Jets Reassign Fabian Wagner To AHL
The Jets assigned forward prospect Fabian Wagner to AHL Manitoba on Sunday, per a team announcement. The 20-year-old began the season on loan to Linköping HC of the Swedish Hockey League, but the team said Saturday that they would be mutually terminating their agreement with Wagner.
Linköping sporting director Peter Jakobsson said Wagner wanted to come to North America, and it’s easy to see why. The 2022 sixth-round pick has averaged just 6:23 per game through 16 appearances in 2024-25 and has a -5 rating without recording a point.
The Jets selected Wagner out of the Linköping organization two years ago after he posted 38 points and a +20 rating in 43 appearances for their U-20 club. He’s played primarily for the professional squad since in top-level SHL action but has been used sparingly, totaling just one goal and five assists in 87 games in light usage, almost always dressing as the club’s 13th forward.
Wagner, a 6’0″ forward who can play both center and wing, has suited up for Sweden at the past two World Junior Championships, where he has two goals and four assists for six points in 14 games. All of those points came in seven games at the 2023 tournament – he went pointless at the 2024 edition.
It’s not quite a last-ditch effort to get Wagner’s development back on track – he is still just 20 years old, after all. However, his inability to climb up Linköping’s depth chart over the past few years is concerning, and as a result, few scouting services rank him within Winnipeg’s top 15 or 20 prospects.
The Jets signed Wagner to his entry-level contract back in June 2023. It slid last year since he spent the whole campaign overseas, but it will go into effect for 2024-25, regardless of whether he sees NHL action. He’ll be a restricted free agent in 2027.
Avalanche Re-Assign Trent Miner, Alexandar Georgiev Out Day-To-Day
11/16: Miner played 34 minutes of Colorado’s loss to the Washington Capitals last night and has been reassigned to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles per a team announcement. The Avalanche don’t have another game until Monday so Miner could return to the NHL level then.
11/15: The Avalanche announced Friday that they’ve recalled goalie Trent Miner from AHL Colorado. He’ll serve as the backup to Justus Annunen tonight against the Capitals. Alexandar Georgiev has been ruled out with an upper-body injury and is day-to-day. The team also confirmed that forward Chris Wagner had been assigned to the AHL after clearing waivers, opening up the roster spot for Miner’s recall.
Miner, 23, will dress for an NHL game for the first time more than five years after the Avalanche selected him in the seventh round of the 2019 draft. The 6’1″ netminder has spent the last three seasons splitting time between the AHL and ECHL Utah, although he got upgraded to a full-time AHL role for 2024-25.
Miner is coming off somewhat of a breakout 2023-24 campaign. He cemented his spot on this year’s AHL roster during an 18-game call-up from the ECHL last season, during which he shut the door with a 2.10 GAA, .930 SV%, one shutout, and a 9-6-1 record. He was set to become a restricted free agent last summer, but the Avs inked him to a two-way extension in May.
So far this season, Miner has split AHL duties with offseason trade acquisition Kevin Mandolese. He’s been outplayed by the new guy but has still put up decent numbers, logging a 2.34 GAA, .905 SV%, and a 3-2-1 record in six games.
Meanwhile, the injury is unfortunate timing for Georgiev. The 28-year-old had been getting his feet under him after a disastrous start to the season and had started four games in a row, posting a strong .913 SV% over that stretch. He played all 60 minutes in Colorado’s last game against the Kings on Wednesday, so it’s unclear when he sustained the injury.
With a .863 SV% and -8.8 GSAA, Georgiev has still been quite underwhelming on the whole this season. The Bulgaria-born netminder didn’t receive a single Vezina Trophy last year despite leading the league with 38 wins due to his subpar .897 SV% and career-worst -11.9 GSAA.
Flames Re-Assign Adam Klapka
Saturday: Klapka has been reassigned to the minors, the Flames announced. While he was on the roster for three games, he didn’t suit up in any of them.
Monday: The Flames announced Monday that they’ve recalled forward Adam Klapka from AHL Calgary. He fills the roster spot vacated by Dryden Hunt, whose reassignment to the minors evaded our coverage over the weekend.
