivers for the time being. Brossoit can play in Rockford for up to two weeks until Chicago must keep him on their active roster or place him on waivers for a permanent AHL assignment. Since the Hawks have an open roster spot, they don’t need to make a corresponding transaction.

Rockford’s next game is on Friday. If he plays, that would mark 583 days since his last appearance, when he entered in relief of Connor Hellebuyck for the Jets in Game 4 of their first-round loss to the Avalanche on April 28, 2024. Brossoit, an unrestricted free agent the following summer, signed a two-year, $6.6MM contract with the Blackhawks but needed surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee in August.

That kicked off a slate of three surgeries that have conspired to keep the 32-year-old out of action ever since signing the largest deal of his career. Brossoit was initially expected to only miss the first few weeks of the 2024-25 campaign, but was downgraded to out indefinitely in November and underwent a second cleanup procedure on his knee a few weeks later. That was expected to get him back in action in mid-January, but his recovery again didn’t go as planned, and he was shut down for the season in March. At the beginning of this year’s training camp, general manager Kyle Davidson said Brossoit had another offseason surgery – this time on his hip – and would remain out indefinitely.

That had some wondering, rightfully so, if 2025-26 would be another entirely lost season for Brossoit, potentially even marking the end of his career. That talk was quieted a couple of weeks ago when Brossoit was spotted on the ice at Blackhawks practice for the first time. With several skates under his belt and no further setbacks, he’ll get his feet wet in Rockford.

The Blackhawks will undoubtedly take advantage of the full two weeks afforded to them to keep Brossoit on his conditioning stint. With Spencer Knight and Arvid Söderblom now firmly entrenched as the team’s NHL goaltending duo, it’s clear they don’t plan on keeping him on the active roster once it’s over. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported over the weekend that the Hawks have given Brossoit permission to seek a trade. If they can’t land a deal by Dec. 16, he’ll likely end up on waivers and will stay in Rockford if he clears.

There should be legitimate intrigue in Brossoit, particularly if the Blackhawks retain a portion of his $3.3MM cap hit. The career backup had put up spectacular numbers in two straight seasons, albeit in small samples, before reaching the open market. The hope was that Brossoit could establish himself in Chicago as a legitimate tandem option who could sniff 30-35 starts. That obviously didn’t go to plan, but he still logged a 22-5-5 record, .927 SV%, 2.05 GAA, and three shutouts in 34 appearances for the Golden Knights and Jets across the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns, good for 19.0 goals saved above expected (per MoneyPuck).

If Brossoit doesn’t get traded or claimed on waivers and ends up remaining a Blackhawk, Chicago will be able to knock $1.15MM off his cap hit by burying him in the minors. That will reduce his impact to $2.15MM for the rest of the season until he comes off their books next summer. For a Blackhawks team that’s already accumulated over $20.6MM in cap space this season, though, that’s not much of a concern.

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