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Lightning Place Mitchell Chaffee On Waivers

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According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Tampa Bay Lightning have placed forward Mitchell Chaffee on waivers. If he clears by tomorrow, the Lightning will have more flexibility with Chaffee since he’ll be waiver exempt for the next 10 days or 30 games, or they’ll gain the ability to reassign him to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch.

It marks the second time in Chaffee’s young career that he’s been placed on the waiver wire. Before the start of the 2023-24 campaign, the Lightning placed Chaffee on waivers after he failed to make the roster out of training camp, and he cleared without any issue.

Unlike the 2023-24 campaign, there were higher expectations for the Rockford, MI native this year. Despite being relegated to Tampa Bay’s bottom-six for most of his playing time, he finished eighth on the team in goal-scoring last year with 12 in 66 games. He was additionally one of the Lightning’s most physical forwards, finishing second up front with 133 hits.

Again in a bottom-six role, Chaffee has gone scoreless through seven contests this season, averaging 9:29 of ice time per game. He leads the team in hits by a healthy margin, but has been benched for the team’s two most recent games.

Given his play to begin the 2025-26 campaign, it’s unlikely another team will put a claim on Chaffee over the next 24 hours. Still, for teams looking for some additional scoring punch in their bottom-six (looking at you, Calgary Flames), his 15-goal pace from last season may be enticing.

Capitals Place Rasmus Sandin On IR

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After recalling forward Ethen Frank earlier this morning, the Washington Capitals needed to make one corresponding roster move to maintain roster compliance. Defenseman Rasmus Sandin will move to the injured reserve with an upper-body injury, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.

Sandin’s move to the IR should be considered positive news for the Capitals. He has missed the last two games due to an upper-body injury and would be eligible to return on Halloween against the New York Islanders, assuming the IR placement is made retroactive to October 21st.

The expectation is that Sandin will be ready to play in that game, or the one immediately after that. Earlier today, Gulitti reported that Sandin returned to the ice for Washington’s practice, though he was skating in a non-contact jersey.

Further, it can only be considered positive news regarding Dylan Strome’s injury status. Strome left the Capitals’ most recent game with a lower-body injury, and there was some concern in the organization regarding his immediate availability.

Bailey Johnson of the Washington Post shared this morning that although Strome won’t play in Washington’s next game against the Dallas Stars, he’s only considered day-to-day. He would have missed the Capitals’ next three games had he been placed on injured reserve. Since the team decided not to place him on IR, it indicates that he is expected to return by the end of the week.

In his seven games before suffering the upper-body ailment, Sandin had continued as a reliable top-four blueliner for the Capitals. He’s tallied two assists in those games, averaging 19:24 of ice time while maintaining a 97.9% on-ice save percentage at even strength.

Atlantic Notes: Gadjovich, Marchand, Kesselring, Järnkrok

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The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions have been severely affected by injuries this season. That theme continues today as team reporter Jameson Oliven shared that forward Jonah Gadjovich would miss the next week after being elbowed against the Vegas Golden Knights.

After appearing in nearly half of Florida’s regular-season games over the past two years, Gadjovich had appeared in all 10 for the Panthers to begin the 2025-26 campaign. He’s tallied three assists while averaging 7:57 of ice time per game, only one point shy of his totals over 42 games last year. The Panthers are expected to utilize Noah Gregor on the fourth line in his stead.

Gadjovich won’t be the only freshly missing piece from Florida’s forward core in their next contest. According to George Richards of Florida Hockey Now, veteran Brad Marchand will miss tomorrow’s contest due to a death in his family. The 37-year-old wing has scored five goals and 11 points in 10 games to start the year, and there’s no word on when he’ll return to the Panthers lineup.

More notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • The Buffalo Sabres could be getting a huge boost to their defensive core. After today’s practice, Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald relayed a note from head coach Lindy Ruff indicating Michael Kesselring could be activated from the injured reserve for tomorrow’s game. Kesselring, who was acquired from the Utah Mammoth this past offseason, scored seven goals and 29 points in 82 games last year, averaging 17:41 of ice time per game.
  • According to Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun, forward Calle Järnkrok is questionable for the Toronto Maple Leafs tomorrow night due to a lower-body injury. Järnkrok missed the team’s practice today and has dealt with lower-body injuries over the past few years. He’s registered three goals in eight games for the Maple Leafs this season, but has already sustained a -5 rating in the team’s middle-six.

Flyers Assign Jett Luchanko To OHL

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For a second-straight year, Jett Luchanko’s time with the Philadelphia Flyers is cut short after only four appearances. Earlier today, Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reported that the Flyers would be assigning Luchanko to the OHL’s Guelph Storm today, and Philadelphia subsequently confirmed the news.

Luchanko’s reassignment can’t be described as anything other than disappointing for the Flyers. The team drafted Luchanko with the 13th overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft, and he surprisingly made the team’s roster out of training camp last year.

Still, with little expectations of him sticking around, the team assigned him to OHL Guelph after going scoreless in four games with a -3 rating. He was mostly productive in his return to Guelph, scoring 21 goals and 56 points in 46 games as the team’s captain. Unfortunately, the Storm finished with a 21-38-5-4 record, missing out on the playoffs.

After another year of growth, Luchanko again made the Flyers’ roster out of training camp, this time under a new head coach. This time around, his performance was arguably worse.

Again being reassigned after four games, Luchanko again went scoreless with a -3 rating. He averaged nearly five minutes less a night under Rick Tocchet, primarily centering the team’s fourth line when in the lineup. Despite being reassigned today, Luchanko hasn’t suited up for Philadelphia since October 20th.

There was some concern earlier in the year about returning him to Guelph, largely because the team wasn’t expected to be competitive this year. However, although it’s still relatively early in the 2025-26 campaign, the Storm are 6-5-2-0 through their first 13 games, holding onto the final playoff spot in the OHL’s Western Conference.

Luchanko made it apparent that he’s not ready for much responsibility at the NHL level. Although he is likely better suited for developmental time in the AHL, he has not yet reached the age where that is permissible. Still, given that the team signed Tocchet to a multi-year deal this offseason, there might be some concern about Luchanko’s overall future in the organization, given his subpar first impression.

Washington Capitals Recall Ethen Frank

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According to a team announcement, the Washington Capitals have recalled forward Ethen Frank from the AHL’s Hershey Bears. Washington reassigned Frank only a few days ago when the team activated Pierre-Luc Dubois from the injured reserve.

Unfortunately, it appears that Frank’s recall is linked to another injury to a Capitals center. In Washington’s recent loss to the Ottawa Senators, first-line center Dylan Strome exited the game with a lower-body injury, and those within the organization are concerned about the severity of the injury.

Given that the Capitals already have a full 23-man roster, they’ll have to make a corresponding move to keep Frank on the roster. The assumption is that due to Strome’s injury, the team will place him on the injured reserve at the very least. This means that Strome is guaranteed to miss Washington’s next three games. He wouldn’t be eligible to return until November 5th against the St. Louis Blues.

The team may also expect a longer-term absence for Strome. Shortly after announcing Frank’s recall, the team shared they had signed Brett Leason and quickly waived him for potential reassignment. There have not been any reports directly linking the two transactions. However, the Capitals may have acquired Leason for AHL depth if they’re anticipating a longer-term stay in the NHL for Frank.

Through the first couple of weeks of the regular season, Frank only appeared in two games for the Capitals, registering one assist while averaging 12:34 of ice time per night. Since Washington will likely move each of their remaining centers up one spot in the lineup, Frank should center the team’s fourth line between Brandon Duhaime and Anthony Beauvillier.

If the team feels more comfortable with Nic Dowd and Justin Sourdif in their current spots, Washington could potentially squeeze more value out of Frank on the second line. He’s been relatively productive with AHL Hershey, scoring 82 goals and 127 points in 164 games over the past five years.

Washington Capitals Sign, Waive Brett Leason

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The Washington Capitals are bringing back a familiar face to the organization. According to a team announcement, the Capitals have signed forward Brett Leason to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775K. The team subsequently placed him on waivers to eventually reassign him to the AHL’s Hershey Bears.

