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Pittsburgh Penguins Reassign Samuel Poulin

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Samuel Poulin’s recent recall with the Pittsburgh Penguins will only last one day. The Penguins announced they’ve assigned the former first-round pick to the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins earlier today.

Even with the injuries to Evgeni Malkin and Blake Lizotte, Pittsburgh chose not to dress Poulin for yesterday’s shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Unless he’s recalled after the AHL Penguins game this evening against the Hartford Wolf Pack, Poulin will finish the first two months of the NHL season with zero points in two games, averaging 13:49 of ice time per contest.

Despite the Penguins’ unexpected competitiveness this season, it’s somewhat surprising they haven’t given Poulin a longer look on the NHL roster. In what’s shaping up to be his best professional season to date, Poulin has scored nine goals and 20 points in WBS’s first 21 games with a +8 rating.

It’s not a lone bright spot on a disappointing team either. The AHL Penguins currently hold a one-point lead over the Providence Bruins for the top team in the Atlantic Division and the entire Eastern Conference.

Given that he’s leading the team in scoring, let alone on the top team of the Eastern Conference, Poulin has likely earned a longer stay in the NHL at this point. However, being that the Penguins hold the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and are two points away from being in a divisional spot in the Metropolitan Division, they’ll likely stay the course for the time being unless another significant injury hits the roster.

Buffalo Sabres Sign Trevor Kuntar To One-Year Deal

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The Buffalo Sabres have rewarded one of their better AHL forwards with an NHL contract. According to a team announcement, the Sabres have signed forward Trevor Kuntar to a one-year, two-way deal for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.

Kuntar, 24, is a native of Buffalo, NY, and spent his collegiate days with the Boston College Eagles. After a somewhat difficult freshman campaign when he scored six goals and 10 points in 23 games, Kuntar responded much better throughout his sophomore and junior seasons, scoring a combined 22 goals and 49 points in 70 contests.

Being selected with the 89th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft by the Boston Bruins, Kuntar made the jump to the professional circuit with the AHL’s Providence Bruins for the 2023-24 campaign. He finished 13th on the team in scoring, 2nd among rookies, with 10 goals and 20 points in 70 games. Additionally, he added one assist in four postseason contests.

Unfortunately, due to elbow surgery, Kuntar was limited to just 54 games last year and never gained any significant momentum. He tied for 19th on the AHL Bruins in scoring with three goals and 12 points with a -7 rating.

As he watched his entry-level contract with Boston expire, Kuntar headed to the free agent market this past offseason. He had to wait a couple of weeks, but the AHL’s Rochester Americans eventually signed him to an AHL contract partway through July.

He’s responded well to the new opportunity. At the time of writing, Kuntar is fifth in scoring on the eighth-place Americans, registering nine goals and 13 points in 24 games. Considering that the Sabres were relatively quick to upgrade his contract, there’s a chance Kuntar could debut with the team this season should they run into injury trouble or move some pieces off of their roster.

Atlantic Notes: Evans, Chabot, Mermis

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The Montreal Canadiens will be without center Jake Evans for their contest tomorrow night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Canadiens shared that Evans is away from the team for personal reasons and that he would rejoin the team this weekend in New York.

There were no additional announcements from the team or subsequent reports indicating why Evans is missing, so it would be unfair to speculate. Still, given that he’s rejoining the team in New York, Evans is expected to re-enter the lineup when the Canadiens take on the Rangers on Saturday.

It also explains, in part, the trio of recalls made earlier today by Montreal. The Canadiens already have several players on the team’s injured reserve, so there was no need for a corresponding roster move. Owen Beck, who was included in today’s recall, will likely slot into Montreal’s third line in place of Evans and appear in his third NHL contest of the season.

