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Flames’ Samuel Honzek Likely Done For Season

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Flames center Samuel Honzek’s regular season is over after undergoing upper-body surgery, Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 reports. He’ll be out for six months, meaning a potential return in May if Calgary makes the playoffs and makes it that far. Considering they’ve been in last place for most of the season with a 6-13-3 record, though, meaning he’s all but played his last hockey of 2025-26.

That’s a jarring change from Honzek’s initial week-to-week timeline. The 21-year-old was injured in last weekend’s game against the Jets when he collided with teammate Mikael Backlund in open ice, leaving the game and not returning. Such a lengthy recovery timeline indicates he sustained potentially significant shoulder damage or a collarbone fracture.

That collision ended what was a disappointing stretch for the 2023 first-round pick. Drafted 16th overall two years ago, the 6’4″ Slovak winger was a late inclusion on the opening night roster after it was apparent Martin Pospisil would miss significant time. While he’s gotten his first extended taste of NHL time, he hasn’t been able to do much with it. Despite being stapled to the left wing with Backlund and Blake Coleman in a top-nine role, Honzek only managed two goals and four points in 18 appearances. That’s no doubt influenced by a lack of power-play usage, which has limited his ice time to 12:21 per game.

Offense has been a consistent concern in Honzek’s game since being drafted, though. He had 56 points in 41 games for the WHL’s Vancouver Giants in his draft year but dipped back under the point-per-game mark for them in 2023-24. Upon turning pro last season, he only scored eight goals and 21 points in 52 games for AHL Calgary. That’s not a bad scoring line for a first-year pro, but for someone with his draft pedigree, the Flames were definitely looking for more production. Nonetheless, he still ranked as the Flames’ No. 2 prospect entering the season, according to Elite Prospects.

The good news is that Honzek was well on his way to establishing his floor as a third-line checking piece. While his unit with Backlund and Coleman hasn’t been explosive offensively, they’ve had great two-way chemistry and have been among the league’s better defensive forward lines. They’re only allowing 1.98 expected goals per 60 minutes at even strength, per MoneyPuck. That’s sixth in the league out of 37 forward trios with at least 100 minutes together this season.

Honzek will remain waiver-exempt next season in what will be the final year of his entry-level contract. With 10 months out of competitive action by the time he suits up in training camp next year and his point production turning pro lacking, it’ll be a storyline to watch to see if the Flames send him to the AHL out of the gate in 2026-27 to try to build up his scoring confidence.

The immediate result will be consistently elevated minutes for fellow first-rounder Connor Zary for the remainder of the season. After a round of drawn-out contract talks last summer, the Flames signed Zary to a three-year, $11.33MM contract but stuck him on the fourth line to begin the year. Understandably, that’s resulted in the 24-year-old only posting a goal and an assist in 20 games for the offense-starved Flames. He’s stepped up onto the wing with Backlund and Coleman in Honzek’s absence and should remain there for the foreseeable future.

Avalanche Recall Jason Polin

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The Avalanche announced they’ve recalled forward Jason Polin from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. They have an open roster spot and thus don’t need to make a corresponding transaction.

Polin’s inclusion on the roster ensures the Avs will have 12 forwards available when they take on the Predators on Saturday. They could be without winger Gavin Brindley, who left Thursday’s win over the Rangers after taking a heavy hit in the first period and didn’t return.

It’s a tough break for Brindley if he’s set to miss any time. The 21-year-old rookie is fresh off signing a two-year extension and has been recently elevated into a top-six role alongside Brock Nelson in place of Valeri Nichushkin, who’s out week-to-week. Brindley’s first game in second-line duties resulted in a two-point performance against the Sabres last week, although he didn’t record a point against the Islanders last Sunday, nor did he get one in less than three minutes of ice time against the Rangers before sustaining the injury.

Injuries to Colorado’s forward group have been commonplace in recent years. That trend is starting to resurface with Nichushkin, Logan O’Connor, and Joel Kiviranta already being unavailable. If Polin’s services are needed this weekend, it likely won’t be as a direct replacement for Brindley on the depth chart. It’s fair to assume a brief elevation to top-six duties could be in order for Victor Olofsson, who saw over 18 minutes of ice time against the Rangers and has a 6-9–15 scoring line in 20 games this year, would be in order.

