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Wild Reassign Nicolas Aube-Kubel, David Spacek

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The Wild announced Friday that they’ve reassigned winger Nicolas Aubé-Kubel and defenseman David Spacek to AHL Iowa ahead of tomorrow’s roster freeze. They’re now left with two open roster spots, which could be used for at least one injured reserve activation before Saturday afternoon’s tilt with the Oilers.

Minnesota is coming off a 5-2 win over the Blue Jackets last night despite having an injury list with seven names on it, five of which are on IR. Most of those names are also carrying day-to-day designations and haven’t yet been ruled out for tomorrow’s game.

The two non-IR-bound players are winger Marcus Johansson and defenseman Zach Bogosian, both of whom sustained lower-body injuries against the Bruins on Dec. 14. They’re the likeliest to return to action, but Jonas Brodin and Vinnie Hinostroza are also listed as day-to-day and are eligible to come off IR as they’ve missed more than a week.

Aubé-Kubel had played in Minnesota’s last four games, his first appearances for the Wild, after sitting as a scratch once following his recall last week. The eight-year vet recorded an assist, a +1 rating, and four hits while averaging 12:08 per game, usually slotting in place of Hinostroza as the third line right wing alongside Marcus Foligno and Ryan Hartman. That line had good results in limited minutes, controlling 60% of expected goals and shot attempts.

Signed to a two-way deal over the summer, the 29-year-old has also made 23 appearances for Iowa. He’s third on the Baby Wild in goals (five), assists (eight), and second in points (13) with a -4 rating.

Spacek’s second recall of the season ends the way his first one did – without making an appearance. The 22-year-old righty is still looking to make his NHL debut after sitting in the press box Thursday in Columbus.

A fifth-round pick in 2022, Spacek is still looking for his first goal of the season with Iowa but is tied for the team lead with 11 assists. He’s coming off a 31-point breakout in 72 games last year and might still profile as a long-term depth option if he stays on his current trajectory.

Tyler Seguin Undergoes ACL Surgery, Not Yet Ruled Out For Season

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The Stars announced today that forward Tyler Seguin had surgery to repair his previously reported torn right ACL on Tuesday. They haven’t yet decided on a timeframe for his return, though, leaving the door open for him to return this season. They’ll reevaluate him and issue a more specific timeframe after the Olympic break, general manager Jim Nill said.

Still, the prognosis doesn’t look good. Undergoing the procedure a full two weeks after he sustained the tear shortens the runway as well. At the time, head coach Glen Gulutzan said they were operating under the assumption that Seguin wouldn’t be back this year.

He can almost surely be ruled out for the regular season. Getting him back for Game 82 would require a turnaround time of four months, essentially unheard of for an ACL tear. His postseason availability is what’s in play, a decision that, for the practical purposes of an all-in contender like the Stars, needs to be made before the March 6 trade deadline.

Seguin has already been placed on long-term injured reserve. Under the extended Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Stars can only get a fraction of Seguin’s $9.85MM cap hit in relief. Because they haven’t ruled him out for the season – including the playoffs – he’s only contributing $3.82MM to their LTIR pool, which currently stands at $5.36MM with Lian Bichsel and Adam Erne also on LTIR.

Ruling him out for the playoffs, a process that requires approval from the league, team medical staff, the player, and the NHLPA, would allow the Stars to apply Seguin’s full cap hit to their LTIR pool, giving them nearly $6MM in added flexibility to make trades before the deadline. Since they’re already in LTIR, they’re not accruing cap space, so the timing of making that decision is inconsequential. All that matters is making the call before executing their inevitable pre-deadline pickup.

The 33-year-old Seguin isn’t quite clicking at the point-per-game pace he flashed in similarly limited availability last season, but he was still a valuable second-line asset with seven goals and 17 points in 27 games before the ACL tear. He was averaging 16:40 of ice time per game, notably his highest workload in four years.

Image courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.

