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Kraken’s Jaden Schwartz Out Six Weeks

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The Kraken announced that winger Jaden Schwartz will miss approximately six weeks with the lower-body injury that caused him to leave Wednesday’s game against the Stars. They haven’t yet made a corresponding recall, but they could do so before tomorrow’s game against the Oilers. That would require placing Schwartz on injured reserve to open up a roster spot.

Now in the final season of the five-year, $27.5MM contract he signed with the Kraken before their inaugural season, this is the latest in a string of long-term injuries Schwartz has sustained in his tenure with Seattle. He was limited to 37 appearances in his first season with the club, primarily due to hand surgery. He only missed one game last year, but in 2023-24, he missed 20 games with separate upper-body injuries.

It’s not anything new for Schwartz. The 33-year-old is now in his 15th NHL season but has only surpassed the 70-game mark six times. Last year’s 81 appearances were a career high. That coincided with his most productive season as a member of the Kraken, posting a team-leading 26 goals while placing third on the team with 49 points. It was his highest offensive output since reaching 57 points with the Blues in 2019-20.

The injury is especially disappointing considering the start Schwartz had, though. The pending unrestricted free agent sits in the team lead in scoring with 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in 23 games. As has become the norm for the Kraken, he doesn’t have much of a lead – they have nine players this season with double-digit points. Nonetheless, that put Schwartz on pace to end the year with 53 points had he managed to play all 82 games, which would have stood as the best year of his Kraken career as a potential parting gift.

Schwartz had spent most of his time on the left wing with Chandler Stephenson and Eeli Tolvanen. That line had held opponents even at a 4-4 score at 5-on-5 but was only controlling 45% of shot attempts. It will be Jared McCann, fresh off a return from a lower-body injury, slotting into that spot for the foreseeable future.

The eventual corresponding move for Schwartz’s injury might not be a recall from the AHL. Kaapo Kakko, who’s missed the last six games with a lower-body injury, could be ready to come off IR after practicing without a no-contact designation today for the first time (via Sound of Hockey).

Bruins Activate Casey Mittelstadt, Recall Georgii Merkulov

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The Bruins announced four roster moves this morning, including the news that center Casey Mittelstadt has been activated from injured reserve and will play in today’s matinee against the Rangers. With news from head coach Marco Sturm today that top-six forwards David Pastrňák and Pavel Zacha sustained minor injuries in Wednesday’s win over the Islanders and are out day-to-day (via Scott McLaughlin of WEEI), Boston also recalled forward Georgii Merkulov from AHL Providence. The Bruins opened two roster spots by placing winger Matěj Blümel on long-term injured reserve and reassigning defenseman Michael Callahan to Providence.

Mittelstadt’s appearance today is his first after a nine-game absence. He’s been listed as week-to-week since sustaining a lower-body injury on Nov. 6.

Getting one top-six forward back is a key bit for a team that just lost two of its three top scorers, particularly if Pastrňák and Zacha will miss any significant length of time. Mittelstadt is in his first full season with the B’s after being acquired for Charlie Coyle from the Avalanche at last year’s deadline. He hasn’t been offensively overpowering since his arrival. He’s posted an 8-7–15 scoring line with a -17 rating in 33 appearances, including nine points in 15 games this year. That’s below his career-average pace of 15 goals and 44 points per 82 games.

It’s a rushed return for Mittelstadt, who didn’t even take a full practice before re-entering the lineup today in the wake of Pastrňák and Zacha’s injuries. Before getting hurt, he had shifted to the wing on a line with Zacha and Viktor Arvidsson. That line had outscored opponents 8-4 at 5-on-5 and controlled 50.6% of shot attempts. He won’t have either of them to skate with today, though, as Arvidsson’s been on injured reserve since Nov. 17 and is out indefinitely. He’s skating on a unit with Marat Khusnutdinov and the hastily recalled Merkulov.

Merkulov, 25, has been one of Boston’s top minor-league producers for years but has never landed an extended NHL opportunity. An undrafted free agent signed out of Ohio State in 2022, he’s got just one assist in 10 NHL games to date despite getting a decently long leash, averaging 12:28 of ice time per game. The playmaking pivot has never registered under 50 points in an AHL season and is again on track to pass that plateau in 2025-26. Through 17 appearances for Providence, he’s rattled off six goals and eight assists for 14 points to sit third on the team in scoring. He now has a 76-117–193 scoring line in 218 career AHL games, putting him seventh in the league in scoring since his rookie year in 2022-23.

The Bruins had already said Blümel would miss significant time. The 25-year-old winger, who was also a relatively recent recall from Providence to compensate for the Bruins’ bevy of injuries to their forward group, left Wednesday’s game in the first period with a lower-body injury. An LTIR placement means Blümel is ineligible for the next 10 games and 24 days. The earliest he can return is Dec. 20 against the Canucks. Despite seeing first-line minutes with Pastrňák and Zacha, he’d gone without a point and had a -3 rating in four games since his call-up.