Other notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • The Ottawa Senators will have to wait a little bit longer for the return of defenseman Thomas Chabot. According to TSN’s Bruce Garrioch, Chabot won’t travel with the team for their upcoming road trip, indicating that he’s still a week out at best. Chabot, who has two goals and 10 points over 18 games this season, has been nursing an upper-body injury since November 22nd.
  • Staying in Ontario, the Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t expecting depth defenseman Dakota Mermis to return anytime soon. Lance Hornby of The Toronto Sun reported that Mermis, who was placed on injured reserve earlier today, is expected to miss a month with a lower-body injury. The nine-year veteran left Toronto’s game in the third period on Wednesday due to the injury.

Hurricanes, Capitals Linked To Quinn Hughes

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It appears that more teams are smelling blood in the water when it comes to Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes. After already being linked to the Detroit Red Wings and New Jersey Devils, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals have now made their interest known.

In the article, Pagnotta said, “We know the usual suspects. We’ll continue to hear more teams, I’m sure, as this progresses, but the latest two that I have are the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals.”

Neither team’s interest comes as a surprise. The Hurricanes have been one of the most consistently good teams in the Eastern Conference over the past few years, making three Eastern Conference Final appearances since the 2019 postseason. Additionally, the Capitals were the top team in the Eastern Conference last season and have again vaulted themselves to the top of the table in recent weeks, winning 10 of their previous 12 games.

Objectively, for all 31 other teams, Hughes improves the roster wholesale. In the case of Carolina and Washington, he fits a long-term hole as well. The two years remaining on Hughes’ contract coincide with Shayne Gostisbehere’s with the Hurricanes, who is the offensive leader of their defensive core. Additionally, although they have Jakob Chychrun signed through the 2023-33 season, acquiring Hughes would make for a far easier transition out of the John Carlson era in Washington.

Regardless, if the Canucks were not only to entertain the idea of trading a player of Hughes’ caliber but actively seek one, the acquiring team would have to provide the goods. It’s well known that Vancouver is looking for a longer-term solution down the middle, and they would likely want several additional futures as well.

In Carolina, although the Canucks would expectably target Logan Stankoven, the Hurricanes would likely be unwilling to move him since they signed him to an eight-year, $48MM extension this past offseason. Still, Carolina could counter with quantity over quality, much like they did when they acquired Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2023-24.

None of the prospects are bona fide top-six forwards (yet), but the Hurricanes could offer a package of Bradly Nadeau, Ivan Ryabkin, and Felix Unger Sörum, along with one or multiple of their four first-round selections over the next three years.

Meanwhile, the Capitals have all three of their first-round picks through the 2028 NHL Draft and have a movable center that could easily shift into the Canucks’ top-six, unlike the trio of hypothetical options from Carolina. Forward Connor McMichael, who is headed for restricted free agency next summer (UFA after 2028-29), could be a headliner in a potential Hughes trade.

After scoring 26 goals for Washington last season, McMichael has only four in 30 games this season. Still, after averaging a 14.1% shooting percentage from 2023 to 2025, there’s reason to believe his current 6.3% rate won’t last. Additionally, since he’s under team control for the next three seasons after this one, the Canucks would have plenty of time to sign him to a long-term extension.

Thomas Harley Returning To Stars Lineup

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Dec. 9: Harley will be back in the lineup tonight against the Jets, per Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press. He never landed on injured reserve when he was out, so there’s no transaction involved.

Nov. 15: The Dallas Stars will be without one of their top defenseman for the next few weeks. Dallas announced that Thomas Harley is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

Although Harley’s most recent game came in the Stars’ lopsided win against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, there’s reason to believe that he’s been playing through the injury for some time. Given their salary cap space, it’s expected that Kyle Capobianco will fill in for Harley for the time being.

It’s safe to say that Harley will be a huge missing piece for Dallas moving forward. The former first-round pick has arguably been the Stars’ top defenseman for the last three years, scoring 32 goals and 107 points in his previous 175 games. Additionally, Harley was the highest-scoring defenseman for the Stars last postseason, adding four goals and 14 points in 18 games.