Polin, 26, has nine NHL games to his name with one goal. He was an undrafted free agent signing out of Western Michigan in 2023 and is now on his third consecutive one-year deal with the Avs. The 6’0″ sniper was an elite goal-scorer in his latter years in college – tickling the twine 30 times in 39 games in his senior season with the Broncos – but hasn’t found that gear since turning pro. He’s still put up a respectable three goals and six points in 16 AHL games this season and has an 18-18–36 scoring line in 104 career minor-league games, but those numbers aren’t seeing him make a serious push for a big-league job outside of a short-term injury replacement.

Wild Activate Zach Bogosian, Nico Sturm From IR

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The Wild announced they’ve activated defenseman Zach Bogosian and center Nico Sturm from injured reserve ahead of Friday’s game against the Penguins. They opened up one roster spot yesterday by placing Vladimir Tarasenko on IR and made the other by reassigning defenseman David Jiříček to AHL Iowa in today’s corresponding move.

Bogosian hasn’t played since sustaining a lower-body injury against the Capitals on Oct. 17. The 35-year-old righty is in his third season with the Wild after initially being acquired from the Lightning early in the 2023-24 season in exchange for a seventh-round pick. He’s been a stable bottom-pairing fixture since and played in all but one game for Minnesota last year, making this absence the longest one he’s had since shoulder surgery sidelined him for the first several weeks of the 2022-23 season while with Tampa Bay.

In five games this season before exiting the lineup, Bogosian looked the part of a reliable, veteran stay-at-home rearguard in limited minutes. Averaging 13:53 of ice time per game, he didn’t record a point but had a +3 rating while controlling 48.3% of shot attempts at 5-on-5, third among Minnesota defenders this season behind Jiříček and Jonas Brodin.

Bogosian is replacing Daemon Hunt in the Wild lineup, per Michael Russo of The Athletic, and it’s easy to see why. Minnesota reclaimed the 23-year-old off waivers from the Blue Jackets at the beginning of the year after sending him to Columbus last year in the trade that brought them Jiříček. He’s remained on the roster since and had gotten into a recent stretch of games with Bogosian out and Jiříček’s playing time being reduced, but he’s averaged only 11:53 per game and has been shelled despite receiving sheltered minutes. While Hunt has a +1 rating, the Wild have been outshot 46-24 and outchanced 43-28 with him on the ice at 5-on-5, the worst possession numbers this season from a Minnesota rearguard by a significant margin. Bogosian represents a sizeable upgrade in third-pairing duties with Zeev Buium as a result.

As for Sturm, he’s yet to play this season after sustaining a back injury at the beginning of training camp. Unlike Bogosian, he’s not a certainty to return to the lineup tonight. Russo said a Sunday season debut against the Jets is the more likely outcome.

Still, the 30-year-old is a big boost to a Wild bottom six that’s starved for offense. After starting his NHL career in Minnesota, Sturm returned to the Wild this summer after three-plus years away on a two-year, $4MM deal. A faceoff and defensive specialist first and foremost, he’s still put up respectable point totals, averaging 11 goals and 23 points per 82 games over his seven-year NHL career. Considering the entirety of Minnesota’s fourth line had been held without a goal this season, he’ll be a significant upgrade in a down-the-middle slot when he does get back into the lineup.

The Wild want Jiříček playing, so returning the 2022 No. 6 overall pick to the minors after scratching him in three straight games is no surprise. It’s the second time Jiříček has been assigned to Iowa this season after making the opening night roster, although his last demotion lasted for just two days. This year, the 6’4″ righty has been a passable third-pairing option but hasn’t shown anything more than that. He’s continued to have fits finding his offensive ceiling, going without a point and logging a -3 rating through 12 appearances.

Blue Jackets Recall Brendan Gaunce, Reassign Luca Del Bel Belluz

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The Blue Jackets announced that they’ve elevated forward Brendan Gaunce from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. Center Luca Del Bel Belluz is headed back down to Cleveland in the corresponding move.

