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Islanders’ Pierre Engvall Unlikely To Play This Season

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Islanders winger Pierre Engvall is unlikely to play this season after undergoing ankle surgery on Tuesday, general manager Mathieu Darche told reporters today (via Andrew Gross of Newsday).

Engvall had already started the season on injured reserve after he had a hip procedure performed over the offseason. Still, he was expected to be able to return sometime around the season opener. That didn’t come to pass, and there hadn’t been an update on his status in several weeks.

Engvall will now be eligible for long-term injured reserve, meaning the Islanders can exceed the salary cap by up to his $3MM cap hit with an optimal capture. If injuries pile up, they’ll take advantage. As things stand, they don’t have enough cap space ($702,490) for a standard recall, per PuckPedia.

The lost season dots what’s been a rather disastrous run on Long Island for Engvall since he signed a seven-year, $21MM contract with the club in the 2023 offseason. He was picked up from the Maple Leafs at the previous season’s trade deadline and looked like a potential long-term top-nine piece. He averaged north of 15 minutes per game down the stretch and produced a 5-4–9 scoring line in 18 games – a 41-point clip – and comprised the second line with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri.

In his first season under the long-term deal, Engvall’s usage remained consistent, but his production didn’t. He only managed 10 goals and 28 points in 74 games, down from the 30-plus points he’d locked in over the prior two years spent mostly in Toronto. He can naturally be a frustrating player to watch at times, given his relative lack of physicality for his 6’6″ frame, so a dropoff in scoring made for a considerable dropoff in his perceived value.

Last year, his first full season under head coach Patrick Roy, Engvall failed to reverse the slide. He became a semi-regular healthy scratch, appearing in 62 games. When dressed, his ice time dipped to under 12 minutes per game. His scoring suffered in kind, churning out an 8-7–15 line with a career-worst minus-seven rating.

After the Islanders signed Jonathan Drouin and Max Shabanov in free agency this past offseason, it was clear they weren’t penciling Engvall into a spot in the opening night lineup, even if he was going to be healthy. Before his injury designation, he was a speculative waiver candidate after passing through unclaimed twice last season.

If his recovery from ankle surgery stretches past the end of the regular season, it could prevent the Islanders from pursuing a buyout of his contract. If he’s healthy enough to be on the receiving end of one, though, it might be something they consider at a flat cost of $1MM against the cap for the next eight years compared to $3MM for the next four, although that drops to under $2MM if he’s in the minors.

Bruins Place Jordan Harris On IR, Recall Michael Callahan

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The Bruins announced they’ve placed defenseman Jordan Harris on injured reserve. His roster spot is going to Michael Callahan, who’s been called up from AHL Providence in the corresponding move.

Rarely does an IR announcement come before any sort of injury designation, but that’s the case with Harris. He played in last night’s loss to the Panthers and, with 15:20 of ice time, shouldered his usual workload. The 25-year-old is averaging 15:38 through five games in his first year in Boston. The Massachusetts native signed a one-year deal worth $825,000 over the offseason and won the job as the Bruins’ extra defender out of training camp, but has drawn into action frequently over the past couple of weeks while Hampus Lindholm has been in and out due to a lower-body injury.

So far, he’s been a pleasant surprise. He’s scored a goal, something that no other Boston defender other than Nikita Zadorov can say this season. He’s recorded three blocks and four hits with strong possession impacts at even strength, leading the Bruins’ rearguards with a 57.1 CF% at even strength. He’s routinely comprised the third pairing with Andrew Peeke, a duo that’s controlled 53.5% of expected goals but has been outscored 3-2, according to MoneyPuck.

Now, they’ll be without him for at least seven days. Boston has a tight schedule to close the month and will have played four games by the time Harris is eligible to come off IR next Wednesday. His earliest potential return date is Oct. 30 against the Sabres.

If the Bruins continue to sit Lindholm, Callahan will be in line for his season debut tomorrow versus the Ducks. The 26-year-old is entering his sophomore season after skating in 17 games with the B’s last year, scoring once with a minus-five rating. The 6’2″ lefty managed nine shots on goal and projects as a semi-reliable, unassuming No. 7/8 option long-term. Considering he started nearly three-quarters of his even-strength shifts last year in the defensive end, his subpar 43.8 CF% is understandable. In four games with Providence this season, he’s still searching for his first point but has a plus-one rating.

Predators Assign Brady Martin To OHL

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The Predators announced Wednesday that they’ve assigned center Brady Martin to the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds. They now have two open roster spots, although roster considerations aren’t playing a factor in this move.