Fortunately, Dallas has built a solid lead in the standings that they can likely absorb Harley’s loss. At the time of writing, the Stars are four points up on the Utah Mammoth for second place in the Central Division standings and are five points up on the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Moving forward, it’s likely that young blueliner Lian Bichsel will get a larger look in the Stars’ top-two defensive pairings. Also drafted 18th overall like Harley, Bichsel is in his second year in the NHL. At this point, he’s scored four goals and 11 points in 56 games with 213 hits, averaging 14:46 of ice time per night.

Canucks Reassign Jett Woo

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Dec. 9: Woo cleared waivers and will be on his way to Abbotsford, per Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK.

Dec. 8: According to Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Vancouver Canucks have placed defenseman Jett Woo on waivers. Assuming he clears, Vancouver will be able to reassign Woo to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks tomorrow.

Woo opened up the 2025-26 campaign on the Canucks’ season-opening injured reserve due to offseason surgery. The surgery was reportedly meant to address an upper-body injury that Woo played through on AHL Abbotsford’s run to a Calder Cup championship last spring.

It wasn’t all that long ago that Woo was considered an up-and-coming defensive prospect in Vancouver’s pipeline. The Canucks selected Woo with the 37th overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft, and he spent the next two years scoring 19 goals and 112 points in 126 games between the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors and Calgary Hitmen.

Unfortunately, that production hasn’t translated into success in the professional circuit. Despite spending the last six years playing for Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, Woo has yet to make his NHL debut, and it’s unlikely he’ll ever become a consistent part of the team’s defensive core.

He’s shown some promise on the defensive side of the puck, but Woo has shown little on offense. In 267 AHL contests, the 25-year-old blueliner has scored 21 goals and 83 points.

Lightning Place Andrei Vasilevskiy On IR, Activate Brayden Point

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3:44 p.m.: The corresponding move for Vasilevskiy’s IR placement is an IR activation for top center Brayden Point, per Erlendsson. The snakebitten pivot had missed the last seven games due to an undisclosed injury he sustained against the Capitals on Nov. 22. He’s hoping the time off jumpstarts a reset – the four-time 40-goal scorer had managed just three tallies through 21 games while shooting at a disastrous 6.8% clip, less than half his previous career low.

10:16 a.m.: According to Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider, the Tampa Bay Lightning have placed netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy on the team’s injured reserve. Having recalled Brandon Halverson a few days ago, any corresponding roster move, if any, will likely involve a forward or defenseman.

Vasilveskiy has already missed two games due to an undisclosed injury, and it’s now a guarantee he’ll miss at least two more. Since his last contest came last Tuesday against the New York Islanders, the 12-year veteran will only be eligible for activation after Tampa Bay’s matchup tomorrow against the Montreal Canadiens.

Unlike some of their injuries on defense, the Lightning haven’t fared as well without their former Vezina Trophy-winning netminder. Tampa Bay lost both games last week without Vasilevskiy (as well as his most recent start against the Islanders), allowing six goals on 50 shots for an .880 SV%.

Assuming that the Lightning will want to avoid overworking Jonas Johansson in their upcoming back-to-back against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal, Vasilevskiy’s IR placement all but guarantees that Halvorsen will make his first appearance of the year. The 29-year-old netminer has managed a 9-4-0 record in 13 games with the Syracuse Crunch this season with a .901 SV%.

Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like Vasilevskiy will be out for too long. There was some speculation last week that Vasilevskiy was targeting today for his return, meaning that he may return by Thursday when the Lightning take on the Devils in New Jersey.

Atlantic Notes: Bruins, Maple Leafs, Tinordi

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Unless something changes, the Boston Bruins will return their two top performers on their upcoming road trip. After an update from Steve Conroy of The Boston Herald, indicating that Charlie McAvoy shed the non-contact jersey for today’s practice, Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe reported that both McAvoy and David Pastrňák are expected to return over the next few days.

Even getting one of McAvoy or Pastrňák back would be a major boost to the Bruins. After McAvoy exited the lineup on November 15th after gruesomely taking a puck to the face, the team has gone 5-5-0. It’s been a little better without Pastrňák, as they’ve gone 3-2-0 in their last five.

