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Devils Recall Ethan Edwards

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The Devils announced they’ve recalled defenseman Ethan Edwards from AHL Utica. New Jersey placed center Cody Glass on injured reserve, retroactive to Nov. 12, in the corresponding move.

After an impressive training camp, the 23-year-old Edwards lands his first recall in his first professional season. The 5’10” lefty was a fourth-round pick in 2020 from the Spruce Grove Saints of the junior ’A’ AJHL before jumping south of the border, first with USHL Sioux City before embarking on a four-year run at the University of Michigan. Edwards was a consistent force on the Wolverines’ blue line, checking in as a top-four puck-mover who played more physically than one would expect from his slight frame. He was named to the Big 10’s Second All-Star Team following his senior season, in which he notched a career-best 5-16–21 scoring line in 36 games, before signing his entry-level deal with Jersey last March.

Although the two-year contract didn’t take effect until this season, he still finished out the 2024-25 season with Utica on a tryout basis. In his first 10 professional games, Edwards notched three assists and a +3 rating. He entered this year as the No. 9 prospect in the system, according to Elite Prospects, and made a legitimate push for a roster spot with two points and four scoring chances in four preseason games. He ended up being a very late cut, though, and started the year in Utica as expected.

Through 13 games in the AHL, Edwards hasn’t exploded offensively but is still chugging along with one goal, four assists, and a -1 rating. The Devils need an additional offensive-minded option with Dougie Hamilton still sidelined with an undisclosed injury, though, and Edwards fits that bill. With Hamilton, Johnathan Kovacevic, and Brett Pesce all out, their top-four group is still strong thanks to a breakout Simon Nemec, but they’re riding a patchwork third-pairing of fringe NHLers Dennis Cholowski and Colton White. As White is pointless with a -1 rating through four games and is averaging under 12 minutes per night, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get a game or two in the press box for Edwards to make his NHL debut, at least until Hamilton’s able to return (which should be soon).

The Devils previously announced Glass was week-to-week with an upper-body injury, so he’ll be out significantly longer than when he’s first eligible to come off IR on Wednesday. The 26-year-old pivot had only played four games since missing seven with another upper-body issue before exiting the lineup again last week. Through 10 appearances this season, he’s got three goals on 19 shots while averaging 11:59 of ice time per game.

Kings Sign Adrian Kempe To Eight-Year Extension

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Nov. 17: The Kings have announced Kempe’s extension as reported. PuckPedia relays that the deal contains a no-movement clause through 2029-30 that then downgrades to a 15-team no-trade list. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports the breakdown is as follows:

2026-27 through 2028-29: $1MM salary, $11MM signing bonus
2029-30: $2.5MM salary, $9.5MM signing bonus
2030-31 through 2031-32: $9.75MM salary
2032-33 through 2033-34: $8.75MM salary

Nov. 16: The Kings are in agreement with star winger Adrian Kempe on a deal to keep him in Los Angeles past this season, Emily Kaplan of ESPN reports. It’s an eight-year deal worth $85MM for a cap hit of $10.625MM, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The contract secures Kempe, who was arguably the top UFA remaining next season, in Southern California through the 2033-34 season.

Most have viewed a Kempe extension as a must-do for Kings general manager Ken Holland, and for good reason. With captain Anže Kopitar’s pending retirement already set to leave a glaring hole in their top six next season, losing a second member of their top unit would have been catastrophic.

More so than ever, Kempe has taken the reins from Kopitar as the team’s top offensive threat. With six goals and 13 assists in 19 games this season, he’s on track to hit the point-per-game mark for the first time in his career despite an early-season shooting slump. His 9.7% finishing rate is currently his worst since hitting a low of 7.4% in the 2019-20 season. He’s only on track to hit 26 goals this year at present, but with his shooting average up at 14.2% over the prior four years, there’s a high chance he’ll hit over 30 once again and finish in the 80-to-90-point range.

Kempe has now scored 30 goals in three of the last four years and would have gone four-for-four if not for a five-game absence in 2023-24. He’s been stapled to Kopitar’s wing on L.A.’s top line since first getting an extended promotion in the 2020-21 season. It was somewhat of a delayed breakout for the 29-year-old, who was a first-round pick back in 2014. He didn’t make his NHL debut until late in his third year post-draft and spent the following few years posting around 30 points a year in a middle-six role. His big break didn’t come until his first full season on Kopitar’s wing in 2021-22, when he notched a team-leading 35 goals as L.A. ended a three-year playoff drought.

