Leafs’ Brandon Carlo Likely To Undergo Surgery, Out Indefinitely
The Maple Leafs will be without defenseman Brandon Carlo for a good chunk of the season. After telling reporters yesterday that Carlo had a setback in his recovery from a lower-body injury and was meeting a specialist, head coach Craig Berube said today that the righty will need surgery and will be out “an extended period of time” (via David Alter of The Hockey News).
Carlo has already missed seven games due to the injury he sustained against the Kings on Nov. 13. It’s still unclear what play caused it; he didn’t appear to miss a shift. It wouldn’t be shocking if Carlo had been playing through something and aggravated it. The 6’5″ shutdown rearguard has been noticeably less involved in the play than normal this season, averaging a career-low 0.67 hits per game. That’s a 56% decrease from his career average of 1.51.
Physicality and defensive smarts are where Carlo makes his money, and they’re why the Maple Leafs parted ways with a steep package – including Fraser Minten and this year’s first-round pick – to acquire him from the Bruins at last season’s trade deadline. Carlo’s contract situation was a significant factor as to why Toronto paid a premium. Not only was he not a rental – he remains under contract through 2026-27 – but Boston retained 15% of his cap hit to bring it down to $3.485MM for the Leafs. That’s a great price tag for someone Toronto imagined would be consistently deployed as a top-four defender as an anchor for Morgan Rielly.
Unfortunately, the Reilly-Carlo experiment has largely fallen flat. The duo was outscored 10-9 in last year’s postseason. This year, they’re allowing 3.11 expected goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, the most of any Toronto defensive pair. Carlo’s -4.2% relative Corsi share is the third-worst figure of his career. And while he’s not known or relied upon for offense, his two assists through 18 games are also a slightly lower pace than what he usually posts.
With another year left on his contract at an already-reduced cap hit, the struggling Maple Leafs might have looked to flip Carlo as they look to retool their depth on the fly, particularly in the name of improving their defensive structure. Only the Sharks have allowed more shots per game this season than Toronto’s 31.4. With fellow top-four righty Chris Tanev also on the shelf as he rehabs a suspected concussion, keeping him out indefinitely, their depth has been tested.
If the Leafs’ focus is still on getting significantly ahead of the .500 mark for the first time this season and putting themselves back in the playoff conversation, finding a higher-profile stopgap on the right side than recent waiver claim Troy Stecher needs to be a priority – especially if Carlo’s return timeline is now months, not weeks.
Blackhawks Activate, Reassign Laurent Brossoit
Laurent Brossoit is finally getting back into game action. The Blackhawks announced they’ve activated the veteran netminder from the injured non-roster list and assigned him to AHL Rockford for a conditioning stint, bypassing waivers for the time being. Brossoit can play in Rockford for up to two weeks until Chicago must keep him on their active roster or place him on waivers for a permanent AHL assignment. Since the Hawks have an open roster spot, they don’t need to make a corresponding transaction.
Rockford’s next game is on Friday. If he plays, that would mark 583 days since his last appearance, when he entered in relief of Connor Hellebuyck for the Jets in Game 4 of their first-round loss to the Avalanche on April 28, 2024. Brossoit, an unrestricted free agent the following summer, signed a two-year, $6.6MM contract with the Blackhawks but needed surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee in August.
That kicked off a slate of three surgeries that have conspired to keep the 32-year-old out of action ever since signing the largest deal of his career. Brossoit was initially expected to only miss the first few weeks of the 2024-25 campaign, but was downgraded to out indefinitely in November and underwent a second cleanup procedure on his knee a few weeks later. That was expected to get him back in action in mid-January, but his recovery again didn’t go as planned, and he was shut down for the season in March. At the beginning of this year’s training camp, general manager Kyle Davidson said Brossoit had another offseason surgery – this time on his hip – and would remain out indefinitely.
That had some wondering, rightfully so, if 2025-26 would be another entirely lost season for Brossoit, potentially even marking the end of his career. That talk was quieted a couple of weeks ago when Brossoit was spotted on the ice at Blackhawks practice for the first time. With several skates under his belt and no further setbacks, he’ll get his feet wet in Rockford.
The Blackhawks will undoubtedly take advantage of the full two weeks afforded to them to keep Brossoit on his conditioning stint. With Spencer Knight and Arvid Söderblom now firmly entrenched as the team’s NHL goaltending duo, it’s clear they don’t plan on keeping him on the active roster once it’s over. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported over the weekend that the Hawks have given Brossoit permission to seek a trade. If they can’t land a deal by Dec. 16, he’ll likely end up on waivers and will stay in Rockford if he clears.