Mammoth Reassign Kevin Rooney

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The Mammoth announced they’ve returned center Kevin Rooney to AHL Tucson. They’re left with an open roster spot.

Rooney’s run of limited playing time this season continued on his most recent recall. Signed at the beginning of the season after being released from a tryout with the Devils, he didn’t make the team out of camp but has since been recalled four times, clearing waivers twice in the process.

His most recent one came one week ago, only burning seven days off his newly reset 30-day temporary waiver exemption. He didn’t see any action, instead serving as a healthy scratch for Utah’s last four games.

Despite the month-plus he’s spent on Utah’s active roster, he’s only gotten into one game for them, scoring a goal in 10 minutes of action against the Stars on Nov. 28. Last night marked his 20th healthy scratch of the season as the 32-year-old continues to serve as a second healthy extra forward while Logan Cooley and Alexander Kerfoot are on injured reserve.

When the veteran of 331 NHL games has gotten the opportunity to play in the minors, he’s been solid. In 11 games for Tucson, he’s got six goals and an assist with a +2 rating.

Ducks Activate Petr Mrazek, Reassign Ville Husso

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The Ducks announced they’ve activated goaltender Petr Mrázek from injured reserve. Fellow netminder Ville Husso was returned to AHL San Diego in the corresponding move.

Anaheim now has its season-opening goalie tandem intact after injuries affected both Mrázek and Lukáš Dostál over the past few weeks. Mrázek landed on IR not too long after Dostál did, sustaining a lower-body injury during the third period of a loss to the Blackhawks on Nov. 30.

After a nine-game absence, he’ll be available to back up Dostál for tomorrow’s game against the Stars. Before his injury, it was shaping up to be a forgettable season for the veteran netminder. In seven starts, he’d put up a 3-3-0 record with a .876 SV% and 3.69 GAA, on track for career lows in both.

Acquired from the Red Wings in the John Gibson deal, there was an argument to be made that the high-priced Mrázek should end up on waivers when he was due to return rather than return Husso to the minors. The 30-year-old is an experienced third-string option and, while his numbers weren’t all that much better than Mrázek’s, he represents an upgrade with a 5-3-1 record, .884 SV%, and 3.25 GAA in nine appearances. He’s posted a -0.3 GSAx compared to Mrázek’s -1.2, per MoneyPuck.

Nonetheless, it’s Husso going back down to completely negate the risk of losing goalie depth on waivers. Anaheim signed him to a two-year, $4.4MM contract extension in June despite fully intending on using him as their No. 3, presumably with the primary objective of deterring waiver claims. Their $1.05MM cap penalty this season for burying him in the minors is inconsequential for a team with now over $20MM in accumulated cap space.

Before being summoned in Dostál’s absence, Husso had a .908 SV%, 2.49 GAA, three shutouts, and a 6-4-3 record in 13 games for San Diego.

Canadiens, Devils, Mammoth Among Teams With Interest In Phillip Danault

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The Canadiens, Devils, and Mammoth are among the teams that have interest in making a deal for Kings center Phillip Danault, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports.

Montreal has long been active in the market for a second-line center, a pursuit that only intensified after long-term hopeful Alex Newhook had ankle surgery, knocking him out until March. Danault wouldn’t back nearly as much offensive punch as some other candidates, but he’s a familiar option – playing 360 games for the Habs between 2016 and 2021 as one of the most suffocating matchup centers in the league. His comfort level in a top-six support role, averaging at least 16 minutes per game for nine consecutive seasons, makes him a natural fit even as his scoring has dried up.

Danault’s contract, which expires after next season and carries a $5.5MM cap hit, won’t be an obstacle for them or most other teams. The Kings will almost certainly be taking money back in the deal as they seek rostered talent in return for Danault, with LeBrun reporting they’re unwilling to flip him for draft picks or futures.

His putrid scoring line this season, notching just five assists in 30 games with no goals, is bound to scare at least a few center-needy teams off. He’s still averaging a respectable 1.40 shots on goal per game, though, and the Kings have finished at a woeful 7.0% clip with him on the ice at 5-on-5. Some positive regression is bound to occur, particularly with the 32-year-old notching at least 40 points in each of his first four seasons with Los Angeles.