Callahan has served as an extra defenseman for the B’s for a good chunk of the season as Hampus Lindholm, Charlie McAvoy and Jordan Harris have each dealt with long-term absences. He’s a luxury they can’t afford to roster with Pastrňák and Zacha not expected to be out long enough to warrant an IR placement. Once the Bruins can return a forward to Providence, he’ll likely find himself back up in the NHL.

Senators Activate Brady Tkachuk

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The Senators have activated Brady Tkachuk from injured reserve as expected, the team announced. He’ll suit up in this afternoon’s contest against the Blues. Ottawa needs to open a roster spot to activate him, which they’ve done by reassigning forward Stephen Halliday to AHL Belleville.

Tkachuk managed just three appearances this season before a check from Predators captain Roman Josi sent him into the boards. He sustained ligament damage in his right thumb in the collision that required surgery. He was initially expected to miss four weeks, but his return timeline was altered to six to seven weeks after the procedure was complete. That makes today’s return right on schedule.

The Senators’ captain is in year five of the seven-year, $57.56MM extension he signed in 2021 and recorded three assists and a +1 rating through his first three outings before going under the knife. His $8.205MM cap hit stands among the better value deals in the league. He’s coming off a down year offensively, limited to 29 goals and 55 points in 72 games, but he’s a consistent 30-goal threat and one of the league’s premier power forwards. He hasn’t recorded fewer than 200 hits in a season since his rookie year and is a consensus top-10 left-winger in the league, judging by his All-Star voting results over the past three seasons.

Tkachuk has also been remarkably durable since entering the league in 2018, particularly given his style of play. This 20-game absence was the lengthiest of his career by a wide margin and already stands as the most cumulative missed time he’s registered in a single season. To the Sens’ credit, they overcame his absence as well as anyone could have hoped for. Entering play Friday, they sit second in the Atlantic Division with a 12-7-4 record – that’s after starting the year in a 2-4-1 hole. They’ve been a middle-of-the-pack team offensively, but their team defense has come alive to overcompensate for the poor goaltending they’ve received from both Linus Ullmark and Leevi Merilainen. At 5-on-5, the Sens rank fourth in the league in shot attempts against per 60 (51.6), third in shots on goal against per 60 (23.5), and first in expected goals against per 60 (2.15).

While Ottawa sacrificing offense for defense will likely contribute to another underwhelming scoring line from Tkachuk the rest of the way, his return gives their top nine a much more complete look and allows names like Nick Cousins and David Perron, both of whom were overtaxed in top-line duties filling in for Tkachuk alongside Tim Stützle, to return to more comfortable bottom-six minutes.

As for Halliday, his first recall of the season ends after four games. The 23-year-old center was a fourth-round pick back in 2022 and made his NHL debut after a series of strong training camps and minor-league performances. He’d served as the Sens’ fourth-line pivot between Cousins and Hayden Hodgson during his call-up, recording an assist and a -1 rating in just 6:27 of ice time per game. He went 4-for-11 (36.4%) on faceoffs and recorded three hits.

Wild Place Marcus Foligno On Injured Reserve

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The Wild placed winger Marcus Foligno on injured reserve, retroactive to Nov. 26, due to a lower-body injury, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports. Fellow winger Nicolas Aubé-Kubel was recalled from AHL Iowa yesterday in advance of the move. Minnesota still has an open roster spot and $3.43MM in cap space after the moves, per PuckPedia.

Foligno departed Wednesday’s overtime win over the Blackhawks late in the second period after getting tangled up with Chicago forward Oliver Moore (video via @BlackhawksFocus on X). The Wild haven’t issued a timeline for his return, but the IR placement rules him out of their next three games. The earliest he can return is Dec. 4 against the Flames.

The lower-body injury is another dent in what’s been a disastrous campaign for Foligno to date. Viewed as one of the league’s top defensive wingers for the last several years, he’s arguably been the Wild’s worst regular forward in 2025-26. His 13:07 average time on ice is his lowest in seven years, and in the reduced deployment, he’s yet to score a goal and only has 21 shots through 23 games. He’s on pace to average under a shot on goal per game for the first time in his 15-year NHL career, and he’s only managed two assists as part of a Minnesota bottom-six forward group that’s been starved for offense.

Even defensively, Foligno has seen significant regression this season. While the lack of offense has no doubt contributed to his -10 rating, tied for the worst on the team, the Wild are allowing 2.49 goals against per 60 minutes with Foligno on the ice at 5-on-5. That’s the fifth-worst figure on the team among players with at least 100 minutes of ice time. Some of his more under-the-hood numbers are better – his 2.63 expected goals against per 60 minutes are actually eighth-best out of 21 qualified Minnesota skaters, and his 28.29 scoring chances against per 60 minutes are ninth-best.

Still, the lack of offensive production from the 34-year-old isn’t a good sign for the Wild getting positive value out of the remainder of the four-year, $16MM extension he signed in 2023. He’s under contract through the 2027-28 season at a $4MM cap hit and carries a no-movement clause that downgrades to a 15-team no-trade list on July 1, 2026.

Foligno’s IR placement brings the Wild’s count of unavailable forwards to five. He joins Ryan Hartman, Vinnie Hinostroza, Marco Rossi, and Vladimir Tarasenko on the list.

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.

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