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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.

Lightning Place Victor Hedman On IR, Activate Nick Paul From LTIR

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The Lightning have shifted star defenseman Victor Hedman to injured reserve with the undisclosed injury that’s already kept him out for nearly two weeks, according to Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider. His roster spot is going to forward Nick Paul, who’s been activated from long-term injured reserve and will make his season debut Thursday against the Oilers. Hedman is eligible to be activated at any time but will remain sidelined for “probably a couple [of] more weeks,” head coach Jon Cooper told the beat this morning (including the team’s Benjamin Pierce).

Losing a No. 1 defenseman for any stretch of time is always worrisome, but an extended return timeline for Hedman is especially disappointing because of the Bolts’ other injury woes in their top four. Ryan McDonagh remains on IR with an undisclosed injury, while Erik Černák sat out Tuesday’s game against the Devils with a lower-body injury, although he’s expected back tonight. With all those absences, Emil Martinsen Lilleberg is the only Lightning rearguard to play in all 19 games this season.

Hedman’s current absence is also tracking to be one of the longest ones in his incredibly durable career. If he’s out for another two weeks from today, that would bring him to 12 games missed. He hasn’t missed that much time since various injuries limited him to 70 out of 82 appearances in the 2018-19 campaign. Before the injury, Hedman had been left without a goal through 15 games but had still racked up 12 assists, a figure that still leads Tampa’s blue line in scoring. He’s continued his dominance on the possession front, controlling 53.8% of shot attempts at even strength, and his pairing with J.J. Moser has outscored opponents 7-5 at 5-on-5.

His absence his perhaps most felt on Tampa’s power play, where he had half of his point production. They’re already at an underwhelming 17.7% on the year and have gone 2-for-12 in the four games Hedman’s been out. Darren Raddysh is now quarterbacking the top unit in Hedman’s place, but he’s got just two assists with the man advantage in 13 games.

While the Bolts’ defense group remains in disarray, they’ll trade that for having a fully healthy top-nine forward group for the first time this season. Only depth piece Pontus Holmberg remains on the injured list. Paul missed the first six weeks of the year and comes back a couple of weeks behind schedule after undergoing an upper-body procedure extremely late in the offseason. The versatile 6’4″ forward will make his season debut on the wing on a line with Jake Guentzel and Brayden Point, per Pierce. That unit has been downgraded to Tampa’s de facto second line because of Point’s sluggish start to the year, with only three goals and 11 points through 19 games and a -9 rating.

Blues Activate Jake Neighbours, To Place Alexandre Texier On Waivers

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The Blues announced that they’ve activated left-winger Jake Neighbours from injured reserve. Forward Alexandre Texier was moved to the non-roster list to open up an active roster spot. He will be placed on waivers for assignment to AHL Springfield, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported earlier Thursday that Texier was considering asking for a contract termination. If he clears waivers and fails to report to Springfield, that would give the Blues cause to trigger termination proceedings and place him on unconditional waivers.

Neighbours will return to the lineup tonight in Philadelphia significantly ahead of schedule. The 2020 first-rounder hasn’t played since sustaining a right leg injury against the Red Wings on Oct. 25 following a two-goal effort, and the Blues initially prognosticated he’d miss at least five weeks. That would have punted his return to the first week of December, but instead, he’s back healthy before Thanksgiving.

Before the injury, Neighbours was on a tear. The 23-year-old had rattled off six goals and an assist through eight games – all at even strength – while finishing at a 50% clip. Even with the missed time, that hot streak should have him well on his way to record his third consecutive 20-goal season. Neighbours had been stapled to Robert Thomas’ left wing to start the year. It’s hard to imagine the Blues removing him from that post, considering his early-season success, indicating Dylan Holloway will be shifted back to a middle-six role after seeing some time alongside Thomas.

Getting him back is a massive boon for a team that’s had nightmarish offensive output as they reach the first-quarter point of their schedule. Neighbours’ six goals are still tied with Jordan Kyrou for the team lead, and their 2.75 goals per game rank 26th in the league. Since Neighbours left the lineup, that figure drops to 29th place at 2.58 per game.