Martin, 18, has seen his stock rise more than most prospects over the past year. Viewed as a late first-round selection early in 2024-25, he rocketed his way up draft boards enough to earn the call at fifth overall from Nashville. That was fueled by an offensive explosion in juniors from the physical pivot, who produced 33 goals and 72 points in 57 games for the Greyhounds after recording just 10 goals and 28 points in 52 games the year prior.

That carried over into the preseason, where Martin converted a two-goal, one-assist performance in four games into a spot on Nashville’s opening roster submission. Initially, it looked like he would get quite a long leash. Martin started the opener on the top line with Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly, but only factoring in at even strength meant he only averaged 12:42 of ice time through a pair of games, recording an assist and an even rating, before the Predators scratched him in what they referred to as a preset development plan. Martin ended up sitting in the press box for four straight before re-entering the lineup for last night’s loss to the Ducks. He only skated 10:51 but managed his first two career shots on goal, along with one block and going 2-for-6 on faceoffs.

Yet Martin, still a raw prospect, needs playing time more than anything else. He’ll get that now in spades in Sault Ste. Marie, where he’ll be their top skater and should aim to be among the OHL’s leading scorers at season’s end, at least in terms of points per game. The demotion to the Greyhounds is permanent for the remainder of 2025-26, save for an extremely rare emergency exception in a catastrophic injury situation or until the Soo’s season comes to an end.

Martin still checks in as the Preds’ No. 1 prospect and is the highest-ceiling middle-man they’ve developed in-house in years. After another close-to-full season of development in juniors, he’ll be given plenty of leeway to secure a more permanent slot in Nashville’s forward group to begin the 2026-27 campaign.

Since Martin played fewer than 10 games before being sent back to juniors, his entry-level contract will not take effect this season and will not count toward Nashville’s 50-contract limit. He is now on track to reach restricted free agency in 2029 with an additional four years of team control after that. He still earns his $97,500 signing bonus for 2025-26, bringing his cap hit down from $975,000 to $942,500 for next year.

A corresponding recall in the coming days should still be expected. With Martin no longer in the picture, the Predators aren’t carrying any extra forwards with them. As things stand, they’ll need to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen against the Canucks tomorrow if Jonathan Marchessault, who’s missed the last two games with a lower-body issue, can’t play.

Blue Jackets Reassign Dysin Mayo

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Oct. 22: The Blue Jackets announced they’ve loaned Mayo back to Cleveland. He was rostered for last night’s 5-1 win over the Stars but did not play. The team is hoping for Gudbranson to be available for their game against the Penguins on Saturday, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports, so Mayo’s services as a healthy extra are no longer needed.

Oct. 19: The Blue Jackets announced they’ve recalled defenseman Dysin Mayo from AHL Cleveland. They’ve been operating with an open roster spot since their initial submission earlier this month, so no corresponding transaction is required.

The move is spurred by an injury to veteran righty Erik Gudbranson, who’s sat out the last three games with an upper-body injury and remains day-to-day. Two of those three games were at home. They’re now headed to Dallas on a mini road trip and would presumably like Mayo around as extra insurance in case another injury arises.

If Mayo plays, it will be his first NHL appearance since February 2023 with the Coyotes. The 29-year-old signed a two-way deal with the Blue Jackets in the offseason. The depth defender cleared waivers during the preseason and has recorded two assists, four PIMs, and an even rating through his first four appearances for Cleveland.

His NHL work is hard to gauge since it all came on a patchwork Arizona defense corps in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. He logged 82 appearances in those two years, including 67 as a rookie after spending five seasons with their AHL affiliate in Tucson. He’s been a decently stable two-way presence in the minors and even managed a 4-8–12 scoring line for the Yotes, but his defensive stats are understandably subpar. Overtaxed out of the gate (he played over 20 minutes per game in 2021-22), he has a career -30 rating with a CF% of just 40.1 and an xGF% of 37.8 at even strength.

Mayo, a 6’0″ righty, plays a similar physical brand to the injured Gudbranson. His 129 hits actually led Arizona’s defensemen in 2021-22. Summoning him ahead of higher-ceiling youngsters like Corson Ceulemans and Stanislav Svozil is no accident. Inserting him in the lineup would give Columbus an even lefty/righty balance again after dressing four lefties and two righties in Gudbranson’s absence. Jake Christiansen, who started the year as the Blue Jackets’ healthy extra but was forced into action with Gudbranson’s injury, has a -1 rating through three showings and has skated just 8:37 of ice time per game, absurdly low for a defender.

Mayo can remain on Columbus’ NHL roster for up to 30 days or play 10 games until he needs to clear waivers again to return to Cleveland.