There should be legitimate intrigue in Brossoit, particularly if the Blackhawks retain a portion of his $3.3MM cap hit. The career backup had put up spectacular numbers in two straight seasons, albeit in small samples, before reaching the open market. The hope was that Brossoit could establish himself in Chicago as a legitimate tandem option who could sniff 30-35 starts. That obviously didn’t go to plan, but he still logged a 22-5-5 record, .927 SV%, 2.05 GAA, and three shutouts in 34 appearances for the Golden Knights and Jets across the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns, good for 19.0 goals saved above expected (per MoneyPuck).
If Brossoit doesn’t get traded or claimed on waivers and ends up remaining a Blackhawk, Chicago will be able to knock $1.15MM off his cap hit by burying him in the minors. That will reduce his impact to $2.15MM for the rest of the season until he comes off their books next summer. For a Blackhawks team that’s already accumulated over $20.6MM in cap space this season, though, that’s not much of a concern.
Panthers Recall Jack Studnicka
The Panthers announced Monday they’ve recalled Jack Studnicka from AHL Charlotte. The center gives them an extra forward for the time being; they’ve been operating with an open roster spot for a while, despite Eetu Luostarinen being unavailable but still on the active roster.
Studnicka signed a two-way deal with Florida at the beginning of last offseason’s free agent signing period. Since the Bruins selected Studnicka in the second round of the 2017 draft, he’s encroached on journeyman status. After parts of four pro seasons in the Bruins system, he was traded to the Canucks early in 2022. The Sharks traded for him the following year, but non-tendered him at the end of 2023-24. He caught on with the Kings on a two-way deal for last season but never saw a call-up after clearing waivers and heading to the minors at the beginning of the year.
If Studnicka plays on this recall, it would be his first NHL action since April 2024. In 107 career appearances with Boston, Vancouver, and San Jose, he has a 6-10–16 scoring line, a -30 rating, and a 4.4% shooting percentage while averaging 11:29 of ice time per game.
At one point, Studnicka was one of Boston’s most intriguing prospects. He was an excellent offensive producer over his final two seasons in junior hockey after being drafted. In 126 OHL games across the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, he racked up 155 points and was ranked as the organization’s No. 1 prospect by The Athletic’s Corey Pronman heading into his first pro season in 2019-20. He kept up the momentum with 49 points in 60 games for AHL Providence, earning an All-Rookie Team nod, but never caught on to a full-time NHL role and hasn’t beaten that scoring line in the minors since, either. He did get close last year with the Ontario Reign in the Kings’ system, notching 16 goals and 45 points in 72 appearances.
An injury has limited Studnicka to eight appearances with Charlotte this season. He only just got back into the lineup after Thanksgiving, following a month-long absence. With a goal and six points, though, the Panthers evidently like what they see and will give him a crack at depth minutes in a shattered forward group missing Luostarinen, Aleksander Barkov, Jonah Gadjovich, Tomas Nosek, Cole Schwindt, and Matthew Tkachuk.
Sabres Activate Josh Norris From Injured Reserve
4:05 p.m.: The Sabres have activated Norris. Defenseman Zach Metsa is headed down to AHL Rochester in the corresponding move, per Heather Engel of NHL.com. Metsa was recalled from Rochester on Nov. 17 to serve as an extra defenseman with Michael Kesselring on injured reserve, but he’s been a healthy scratch in seven straight and hasn’t played an NHL game since a previous recall in October. The 27-year-old is without a point in four appearances this season but has a +3 rating in his first taste of the big leagues.
11:01 a.m.: Sabres center Joshua Norris will make his return to the lineup Monday against the Jets, head coach Lindy Ruff confirmed to reporters (including Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News). The team will need to open a roster spot to activate him from injured reserve.
The injury-plagued Norris is wrapping up yet another multi-week absence. The 26-year-old sustained an upper-body injury while taking a faceoff late in Buffalo’s season opener and has spent nearly two months on the shelf as a result. He also suffered a season-ending mid-body injury last year, just a week after the Sabres acquired him from the Senators in the Dylan Cozens swap. Dating back to his pickup, he’s only played in four of 46 possible games for Buffalo.
He’ll be getting his feet wet in a significant role, centering the Sabres’ top line between Zach Benson and Tage Thompson. That’s where the Sabres planned to use him to start the year, but Benson was unavailable for the first three games of the season after taking a puck to the face in practice. Tonight marks the season debut for that line as a result.