As for Texier, this is presumably the beginning of the end of his time in St. Louis. Beginning at 1:00 p.m. CT, the league’s other 31 teams will have the chance to pick up the remainder of Texier’s expiring deal at a $2.1MM cap hit if they so choose. If he clears and doesn’t report to Springfield, he’ll then land on unconditional waivers and become a free agent after another 24-hour waiting period, after which he can sign a prorated deal for cheaper with another team for the remainder of the season. St. Louis went through the same process last season with Brandon Saad.

Hurricanes Reassign Domenick Fensore

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Nov. 20: The Hurricanes reassigned Fensore to Chicago following Wednesday’s shootout loss to the Wild, per a team announcement. With two games remaining on their road trip, that could be an indication they expect to activate Jalen Chatfield from injured reserve before Friday’s game against the Jets. They said Tuesday they expected Chatfield back in the lineup sometime in the next week. Fensore did not play a game during his call-up.

Nov. 16: The Hurricanes announced they’ve recalled defenseman Domenick Fensore from AHL Chicago. The team had an opening roster spot after yesterday’s quick reassignment of Bradly Nadeau, so no corresponding transaction is needed.

Fensore, 24, comes up for the third time this season. He’s been summoned in short stints, no longer than five days, as Carolina continues to grapple with multiple veterans being unavailable on defense due to injuries. While he’s been rostered for four games across those two recalls, he’s only made one appearance for the Canes. That came back against the Golden Knights on Oct. 28, when he logged a -2 rating and two shots on goal in 19:22 of ice time.

That was the third career NHL game for Fensore, who Carolina made a third-round pick back in 2019. The 5’9″ lefty played in the final two games of the regular season last year to close out his second professional campaign. The offensively talented depth rearguard is still in search of his first NHL point.

Point production hasn’t been a problem for Fensore at the minor-league level, though. The former Boston University standout is amid a breakout year in Chicago with a 3-8–11 scoring line in 11 games, tallying a team-high +4 rating as well. His point-per-game pace is third in the AHL among defenders with at least 10 games played this year.

Carolina only had six defensemen rostered prior to Fensore’s recall. He should stick around for at least the next week as he looks to serve as the Canes’ healthy extra option on their four-game road trip, which starts tomorrow in Boston and concludes Nov. 23 in Buffalo.

Wild Place Ryan Hartman On IR, Recall Hunter Haight

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3:00 p.m.: According to a team announcement, the Wild have recalled forward Hunter Haight from the AHL’s Iowa Wild. As expected, the team has placed Hartman on the injured reserve due to his recent lower-body injury. Haight has gone scoreless through two games with Minnesota already this season, averaging 9:22 of ice time.

8:27 a.m.: Wild head coach John Hynes told reporters yesterday, including NHL.com’s Jessi Pierce, that center Ryan Hartman is week-to-week due to a lower-body injury. There’s no corresponding transaction yet, but with Hartman and Vladimir Tarasenko both taking up spots on the active roster while injured, the Wild don’t have any healthy extra forwards for tonight’s game against the Hurricanes. Hartman can easily be placed on injured reserve to facilitate a call-up from AHL Iowa if they so choose.

The loss of yet another center option stings for a team already without Marco Rossi and Nico Sturm. Rossi had been playing through a lower-body issue and was shut down late last week with no clear return timeline other than his week-to-week designation. Sturm hasn’t played at all this season due to back problems, but is expected to return to the lineup before the end of the month, Hynes said.

Now in his seventh season in Minnesota, Hartman opened the season as their third-line center between Marcus Foligno and Vinnie Hinostroza. He’s since had some rotating linemates but has largely kept that slot in the lineup aside from a brief first-line promotion to his old job between Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello for the past two games with Rossi out. After taking a significant step back offensively last season, there’s been no rebound early on this year. His four goals and three assists for seven points through 20 games amount to his worst per-game totals since his first season with the Wild in 2019-20.

Depth scoring was already an issue for the Wild. Without Hartman (and Tarasenko for the time being), it’s now a five-alarm fire. Without them, their bottom six is comprised of Foligno, Hinostroza, Ben Jones, Liam Ohgren, Tyler Pitlick, and Yakov Trenin. They’ve combined for just three goals – one from Trenin and two from Hinostroza – all season. Their fourth line of Jones, Ohgren, and Pitlick hasn’t even registered a point through 24 combined appearances.