Del Bel Belluz was initially brought up earlier in the month after an injury scare to Sean Monahan, although he didn’t end up missing any time. They still opted to give the 22-year-old pivot a crack at NHL minutes, something that became more feasible after captain Boone Jenner landed on injured reserve last week. Del Bel Belluz had gotten into seven of the last eight games, but rarely as more than a fourth-line center. He averaged only 9:35 of ice time, limited to one assist while winning just 10 of his 34 faceoffs for a 26.4 FOW%.

Given Del Bel Belluz’s skillset as an offensive needle-mover, that wasn’t the best choice for his long-term development, nor was he the best fit for the role the Jackets were asking him to play. The 2022 second-round pick more accurately flashed his ceiling during a 15-game call-up last year, when he rattled off two goals and six assists for eight points in nearly 14 minutes of ice time per game.

With Del Bel Belluz not getting that type of deployment this time around, they’ll opt to let him resume playing a starring role in Cleveland while recalling the vastly more experienced Gaunce to serve as a fourth-line stopgap. The 31-year-old was reacquired by the Blue Jackets via trade from the Wild over the offseason after previously spending three seasons in Columbus and Cleveland from 2021-22 through 2023-24. Gaunce brings a 13-16–29 scoring line with a -17 rating in 189 career NHL appearances to the role.

Sabres To Activate Jason Zucker From Injured Reserve

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The Sabres are expected to activate winger Jason Zucker from injured reserve before Friday’s matchup with the Blackhawks, according to the team’s website. Head coach Lindy Ruff said earlier in the week that they were targeting Friday as Zucker’s return date, and Buffalo placed Mason Geertsen on waivers yesterday to open a roster spot for his reinstatement.

Zucker has been out for three weeks with what turned out to be a particularly nasty viral illness. He went over a week without being able to eat solid food and lost considerable weight in the first several days of his absence, Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic reported earlier this month. He’s been on the mend for a while now, but needed additional time to build his conditioning back up to game shape.

With the Sabres missing a long list of other forwards, though, they wanted Zucker back in the lineup as soon as possible. As such, it wouldn’t be surprising to see his workload reduced in his first few games back before returning to the consistent top-nine duties he’s held throughout his time in Buffalo. Even with Zucker back in the picture, the Sabres still have four other forwards on injured reserve, a list that includes two-thirds of their top line in Zach Benson and Joshua Norris.

Zucker arrived in Buffalo in the 2024 offseason on a one-year, $5MM contract and signed a two-year, $9.5MM extension at last season’s trade deadline to extend his stay in western New York through the 2026-27 campaign. The 33-year-old has been a highly serviceable middle-six piece under Ruff and even had one of the best years of his career in a Sabres uniform last year. While a few minor injuries limited him to 73 appearances, he cracked the 50-point plateau for the second time in his 15-year run in the NHL and finished with a 21-32–53 scoring line while averaging 16 minutes per night.

The Sabres’ never-ending parade of injuries to their forward group this season has meant a lack of consistent linemates for Zucker. He still churned out four goals and seven points through 12 games before contracting the illness and landing on IR, and his 0.58 points per game are good for seventh on the team.

His return will add some juice to a Sabres offense that’s generated 2.63 goals per game in his absence, 22nd in the league since he exited the lineup after Nov. 1. Perhaps the most interesting storyline regarding his return is how much his presence affects Isak Rosen’s deployment. The 2021 first-rounder has finally pushed for an extended audition in a top-nine role and has answered the bell with three goals and six points in nine games since being elevated from AHL Rochester on Halloween. His second-line job with Ryan McLeod and Jack Quinn should be safe for now with Zucker presumably being eased back into the lineup, but long-term, it’s something to monitor.

Blues Reassign Hunter Skinner

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The Blues announced Friday that they’ve reassigned defenseman Hunter Skinner to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds. No corresponding move was announced, leaving them with an open roster spot.

