Senators Recall Jan Jeník, Nikolas Matinpalo
The Senators summoned forward Jan Jeník and defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo from AHL Belleville on Monday, per a team announcement. Ottawa only has one open roster spot, so a corresponding move must have been made – likely placing defenseman Travis Hamonic on injured reserve, per PuckPedia.
Jeník’s recall is his first of the season and his first as a Senator. Ottawa acquired his signing rights from the Utah Hockey Club on July 3 for depth winger Egor Sokolov.
Two days later, Jeník put pen to paper on a one-year, two-way contract that pays him $775K in the NHL and $190K in the AHL. He did not make the Senators’ roster out of training camp and cleared waivers on his way to Belleville, where he’s sat injured for most of the season.
The 24-year-old has been healthy for 13 games, posting four goals and three assists for seven points and a +4 rating while quickly racking up 38 PIMs. The 6’1″, 198-lb forward has always been a bit of a pot-stirrer, consistently recording PIM totals north of 50 across full junior and AHL seasons.
Jeník has 22 NHL games under his belt, all coming with the Coyotes in each of the last four seasons. The 2018 third-round pick has four goals and two assists for six points with a -4 rating, posting 27 shots on goal while averaging just south of 10 minutes per game.
The Czech winger/center has consistently been out-chanced at 5-on-5, only controlling 45.5% of shot attempts. That’s partly due to Arizona’s conservative defensive-zone deployment of Jeník during his time in the desert, though. He was a much more significant offensive factor in the minors, where he now has 127 points in 178 career AHL games.
Jeník gives Ottawa an extra forward option for tomorrow’s key matchup against the Red Wings. For now, it’s unclear if he’ll draw into the lineup.
However, Matinpalo almost certainly will. The oft-recalled defender projects to play a third-pairing role on his natural right side alongside Tyler Kleven with Hamonic out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Jacob Bernard-Docker also sustained an injury in Monday’s practice and looks to sit out tomorrow, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports.
Matinpalo, 26, has only managed one appearance for the Sens this season amid a few moves up and down the NHL-AHL wire. He took a minor penalty and skated 10:24 against the Wild on Dec. 29. Outside of that, the defensive-minded Finn has eight points and a -4 rating in 24 games for the B-Sens.
Panthers Recall Tobias Björnfot
The Panthers announced Monday that they’ve recalled defenseman Tobias Björnfot from AHL Charlotte. Florida had an open spot on the active roster, so no corresponding transaction is necessary.
It’s the first time Björnfot has been recalled since clearing waivers during training camp. The Panthers claimed the 23-year-old off waivers from the Golden Knights at last season’s trade deadline, but he has only logged one NHL game since then, skating 17:01 against the Rangers on March 23, 2024, and serving as a healthy scratch for the entirety of Florida’s run to the 2024 Stanley Cup.
A first-round pick of the Kings in 2019, Björnfot has spent much of his time as a fringe roster player and has never secured anything above a third-pairing role. The Swedish native has been passable in Charlotte this season but not overly impressive, recording a pair of goals and nine assists for 11 points in 27 games with a -1 rating.
Björnfot has one NHL goal across 120 appearances since debuting in the 2019-20 campaign, adding 14 assists for 15 points with a -20 rating. Only four of those appearances came last season, a tumultuous one where he was claimed off waivers by the Golden Knights from L.A. before landing on the wire again and heading to the Cats.
Drafted as a stay-at-home piece, Björnfot has 42 points with a +7 rating in 136 career AHL games, where he’s spent most of the last three seasons. His last campaign as a full-time NHLer came in L.A. in 2021-22, when he dressed in a career-high 70 games and posted eight assists with a -12 rating while averaging 16:46 per game.
Björnfot will likely sit in the press box but comes up as injury insurance with Niko Mikkola, who’s missed the last four games with an upper-body injury, still projected to be unavailable tonight against the Avalanche. He could make his season debut if Aaron Ekblad, who didn’t practice over the weekend, can’t go due to an undisclosed injury.
Björnfot can remain on Florida’s roster for up to 30 days or play 10 games until he needs waivers to return to Charlotte.
Canucks Place Dakota Joshua On IR
The Canucks will be without forward Dakota Joshua for at least another two games. General manager Patrik Allvin announced Monday that he’s been placed on injured reserve retroactive to Jan. 3 after he sustained an undisclosed injury in their last game against the Predators. Top forward prospect Jonathan Lekkerimaki comes up from AHL Abbotsford to take his place on the active roster on an emergency basis.
Joshua, 28, had Nashville captain Roman Josi and Vancouver teammate Teddy Blueger fall awkwardly on his left leg behind the net midway through the second period of a 3-0 loss. He went to the room but returned for the third period.