Still, considering that Boston has unexpectedly moved into second place in the Atlantic Division, the team will want to have McAvoy and Pastrňák in the lineup as much as possible to qualify for a postseason spot. The Bruins are only two points removed from being out of a playoff spot, and have played more games than multiple teams in the Eastern Conference. Considering how wide-open the playoff race is this season, Boston has a legitimate opportunity to reach the postseason again, and McAvoy and Pastrňák will surely play a large role in that.

Other notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • Moving to Toronto, the Maple Leafs may also return a pair of injured players in the next few days. According to David Alter of The Hockey News, defenseman Chris Tanev is no longer skating in a non-contact jersey. Additionally, Alter reported similarly on defenseman Marshall Rifai, who has also shed his non-contact jersey. Tanev has missed much of the 2025-26 campaign due to an upper-body injury, and his absence has played a significant role in the Maple Leafs allowing over 31 shots a game from their opponents.
  • Former first-round pick Jarred Tinordi has found his way back to professional hockey for a 14th consecutive season. Earlier today, the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch announced they have signed Tinordi to a contract for the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign. Tinordi, 33, spent last season with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, scoring one goal and five points in 30 games with a +5 rating.

Kraken’s Berkly Catton Out Week-To-Week

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The Seattle Kraken will be without one of their top prospects for some time. Seattle announced that forward Berkly Catton is considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

Catton, 19, is the former 8th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft. He’s been one of the highest-scoring forwards in the CHL since being selected by the Kraken, registering 92 goals and 225 points in 125 games with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs.

Additionally, Catton was sensational for the Chiefs in the WHL playoffs last year and played a large part in the team being three wins away from the 2025 Memorial Cup tournament. He finished with 11 goals and 42 points in 20 postseason contests before the team was knocked out in the championship by the Medicine Hat Tigers in five games.

Despite some speculation that Catton could have made the Kraken’s roster last year, it was an all but guaranteed scenario this season. Unfortunately, his transition to professional hockey hasn’t been a smooth one.

Catton has already skated in 21 games for the Kraken, averaging 12:25 of ice time per night, but has yet to register his first NHL goal. He does have five assists, though it’s a far cry from the production he showed in Major Junior. It would have been highly unrealistic to expect a similar 100+ point pace from Catton in his rookie season, though it’s likely that Seattle was hoping for more than this.

Meanwhile, Catton’s injury is undoubtedly the reason he was left off Team Canada’s preliminary roster for the upcoming IIHF World Junior Championship, which was announced this morning. It was Catton’s last year of eligibility, and the Kraken likely would have loaned him for the tournament given his tepid offensive output this season.

Capitals Recall Garin Bjorklund, Reassign Clay Stevenson

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The Washington Capitals have become the second team today to make a change to their backup goaltending situation. Washington announced that they have recalled Garin Bjorklund and reassigned Clay Stevenson to the AHL’s Hershey Bears in a corresponding roster move.

Should Bjorklund play during his recall, which is unexpected, it would make for his NHL debut. The Capitals selected the Calgary, AB native with the 179th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft, and he’s spent much of the last two years with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays.

His performance in the ECHL last season likely earned him a spot on the Bears this year. Bjorklund, 23, finished with a 21-4-3 record last season with a .927 SV% and 2.02 GAA in 29 games with the Stingrays. This season, as a backup in Hershey, he has compiled four wins in nine games with a .895 SV%.

Meanwhile, Stevenson concludes his recall without appearing for the Capitals. Still, in his fourth year with Hershey, Stevenson has managed a 7-4-0 record in 11 games, boasting a .913 SV% and 2.54 GAA.

Regardless, the Capitals are merely biding time until their regular backup, Charlie Lindgren, can return from injury. Washington placed Lindgren on the injured reserve yesterday due to a lower-body injury, and the team has yet to provide a recovery timeline. Lindgren will become eligible to return on Thursday.

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