If Norris plays every game the rest of the way for a total of 58 appearances, that would still mark one of the most durable seasons he’s had in his NHL career. He’s only ever topped the 60-game mark once during his 35-goal breakout with Ottawa back in 2021-22. Since then, shoulder issues have decimated his availability. He only managed eight appearances in 2022-23 and played 50-some games for the Sens in each of the following two seasons before they cut bait and sent him to Buffalo for Cozens.
When healthy, though, Norris has displayed the upside the Sharks saw in him when they selected him No. 19 overall in the 2019 draft. He’s spent nearly all of his time in the league as a top-six piece and has averaged 17:49 of ice time per game across 240 career appearances. Per 82 games, he scores at a 31-goal, 54-point pace. If he can finally stay healthy for an extended stretch, he’d fill a significant hole Buffalo has down the middle and could go a long way toward elevating the Sabres’ offense out of the bottom half of the league.
Ducks Recall Vyacheslav Buteyets
The Ducks announced they’ve recalled goaltender Vyacheslav Buteyets from AHL San Diego. Fellow netminder Lukáš Dostál was placed on injured reserve in the corresponding move.
Anaheim is now without both of its regular netminders. Dostál is facing a two-to-three-week absence because of an upper-body injury, while No. 2 option Petr Mrázek left Sunday’s start against the Blackhawks in the third period with a lower-body injury and did not return. He’s been ruled out for Monday’s game against the Blues, meaning Buteyets will dress for an NHL regular-season game for the first time tonight as the backup to veteran third-stringer Ville Husso.
Buteyets, 23, had started the season with ECHL Tulsa but was promoted to San Diego in mid-November after a strong start. He made seven appearances for Tulsa and posted a pristine .924 SV% with a 2.81 GAA and a 4-3-0 record. Life hasn’t been as smooth since the promotion, though. With Husso up with the Ducks, Buteyets has started San Diego’s last three games – all in a six-day span – and recorded a 3.72 GAA and .878 SV% with a 1-2-0 record.
While he’s shown upside in the lower minors, the NHL isn’t where the Ducks want Buteyets at this stage in his development. The 6’4″ Russian was a sixth-round pick in 2022 and is now in his second season in North America after signing a two-year entry-level deal in 2024. He was coming off a pair of strong showings with Chelmet Chelyabinsk of the VHL, Russia’s second-tier pro league, and recorded a .905 SV% in 36 appearances for Tulsa last year.
Anaheim doesn’t have any back-to-backs on its schedule until Dec. 15 and 16. Even if Mrázek’s absence is a lengthy one, Dostál’s return timeline puts him back in the lineup around then. If he’s available even for the second of those two games, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Ducks ride Husso for a series of seven consecutive starts leading into that back-to-back while Buteyets serves solely as yet another injury insurance option.
Cal Foote Signs With AHL’s Chicago Wolves
The AHL’s Chicago Wolves announced Monday they’ve signed free agent defenseman Callan Foote for the balance of the 2025-26 campaign.
There wasn’t any reported NHL interest in Foote, who’s technically eligible to return to top-level game action. He, along with his four Hockey Canada teammates who were acquitted on sexual assault charges over the offseason, were still suspended by the league as a result of the allegations made against them, but were fully reinstated as of today.
While Foote was a first-round pick in 2017, his recent resume has been uninspiring. He played in the Slovak Extraliga last season while awaiting trial. He recorded three goals and 30 points in 38 games for HK 32 Liptovsky Mikulas with a -8 rating. That led the team in scoring among defensemen, but he hasn’t played an NHL game since January 2024 and was limited to nine points and a -14 rating in 24 games with AHL Utica that season while in the Devils’ system.
The 6’4″ shutdown righty now lands in the Hurricanes’ system, although they don’t acquire his exclusive signing rights. He’s still an unrestricted free agent and is eligible to accept and sign any NHL offer. Carolina had expressed interest in signing Carter Hart and Michael McLeod, both of whom were charged alongside Foote, but ultimately decided not to offer deals.
Foote has made 145 NHL appearances in parts of four seasons. Drafted by the Lightning, he’s also suited up for Nashville and New Jersey. He has a 5-15–20 scoring line to his name with a +24 rating while averaging 13:48 per game.
Canucks Recall Jiri Patera
The Canucks are recalling goaltender Jiri Patera from AHL Abbotsford, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK reports. He’s coming up while Nikita Tolopilo takes a brief leave of absence from the club for the birth of his child. Vancouver doesn’t have an open roster spot, but they can move Tolopilo to the non-roster list to make one.