Klapka, 24, made the Flames’ opening night roster but was sent to the AHL on Oct. 30 to make room for Samuel Honzek, who was coming off injured reserve at the time. Honzek has since been sent to the minors, as the Flames have done quite a lot of roster shuffling regarding their young players over the past couple of weeks.
During that three-week window, Klapka was rostered for nine games, playing in five of them. The 6’7″, 238-lb center/winger failed to record a point but had a +1 rating, five blocks and 18 hits while averaging 8:27 per game. It was the Prague native’s second NHL trial after appearing in six games for the Flames last season, scoring his first NHL goal in the process.
The Flames acquired the towering forward when they signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Czechia’s Bílí Tygři Liberec early in the 2022 offseason. He’s scored 37 goals, 39 assists and 76 points in 130 AHL games since, including five points through five games this season since being demoted late last month. He was a restricted free agent for over a month last summer before agreeing to a two-way deal ($775K/$100K) to bring him back to Calgary in mid-August.
Despite the recall, Klapka is expected to watch tonight’s game against the Kings from the press box, according to Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960. Ryan Lomberg, Kevin Rooney and Justin Kirkland will continue to comprise the Flames’ fourth line.
Hunt was returned to the minors on Saturday night following the team’s shootout loss to the Sabres. He did not play during his brief two-day recall. Now in his third season with the Flames organization, the 28-year-old has two goals and eight assists for 10 points in 12 AHL games this year.
Rangers Recall Jake Leschyshyn
The Rangers announced Saturday that they’ve recalled center Jake Leschyshyn from AHL Hartford. Since there was an open spot on the active roster, no corresponding transaction is necessary.
Leschyshyn, 25, comes up from the AHL for the second time this season to serve as an extra body while the Blueshirts embark on a four-game Western Conference road trip. They had 13 forwards on the active roster, but center Filip Chytil appears unlikely to travel with the club after sustaining an upper-body injury in a collision with teammate K’Andre Miller in Thursday’s loss to the Jets.
In all likelihood, Leschyshyn won’t need to clear waivers when his recall is over. He did so back in September and has only been on the active roster for two days since without drawing into a game, so he’s still got nearly an entire month left on his temporary exemption.
Leschyshyn has only appeared in 14 NHL games for the Rangers since being claimed off waivers from the Golden Knights in January 2023, going pointless with a -4 rating while averaging just 8:13 per game. The Vegas 2017 second-round pick has also been steadily declining offensively in the AHL. He has just one goal and three assists in 13 games for Hartford this season after recording 15 points in 18 games there just two seasons ago.
Maple Leafs Reassign Philippe Myers On Conditioning Loan
The Maple Leafs announced Saturday that they’ve assigned defenseman Philippe Myers to AHL Toronto on a conditioning loan.
Myers, 27, will remain on Toronto’s active roster and count against the salary cap while getting his first minor-league action of the season. He can remain on the AHL assignment for up to two weeks before he must be reinstated or placed on waivers.
The 6’5″ Myers was a surprise inclusion on the Leafs’ opening night roster after spending most of the past two seasons in the minors. He signed a one-year, one-way deal for $775K in free agency last summer after spending two campaigns in the Lightning organization, totaling 52 points in 113 games for their AHL affiliate in Syracuse but making just 16 NHL appearances in fringe action.
Unfortunately for the New Brunswick native, the roster spot hasn’t led to playing time. He’s been a healthy scratch for all but one of the Maple Leafs’ 18 games this season, logging a -1 rating and one hit in his sole appearance against the Bruins on Oct. 26 while skating 12:11.
The conditioning loan will allow Myers some AHL time without clearing waivers, but it’s still hard to imagine him avoiding the wire for much longer. Toronto will need to clear two roster spots when Auston Matthews or Max Pacioretty is ready to come off injured reserve, which will likely be achieved by waiving him and reassigning forward Alex Steeves after the latter’s recent call-up.
Interestingly, it won’t be Myers’ first time suiting up for the Marlies despite him not being affiliated with the Maple Leafs organization before this season. He had seven points in 16 games for them in 2021-22 while on loan from the Predators.
The right-shot defenseman has played 159 NHL games with Philadelphia, Nashville, Tampa Bay and Toronto, recording eight goals and 28 assists for 36 points. He’s only avoided an AHL assignment in a season once in his career, appearing in 44 of 56 games for the Flyers during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.