Even with Sturm’s return on the horizon and Tarasenko’s absence day to day, the Wild’s pursuit of a middle-six forward has to be reaching a fever pitch. While the Wild are generating a respectable 28.6 shots per game, good for 12th in the league, their actual goal output of 2.75 per game is sixth-worst. They’ve begun to clean up their poor defensive start as of late, though, helping them along to a 6-1-1 record in November to help them get back in the playoff picture following a three-win October.

Flames Will Loan Zayne Parekh To Team Canada For World Juniors

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Flames defenseman Zayne Parekh will be on Canada’s roster for the World Junior Championship when it’s announced in December, Eric Francis of Sportsnet reports. First, he’ll need to recover from the upper-body injury that’s kept him out since Nov. 7 and has him listed as week-to-week.

Parekh has already been ruled out through the Flames’ ongoing road trip, Francis writes, but the team is targeting an early December return for their 2024 ninth overall pick. They have a four-game homestand to kick off the month and will look to get him into a couple of those games before letting him join the Canadian national junior team, which commences its camp in Niagara Falls on Dec. 12. He’s also eligible for a conditioning stint with AHL Calgary as a result of his missed time, something Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 reports is under consideration.

The ultimate deadline for Parekh’s inclusion on the Canadian roster is Dec. 20, though, according to Francis. Even if Parekh can’t get on the ice before then, that would at least leave him enough time to get into a couple of exhibition games in Minneapolis and St. Paul, the host cities of this year’s WJC.

The injury has dotted what’s been a trying adjustment to pro hockey for Parekh. As a result of the 19-year-old being ineligible for a full-time assignment to the AHL, he’s been stuck operating as a No. 6/7 piece on the Flames’ NHL roster and hasn’t gotten extended playing time. He was a healthy scratch on multiple occasions before sustaining his injury. He was only averaging 14:46 of ice time per game when in the lineup, limiting him to one assist through 11 appearances.

Calgary’s only other option was to send him back to junior hockey for the remainder of the season. That was never something the Flames were seriously considering, though. Parekh has won back-to-back OHL defense scoring crowns with the Saginaw Spirit, putting up back-to-back 33-goal seasons from the blue line and logging 107 points in just 61 games last season. But depending on the state of their defense after Parekh returns from the World Juniors, letting him finish the season in Saginaw – where he’ll at least get back to playing top-pairing minutes – might be a better outcome for his readiness heading into training camp next fall.

Lightning Reassign Scott Sabourin

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The Lightning announced Wednesday that they’ve reassigned forward Scott Sabourin to AHL Syracuse. Forwards Pontus Holmberg and Nick Paul are eligible to come off IR and LTIR, respectively, before tomorrow’s game against the Oilers, and one of them will presumably get Sabourin’s roster spot.

Sabourin, 33, has only played three games and has been rostered for 11 days since last clearing waivers, so he doesn’t need them to return to the minors today. He was summoned on multiple short-term occasions in October to serve a four-game suspension he was assessed in the preseason, meaning he didn’t make his season debut until his latest recall, which came on Nov. 12. The depth enforcer managed to rattle off a goal and an assist in his first two games – his first NHL points since April 2022 – before racking up 16 penalty minutes (three minors and a misconduct) and going pointless against the Canucks last Sunday. He was then scratched for Tuesday’s 5-1 loss to the Devils to make way for Dominic James’ return to the lineup, making it apparent he’d be the odd man out when Tampa needed to open its next roster spot at forward.

It was still a much better offensive showing than expected from the 6’4″, 207-lb fighter, who’s now up to a 3-7–10 scoring line in 50 career NHL appearances. While his NHL resume doesn’t offer much more than his fights, he’s had enough offensive utility in the AHL in the past to work his way into a middle-six role there. This season, Sabourin’s logged three goals and two assists for five points in 11 contests.

After spending his last two seasons in the Sharks organization, this is Sabourin’s first in Tampa after they signed him to a two-way deal with a $350,000 guarantee last summer. It’s the 14th season of Sabourin’s professional career, which began as a free agent signing by the AHL’s now-defunct Manchester Monarchs.

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