Skinner, 24, replaced the struggling Logan Mailloux on the roster earlier this month after clearing waivers to begin the campaign. A fourth-round pick of the Rangers in 2019, he was acquired as part of the 2023 trade that sent Niko Mikkola and Vladimir Tarasenko to New York. His summons from Springfield on Nov. 9 marked his first-ever stint on an NHL roster.

The 6’3″, 195-lb righty didn’t get much of a chance in the lineup, though. Without Mailloux in the picture, the Blues have rolled with a third pairing of Matthew Kessel and Tyler Tucker for most of the month. That left Skinner relegated to the press box aside from a 6-5 shootout loss to the Flyers on Nov. 14 that served as his NHL debut. The Michigan native recorded a +1 rating, one shot attempt, one block, and four hits in 10:45 of ice time. The Blues were outshot 5-4 and outchanced 4-3 in Skinner’s 5-on-5 minutes, per Natural Stat Trick.

While the Blues’ top six defenders have been healthy all season long, it’s still peculiar to see them shed a healthy extra from the roster in the middle of a lengthy road trip. That road trip, though, is currently in New York and isn’t far away at all from the Thunderbirds’ Massachusetts base. The T-Birds have a light schedule – they’re in action at home tonight and don’t play again until next weekend – so the demotion could just be for Skinner to get his game legs fresh tonight before he or someone else rejoins St. Louis’ roster tomorrow as injury insurance.

Now in his sixth professional season, Skinner has a goal and an assist with a -6 rating in 11 appearances for Springfield this year. He’s coming off a career year across the board in 2024-25, when he recorded an 8-15–23 scoring line and a +2 rating in 71 games.

Connor Hellebuyck To Undergo Arthroscopic Knee Procedure, Out 4-6 Weeks

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Jets superstar goaltender Connor Hellebuyck will undergo a minor arthroscopic knee procedure that will keep him out of the lineup for four to six weeks, Darren Dreger of TSN reports. Winnipeg announced they’ve recalled Thomas Milic from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose in a corresponding move. The Jets have an open roster spot and do not need to move Hellebuyck to injured reserve to accommodate Milic’s addition.

It’s an unanticipated bit of news for Hellebuyck, who’s evidently been playing through or aggravating a knee issue through the first several weeks of the season. While he didn’t start the Jets’ last game on Tuesday against the Blue Jackets, he’s shouldered his normal heavy workload this year by starting 14 of Winnipeg’s 19 games. That put him squarely on pace for his fifth consecutive season with 60 or more starts, but he’ll fall short of that mark now.

Hellebuyck being unavailable is extremely rare. The 32-year-old has only missed six games combined since the beginning of the 2021-22 season, all due to illness or personal reasons. In his 11-year NHL career, he’s only missed one game due to injury, which occurred for undisclosed reasons in May 2021.

The back-to-back Vezina Trophy winner has been on something of a cold streak, which could explain the timing to shut him down – combined with a light schedule interrupted by the holiday break that will still get him back in the lineup in time for the Olympics, where he remains the United States’ projected No. 1 option. Hellebuyck peaked with a year-to-date SV% of .932 following his sixth start of the year back on Oct. 23. Since then, he’s produced a more pedestrian .899 SV% and 4-4-0 record in his last eight appearances.

Entering this season, Hellebuyck had posted a SV% of .920 or better in three straight campaigns. Through his 14 appearances in 2025-26, he’s down to a more conservative .913 mark. A deeper look shows that’s more attributable to the team in front of him than his individual play. According to MoneyPuck, Hellebuyck has still saved 12.5 goals above expected, ranking third in the league. That’s done heavy lifting to cover up a Winnipeg defense that’s arguably been a bottom-10 group in the league so far. They’re allowing 28.9 shots per game, 22nd in the league, and their 3.56 expected goals against per 60 in all situations is sixth-worst. That’s a catastrophic drop from last season, when the Jets’ 2.78 xGA/60 ranked third-best in the NHL.

With Hellebuyck still performing at an elite level, the Jets have a 12-7-0 record and are on pace for 104 points, after finishing with 110-plus points each of the last two seasons. They’ll need to do some major defensive clean-up – and quickly – to help them stay above water as they navigate a stretch of 7 of 11 games against teams that made the playoffs last year.