The 6’2″ winger has been a money-in-the-bank producer since then, while also hitting the 100-hit mark in every year since 2021-22. Since his breakout, Kempe’s 145 goals in 337 games are tied for 21st in the league. He’s now at 200 goals for his career, putting him just inside the top 10 in Kings franchise history and 14th in points with 420.

With him and Kevin Fiala checking in as L.A.’s only semi-consistent 30-goal options, there was little chance they could sustain losing him and Kopitar without many other options slated to be available to replace them in free agency without dropping back out of the playoff picture. His new deal will make him the Kings’ highest-paid forward next year, and he could be their highest-paid player outright starting in 2027-28 with the expiry of Drew Doughty’s contract.

The Kings tried aggressively to get Kempe’s deal done months ago during the offseason, but were unsuccessful. Shortly before training camp, Kempe said he wanted something done as soon as possible and all but set the Christmas break as a drop-dead date for talks. Today’s news marks a seemingly significant concession from Kempe’s camp, which was eyeing a match to the $11.5MM average annual value that Martin Nečas landed in his extension with the Avalanche a few weeks ago.

Even with the eight-figure commitment, the Kings still boast $23.1MM in cap space for next season, per PuckPedia. That’s with seven open roster spots. The contract is also one of the few truly long-term ones left on the Kings’ books. Only Mikey Anderson, whose deal expires following the 2030-31 season, is under contract past the end of the decade.

Image courtesy of Jeff Curry-Imagn Images.

Canucks Notes: Garland, Kämpf, Chytil, Blueger

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The Canucks’ injury woes this season continued in what was a surprisingly resurgent 6-2 win over the Lightning earlier this evening. Vancouver lost winger Conor Garland to an undisclosed injury early in the second period, and he didn’t return. There wasn’t an apparent injury that immediately preceded his departure, but he was involved in a fight with Tampa defender Darren Raddysh earlier in the game – one the 5’10” winger managed to win (video via B/R Open Ice). It didn’t seem like he took enough contact in that scrum to get hurt, but there should be more clarity before Vancouver finishes their back-to-back against the Panthers tomorrow. The 29-year-old Garland has been thrust into top-line duties this season with Evander Kane and Elias Pettersson and has fit the bill, registering a 5-8–13 scoring line in 16 outings while averaging a career-high 20:51 of ice time per game. For a team with five other roster players hurt at the moment and an already below-average offense, his potential for missed time is an especially damaging blow.

More out of Vancouver:

  • Newly-signed center David Kämpf has joined the club on its road trip and could make his Canucks debut tomorrow, general manager Patrik Allvin told reporters today (including Ben Kuzma of Postmedia). Pending Garland’s status, he could be the replacement. It would be the 30-year-old’s first NHL game of the season after getting waived by the Maple Leafs during training camp and eventually having his contract mutually terminated, leading to his $1.1MM pact with Vancouver for the balance of the campaign. He had five goals and 13 points in 59 showings with Toronto last year, but had just one assist in four games with their AHL affiliate in October.
  • Filip Chytil has resumed skating nearly a month after sustaining yet another suspected concussion, Allvin said, although he labeled the center’s progress as “slow.” Chytil, who has centered a line between Jake DeBrusk and Brock Boeser to begin the year and had three goals through six games, was rocked by the Capitals’ Tom Wilson on Oct. 19 and has been out since. They’re still likely looking at multiple weeks – if not months, given his history – before a return, adding to the list of reasons why Kämpf was brought in for added depth down the middle.
  • Another banged-up center, Teddy Blueger, is also still listed as week-to-week, Allvin said. It’s been a longer-than-expected road to recovery for the Latvian, who got injured the same night as Chytil after scoring a goal. His recurring lower-body issue has limited him to just two appearances this year.

Mammoth Recall Kevin Rooney

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11/16: The Mammoth have reversed this move, recalling Rooney ahead of Monday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks. Rooney played in two games with Tucson this weekend, recording no scoring, one penalty, and three shots on goal. Durzi skated in Sunday morning’s practice wearing a no-contact jersey.

11/14: The Mammoth have reassigned center Kevin Rooney to AHL Tucson, Cole Bagley of KSL Sports reports. It’s unclear what, if anything, they plan to do with the open roster spot in the coming days. Defenseman Sean Durzi is somewhat close to coming off injured reserve, but won’t do so until next week at the earliest, head coach André Tourigny said.