It’s the second time a Vancouver netminder has left the team for personal reasons in the last several days. Kevin Lankinen departed the team on Nov. 25 and missed two games before returning to start against the Kings on Saturday.
Lankinen, Patera, and Tolopilo have been holding the fort in patchwork fashion while Thatcher Demko remains unavailable due to a groin strain. He carries a week-to-week designation and hasn’t played since Nov. 11. His return is still not imminent, and he hasn’t joined the team’s road trip as they wrap it up Tuesday in Colorado, Dhaliwal said.
Lankinen, Demko’s uncontested backup, has seen the vast majority of action during that time. His leave of absence meant Tolopilo got his first two starts of the season last week, though. He faced 65 shots in a win and a loss against the Ducks and Sharks, making 58 saves for a .892 SV%. That was good for 1.3 goals saved above expected behind a taxing defensive workload, per MoneyPuck, a tick more than what Lankinen has provided in 14 appearances this season.
Now, Patera is back to serving as Lankinen’s backup after two previous stints on the active roster in November. His lone start this season came in a wild 8-5 loss to the Panthers on Nov. 17 in which he allowed seven goals on 40 shots for a .825 SV% and -3.4 GSAx. The 26-year-old has been better but not particularly promising in Abbotsford, where he has a .899 SV% and 2.89 GAA in six appearances with a 2-2-2 record. He’ll be headed back there as soon as Tolopilo rejoins the team or Demko is cleared to play, whichever comes first.
Robby Fabbri Signs PTO With AHL’s Charlotte Checkers
Unrestricted free agent winger Robby Fabbri will play his first regular-season action of 2025-26 on a professional tryout with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, the team announced Monday.
Fabbri will suit up with the Panthers’ affiliate after failing to land a contract from the Penguins, whose training camp he attended on a PTO. The 29-year-old hasn’t played in over nine months. He sustained a hand injury with the Ducks last season in late February, ending his campaign.
When Fabbri plays for the Checkers, it will be just the seventh AHL appearance of his professional career. The 2014 first-rounder by the Blues never had a standard minor-league assignment. He played three games for the Chicago Wolves late in 2014-15 after his junior season ended, and he played another three contests for the San Antonio Rampage while on a conditioning stint in the 2018-19 season.
The veteran of 442 NHL games now lands multiple rungs down the ladder as he attempts to get back to the top level. Injuries robbed the skilled, versatile winger of a good portion of his prime. That hand injury, plus an MCL surgery, cost him nearly half of last season with the Ducks. That’s par for the course for Fabbri, who’s had multiple ACL tears interrupt his playing time – going so far as to cost him an entire season back in 2017-18.
When healthy, the 5’11” forward has still carved out a solid track record as a middle-six piece. He’s averaged 20 goals and 40 points per 82 games over his career and is just two years removed from an 18-goal campaign with the Red Wings that matched a career-high. His diminished production in Anaheim last season, though, combined with his injury history, meant interest was tempered when he reached UFA status in July. In 44 appearances for the Ducks, he only notched eight goals and 16 points despite averaging 16:12 of ice time per game, the third-highest deployment of his career.
Fabbri’s most likely path back to the NHL deal now falls on a two-way deal with the Panthers if he has a strong showing in Charlotte, but by only signing an AHL tryout, he’s not bound to Florida in any sense and can still explore other NHL opportunities if they arise.
Wild Recall Hunter Haight
The Wild announced Monday they’ve recalled center Hunter Haight from AHL Iowa. He was sent down on Saturday, but since he got into game action for Iowa last night, he’s eligible to come back up today. Minnesota didn’t fill his roster spot during his two-day absence from the active roster.
Haight will continue serving as a fourth-line/press box option as the Wild continue to deal with a banged-up forward group while trying to squeeze more offense out of their bottom six. He won’t have a particularly clear path to playing time with 14 forwards on the active roster. Tyler Pitlick is on waivers today but is expected to remain with the team if he clears instead of being assigned to Iowa, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
His recent demotion was more about getting the 21-year-old playing time. The Wild have done a good job of that while ferrying him between leagues multiple times this year. He’s still managed 14 appearances for Iowa, notching four goals and an assist with a -6 rating. Selected No. 47 overall in the 2022 draft, he projects as a No. 3 center long-term and is a consensus top-15 prospect in Minnesota’s system. He entered the season ranked #9 according to Elite Prospects and #14 according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic.
