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Rangers Recall Scott Morrow

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The Rangers announced they’ve recalled defenseman Scott Morrow from AHL Hartford. Fellow rearguard Connor Mackey was sent back to Hartford in the corresponding move.

Mackey was recalled just yesterday to serve as a healthy extra after Juuso Pärssinen was sent down following his waiver clearance. The Rangers likely wanted to recall Morrow instead. However, starting this season, players must play at least one game on an AHL assignment before they’re eligible for another recall. Morrow hadn’t played since being sent down to the Wolf Pack on Monday, so they were unable to add him back to the roster. He suited up for Hartford last night, though, so he can come up today.

The Blueshirts have been in need of an extra defenseman since William Borgen left their game against the Golden Knights on Nov. 18 with an upper-body injury. He’s been out for four games and is now on injured reserve. He was a game-time decision yesterday against the Hurricanes, but adding Morrow back to the roster today suggests they don’t expect Borgen to be available for tomorrow’s matinee against the Bruins.

Morrow, 23, hasn’t had a great start to his tenure in the Rangers organization. A 2021 second-round pick, he was acquired from Carolina in last season’s K’Andre Miller deal and immediately slotted in as their most dynamic defense prospect. He ranked No. 2 overall in the system in NHL.com’s preseason rankings. After failing to make the opening night roster, though, he’s been limited to just three points in 12 games with Hartford and has a -6 rating, third-worst on the team.

The Connecticut native has made three appearances for the Rangers this season, in spot duty as injuries necessitated. He’s still looking for his first point as a Blueshirt and has a -2 rating while averaging 13:11 of ice time per game. He’s managed eight shot attempts and three blocks, but doesn’t have a hit. The Rangers have been out-attempted 50-36 in Morrow’s 5-on-5 minutes for a CF% of 41.9.

Wild Recall Nicolas Aubé-Kubel

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The Wild announced they’ve recalled winger Nicolas Aubé-Kubel from AHL Iowa. They’d been living with an open roster spot since placing Vinnie Hinostroza on injured reserve on Monday, so there’s no need for a corresponding move.

Aubé-Kubel, 29, is back in the big leagues after failing to make the opening night roster for the second time in the last three years. The right-shot agitator had been a relatively stable fourth-line piece for several seasons but saw significant time in the minors last season, limited to 22 appearances between the Sabres and Rangers. He’d appeared in 60 games for the Capitals the year prior. His only season with 70-plus games came with the Flyers and Avalanche in 2021-22, when he recorded a career-best 11-12–23 scoring line and suited up in 14 playoff games en route to Colorado’s Stanley Cup win.

A former second-round pick by Philadelphia, Aubé-Kubel made Minnesota his fourth organization in as many years when he signed a two-way deal during the first week of free agency. Initial projections labeled him as a bang-and-crash top-nine winger with enough offensive upside for third-line duties. While he’s satisfied the former part of that description, he’s rarely demonstrated enough offensive utility to push above a fourth-line job. In 304 career appearances, he owns a 32-48–80 scoring line while averaging 54 PIMs and 181 hits per 82 games. He’s had more offensive success in the minors but never really dominated offensively there, either, posting 58 goals and 125 points in 272 career AHL appearances.

This year is no exception. After clearing waivers during the preseason, Aubé-Kubel is off to a conservative start with two goals and eight points in 17 games for Iowa. However, that’s still second in points on a Wild affiliate club that’s destined for a third straight season in the AHL’s basement.

The Wild are hoping his more extensive NHL experience can bring a more dynamic element to a fourth line that hasn’t produced – literally. None of Liam Ohgren, Ben Jones, or Tyler Pitlick has a point in 36 combined appearances. Minnesota has been outshot 15-7 and outchanced 14-2 with that trio on the ice at 5-on-5. A natural right winger, Aubé-Kubel could presumably enter the lineup for Pitlick tomorrow against the Avalanche. Both could be in the mix if Marcus Foligno, who left yesterday’s overtime win over the Blackhawks in the second period with an undisclosed injury and didn’t return, isn’t able to go.