Utah signed Rooney to a two-way deal at the beginning of the regular season. The seven-year vet went unsigned throughout the summer until landing a professional tryout with the Devils, who first brought him into the league as an undrafted free agent signing out of Providence College in 2016. Rooney managed a goal and an assist in three preseason games for New Jersey but was ultimately released from his PTO, passed over for a fourth-line job by fellow tryout invite Luke Glendening.

Rooney quickly landed on his feet with the Mammoth and was technically on their opening night roster, although he was waived the following day. Upon clearing, he was sent to Tucson, where he spent the first two weeks of the campaign. The 32-year-old came roaring out of the gate with three goals and an assist in four AHL games before being called up to the Mammoth on Oct. 23, swapping him out for fellow journeyman veteran Andrew Agozzino.

Rooney was around as the second healthy extra forward behind enforcer Liam O’Brien. Utah’s health up front over the past few weeks meant Rooney never actually got into a game during his 22-day call-up, serving as a healthy scratch in 10 straight games. Utah had eight days left until Rooney would have required waivers to head back to Tucson, so with him not playing a meaningful role, they’ll get out ahead of the deadline and give their minor-league affiliate a significant reinforcement.

Wild Place Marco Rossi On IR With Lower-Body Injury

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4:30 p.m.: As expected, the Wild announced that Rossi has been placed on the injured reserve with a lower-body injury. Minnesota’s announcement indicated that Rossi would miss the next few weeks.

9:13 a.m.: Wild top-line pivot Marco Rossi will miss at least the team’s next few games – potentially longer – with a lower-body injury, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports Friday. Minnesota will be down to the bare minimum of 12 forwards if he’s not available, and they don’t have an open roster spot. Hence, an injured reserve placement is likely to permit the recall of a forward from AHL Iowa.

It’s unexpected news after Rossi made his last appearance, an overtime loss to the Sharks on Tuesday, in full without incident. He missed one game in October due to a lower-body issue. Russo reports that he’s not fully healed from that injury and will need a more extended break to get back to 100 percent.

The 24-year-old has remained the centerpiece of Minnesota’s top line this season with Kirill Kaprizov after a tumultuous summer. He was involved in a drawn-out round of contract negotiations after reaching restricted free agency, and early in the summer, it seemed likelier than not that he’d be dealt away. No trade materialized, though, and he returned to the Wild on a three-year, $15MM bridge deal in late August to avoid being a training camp holdout.

While the Wild didn’t have the best October, Rossi was on a roll. He took the absence of his other routine wingman, Mats Zuccarello, in stride and rattled off 11 points (two goals, nine assists) through his first 11 games. However, he’s only managed two goals in six games since the calendar turned to November and has just one point in his last five. With Zuccarello now back in the fold and registering two assists through his first three games of the season, he and Kaprizov will be centered by Joel Eriksson Ek for the foreseeable future as Rossi exits the lineup.

There’s no timeline yet for Rossi’s return, but he’s expected to be out long enough to intensify the Wild’s documented pursuit of a middle-six forward. Picking up a depth center if one hits waivers might also be a stopgap possibility to keep veterans Ben Jones and Tyler Pitlick, neither of whom has recorded a point this season in a combined 15 appearances, out of a regular spot in Rossi’s absence.

As Russo writes, it’s 2022 first-rounder Danila Yurov who stands with the most to gain while Rossi rehabs. The 21-year-old rookie has just two goals with a -5 rating through his first 13 NHL games, but that’s to be expected given his fourth-line deployment and lack of special teams usage. Yurov has averaged 9:51 of ice time per game and is starting just 36.2% of his even-strength shifts in the offensive zone. He’s spent most of his time centering Marcus Foligno and Yakov Trenin, who’ve combined for no goals and four assists this season. A promotion to top-nine duties is a far more suitable assignment for Yurov’s capabilities and should result in a significant increase in productivity.

Flyers Activate, Reassign Ethan Samson

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The Flyers have activated defenseman Ethan Samson from season-opening injured reserve and subsequently assigned him to AHL Lehigh Valley, the Phantoms announced. The rearguard had been sidelined since sustaining an upper-body injury midway through training camp.

Samson was a sixth-round pick by the Flyers in 2021 and signed his entry-level contract midway through the 2022-23 season, his final junior campaign with the WHL’s Prince George Cougars. He’s now kicking off what will be his third professional season. The 6’1″ righty isn’t viewed as an impact prospect in their system – he wasn’t even discussed in Elite Prospects’ offseason ranking of their pool – but has been quietly establishing himself as an important puck-mover for Lehigh Valley over the past couple of years.