While that offensive falloff and his minutes being cut due to Quinton Byfield’s move back to center have him looking for a change of scenery, his advanced numbers still remain some of the best on the Kings. He’s managed a +3 rating despite the lack of offensive production while receiving primarily defensive zone starts at even strength. No L.A. forward has been on the ice for fewer shots per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 than Danault at 23.9.

That makes the Devils’ interest in him likely more than just a top-six stopgap while Jack Hughes continues his rehab from a hand injury. When Hughes returns in the coming weeks, Danault would slot in as New Jersey’s third-line pivot behind Hughes and fellow Selke Trophy candidate Nico Hischier while also serving as one of their top penalty killers. It wouldn’t amount to a significant change in role compared to what Danault’s seeing now in L.A., but with only a 10-team no-trade list as part of his deal, he doesn’t have much say in the matter.

Still, he would appear as more of a redundancy behind Hischier than another scoring winger, presumably a higher priority for the Devils as their offense has slipped into the bottom half of the league amid a rough post-Thanksgiving stretch. Weaponizing their already limited cap space on Danault wouldn’t offer a truly meaningful upgrade to their top nine when healthy, especially with their new-look third line of Arseny Gritsyuk, Cody Glass, and Connor Brown posting spectacular results earlier this year.

Like New Jersey, the Mammoth have a short-term need down the middle with Logan Cooley out of commission until February. They have a younger, cheaper, in-house option with a similar archetype to Danault in Barrett Hayton. While he’s also had some offensive struggles this season, he’s still contributed more points than Danault (a 4-3–7 scoring line in 31 games) and is coming off a 20-goal year. He’s struggled in the faceoff dot at 47.8%, though, indicating they may be planning on shifting him to the wing if they do pick up Danault once Cooley is back in the fold.

Image courtesy of David Gonzales-Imagn Images.

Lightning Activate Ryan McDonagh From Injured Reserve

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4:12 p.m.: While not a necessity to activate McDonagh, the Bolts still took his return as motivation to reassign defenseman Steven Santini to Syracuse, per a team announcement. The 30-year-old was recalled Monday in the wake of Lilleberg’s injury and skated 12 minutes against the Panthers that evening, posting zeroes across the board. Santini has now appeared in eight games for the Bolts this season between call-ups, recording one assist and a respectable 50.4% share of shot attempts at even strength.

1:05 p.m.: Two-time Stanley Cup champion Ryan McDonagh has been activated from injured reserve and will be in the Lightning’s lineup on Thursday evening versus the Kings, Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider reports. Tampa had an open roster spot after reassigning Scott Sabourin to AHL Syracuse earlier in the week.

McDonagh, who has missed the past 18 games due to an undisclosed injury, had his no-contact designation removed during Monday’s practice as part of his ramp-up toward a return. Since he’s been a full participant for a few days, he shouldn’t have a meaningful minutes restriction as he slots back into the lineup.

The 36-year-old defenseman has been limited to 15 games this season. The activation ends the ever-durable rearguard’s most extended absence of his 16-year NHL career. After finishing 14th in Norris Trophy voting last season with a league-high +43 rating, he’s continued to play at a top-pairing level in 2025-26 while technically still serving behind Victor Hedman as the second-pairing lefty on Tampa’s depth chart. Averaging north of 20 minutes per game for the 15th straight year, he recorded six points and a +1 rating while serving as the Bolts’ top penalty killer.

He’s the second household name returning to Tampa’s lineup for tonight’s game. Starting netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy was activated from IR earlier in the week after a seven-game absence.

McDonagh’s insertion into the lineup is crucial at a time when the Bolts still have three regular defenders – Hedman, Erik Černák, and Emil Martinsen Lilleberg – on IR. The pileup of injuries had finally seemed to have caught up with the Lightning, who are 2-5-1 in December and have slipped to third in the Atlantic Division, although they’re still first by points percentage (.591).