Maple Leafs Place Sammy Blais On Waivers

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The Maple Leafs announced that winger Sammy Blais has been placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Toronto. Since the move is in conjunction with injured reserve activations for Auston Matthews and Nicolas Roy, the Leafs can place him on the non-roster list during his 24-hour waiver period to stay at the 23-play limit. Jacob Quillan was also reassigned to the Marlies as previously reported.

Blais, 29, was claimed off waivers from the Canadiens at the beginning of the season. He’s since scored a goal and two assists for the Maple Leafs in eight appearances. He averaged just 8:17 of ice time per game. Despite his 41.3 CF% at 5-on-5 being the second-worst on the team, he graded out much better in other possession metrics (57.1 SF%, 56.7 xGF%, 58.8 HDCF%).

That’s a small sample but a nonetheless promising one for Blais, who didn’t appear in the NHL at all last season. He’s averaged nine goals and 23 points per 82 games in his eight-year NHL career. He’s shown the offensive utility to be a high-end bottom-six piece in a pair of previous stints with the Blues, including a 20-point run in 31 games after they reacquired him from the Rangers during the 2022-23 season. He only produced one goal and seven points in 53 games the following year before becoming an unrestricted free agent. He had to settle for a minor-league pact with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks.

While Blais may not have gotten the NHL job or paycheck he wanted, it was a banner year for the 6’2″ winger in the Vancouver organization. He rattled off 14 goals and 40 points in 51 games for Abbotsford before adding 19 points in 23 playoff games en route to a Calder Cup championship. That was enough of a resurgence for Montreal to offer the Quebec native a league-minimum contract over the offseason, but the Leafs took advantage of his availability on waivers to reunite him with head coach Craig Berube, who oversaw his entrance into the league in St. Louis.

They’ll hope to retain him as minor-league depth, but his cheap cap hit, status as a pending UFA, and 265 games of NHL experience make him an attractive claim candidate for a team needing some interim help on the wings in their bottom six. It’s notable that Toronto opted to expose Blais to waivers rather than demoting the waiver-exempt Easton Cowan, signaling they’ve awarded their top prospect a full-time NHL job – at least for now. The Leafs will still have a fair amount of roster juggling to do in the coming weeks with Brandon Carlo, Anthony Stolarz, and Chris Tanev still on IR.

Since Montreal lost him on waivers earlier this season, if they submit a claim for him and are the only team to do so, they’ll be able to send him directly to the minors without waiving him again.

Rangers’ Juuso Pärssinen Clears Waivers

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Nov. 26: There were no takers for Pärssinen on waivers, per Friedman. The Rangers now have 30 days or 10 appearances from Pärssinen, whichever comes first, to assign him to Hartford before needing to waive him again to do so.

Nov. 25: The Rangers have placed forward Juuso Pärssinen on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. It’s unclear if he’ll be assigned to AHL Hartford if he clears. Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic implied today’s waiver placement is a substitute for a lack of suitable trade options, so it’s more about hopefully finding Pärssinen a change of scenery via a claim than a demotion to the minors.

Pärssinen has fallen out of a regular role for the Blueshirts, serving as a healthy scratch in six of the last eight games. He’d suited up in 11 straight before that, so that’s a notable reduction in usage. When dressed, the 24-year-old pivot has managed two goals and an assist in 14 appearances but has averaged just 8:56 of ice time per game.

The Rangers added Pärssinen via trade last season, picking him up from the Avalanche in the Ryan Lindgren deal in March. He played a modest role down the stretch, but after inking a two-year, $2.5MM extension in May, it looked like the 6’3″ Finn would get a crack at serving as New York’s third-line center from opening night onward. Instead, he wasn’t even in the lineup. A strong training camp from rookie Noah Laba bumped him from the slot, and instead, he’s been used as more of a 13th forward.