Sabres Reassign Joshua Dunne

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The Sabres announced Wednesday that they’ve loaned forward Joshua Dunne to AHL Rochester. They now have two open roster spots, one of which will go to goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as he comes off injured reserve following yesterday’s news that he’s been assigned to Rochester on a conditioning stint. The other will go to winger Beck Malenstyn, who’s returned to the team after taking paternity leave and was on the non-roster list, per Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550.

Dunne’s first recall of the season lasted nearly two weeks. He was summoned from Rochester on Oct. 10 after Zach Benson took a puck to the face, resulting in a hospital visit, and after Joshua Norris sustained an oblique injury in the season’s first game. Benson has since returned and has six assists in three games, although Norris is on IR and will remain there until mid-December.

Recalled to serve as a depth piece rather than a lineup fixture, Dunne only appeared in two out of five games on his recall. The soon-to-be 27-year-old saw ice on Oct. 13 against the Avalanche and last Monday against the Canadiens, but only averaged 6:30 of ice time. The 6’4″, 208-lb pivot factored in on the wing and, aside from recording three hits, didn’t have a tangible impact. His ice time was down even further from the already-slim 7:06 per game he saw in a two-game look with Buffalo last year.

The Missouri native has 18 games of NHL experience but is still looking for his first point. Fourteen of them came with the Blue Jackets, where he first signed as an undrafted free agent out of Clarkson in 2021. He’s in the back half of a two-year, $1.55MM deal he signed with Buffalo in the 2024 offseason that carried a two-way structure last year but guarantees him the full NHL league minimum of $775,000 in 2025-26. In 202 career AHL appearances, 68 of which came with Rochester, he has a 46-48–94 scoring line with 194 PIMs and a minus-three rating.

Malenstyn could take Dunne’s place in the lineup when the Sabres host the Red Wings tonight. Since he was on the non-roster list and not on injured reserve, he doesn’t need to miss seven days since his last appearance. Through five games before exiting the lineup, he had no points with a minus-two rating and 13 hits while averaging 9:52 of ice time per game.

Islanders Name Sergei Naumov Goaltending Coach

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The Islanders have promoted AHL Bridgeport goaltending coach Sergei Naumov to the same role on their NHL bench, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports Wednesday. Piero Greco, who had been the team’s goaltending coach since the 2018-19 season, has been relieved of his duties.

Naumov, 56, is a relatively new addition to the organization. He was brought in as Bridgeport’s goalie coach ahead of the 2024-25 season. The native of Latvia had spent the previous 15 years coaching goalies in the Kontinental Hockey League. He made stops with Dinamo Riga (2009-12), Donbass Donetsk (2012-14), Atlant Mytishchi (2014-15), Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (2015-18), and CSKA Moscow (2018-24).

In Moscow, Naumov worked with star starter Ilya Sorokin in the final two seasons of his international career before he made the jump to Long Island. The 2018-19 campaign, in particular, was some of Sorokin’s best work. In 40 appearances, he logged a 1.16 GAA, .940 SV%, 11 shutouts, and a 28-6-4 record. He led the league in shutouts before leading CSKA to a Gagarin Cup championship, recording a playoff-leading 1.19 GAA and earning MVP honors.

With Sorokin off to an unusually rough start in 2025-26, today’s change is clearly targeted at getting him back to top form with a coach that, theoretically, knows precisely what buttons to push. It took the 30-year-old until last night, his fifth start of the season, to record a save percentage above .900. On the year, he has a .873 SV% with a 3.90 GAA and a 2-3-0 record. He has conceded 1.7 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck. That number is 53rd out of the 63 goalies to see action so far and marks the first time in his six-year NHL career that he’s flirted with below-average territory.

In a league where goaltending is increasingly volatile from year to year, few can say they boast the consistency that Sorokin has brought with him since making the jump from the KHL. After spending the 2020-21 campaign as countryman Semyon Varlamov’s backup, Sorokin assumed the No. 1 job from 2021-22 onward and has finished top 10 in Vezina Trophy voting on every occasion, including a sixth-place finish last year and runner-up honors in 2022-23.

Of course, it’s still only October. There’s plenty of runway left for Sorokin to turn on the jets and come up with another All-Star-caliber season. He showed signs of it last night, allowing a season-low three goals on a season-high 36 shots faced against the Sharks. But evidently, the Islanders had developed enough concern with what they’ve seen technically from Sorokin to open the season to feel a significant and prompt change was necessary.

Kings Activate Corey Perry From Injured Reserve

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2:40 p.m.: Perry has indeed been activated with Kopitar landing on IR, the team announced.