A four-week timeline as a best-case scenario puts Hellebuyck back in the lineup no sooner than Dec. 19 against the Avalanche. That results in a minimum absence of 14 games, but could stretch to 20 if he misses a full six weeks. With Hellebuyck’s earned reputation as arguably the league’s most durable netminder, Winnipeg understandably hasn’t invested much in its goaltending depth. If he’s out for a quarter of the calendar, that could pose a serious issue as the jockey for playoff positioning in a tough Central Division.

Eric Comrie, who’s coming off a career-high of just 20 starts in 2024-25, is now Winnipeg’s No. 1 option until Hellebuyck returns. He was a perfectly passable backup option last year, recording a .914 SV% and 2.5 goals saved above expected with a 9-10-1 record after a pair of difficult seasons in similar deployment with the Sabres. This season, he’s been similarly effective in spot starts with a 4-1-0 record, .908 SV%, 2.60 GAA, and 3.8 GSAx. He’s never been tested in an extended stretch of starts, though, and has been below-average over his 82-game career sample with a .899 SV%, 3.08 GAA, and 37-37-4 record.

If he falters, the Jets don’t have another option in the organization with NHL experience. Acquiring a veteran third-string option, even if there’s a risk of losing him on waivers when Hellebuyck returns, is a prudent move that general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will no doubt pursue.

In the meantime, Milic steps up from the minors to get his first taste of an NHL bench. The 22-year-old is in his third season of professional hockey after the Jets selected him in the fifth round of the 2023 draft. The former Western Hockey League goalie of the year and World Juniors gold medalist had yet to gain a foothold on a full-time AHL job, splitting each of his first two years between the Moose and the ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals.

Early this year, though, Milic hasn’t just locked down an AHL job; he’s won the wide-open competition to serve as the organizational No. 3 behind Comrie. He’s been given nine starts in Manitoba to fellow youngster Domenic DiVincentiis’ seven and has been the far superior option, logging a .921 SV% and 2.14 GAA with a 5-2-2 record and one shutout. His limited track record makes him a risky choice for extended deployment, especially considering he had a .877 SV% in 21 AHL games just last year. Nonetheless, he’s flashed enough promise through the first few weeks of 2025-26 to earn the initial recall.

Suppose the Jets roll with Comrie and Milic for the time being and limit the latter’s usage to relieving Comrie in back-to-back situations. In that case, his NHL debut won’t come for another week until the Jets play Carolina next Friday before traveling to Nashville on Saturday.

Image courtesy of Sergei Belski-Imagn Images.

Maple Leafs Activate Scott Laughton, Place Nicolas Roy On IR

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The Maple Leafs have activated Scott Laughton from injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Blue Jackets, David Alter of The Hockey News reports. The team placed center Nicolas Roy on IR in a corresponding move to open up a roster spot.

Laughton, 31, returns from his second injury absence of the season. He hasn’t played since Nov. 8, when he sustained an upper-body injury against the Bruins in just his second game back in the lineup after a lower-body injury he suffered during the preseason had him out of the lineup for nearly a month to begin the campaign. In 17:10 of total ice time against Boston and Utah three days prior, Laughton recorded a -2 rating, two shot attempts, and seven hits while going 9-for-14 on faceoffs (64.3%).

As Toronto contends with a long list of injuries, it’ll be looking to a 13-year veteran in Laughton to help stabilize its bottom-six forward group. According to TSN’s Mark Masters, Laughton will center the Leafs’ third line in his return between Steven Lorentz and rookie Easton Cowan. That trio was paired together throughout the preseason, and until Laughton sustained his injury late in camp, most thought it would start the year as Toronto’s fourth line. They’ll be getting their first look during the regular season tonight after Max Domi took Cowan’s spot on the right wing during his previous brief stint in the lineup, as Cowan was assigned to AHL Toronto to make room for Laughton rejoining the active roster last time around.