In 132 AHL games to date, Samson has 15 goals and 21 assists for 36 points with a -19 rating. Some defensive weaknesses are apparent, but he has a strong toolkit of playmaking acumen and stick skills to work with that could potentially make the 6’1″, 181-lb righty a call-up option down the line if he’s able to develop further away from the puck. He’s still only 22 years old, but this year is something of a make-or-break one for him as he enters the final season of his entry-level contract. The Flyers have the option to cut him loose next summer by not issuing him a qualifying offer.

He’ll now get his feet wet on a Lehigh Valley team that’s rolled to an 8-3-1 start to the year, fueled by remarkable scoring depth – their top 15 scorers all have between five and nine points on the year.

Maple Leafs, David Kämpf Mutually Terminate Contract

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Nov. 14, 1:08 p.m.: Kämpf has cleared waivers and his contract has been terminated, according to Friedman.

Nov. 13, 12:58 p.m.: The Maple Leafs officially announced Kämpf’s waiver placement. They’ll clear $1.25MM in cap space tomorrow as a result of the move, not his full $2.4MM since he’s already carrying a reduced impact in the minors. Kämpf retains this year’s signing bonus as part of the termination, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Nov. 13, 10:13 p.m.: The Maple Leafs will place center David Kämpf on unconditional waivers this afternoon for the purpose of a mutual contract termination, Darren Dreger of TSN reports. Assuming he clears tomorrow, he’ll be free to sign a new contract with an NHL club at any time.

The 30-year-old Kämpf is in the third season of a four-year, $9.6MM contract. It hasn’t panned out as Toronto general manager Brad Treliving had hoped when he signed it in June 2023. Kämpf has not played for Toronto’s NHL squad this season. His $2.4MM cap hit and the Leafs’ flurry of depth forward additions over the summer left him out of a roster spot when training camp ended, and he landed on standard waivers. After clearing, he was assigned to AHL Toronto for his first minor-league action since the 2017-18 season.

Initially, Kämpf reported to the Marlies. He suited up for their season-opening back-to-back games but didn’t play again until Oct. 26 and 29. After that, Kämpf took a brief leave to mull his options for an NHL return, which the Maple Leafs made clear wouldn’t be in Toronto. The Leafs initially looked to find a trade partner but were unsuccessful. Soon after, they suspended Kämpf without pay as his leave hit the one-week mark. A mutual contract termination became the clear goal, but there was uncertainty over whether Kämpf would need to return a prorated portion of the $1.325MM signing bonus he was given before the season as part of the transaction.

Today’s news indicates the NHL and NHLPA have come to a resolution on that front. Kämpf will now be walking away from the remainder of the $1.075MM base salary he was owed for this season, plus the $2.4MM total compensation he was due in 2026-27.

His four-year contract with the Leafs came on the heels of a career-best season for Kämpf, who’d initially joined the franchise on a two-year, $3MM pact in free agency in 2021. The faceoff and penalty-killing specialist had averaged north of 15 minutes per game in his first two seasons in Toronto, didn’t miss a game, and reached 26 and 27 points, respectively. He’d never hit the 20-point threshold before in his career and hasn’t hit it since.

While still effective on the dot and shorthanded, Kämpf’s offensive liabilities began to contribute to a decreased role. He saw his ice time slashed by nearly two minutes per game in the first year of his extension, and it was further reduced to 12:29 last year, in which injuries and healthy scratches limited him to 59 appearances. Toronto’s trade deadline pickup of Scott Laughton from the Flyers pushed him out of the lineup entirely, and he only played in one out of 13 playoff games for the Leafs, so the writing was on the wall long before this season began.

That said, Kämpf shouldn’t have much trouble finding a new deal. He has 48 goals and 143 points in 536 career NHL games. Considering he’s only started 31.6% of his shifts at even strength in the offensive zone, his relatively tame -16 rating is indicative of his legitimate defensive skill. He’s not overly physical, averaging under one hit per game for his career, but has a 51.4% lifetime average on draws. If he’s willing to take a deal close to league minimum, he should have a multitude of options. Teams plagued with injuries up front – the Canucks and Sabres, in particular – could be among the first to call.

Image courtesy of Alan Poizner-Imagn Images.

Oilers Place Troy Stecher On Waivers, Reassign Isaac Howard

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The Oilers announced they’ve placed defenseman Troy Stecher on waivers for the purposes of assignment to AHL Bakersfield. They also demoted rookie Isaac Howard, sending him directly to Bakersfield.