12:25 p.m.: The Kings will have offseason pickup Corey Perry in the lineup tonight for the first time this season, the team’s Zach Dooley relays. He began the year on injured reserve and will need to be activated. Los Angeles does not have an open roster spot and will need to make a corresponding transaction, which will likely be an IR placement for Anže Kopitar, who’s out week-to-week with a foot injury.

Perry, 40, moved to his sixth team in the last seven years when he inked a one-year, $2MM deal with the Kings on July 1. He was one of many of general manager Ken Holland’s pickups in his first offseason in L.A., alongside Joel Armia, Cody Ceci, Brian Dumoulin, and Anton Forsberg. The four-time All-Star is coming off a 19-goal, 30-point showing with the Oilers, his best offensive showing in three years, but sustained a knee injury during an informal skate shortly before training camp that required surgery. He was given a six-to-eight-week return timeline, putting him back in the lineup significantly ahead of schedule.

It’s unclear who’s coming out of the lineup to make way. It could be center Samuel Helenius. He’s the only one of the 12 forwards who played L.A.’s last game that hasn’t appeared in every contest so far this year. Doing so would likely mean shifting Alex Turcotte to the middle to open a spot for Perry on the wing. Even considering his limited ice time in recent years (he averaged 11:56 per game for Edmonton in 2024-25), it would make sense for him to assume fourth-line duties out of the gate as he gets back into the swing of things ahead of schedule and without a conditioning stint.

It’s worth noting Perry is still eligible for all of his performance bonuses – he could double his $2MM base salary by playing at least 50 games and if the Kings make the Stanley Cup Final. Just reaching the 50 GP mark, still well within reach, would get him $1.5MM.

Canadiens Recall Joshua Roy, Marc Del Gaizo; Reassign Owen Beck

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The Canadiens announced they’ve recalled winger Joshua Roy and defenseman Marc Del Gaizo from AHL Laval. Center Owen Beck was returned to Laval as one of the corresponding transactions. Montreal doesn’t have an open roster spot, though, so they must make a second move to keep their active roster at the 23-man maximum.

The roster shuffling in Montreal comes in the wake of a trio of injuries. Over the weekend, they announced defenseman Kaiden Guhle would miss four to six weeks with a lower-body injury while also ruling forwards Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine out on a day-to-day basis. It would stand to reason that Guhle has or will land on injured reserve as the additional corresponding move.

Sending down Beck, a center, and replacing him with a winger in Roy could be a promising sign for Dach’s availability against the Flames on Wednesday. He’s on the ice at the team’s practice today, according to Marc Antoine Godin of Radio-Canada. Beck played in back-to-back games for the Habs after his recall on Saturday, but the 21-year-old averaged just 8:22 of ice time per game and recorded a minus-one rating and no points. It’s much of the same story for the 2022 second-round pick, who’s gotten a handful of recalls over the past few years but has never been given a particularly long leash. He’s averaged just 9:45 through 15 career NHL appearances, understandably only managing one assist. He’s posted underwhelming possession numbers (47.3 CF% in 58.8 oZS%) in those sheltered even-strength minutes but has been impactful on the dot, winning 53.7% of his faceoffs.

Beck is in his second full professional season. He had 44 points in 64 games for Laval as a rookie last year and had a goal and an assist through his first three games this season before getting recalled. There’s still hope that the 6’0″ pivot can be a long-term fixture down the middle for the Habs, and they won’t hesitate to let him continue to bake in the minors compared to logging limited NHL action.

As for Roy, the 22-year-old has a more established offensive track record in the NHL. A 2021 fifth-round pick, Roy has made 35 appearances for the Habs over the past two years with a 6-5–11 scoring line. Two-way play remains a concern for the skilled winger, but he’s more of a known commodity. He has earned a longer runway from head coach Martin St. Louis in the past, averaging 11:45 of ice time per game for his career while getting occasional power-play reps. He’s also off to a hot start in Laval with three goals and an assist through four games.

Del Gaizo is elevated to give Montreal an extra defenseman for their four-game road trip through the Pacific Division that kicks off tomorrow. They played the last two games without one on the roster after Guhle’s injury. The 26-year-old is a safe option to stash as a No. 7 and has plenty of recent experience, making 46 of his 55 career NHL appearances with the Predators last season. He was a Group VI unrestricted free agent last summer and signed a two-way deal with Montreal before clearing waivers during training camp on his way down to Laval. The 5’11” lefty has a 2-10–12 scoring line in the NHL with a -1 rating. He’s still looking for his first point in Laval through four games, but has a +2 rating. He can remain up for 30 days or play 10 games until he needs waivers again to head back down.