That’s not the role Pärssinen hoped for at this stage of his career. A seventh-round pick by the Predators in 2019, he burst onto the scene with six goals and 25 points in 45 games for Nashville in 2022-23 – a 46-point pace over 82 games. Since then, however, he’s produced at about half that rate and is now potentially on his way to his fourth team in as many seasons.

While most teams wouldn’t have many qualms about picking up someone with Pärssinen’s offensive ceiling at a $1.25MM cap hit, the fact that he’s signed through next season – and he’s paid more in salary ($1.3MM) than what he’ll count against the books in 2026-27 – likely limits his interest and was why they couldn’t find any takers on the trade market.

Ducks Recall Ville Husso

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The Ducks announced that they have recalled goaltender Ville Husso from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. They need to open a roster spot to complete the move. Since forwards Mikael Granlund and Ryan Poehling haven’t played in more than a week due to injuries, it stands to reason one of them will land on injured reserve to facilitate the recall. Husso’s recall was made because Lukáš Dostál will miss tonight’s game against the Canucks with an upper-body injury, but since the team only listed him as day-to-day, an IR placement, at least immediately, seems unlikely.

Husso, 30, was picked up by the Ducks from the Red Wings last year in exchange for future considerations as he finished out the final season of a three-year, $14.25MM contract in the minors. Anaheim then re-upped him on a two-year, $4.4MM extension a few days before free agency opened, a move that stands as one of the more puzzling contracts of the offseason, as he clearly profiled as the Ducks’ No. 3 goalie behind Dostál and Petr Mrázek.

So far, that’s held true. Husso cleared waivers at the beginning of the season and reported to San Diego. His $2.2MM cap hit means the Ducks are still on the hook for $1.05MM against the cap when he’s buried in the minors. For a team operating closer to the cap floor than the ceiling, that’s not much of a concern, but they’ll now be responsible for his full cap hit with him back on the active roster.

While the Finn never recaptured the heights of his breakout season with the Blues in 2021-22, he’s transitioned into being a serviceable third-stringer and has given the Ducks some good hockey since his arrival. He made four NHL appearances for them down the stretch last year, posting a 1-1-1 record with a strong .925 SV% and 2.99 GAA. Husso has also delivered as the starter this season for a San Diego squad still finding its way defensively, posting a .908 SV% and a 6-4-3 record in 13 appearances with three shutouts, tied for the league lead in that regard. Including his nine-game sample for the Gulls last year after the trade, he has five shutouts in 22 games for San Diego.

Husso may be a pricey option for a third-stringer, but he’s arguably the most established one in the league and offers a no-fuss option who’s unlikely to be lost on waivers due to his high cap hit. The 2014 fourth-round pick is now up to 145 career NHL appearances with a 71-46-19 record, seven shutouts, 3.05 GAA, and .901 SV%.

As for Dostál, the Ducks hope their budding 25-year-old star doesn’t miss more than one or two scheduled starts. While the Ducks’ two-way game has improved significantly under head coach Joel Quenneville after years of possession struggles, they’re still in the bottom half of the league in virtually every available defensive metric at 5-on-5. Dostál’s 10.1 goals saved above expected in 17 games (per MoneyPuck) have helped cover up a good portion of those warts, compiling an 11-5-1 record, .904 SV%, and 2.81 GAA in the process. Fresh off signing a five-year, $32.5MM extension, he’ll be in line for the first Vezina votes of his career if he keeps that pace up over a full season.

Maple Leafs To Activate Auston Matthews, Nicolas Roy From IR

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Maple Leafs forwards Auston Matthews and Nicolas Roy will be activated from injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Blue Jackets, per Mark Masters of TSN. Toronto needs to open up a pair of roster spots before it does so. One of them has been opened by reassigning center Jacob Quillan to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, David Alter of The Hockey News reports. Also returning to the lineup is top-line winger Matthew Knies, who’d missed the last three games with a lower-body issue but never landed on IR.

Matthews returns after a two-week absence. The Leafs captain sustained a lower-body injury when Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov leveled him on Nov. 11. He sat out the last five games, during which time the reeling Leafs went 1-2-2. Their lone win in that period, a 3-2 overtime victory over the Blues on Nov. 18, is their only victory in the last three weeks.