Bruins Recall Georgii Merkulov, Riley Tufte
The Bruins recalled forwards Georgii Merkulov and Riley Tufte from AHL Providence on Saturday, Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reports. Boston sent center Patrick Brown back to Providence and placed defenseman Hampus Lindholm on injured reserve to open up the necessary spots on the active roster.
It’s the first recall of the season for the 24-year-old Merkulov. The Russian forward made his NHL debut last season, receiving a four-game call-up around New Year’s. He posted a +1 rating, three shots on goal and averaged 10:35 per game. The undrafted free agent signing out of Ohio State struggled in the faceoff dot, only winning six of his 28 draws (21.4 FO%), and recorded four blocks and two hits.
While he may not have drawn much attention from his first NHL showing, the 5’11” Merkulov has been a spectacular diamond in the rough signing for the Bruins’ front office, if for no other reason than his minor-league play. Merkulov was named to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team in 2022-23 and represented the Atlantic Division at last season’s All-Star Game, producing 136 points in 154 total appearances for the P-Bruins.
Eleven of those points (2 G, 9 A) have come in 12 games this season, tying with Vinni Lettieri for the team lead in scoring. The Bruins hope that’s a sign that Merkulov can provide more of a scoring punch than he did last time, helping jumpstart their 28th-ranked offense (2.50 GF/GP).
Merkulov is in the final season of his entry-level contract and will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer. He will remain waiver-exempt for the rest of 2024-25 but must clear them to return to Providence at the beginning of next season if he doesn’t make the opening night roster.
Meanwhile, it’s the second recall of the young campaign for the more veteran Tufte. The towering 6’6″, 230-lb left-winger made the Bruins’ opening night roster after signing a one-way, league minimum deal in free agency but played in just two of their first eight games before landing on waivers, clearing and heading to Providence.
Tufte, 26, had a -1 rating, no shots and three hits in his pair of appearances for Boston in October, averaging just 8:08 per game. The 2016 first-round pick of the Stars has three goals and an assist in six games for Providence since being sent down. He scored a career-high 23 goals and 45 points in 67 games for the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate last season while under contract with Colorado, earning his first minor-league All-Star Game nod.
It’s unclear whether either Merkulov or Tufte will draw in for this afternoon’s game against the Blues. None of the 14 forwards on the active roster carry an injury designation. However, recent UFA pickup Tyler Johnson sat in the press box for Thursday’s game against the Stars and could sit again while Merkulov or Tufte enters the lineup.
Brown’s first recall of the season ends after two days on the roster. He drew in against Dallas for Johnson, posting a -1 rating with two shots on goal while centering the fourth line between John Beecher and Mark Kastelic, skating 12:42 and going 2-for-4 on draws.
The defensively sound right-shot center had seven points in 12 games for Providence before the call-up. After clearing waivers last month, Brown can remain on the NHL roster for up to 28 days throughout subsequent call-ups or play nine NHL games before he needs them again to return to the minors.
An IR placement does not affect Lindholm’s timeline for a return. Today’s transaction was purely for roster management purposes. He’s still week-to-week with a lower-body injury and will likely remain out of action through the rest of November.
Ducks’ Robby Fabbri Undergoes Meniscus Surgery, Out Six Weeks
Ducks winger Robby Fabbri underwent surgery on Friday morning to repair a torn meniscus and will be out for around six weeks, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports.
It’s another entry on a long list of injuries for the 28-year-old throughout his nine-year NHL career. He sustained the tear on Sunday against the Blue Jackets and missed Wednesday’s game against the Golden Knights after landing on injured reserve earlier in the day.
Anaheim acquired Fabbri, who’s in the final season of a three-year, $12MM contract, from the Red Wings on July 4 along with a 2025 fourth-round pick in exchange for goalie prospect Gage Alexander. He has just two goals in 14 games with the Ducks while averaging 16:33 per game, skating primarily on a line with Mason McTavish and Trevor Zegras that’s been one of the worst in the league defensively at even strength. They’re allowing 5.06 expected goals against per 60 minutes, per MoneyPuck, the worst among any forward line with at least 50 minutes together this season.