Senators Recall Olle Lycksell

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The Senators are bringing winger Olle Lycksell back up from AHL Belleville, the team announced. Ottawa had a pair of open roster spots after sending Arthur Kaliyev down to Belleville yesterday.

Lycksell and Kaliyev are essentially yo-yoing as Ottawa’s 12th forward while enforcer Kurtis MacDermid sits in the press box, and captain Brady Tkachuk remains on injured reserve after undergoing surgery on his hand last week. It likely won’t be the last time the Sens make this move. Both of them cleared waivers late in training camp. Players can remain on an NHL active roster for up to 30 non-consecutive days (or play 10 games) until they need waivers again to return to the minors. Swapping them out for each other every few days means delaying when they become waiver-eligible. Lycksell’s counter stood at 12 days before today; Kaliyev’s recall lasted four days.

Lycksell, 26, signed a two-way deal with the Senators over the summer. The four-year veteran was left on Ottawa’s opening night roster despite clearing waivers, but only played in two of five games before being sent to Belleville last Friday. He did not record a point and averaged 10:09 of ice time per game with two blocks and one hit. He’s also pointless with a minus-four rating through two appearances with the B-Sens in the past few days.

Originally selected in the sixth round by the Flyers back in 2017, Lycksell debuted with Philadelphia briefly in 2022-23. He got slightly more extended looks the following two seasons, but never logged more than 20 appearances in a campaign. He had a 1-10–11 scoring line in 45 games with the Flyers in parts of three years, but had much more success during that time with AHL Lehigh Valley, where he was nearly a point per game player. He had 52 goals and 128 points in 134 appearances there, working his way into an AHL All-Star Game appearance last season.

Lycksell reached Group VI unrestricted free agency this past offseason and landed with Ottawa, hoping for more opportunity. The 5’11” Swede has historically been an accurate shooter, but is finishing at just 2.2% during his NHL time. That needs to increase dramatically for him to have any hope of carving out a consistent role.

Kraken Recall Ben Meyers, Reassign Ville Ottavainen

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The Kraken announced Tuesday that they’ve recalled forward Ben Meyers from AHL Coachella Valley. The Kraken don’t have an active roster spot, so they’ve returned right-shot defenseman Ville Ottavainen to Coachella Valley to accommodate the addition of Meyers.

Ottavainen was a 2021 fourth-round pick and was just recalled from the AHL on Sunday amid news that Brandon Montour was taking a leave of absence and Ryan Lindgren had been banged up in the previous day’s win over the Maple Leafs. However, Lindgren was able to play last night against the Flyers, leaving Ottavainen in the press box.

Even then, most teams would opt to keep a seventh healthy defenseman on the roster (Montour’s personal leave had him placed on injured reserve) for insurance. Seattle doesn’t have that luxury. They’ve been operating with something of a self-imposed roster crunch due to their decision to carry three goaltenders, still carrying veterans Philipp Grubauer and Matt Murray as Joey Daccord’s backups. The Kraken were reluctant to expose Murray to waivers after a strong training camp, but he’s yet to play this season, while Grubauer has made one start and one relief appearance.

Seattle is now dealing with more pressing injury concerns up front. Jared McCann was scratched for Monday’s game with a lower-body injury and is day-to-day. They’re hoping his absence is under a week and thus haven’t placed him on IR, leaving only one press box spot for a healthy scratch in the skater department. As such, they’ve opted to swap out Ottavainen for Meyers to ensure they can still carry a traditional 12 forwards/six defensemen setup if another attacker needs to sit out.

Meyers, 27 in November, has played in parts of four NHL seasons between the Avalanche, Ducks, and Kraken. He saw semi-regular work in Colorado during the 2022-23 season but struggled to produce offensively and has seen his usage dwindle in the years since. He was waived by the Kraken during training camp for the second year in a row and headed to Coachella Valley without incident. He has two goals and a minus-four rating through his first three appearances of the season.

In eight games across multiple call-ups to Seattle last season, Meyers did not record a point and averaged a career-low 8:21 of ice time per game. He has a 6-2–8 scoring line in 75 career appearances, just 0.11 points per game. Since his debut in 2021-22, that’s fifth-worst among all forwards with at least 70 games played. For an undrafted free agent signing out of the University of Minnesota whose main calling card was two-way play, that’s not enough to keep him in the lineup consistently – especially considering he’s below water in both CF% and xGF% at even strength for his career.

With 19-year-old Berkly Catton recording a point in his NHL debut last night in place of McCann, it’s hard to see Meyers entering the lineup unless they want to switch up the fourth-line center position. John Hayden has held that down for the past couple of games after Frédérick Gaudreau landed on injured reserve.

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