Without Matthews, the Leafs, who have relied heavily on their offense to outscore their defensive shortcomings this season, only managed 2.4 goals per game. While the two-time 60-goal scorer hasn’t performed to that level of dominance this season, his return remains a legitimate needle-mover as Toronto looks to string together some solid two-way efforts with five games left on its road trip. Through 17 appearances, Matthews was finishing at a 13.8% clip – the third-lowest of his 10-year career – for nine goals and five assists.

The most concerning aspect of Matthews’ performance pre-injury was his possession play. Over the past several seasons, he’d emerged as a Selke-level defensive threat in addition to his elite scoring ability, finishing as a finalist for the award in 2024. The Leafs are still outscoring opponents 16-8 at 5-on-5 with Matthews on the ice this year, but the under-the-hood numbers have taken a significant step back. Matthews had controlled 52% of shot attempts or better for seven consecutive seasons, but has just a 46.9 CF% in 2025-26.

Joining Matthews in the lineup down the middle will be Roy, who sustained an upper-body injury against the Blackhawks on Nov. 15 and had missed the last three games. Aside from his work in the faceoff dot (52.3% win rate), there hasn’t been much to like from the 28-year-old, whom the Leafs acquired from the Golden Knights in last summer’s Mitch Marner sign-and-trade. He’s been limited to just one goal and four points in 19 appearances, and his deployment as a defensive specialist at even strength has greatly limited his two-way effectiveness. He’s averaging fewer than two shot attempts per game for the first time since 2021, and the Leafs have been outscored 13-8 with him on the ice at 5-on-5.

Quillan had gotten the call-up in Roy’s absence but, as one of two waiver-exempt skaters on the Leafs’ roster, was the logical choice to be the first one sent down when Toronto needed a roster spot – especially considering he was a healthy scratch for Saturday’s loss in Montreal. The 23-year-old second-year pro earned the look after a scorching start to his season with the Marlies, rattling off two goals and 12 assists in 14 appearances for a point per game.

In two appearances, he was deployed as the Leafs’ fourth-line center between Dakota Joshua and Matias Maccelli. He didn’t record a point but did manage a +1 rating while averaging 8:39 of ice time per game. The undrafted free agent out of Quinnipiac laid six hits as well.

Avalanche Recall Ivan Ivan

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The Avalanche announced that they’ve recalled center Ivan Ivan from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. The team has two open roster spots, so they’ll be able to add him and activate Joel Kiviranta from injured reserve before tonight’s game against the Sharks without making a corresponding transaction.

Ivan, 23, went undrafted after wrapping up his junior career with the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Eagles and originally landed with Colorado on a minor-league deal in 2023. Amid a rookie season in which the Czech forward posted 12 goals and 31 points in 67 games for the Eagles, the Avalanche gave him an entry-level contract that made him eligible for a recall beginning with the 2024-25 campaign.

With the Avs’ injury struggles to begin last season, Ivan didn’t just get a recall – he spent nearly half the season up on the NHL roster before being sent back to the minors in late January, where he remained for the rest of the year. The 6’0″ pivot did well enough as a fourth-line piece as he was forced into action sooner in his development than anyone expected. In 40 appearances, he managed five goals and three assists for eight points while averaging 10:02 of ice time per game. A skilled shooter, he finished at a 14.7% clip and averaged 1.63 shot attempts per game. The Avs were outscored 14-12 in Ivan’s minutes at 5-on-5, but he managed to control 51.7% of shot attempts.

In the minors, though, Ivan hasn’t managed to recapture the offensive success he had during his rookie season. He had just two goals in 36 games for the Eagles last year and only has another pair through 18 appearances in 2025-26. After scoring 0.46 points per game as a rookie, Ivan’s 4-14–18 scoring line in 54 AHL games since is only good for 0.33 points per game.