Fabbri recorded 18 goals and 32 points in 68 games last season for Detroit. It was the most games he’d played in a season since his rookie campaign back in 2015-16. He went nearly two years between games at one point during the first few years of his career with the Blues due to a torn ACL in his left knee, followed by a groin injury. He sustained a second ACL injury in 2022 that also took significant bites out of his 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns with the Red Wings.
A first-round pick by St. Louis in 2014, Fabbri should return around Christmas given a six-week timeline. That puts him out for roughly 20 games, including the contest he already missed earlier this week against Vegas.
Avalanche To Reassign Chris Wagner
Nov. 15: Wagner has cleared waivers and will be assigned to the AHL, according to Friedman. Ivan and Kovalenko were also recalled earlier today as expected.
Nov. 14: The Avalanche placed forward Chris Wagner on waivers Thursday for the purpose of assignment to AHL Colorado, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. The club also papered forwards Ivan Ivan and Nikolai Kovalenko down to the minors, but they’re expected back tomorrow.
Wagner, 33, cleared waivers already at the beginning of the season but has made 12 appearances for the Avs, so he needs to clear them again to return to the minors. The veteran has played in Colorado’s last 10 games but is projected to be a healthy scratch tomorrow against the Capitals with Jonathan Drouin, Valeri Nichushkin and Miles Wood all returning to the lineup.
Now in the second season of his second stint with the Avalanche organization, Wagner has one goal and a -5 rating in 12 showings with the club this season. The 2010 fifth-round pick of the Ducks also made one appearance for AHL Colorado earlier in the year after clearing waivers.
After spending a brief chunk of the 2015-16 campaign with the Avalanche between a waiver placement and waiver claim by the Ducks, Wagner returned to Denver in 2023 when he signed a two-way deal in free agency. Wagner totaled 14 points in 21 AHL games last season and also had a goal and an assist in 13 appearances for the Avs down the stretch, his most games played in a season since appearing in 41 with the Bruins in 2020-21. He signed a two-way extension back in April to keep him off last summer’s unrestricted free agent market, now set to be a UFA in 2025.
With a league minimum cap hit on an expiring deal, there is a fair amount of risk of Wagner being claimed if a team decides they’re in need of short-term help among their depth forwards. The Predators are currently last in the league by points percentage and thus have first dibs, with the Canadiens, Sharks, Ducks, Blue Jackets, and Blackhawks next in line.
Kings Recall Erik Portillo, Jacob Moverare
The Kings announced that they’ve recalled goaltender Erik Portillo and defenseman Jacob Moverare from AHL Ontario, with the former coming under emergency conditions. Defender Caleb Jones and Darcy Kuemper were placed on injured reserve in corresponding transactions to open roster space.
It’s the first NHL recall for the 24-year-old Portillo. Selected in the third round of the Sabres in the 2019 draft, the Sweden native was a star at the University of Michigan, where he compiled a .918 SV% in 87 games from the 2020-21 to 2022-23 seasons and won two Big 10 conference championships.
With Buffalo already having Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the goaltending pipeline, though, there wasn’t a real spot for Portillo in the Sabres organization when he was ready to turn pro. Near the end of his final season at Michigan, Buffalo dealt him to the Kings for a 2023 third-rounder that became defenseman Gavin McCarthy.
After Portillo’s season ended in late April 2023, he signed his entry-level contract with Los Angeles and reported to Ontario. That’s where he’s played all 44 games of his professional career, compiling a 2.56 GAA, .915 SV%, two shutouts, and a 27-13-3 record over the past two seasons. He also posted a 2.16 GAA, .916 SV%, one shutout, and a 5-3-0 record in eight Calder Cup Playoff games for Ontario earlier this year.
The Kings could also have opted to give veteran Pheonix Copley a summons while Kuemper is on the shelf. They’ve already done so this year, recalling him for a week in October while Kuemper was dealing with a lower-body injury. However, he surrendered two goals on 12 shots in his lone appearance, relieving David Rittich in a 6-2 loss to the Maple Leafs back on Oct. 16. As such, they’ll give the younger Portillo a chance at some action as Rittich’s backup for the time being.
Moverare, 26, is in the first season of a two-year, one-way extension worth $1.55MM, which he signed back in March. The 2016 fourth-round pick lost a training camp battle for a roster spot to Jones, who inked a two-way deal in free agency over the summer. He cleared waivers at the beginning of October and headed to Ontario, where he has two assists and a team-leading +8 rating in 11 games.