Stecher, 31, was acquired from the Coyotes back at the 2024 trade deadline before signing a two-year, $1.575MM extension to remain with Edmonton through this season. An undrafted free agent signing by the Canucks in 2016, Stecher immediately broke into a top-four role with Vancouver but peaked early on, never eclipsing the 24 points he put up in his rookie year.

The puck-moving blue liner ended up stabilizing as a more useful third-pairing piece, leading to him moving around quite a bit. He was picked up by a contender for added depth at three straight trade deadlines – going from the Red Wings to the Kings in 2022 and the Coyotes to the Flames in 2023 before returning to Arizona in free agency and being dealt to the Oilers in 2024. Over those three years plus last season in Edmonton, Stecher put together an 8-31–37 scoring line with a -6 rating in 230 appearances.

Those numbers were brought down by a difficult 2024-25 campaign for Stecher in Edmonton, in which he was limited to seven points and a -2 rating in 66 games and averaged just 13:52 of ice time per contest. He was a frequent healthy scratch in the postseason, although for his six-figure cap hit, he wasn’t being paid as much more than veteran insurance. Edmonton’s pickup of Jake Walman at last year’s deadline and the emergence of Alec Regula into a semi-regular role have pushed him further down the depth chart, though.

Stecher has now been a healthy scratch in seven straight and has only played in six of 19 games this season, going without a point. As a result, Edmonton has been looking to find a trade partner for him. With no success so far, they’re letting him hit the wire to see if another team wants his services at an affordable $787,500 cap hit for the remainder of the season.

Howard’s demotion is more related to Zach Hyman’s anticipated activation from long-term injured reserve tomorrow, but it won’t be the worst thing for his development, either. The 2022 first-round pick is in his first professional season after initially telling the Lightning he wouldn’t sign with them, which ultimately led to Edmonton acquiring his rights over the summer and subsequently inking him to his entry-level deal. Howard was left off Edmonton’s opening night roster for cap purposes, but was recalled before they played their first game.

As a result, Howard has played in all 17 contests for the Oilers but hasn’t been terribly effective. Part of that is because he hasn’t had a chance to play with premier linemates as he may have hoped. There was speculation the 21-year-old lefty might get a trial in top-six minutes alongside either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, particularly with Hyman sidelined to start the season, but that never came to pass. He’s spent virtually the whole season in fourth-line duties, averaging 9:30 of ice time per game. His production has been limited to two goals and one assist with a -2 rating.

Howard should receive first-line minutes with Bakersfield. The Wisconsin native had a 2024-25 season for the ages before turning pro, taking home the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey, as well as a Big Ten championship with Michigan State, while recording a 26-26–52 scoring line in 37 games.

Canadiens’ Alex Newhook Out 4 Months, Kaiden Guhle Out 8-10 Weeks

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The Canadiens announced that Alex Newhook underwent surgery to repair the fractured ankle he sustained last night against the Stars. He’s expected to miss four months, putting him out through the trade deadline. In a corresponding move, the Canadiens announced they’ve recalled forward Jared Davidson from AHL Laval. They’ve been operating with a pair of open roster spots since sending Marc Del Gaizo down last week, so there’s no need to open space. Montreal also said defenseman Kaiden Guhle, who’s IR-bound and hasn’t played in nearly a month, underwent an additional procedure on a partially torn adductor muscle and will miss an additional eight to 10 weeks.

Newhook’s ankle fracture was sustained after getting tangled up with Dallas defender Ilya Lyubushkin and colliding with the end boards early in the second period. He needed help from teammates to get off the ice and he didn’t return to the game.

Montreal now gives Davidson the first recall of his career. The 23-year-old middleman was a fifth-round pick in 2022 after being passed over in the 2020 and 2021 drafts. He was selected out of the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, whom he guided to a championship in his post-draft season and was twice a First Team All-Star. The 6’0″ sniper tallied 80 goals in 124 games across his final two junior seasons before turning pro.

Initially, Davidson didn’t land an NHL contract. He spent the 2023-24 campaign on a minor-league deal with Laval while the Habs, who had two years after drafting him to decide whether to extend an entry-level contract before losing his rights, mulled whether or not to sign him. Injuries limited him to 38 appearances, but he was productive when healthy with 11 goals and 16 points. That was enough for Montreal to ink him to a two-year entry-level deal in May 2024.

The Edmonton native was healthy last year and delivered something of a breakout campaign. He finished the year third on Laval in scoring with 45 points (24 goals, 21 assists) in 69 games, adding a team-high +25 rating to boot. He’s kept the momentum rolling this year with a team-high nine goals in 13 games, including a six-game point streak that came to an end Wednesday night.