Laughton, a Toronto-area native, is in his first full season in the blue and white after being picked up at last season’s trade deadline from the Flyers, who’d drafted him No. 20 overall back in 2012. While brought in primarily as a two-way conscience for the bottom six, Laughton had routinely been a 30-to-40-point producer over the last several years in Philadelphia. That hasn’t been the case in Toronto, where the 6’1″ pivot has just two goals and four assists for six points in 35 combined regular-season and playoff games since his acquisition. With Roy, Matthew Knies, and Auston Matthews all unavailable, they need more offense out of him to help revitalize an offense that’s been limited to three goals or fewer in four straight.

Roy’s IR placement is retroactive to his last appearance on Nov. 15, so he’s only been ruled out of tonight’s game and will be eligible to return Saturday against the Canadiens. The 6’4″ center sat out Tuesday’s win over the Blues with an upper-body injury after logging a season-high 19:45 of ice time against Chicago three days prior. Acquired from the Golden Knights in the Mitch Marner sign-and-trade over the summer, Roy has struggled to produce in a third-line role and has just one goal and four points through his first 19 appearances as a Leaf.

Wild Place Vladimir Tarasenko On Injured Reserve

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The Wild announced Thursday that they’ve placed forward Vladimir Tarasenko on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury. They didn’t announce a corresponding move, leaving a roster spot open for a potential Zach Bogosian or Nico Sturm IR activation in the coming days.

Tarasenko has already missed three games. The team said his IR placement is retroactive to Nov. 14, not his last appearance on Nov. 11, indicating he sustained it during practice or off-ice. Still, the placement doesn’t technically rule him out for any time as he’s eligible for activation before Friday’s game against the Penguins. Taking him out of the mix now to open up a roster spot indicates he’ll miss more time than that, though.

It’s another pressing injury for a Minnesota top-nine forward group already missing Marco Rossi and Ryan Hartman, both of whom are on IR but have longer return timelines than Bogosian and Sturm. Picked up from the Red Wings for future considerations last summer after a highly disappointing 2024-25 campaign in Detroit, Tarasenko has been a decent fill-in for the Wild with 10 points in 18 games, but he only has a pair of goals. Most of his time has come in second-line duties with Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek, although Mats Zuccarello’s return from injury bumped him down to a third-line role. He’s averaged 15:18 of ice time per game, a roughly 30-second bump over his usage with the Wings, but hasn’t provided much of any value outside of his point production. The former Blues star has controlled just 44.2% of shot attempts at even strength and has a -6 rating.

His absence is yet another stressor on a Wild forward group that’s struggling with the domino effect of injuries. Four of the six players currently comprising their third and fourth lines haven’t scored a goal this season. The bright side has been the play of rookie Danila Yurov, who’s been elevated to center duties between Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov with Rossi out and has three assists in two games while doing so.

Still, adding a forward was a priority for Minnesota from the start and it must only be intensifying now, even if it’s just a waiver claim or depth piece who can contribute more offense in a fourth-line role than their underwhelming internal options.

Avalanche Recall Tristen Nielsen

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The Avalanche have recalled forward Tristen Nielsen from AHL Colorado, according to a team announcement. The team had two open roster spots, so no corresponding move is necessary.

It’s Nielsen’s second recall of his NHL career. The first one came earlier this month, after the Avs, who had initially signed Nielsen only to an AHL contract in August, tore up that deal and converted it into a two-year, two-way contract to make him eligible for a recall. He made his NHL debut on Nov. 4, recording four hits in 5:25 of ice time in a win over the Lightning, before being promptly returned to the minors.

Nielsen, 25, had spent his first four professional seasons in the Canucks organization, all with AHL Abbotsford. He was Vancouver’s property after signing an entry-level deal with them in 2023, but the Canucks non-tendered him back in June. So far, he’s been found money for the Avs’ affiliate. He’s second on the Colorado Eagles in scoring with 14 points (nine goals, five assists) in 16 games and has operated at a point-per-game pace since being returned to them earlier this month.

The British Columbia native will now presumably get another crack at the Avs’ fourth line Thursday against the Rangers, unless they opt to dress seven defensemen. With Valeri Nichushkin sidelined week-to-week, they’ve been elevating names from the minors like Nielsen, Daniil Gushchin, and Taylor Makar on an as-needed basis to slot into the lineup.

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