Sabres Activate Michael Kesselring From Injured Reserve

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The Sabres have activated defenseman Michael Kesselring from injured reserve as expected, per Heather Engel of NHL.com. They had an open roster spot after assigning Isak Rosen to AHL Rochester on Tuesday, so no corresponding transaction is required.

Kesselring’s second long-term absence of the season ends after 14 games due to a lower-body injury. The Sabres still might not get to see what a fully healthy defense corps can do tonight against the Flyers, though. Head coach Lindy Ruff said this morning that Conor Timmins will be a game-time decision with an undisclosed injury (via Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic).

The 25-year-old Kesselring has been limited to nine appearances through his first season in Buffalo. Acquired along with Josh Doan from the Mammoth for JJ Peterka last summer, he began the season on IR with an undisclosed issue. He made his season debut on Oct. 28 but exited the lineup again less than a month later.

When dressed, he hasn’t been much of a factor in his small sample. Initially expected to be a top-four piece and comprise the second pairing with either Bowen Byram or Owen Power on his left flank, he went without a point and had a -3 rating while averaging a conservative 15:37 of ice time per game. He was most often paired with Byram, a duo that controlled a team-worst 36.4% of expected goals at 5-on-5.

As such, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Ruff go for a new look and pair Kesselring with Power instead for a stretch. He’s unlikely to break up the team’s top pair of lefties Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson, the latter of whom has finally emerged as a premier shutdown threat after a rocky first few seasons on the anticipatory seven-year extension he signed back in 2022.

A strong performance the rest of the way is also imperative for Kesselring’s financial situation. He’s a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights coming off a deal carrying a $1.4MM cap hit. Entering the season, he could have nearly quadrupled that figure after back-to-back 20-point campaigns with Utah and Arizona while posting some of the best 5-on-5 possession metrics on the team. His injury troubles have undoubtedly lowered his stock, but there’s still time to get it back.

Flames’ Jake Bean Undergoing Undisclosed Surgery, Out Indefinitely

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The Flames are shutting down defenseman Jake Bean indefinitely due to his undisclosed injury, Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 reports. He’s undergoing surgery, with no certainty that he’ll be back this season.

Bean hasn’t played since Dec. 6, missing Calgary’s last four games over what’s been a light schedule. He was placed on injured reserve shortly thereafter. His injury has been plaguing him for some time, Steinberg said, perhaps explaining his diminished impact in Calgary if it dates back to last season.

The Flames signed Bean to a two-year, $3.5MM contract in free agency in 2024. Since then, he’s managed only nine points in 80 games with a -7 rating while averaging 15:16 of ice time per night.

A first-round pick by the Hurricanes back in 2016, Bean has usually only carved himself a role if he’s clicking offensively. His career-best season came with the Blue Jackets in 2021-22, when he recorded 25 points in 67 games while averaging over 20 minutes per night. The following season, he was limited to 14 games before undergoing shoulder surgery that ended his campaign in November. He hasn’t had the same impact since and was non-tendered by Columbus following the 2023-24 season, leading to him signing with his hometown Flames.

Calgary will now be down a depth option on defense for the foreseeable future. His absence should mean more guaranteed playing time for in-season call-up Yan Kuznetsov on the left side. He’s played in 20 straight since being recalled from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers in early November and has skated at least 20 minutes in his last 13 games.

Canada Cuts Jake O’Brien, Jackson Smith, Marek Vanacker From WJC

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Hockey Canada announced Thursday that they’ve cut center Jake O’Brien (Kraken), defenseman Jackson Smith (Blue Jackets), and winger Marek Vanacker (Blackhawks) from their preliminary roster for the 2026 World Junior Championship.

All three dressed in yesterday’s 2-1 pre-tournament exhibition win over Sweden, played in Kitchener, Ontario. That’s par for the course for the Canadian staff to get a look at their bubble players in friendly action before making their final roster submission, which is due before the preliminary round begins on Dec. 26.