With no other healthy extra forwards available on the roster, Davidson will make his NHL debut on Saturday night – in primetime – against the Bruins. It’s quite the test for a name that was listed all the way down at No. 24 in this offseason’s prospect pool rankings by Elite Prospects, albeit in an exceedingly deep Montreal pool.

Where he slots in the lineup remains to be seen. What’s clear is that he’s not expectedly to directly replace what Newhook had been doing in the early stages of the season. A long-term injury couldn’t carry worse timing for the 2019 first-round pick, who was finally finding his footing in a top-six role in Montreal. Through 17 games, he’d rattled off six goals and 12 points and a +7 rating with nearly all of that production coming at even strength, averaging 14:38 of ice time per game on the Habs’ second line alongside Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov.

On paper, the Habs would need major breakthroughs from multiple players in their middle-six forward group to have success this year. Newhook was doing just that, already reaching nearly half of his total output in 82 games last year. He’s the team’s fifth-leading scorer as he exits the lineup – one that the Habs, now 1-2-2 in their last five and on the heels of being outscored 12-1 in their last two games, will struggle to replace. More is needed out of veteran Josh Anderson, who has just four points and a -9 rating in 17 outings despite averaging more ice time than Newhook.

As for Guhle, his initial four-to-six-week recovery timeline was assuming he would be able to rehab his adductor issues without surgery. He’d just gotten back skating but wasn’t adjusting well, leading the Canadiens’ medical staff to pivot, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.

In the meantime, Jayden Struble will continue to skate in his place in the top four alongside Lane Hutson. The 24-year-old has made 13 appearances this season, posting three points with a -3 rating while averaging 15:29 of ice time per game. They’ve had the worst defensive results of any Habs pairing this year, controlling 43.2% of expected goals with a team-high 2.77 xGA/60, per MoneyPuck. Hutson and Guhle were allowing just 2.00 xGA/60 together and controlling 48.6% of expected goals overall, making Struble’s elevated minutes a challenge for the club to overcome defensively.

Sharks Activate Alex Nedeljkovic, Reassign Jakub Skarek

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Nov. 14, 12:03 p.m.: The Sharks announced that Nedeljkovic has re-joined the team and has thus been added to the active roster. Skarek was reassigned to the AHL after backing up Askarov in last night’s loss.

Nov. 13, 12:05 p.m.: The Sharks officially announced Skarek’s recall and moved Nedeljkovic to the non-roster list.

Nov. 13, 11:06 a.m.: The Sharks are expected to recall goaltender Jakub Skarek from AHL San Jose today, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports. Skarek is expected to back up Yaroslav Askarov tonight against the Flames in place of Alex Nedeljkovic, who left the club’s road trip to deal with a personal matter, head coach Ryan Warsofsky told the beat following Tuesday’s overtime win over the Wild (via Peng). Nedeljkovic will presumably land on the non-roster list as the corresponding transaction for Skarek’s recall.

Skarek, fresh off his 26th birthday, had an interesting summer. He became a Group VI unrestricted free agent after spending the first six years of his North American professional career in the Islanders organization. He initially returned to Europe, inking a one-year deal with a second-year option with HIFK in Finland in May. Just over two months later, he terminated that deal and signed a one-year, league-minimum contract with the Sharks to serve as their third-string netminder.

Despite his boatloads of professional experience stateside, Skarek only has two NHL appearances to his name. Both came with the Isles last season. In one start and one relief appearance in February, the 2018 third-round pick conceded five goals on 34 shots for a .872 SV% and 3.94 GAA.

Skarek’s minor-league track record leaves much to be desired. He was consistently among the AHL’s worst starters during his time in Bridgeport. He hasn’t had a .900 SV% at any level since his post-draft season in Finland, and so far, that trend looks to continue. Through six games for San Jose’s affiliate, Skarek has a 4-2-0 record but has paired that with a .875 SV% and 3.63 GAA. He’s now technically the No. 4 option on San Jose’s depth chart and has been usurped as the Barracuda’s starter by second-year pro Gabriel Carriere, who has a .901 SV% in eight games.

The Sharks don’t want to interrupt the 25-year-old Carriere’s play, so it’ll be Skarek getting the call. Nedeljkovic isn’t expected to miss more than a couple of games at most, Warsofsky said, so it would be surprising to see Skarek get a start without any upcoming back-to-backs.

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