His being healthy enough to take a few shifts after the injury is a good sign for his recovery timeline, but he’ll still miss a few contests while recovering. The depth winger has just two goals and four points in 24 appearances this season, down sharply from the 18 goals and 32 points in 63 games last year that earned him a four-year, $13MM extension.
Regardless of his production, seeing him on the ice is good. Joshua was diagnosed with testicular cancer over the offseason and missed the first 14 games of the year while recovering from surgery.
A lack of individual chance generation has hurt Joshua’s game the most this season. He’s taken just 10 shots on goal and attempted 28. That’s just 0.42 shots on net and 1.17 attempts per game, down from 1.33 and 2.32 last season, respectively. That also works out to a career-low 35.7 shots through percentage.
Outside of the lack of offense, the 6’3″ Joshua has been his usual physical self. His 83 hits rank second on the team behind Kiefer Sherwood‘s eye-popping 220, despite his extended absence early in the year.
The Canucks didn’t have an extra forward on hand with Elias Pettersson still on injured reserve, so Lekkerimaki comes up and will presumably play tonight in Montreal. The 2022 15th overall pick had one goal and a -4 rating in five NHL games during a November call-up, his first since arriving in North America last spring.
Lekkerimäki, 20, leads Abbotsford with 12 goals and 17 points in 21 games. However, his -10 rating is the worst on the club.
Avalanche’s Scott Wedgewood Out Week-To-Week
The Avalanche will be down one-half of their new goaltending tandem for more than a few games. Netminder Scott Wedgewood will likely be listed as week to week after leaving the third period of Thursday’s win over the Sabres with a lower-body injury, head coach Jared Bednar told Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now.
No. 3 option Trent Miner will be recalled from AHL Colorado to back up Mackenzie Blackwood for the time being, Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports reports. With no open active roster spots, Wedgewood will likely land on injured reserve.
Wedgewood, 32, sustained the injury when Sabres winger Zach Benson fell on his right leg while in a crease battle with Colorado forward Parker Kelly. Buffalo scored on the play, which officials did not blow dead, and Bednar ended up fielding an unsuccessful goalie interference challenge.
Acquiring Wedgewood was the first of two trades Colorado made earlier this season to replace their struggling opening-night tandem of Justus Annunen and Alexandar Georgiev. They sent Annunen and a 2025 sixth-rounder to land the veteran from Nashville, where he’d struggled to the tune of a .878 SV% in five games after signing a two-year, $3MM contract in free agency.
Wedgewood’s play has improved drastically since arriving in Denver. The Ontario native, now with his fifth NHL franchise, has a 4-2-0 record with a .917 SV%, 2.35 GAA and one shutout in seven appearances so far as an Av.
But that rebound has been overshadowed by Blackwood, who was picked up from the Sharks a couple of weeks later in a trade that sent Georgiev the other way. The 28-year-old recently played his way into a five-year, $26.25MM extension with Colorado and now has a 6-1-0 record with a sparkling .932 SV% in seven showings since the trade.
They should be fine with Blackwood handling the overwhelming majority of starts in the interim given how well he’s played this season, but a workload that heavy may be a struggle for a goaltender who’s only started more than 40 games twice in his career. Miner arrives as an inexperienced but intriguing option, stopping 12 of 13 shots he faced in his NHL debut in relief of Annunen against the Capitals on Nov. 15.
Miner, a 2019 seventh-rounder, has a .903 SV% and a 2.47 GAA in 16 AHL games this season, good for an 8-5-3 record. He’s set to be a restricted free agent next summer.
Predators Place Adam Wilsby On IR, Recall Fedor Svechkov
The Predators placed defenseman Adam Wilsby on injured reserve on Friday with an upper-body issue retroactive to Dec. 30, Nick Kieser of 102.5 The Game reports. Nashville recalled center Fedor Svechkov from AHL Milwaukee in a corresponding transaction, Kieser said, keeping their roster at the 23-player maximum.
Wilsby, 24, has already missed one game with the UBI, which he presumably sustained in his most recent appearance against the Jets on Monday. He logged 18:29 of ice time in that contest, his 15th of the season and of his NHL career.
Initially recalled from Milwaukee in November, Wilsby has been on the transaction wire a few times this season but was beginning to get a look as a regular amid a demotion for Marc Del Gaizo and injury troubles for Jeremy Lauzon. He remains day-to-day but will miss at least two more games with the injury until he’s eligible to return against Winnipeg next Tuesday.
Things have largely gone well for Wilsby, who the Preds selected 101st overall in the 2020 draft. He’s posted a goal and two assists with a +3 rating, averaging 18:43 per game and limiting himself to one minor penalty. The 6’1″ lefty has spent most of his time with veteran Luke Schenn at even strength to good results. The pairing has been one of Nashville’s best at preventing quality chances against, controlling 56.5% of expected goals and allowing only 1.52 xGA/60, per MoneyPuck. Both rank second on the team among pairings with at least 50 minutes together this season.