Canada announced its preliminary roster back on Dec. 8, needing to cut two names before the tournament started. That number jumped to three when they added Vanacker to their training camp roster last weekend. Today’s cuts get them down to 14 forwards and eight defensemen, satisfying the IIHF’s 22-skater roster limit. They’ve also indicated they’ll only carry two goalies to the event, so one of Carter George (Kings), Jack Ivankovic (Predators), and Joshua Ravensbergen (Sharks) will likely be heading back to their club team in the next week as well.

O’Brien is the most surprising cut of the three. He won gold with the under-18 team at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last season as a draft-eligible on his way toward becoming the eighth overall pick by Seattle.

This season, he’s been named captain of the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs and leads the league with 35 assists in 27 games, adding 11 goals for 46 points. His 1.70 points per game also lead the league, and his +20 rating is in the top 10.

Smith is a similarly eyebrow-raising omission, but Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff relays that he had a tough showing against Sweden that hurt his stock. Still, he won gold with the under-18s last year at both the Hlinka Gretzky and the U-18 World Juniors, scoring four goals in seven games from the blue line. He’s averaged well north of 20 minutes per game for Penn State this season and has a 3-6–9 scoring line in 14 games for the Nittany Lions.

Vanacker’s late inclusion was more of an insurance policy if the Sharks opted not to loan Michael Misa to them as expected. However, that doubt was erased when San Jose officially cleared Misa to participate yesterday. He’ll head back to Brantford alongside his linemate, O’Brien. Vanacker’s goal-per-game pace so far has him in the OHL lead with 26, one year removed from a late first-round selection by Chicago.

Devils Activate Brett Pesce, Place Arseny Gritsyuk On Injured Reserve

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After missing the past 24 games with an upper-body injury, the Devils announced they’ve activated top-pair defenseman Brett Pesce from injured reserve, indicating he’ll be in the lineup tonight against the Golden Knights. The team placed winger Arseny Gritsyuk on IR retroactive to Dec. 11 in the corresponding move.

The Devils had been anxiously awaiting Pesce’s clearance for weeks, but the injection of a right-shot defender into the lineup became all the more important after Simon Nemec sustained an undisclosed injury during practice last Friday that will have him out for at least a couple of weeks. They’ve been dealing with the season-long absence of righty Johnathan Kovacevic as well, making Pesce’s standing on the team all the more important.

Pesce had three assists and a +3 rating in nine games to begin the year. That coincided with an 8-1-0 start to the year, making New Jersey look like a legitimate contender to end up atop the Metropolitan Division. Since then, the Devils have gone 10-13-1 with their possession numbers dipping in the process.

There are a variety of factors that go into a slump, but being forced into breaking up what had been one of the best defense pairs in the league through the early going is high on that list. Pesce and Luke Hughes had served as the Devils’ most dominant unit on the blue line, controlling 60.2% of expected goals. Without Pesce, Hughes has been underwater in every possession metric. His point production has dipped as well, down to 0.55 per game after peaking with 0.62 per game as a second-year player last season.

The Devils’ press release indicated Pesce will be paired with Hughes again tonight, ideally giving them a true top-pair level of play that Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler haven’t been able to provide in the interim.

A healthier defense is paramount to help overcome the loss of a fifth forward to the injured or non-roster list in Gritsyuk. The Russian rookie, who’s eighth on the team in scoring with seven goals and 16 points in 31 games, has already missed the last two games with an upper-body injury.

He joins Jack Hughes, Evgenii Dadonov, and Zack MacEwen on IR, while Timo Meier carries a non-roster designation while on personal leave. Since he’s already missed six days, Gritsyuk will be eligible to return on Dec. 19 against the Mammoth, but that’s not feasible since he didn’t travel with the team on their raod trip. It’ll be Sunday at home against the Sabres to mark Gritsyuk’s first opportunity to get back into the lineup.

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