He’s coming off a 20-goal, 34-point showing as a rookie for Iowa in 67 games last year. It may not be an overly impressive showing at face value, but the team’s weak roster meant Haight checked in second on the team in goals and fifth in points.
Despite this being Haight’s fourth recall of the season, he was only in the lineup for Minnesota’s first two games and hasn’t played since. He averaged 9:22 of ice time across the pair of appearances and went without a point, recording a -2 rating. He went 7-for-16 on faceoffs (43.8%), and the Wild lost the shot-attempt battle 28-11 in his 5-on-5 minutes despite some advantageous offensive zone deployment.
While Ryan Hartman and Vladimir Tarasenko have come off injured reserve in recent days, the Wild’s forward group is still missing Marcus Foligno, Vinnie Hinostroza, and top-line center Marco Rossi. Haight certainly won’t factor in when everyone is healthy but in the interim, he’s worked his way up enough on the organization’s depth chart to continue serving as a depth option when required.
Penguins Recall Rutger McGroarty, Bokondji Imama
The Penguins have recalled top prospect Rutger McGroarty, along with winger Bokondji Imama, from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, according to a team announcement. The team cleared two roster spots Sunday when they reassigned Tristan Broz and Danton Heinen to WBS, so no other corresponding transactions are needed.
McGroarty, universally lauded as Pittsburgh’s No. 1 prospect entering the season, will now meaningfully get his campaign underway nearly two months into the calendar. The 2022 No. 14 overall pick by the Jets, who was sent to the Pens in a swap for fellow first-rounder Brayden Yager, was widely expected to get a shot in Pittsburgh’s top six alongside either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin to start the season.
Those plans were ground to a halt on the first day of training camp when general manager Kyle Dubas said McGroarty had failed his physical and was out indefinitely with an upper-body injury. He was held out of the lineup until mid-November, when he was activated from season-opening injured reserve and reassigned to the Baby Pens. Last week, Josh Yohe of The Athletic reported that the 21-year-old’s demotion was intended as a conditioning stint with a recall expected shortly.
Even if the Penguins planned on recalling McGroarty after a couple of weeks regardless of how he played, he’s more than earned another look high up in the Penguins’ lineup. He opened the season with a four-game goal streak for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and recorded at least one point in all five of his appearances. After a tough start and red-hot finish to the season in the minors last year, he’s picked up where he left off with a 4-3–7 scoring line and a +3 rating.
McGroarty’s NHL debut came late last season. He was summoned from the AHL in late March and immediately got a look in top-line minutes with Crosby and Bryan Rust, although he did get some bottom-six deployment for a couple of games. In eight contests, he recorded a goal and two assists while averaging 14:37 of ice time per game. The 6’1″, 212-lb forward – who’s a natural center but can slot in on either wing – controlled 58.1% of shot attempts at 5-on-5 and held opponents even at a score of 3-3.
With a pair of top-six wingers in Justin Brazeau and Rickard Rakell on injured reserve, the opportunity is ripe for McGroarty to return to the top-line left wing role with Crosby that he got a taste of last season. Head coach Dan Muse would no doubt appreciate the opportunity to get a more dynamic talent like McGroarty in that spot. Since Rakell underwent surgery on his left hand in late October, it’s been Connor Dewar and Kevin Hayes – veterans best suited for bottom-six roles – getting minutes with Crosby.
Imama nets his first recall of the season after seeing his most extended stint on an NHL roster last year with the Pens. The 29-year-old enforcer has been a career AHL threat and only brought 15 games of NHL experience to Pittsburgh when he signed a two-way deal with them in free agency in 2024. He began the year in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton but, after getting recalled in late January, spent the rest of the year either on the NHL roster or on injured reserve. He more than doubled his previous NHL experience and made 16 appearances for the Pens, notching a goal, 30 penalty minutes, and 45 hits while averaging 5:40 of ice time per game. Biceps surgery ended his season prematurely in March.
The Pens signed Imama to a two-way extension in June to keep him in the organization, but with their other free agent additions and multiple prospect graduations expected, he wasn’t penciled onto their roster. He cleared waivers without incident near the end of training camp and returned to the AHL, where the 2015 sixth-round pick of the Lightning has now played parts of nine seasons with more than 350 appearances. In 19 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, he’s managed three goals and an assist.
Imama is likely ticketed for a 13th forward job during his call-up, but if he gets into game action, it’ll mark his fifth consecutive season with an NHL appearance. After going unsigned by the Bolts, he spent time in the Kings, Coyotes, and Senators organizations before arriving in Pittsburgh 16 months ago.
Image courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.