Ivan should be ticketed to make his season debut tonight, though. His recall plus Kiviranta’s reinstatement give the Avs 12 healthy forwards for the San Jose game after reassigning Tristen Nielsen and Jason Polin to the Eagles earlier in the week. They’re expected to serve as Zakhar Bardakov’s wingmen on Colorado’s fourth line.

Islanders Recall Travis Mitchell

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The Islanders announced Wednesday that they’ve recalled defenseman Travis Mitchell from AHL Bridgeport. Barring a surprise, he’ll serve as a healthy extra for tonight’s tilt against the Bruins. They had an open roster spot and thus don’t need to make a corresponding move.

This is the second time Mitchell has been summoned this month. He was added to the roster for two days from Nov. 13-15 while Scott Mayfield took a brief paternity leave. Mitchell was recalled in a similar manner last season, but despite this being his third stint on the Isles’ roster, he’s yet to make his NHL debut.

Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Cornell in 2023, the 6’4″ lefty has never profiled as anything more than minor-league depth. That’s unlikely to change anytime soon. Now in his third full season in the organization, he has five goals and 16 assists for 21 points in 119 career games for Bridgeport with 181 penalty minutes and a -33 rating. He was more of a puck-mover in juniors and in college, but has settled in more as a physical stay-at-home piece in the pros.

That makes him an ideal candidate to roster as a seventh defenseman when the Islanders don’t anticipate using their healthy extra for a lengthy stretch. While he’ll need waivers to return to Bridgeport if he stays up for longer than 30 nonconsecutive days, that’s not much of a concern, as he’s not likely to drum up much consideration for a claim.

The 26-year-old could be in for a more extended stint in the Isles’ press box this time around. With Alexander Romanov’s right shoulder surgery likely costing him the remainder of the regular season, New York will lean further into its organizational depth on the blue line. They’re not keen on recalling more promising blueliners like Isaiah George or Marshall Warren unless it means getting them into the NHL lineup. Unless their defense corps suffers another injury or they’re looking to scratch someone from their current group, Mitchell could stick around as the No. 7 for the foreseeable future.

Louis Domingue Signs With AHL’s Charlotte Checkers

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The AHL’s Charlotte Checkers announced that they’ve signed goaltender Louis Domingue for the remainder of the 2025-26 season. He signed in Russia with Sibir Novosibirsk over the offseason but was released from that deal at the beginning of the month.

Domingue, 33, didn’t fare well in his first tenure overseas. He made 11 appearances but only mustered a 3.83 GAA and .892 SV%, going 0-9-2 with one shutout behind one of the Kontinental Hockey League’s worst teams. He was released at his request for “family reasons,” but considering Novosibirsk’s new starter, Anton Krasotkin, has put up a .910 SV% in 21 outings, they were likely happy to let him walk.

The former Coyotes and Lightning backup has 144 games behind him at the top level, but hasn’t been an NHL regular for several years now. His last time making double-digit appearances in a single season was 2019-20 and he hasn’t been a full-time No. 2 option since the year prior with the Lightning. He’s bounced around multiple organizations in the last several years as a third or fourth-string option. He’d spent the last three years in the Rangers’ system, making a single spot start for them at the NHL level in 2023-24 and 2024-25.

While Domingue’s recent NHL track record in limited showings is strong – a .949 SV% in his last four starts dating back to 2021-22 – he took a tumble in the minors last season. In 28 showings for the Rangers’ AHL affiliate in Hartford, Domingue was limited to a .896 SV%, 3.32 GAA, and a 7-20-1 record. The Rangers understandably weren’t interested in bringing him back as a depth option after that performance, and he evidently didn’t net any two-way offers to stay in the NHL.

He’ll now catch on with the Panthers’ affiliate to extend a professional career that began with the ECHL’s Gwinnett Gladiators back in 2012 while in the Coyotes’ system. Charlotte hasn’t gotten great play out of their starter, Florida third-stringer Cooper Black, who’s only managed a .899 SV% and 2.77 GAA in 11 appearances. Domingue’s recent track record doesn’t suggest he’ll be much of an upgrade, but he’s a solid depth option to aid a rather inexperienced minor-league crease.

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