His third-pairing spot with Schenn will go to Spencer Stastney, who’s set to make his season debut tonight against the Canucks after being recalled from Milwaukee yesterday. The 24-year-old has three points and a +2 rating in 10 AHL games this season after missing the first few months of the campaign due to personal reasons.
Meanwhile, Svechkov comes up for the second time this season but may not get a look in tonight’s game, with Ozzy Wiesblatt slated to make his NHL debut after being recalled alongside Stastney. Wiesblatt will slot in for winger Zachary L’Heureux, who’s set to serve the first game of a three-game suspension handed down for slew-footing Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon.
Nashville selected Svechkov, 21, with the 19th overall pick of the 2021 draft. The Russian pivot played nine games earlier this year on his first career recall, scoring twice while averaging 11:57 per game and winning 46.2% of his faceoffs. His 0.92 points per game with Milwaukee are second on the team this season.
Penguins, Sabres Swap Bennett MacArthur, Colton Poolman
The Penguins traded winger Bennett MacArthur to the Sabres on Friday in exchange for defenseman Colton Poolman, both teams confirmed. The swap of minor-leaguers comes in conjunction with a corresponding trade between Pittsburgh’s and Buffalo’s AHL affiliates in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Rochester, which saw 25-year-old winger Jagger Joshua head from WBS to the Sabres’ system for future considerations.
MacArthur’s short stint in the Penguins organization comes to an end with the move. An undrafted free agent signing by the Lightning in 2022, the 23-year-old spent most of his time in the ECHL before the Bolts traded him to Pittsburgh for Lukas Svejkovsky last June. Svejkovsky and Tampa Bay have since mutually terminated his contract.
As he had in Tampa, MacArthur failed to crack the AHL roster in the Penguins organization. He’s spent the entirety of this season on assignment to ECHL Wheeling, where he’s struggled immensely with only three goals and seven points in 28 appearances. He had 32 points in 55 games for ECHL Orlando and Allen last season while under contract with the Lightning.
MacArthur will report to the Sabres’ AHL affiliate in Rochester for now, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him assigned to their ECHL affiliate in Jacksonville in short order. The Prince Edward Island native will be a restricted free agent this summer and has no points in six career AHL games with the Syracuse Crunch.
Coming to Pennsylvania is Poolman, the younger brother of LTIR-bound Avalanche defenseman Tucker Poolman. The 29-year-old inked a two-way deal with Buffalo over the summer after four seasons in the Flames organization but hasn’t established himself as a regular in Rochester, logging just one assist and a -2 rating in five appearances thus far.
He heads to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in search of more playing time, while the Pens organization hopes he can rediscover the strong stay-at-home play he exhibited with the Flames’ AHL affiliates in Stockton and Calgary. He’s two years removed from a career-high 14-point, +18 rating season in 64 games.
Hurricanes Activate Jack Drury From Injured Reserve
The Hurricanes took center Jack Drury off injured reserve on Friday, according to the team. Carolina reassigned winger Juha Jaaska to AHL Chicago in a corresponding transaction. Their active roster count remains at 23.
Drury, 24, has been out since Dec. 10 after undergoing hand surgery as a result of a blocked shot in the first period of a game against the Sharks. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour told reporters one week later that his surgery would keep him out for at least four weeks. Instead, Drury returns to the active roster two and a half weeks after surgery and three and a half weeks past the initial injury.
The Hurricanes only placed Drury on injured reserve on Monday when they needed roster space to recall defenseman Riley Stillman in the wake of Shayne Gostisbehere‘s upper-body injury. Since the placement was retroactive to the date of his initial injury and he’d already been out for more than seven days, Drury was eligible to come off IR at any time.
Drury skated in 28 games for Carolina before landing on IR, posting three goals and six assists for nine points with a +4 rating. He averaged 13:09 per game, a career-high aside from a two-game stint in 2021-22, and is on pace to win a career-best 56.4% of his draws.
Carolina will have Drury back in the lineup tomorrow when they host the Wild, presumably in a fourth-line role between Jackson Blake and Eric Robinson. He’s spent the vast majority of the season with at least one of that pair on his wings.
Meanwhile, Jaaska returns to the AHL after making his NHL debut in last night’s win over the Panthers. He logged 13 shifts for 8:21 of ice time, shifting to center and winning four out of five draws while recording three hits.
The Hurricanes signed Jaaska, 26, to a one-year entry-level contract worth $850K back in April after he spent the previous nine seasons with Finland’s HIFK. He has seven goals and nine assists for 16 points in 25 AHL games this season.
Bruins Sign Mark Kastelic To Three-Year Extension
The Bruins signed depth forward Mark Kastelic to a three-year, $4.7MM extension on Friday, according to a team release. The deal carries a $1.57MM cap hit and keeps him in Boston through the 2027-28 campaign.