In 45 NHL games over the past three seasons, the 6’3″ Moverare has shown he’s capable of being a no-fuss option in third-pairing minutes. He only has a goal and two assists to his name and has seen limited minutes, averaging 13:08 per game, but has a +2 rating and has controlled 51.5% of shot attempts when deployed at even strength.
As for Jones and Kuemper, it’s unclear when exactly they’ll be back in the lineup. They were both left Los Angeles’ last game, a 4-2 loss to the Avalanche on Wednesday, with injuries. The IR stint means they’ll miss at least seven days, meaning they won’t play Saturday against the Red Wings but are eligible to return on Wednesday next week against the Sabres.
Jones, 27, has spent most of this season in the press box. His appearance against Colorado was his first since Oct. 29 against the Sharks and ended a streak of seven straight healthy scratches. He’s averaged 12:49 per game when in the lineup and has a -2 rating through five games with four blocks and nine hits. He’s crushed his limited minutes against easy competition, though, posting a career-best 65.3% shot-attempt share at even strength.
For the 34-year-old Kuemper, it’s the second time he’s hit the shelf this season. That’s to be expected given his lengthy injury history, but the Saskatchewan native has been decent when healthy in his second stint with the Kings. Acquired from the Capitals for Pierre-Luc Dubois over the summer, the 2022 Stanley Cup champion has a 4-2-3 record, .899 SV%, 2.65 GAA, one shutout, and a -0.3 GSAA in 10 starts.
Golden Knights Sign Brayden McNabb To Three-Year Extension
12:36 p.m.: McNabb’s extension will be in the three-year, $9MM range, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. The team later confirmed a three-year term with a $3.65MM AAV, meaning it’s worth $10.95MM in total.
9:38 a.m.: The Golden Knights are closing in on a multi-year extension to keep defenseman Brayden McNabb off next year’s unrestricted free agent market, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports.
It’s the second time in as many months that Vegas will announce a fresh contract for a member of the franchise’s inaugural blue line back in the 2017-18 season. Shea Theodore inked a seven-year, $51.975MM deal just over three weeks ago.
McNabb’s extension won’t be nearly as rich or as long, but it’s still an important bit of business for a franchise looking to extend what’s been a nonstop championship contention window since they entered the league. His 518 games played for the Knights are a franchise record, passing Jonathan Marchessault earlier this month. His +104 rating is second in franchise history to William Karlsson and his 300 PIMs are the most, as are his 1,256 hits and 1,144 blocks.
McNabb and Theodore have been regular defense partners since the Knights traded away Nate Schmidt and signed Alex Pietrangelo in the 2020 offseason. The 33-year-old left-shot defender has averaged 19:42 per game since arriving in Sin City in 2017, compiling 22 goals and 89 assists for 111 points.
The 6’4″, 215-lb defender has continued to serve in a top-four capacity this season, especially with Nicolas Hague spending about half the season on the shelf with lower-body and undisclosed injuries. Through 16 games, he has two points and leads the club with a +11 rating despite a pedestrian 46.2% share of shot attempts at even strength. Per usual, his 36 blocked shots lead the team while his 28 hits lead Vegas defensemen.
This will be the third contract McNabb, represented by O2K Management’s Dean Grillo, signs with the Knights. He signed a four-year, $10MM extension early on in Vegas’ inaugural season after being plucked from the Kings in the expansion draft before inking a three-year, $8.55MM deal a few months before his previous extension was set to expire in 2022.
His previous deals with the Golden Knights have carried cap hits of $2.5MM and $2.85MM, respectively. It’s hard to imagine his new deal differing much from that figure, especially as he enters the twilight of his 13-year, 756-game NHL career.
It’s fair to wonder what McNabb’s extension means for Hague’s future in Nevada. The 25-year-old, who was a second-round pick in Vegas’ inaugural 2017 draft class, is a restricted free agent next summer with arbitration rights and is due a $2.7MM qualifying offer. That’s reasonable for his services, but with McNabb in tow, the Golden Knights now already have seven defensemen signed to one-way contracts for 2025-26, including depth options Ben Hutton and Kaedan Korczak. Hague is the only defenseman on the active roster without a contract past this season.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.