With the signing, Kastelic earns the most lucrative contract of his career and will earn seven figures per season for the first time. The 25-year-old was in the final season of a two-year, $1.67MM extension he signed with the Senators in 2022 before they traded him to the Bruins in the Linus Ullmark deal last June.
The Phoenix native has been a good fit in Boston, already setting a new career-high in assists with seven through 39 games. His 11 points are also tied with his previous career high, set in Ottawa in 65 games in 2022-23, and he’s averaging a career-best 11:27 per game while winning 55.2% of his faceoffs.
Kastelic, a natural center, stands at 6’4″ and 227 lbs and has been one of the league’s most physical players. He leads the league outright with 76 PIMs and ranks second with 151 hits, on pace to record a whopping 317 over a full season.
That physicality has led to some pretty spectacular defensive numbers for Kastelic. He’s centered a fourth line between Cole Koepke and John Beecher for a good portion of the campaign, a unit that’s controlled 65% of expected goals in 168 minutes together, per MoneyPuck. Among forward lines with at least 150 minutes of ice time this season, that Koepke-Kastelic-Beecher line has yielded just 1.25 xGA/60, the best in the league by a significant margin.
It would be shocking if that play keeps up on a year-to-year basis, but it’s still rightfully earned Kastelic a multi-year commitment to stick with a situation that’s been a win for both sides so far. Kastelic avoids reaching restricted free agency next summer and will walk to unrestricted free agency upon expiry in 2028.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Maple Leafs Reclaim Dakota Mermis Off Waivers From Utah
Jan. 3: The Maple Leafs reclaimed Mermis off waivers from Utah on Friday, PuckPedia reports. The team later announced that he’s been reassigned to the AHL, indicating they were the only team to submit a claim.
Jan. 2: The Utah Hockey Club placed defenseman Dakota Mermis on waivers on Thursday with intent to assign him to AHL Tucson, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
The placement could spell the end of Mermis’ brief tenure in the Beehive State. The club claimed him off waivers from the Maple Leafs on Dec. 12 when Toronto was attempting to sneak him to their AHL affiliate on a permanent assignment after a weeks-long conditioning stint.
Mermis, 30, ended up playing just one game for Utah, logging a -2 rating in 10:47 of ice time against the Ducks on Dec. 22. He was a healthy scratch on eight other occasions before landing on the waiver wire today.
When they claimed Mermis, Utah needed some veteran help to offset injuries to Robert Bortuzzo and Maveric Lamoureux on the back end, in addition to previous IR placements for Sean Durzi and John Marino. With Bortuzzo set to return tonight against the Flames after missing nearly a month with a lower-body injury, though, Mermis’ services as a healthy extra were no longer needed.
Bortuzzo was on IR, so Utah needs to open up a roster spot for his return. Mermis can’t clear the roster until tomorrow, so they’ll likely place netminder Connor Ingram, who’s been out since Nov. 18 with an upper-body injury, on IR retroactively to accommodate Bortuzzo’s activation.
Mermis inked a one-year, one-way deal with the Leafs in free agency but never suited up for them thanks to a jaw injury he sustained in training camp. If Toronto wants him back and is the only team to submit a claim, they may send him directly to the AHL without placing him on waivers again.
Now in his eighth NHL season, Mermis has accumulated 12 points and a +3 rating in 75 career games. A career-high 47 of those appearances came last season with the Wild, just the second time in his career he logged double-digit games and mostly avoided AHL assignments.
Senators Reassign Nikolas Matinpalo
The Senators announced Friday that they’ve reassigned defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo to AHL Belleville. With no corresponding transaction, Ottawa’s active roster is now at 22 players.
Matinpalo, 26, had been on the Senators’ roster since last weekend. He’s been around as an extra option on and off over the past few weeks with Artem Zub sidelined with a foot fracture, but after the Russian veteran returned to action last night against the Stars, his services are no longer needed.
Now in his second season in North America, Matinpalo made his season debut on this latest recall, skating 10:24 and taking a minor penalty in a win over the Wild on Dec. 29. The stay-at-home defender has spent most of the campaign in Belleville, where he has two goals and five assists for seven points with 10 PIMs and a minus-four rating.
Checking in at 6’3″ and 212 lbs, Matinpalo arrived in Ottawa in the summer of 2023 as an undrafted free agent signing from Finland’s Ässät. He skated in four contests for the Sens last year in a depth role, logging a plus-one rating and a pair of shots on goal while averaging a paltry seven minutes per game. He was quite effective in a shutdown role in the minors, posting a team-high +15 rating in 67 games for the B-Sens along with 14 points.
Matinpalo became waiver-eligible this season. Since he’s been rostered for under 30 days and played fewer than 10 NHL games since clearing during the preseason, he doesn’t need them again for today’s transaction.