It’s been several years since Leason last suited up for the Bears. Leason, selected 56th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, debuted with Hershey in the 2019-20 season after an impressive year with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders. During his last campaign with the Raiders, the Calgary native scored 36 goals and 89 points in 55 games and another 10 goals and 25 points in 20 postseason appearances.

Unfortunately, Leason’s skill level didn’t transfer to the professional circuit for some time. Throughout his three years with the Bears, he put up relatively modest production, scoring 18 goals and 47 points in 114 games. During a brief run with the Capitals back in the 2021-22 campaign, Leason only registered three goals and six points in 36 contests.

Leason received a separate opportunity one year later, when the Anaheim Ducks claimed him off waivers before the start of the 2022-23 campaign. He became much more productive in an expanded role with Anaheim, scoring 22 goals and 48 points in 184 games while averaging 12:23 of ice time per night. Unfortunately, as they graduated more talent to the NHL level, the Ducks made Leason an unrestricted free agent this offseason when they opted not to extend a qualifying offer to him.

Today’s contract becomes the third one signed by Leason since the beginning of the offseason. He began training camp on a professional tryout agreement with the Minnesota Wild. After that didn’t work out, he has been practicing with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers on a similar tryout agreement.

Ottawa Senators Recall Hunter Shepard

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According to a team announcement, the Ottawa Senators have recalled netminder Hunter Shepard from the AHL’s Belleville Senators. Since they only had 22 players on the roster before the call-up, no corresponding transaction was required.

Despite recalling a netminder, there are no injury concerns for Linus Ullmark or Leevi Merilainen. Since Ottawa has the first half of a back-to-back tonight, the plan is to give Ullmark the entire day off, making Shepard the backup for tonight’s game. Ullmark is expected to start tomorrow night against the Chicago Blackhawks.

It didn’t matter too much which netminder the Senators recalled. Both Shepard and Mads Søgaard are waiver-exempt for the time being after clearing in late September, and the AHL Senators don’t play again until Wednesday. Still, it’s a little surprising that the team opted for Shepard, given that he played for Belleville last night. He isn’t expected to play for Ottawa tonight, though he could be relatively tired should the team need him in an emergency.

Still, Shepard has a relatively lengthy track record of success in the AHL. Before joining the Senators organization this past summer, Shepard spent the first five years of his professional career with the Washington Capitals, largely with the AHL’s Hershey Bears. Shepard is a two-time Calder Cup champion, one-time Baz Bastien Memorial Award winner, and one-time Jack A. Butterfield Trophy winner.

Pontus Johansson Drawing NHL Interest

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The highest-scoring under-25 defenseman in the SHL is already drawing NHL interest early into the 2025-26 campaign. According to a new report from Rasmus Kågstrom in Sweden, blueliner Pontus Johansson is generating NHL interest from multiple NHL clubs, per his agent, Martin Nilsson.

Despite indicating that multiple NHL teams had already reached out regarding Johansson’s future availability, Nilsson wouldn’t offer any specific names. Still, there’s no questioning he’s off to a tremendous start, scoring four goals and 12 points through his first 15 games for Skellefteå AIK.

However, it’s important to contextualize Johansson’s sudden breakout. If he continues his scoring pace and doesn’t miss a game this season, he’ll finish with 14 goals and 42 points in 52 games, which would nearly double his career output across five years already. He has already surpassed his performance from last year, when he scored three goals and accumulated 11 points in 51 games.

Given that his career-high before this season barely topped double digits, and he’s only two years removed from being demoted to the HockeyAllsvenskan during his time with Frölunda HC, there should be some skepticism from NHL front offices on the legitimacy of Johansson’s current breakout.

Nonetheless, every team could benefit from a smooth-skating, puck-moving defenseman on its blue line. This means the same NHL teams that are currently interested will likely follow Johansson throughout the entire 2025-26 season. Should he maintain his output throughout the rest of the season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a club sign him relatively quickly at the conclusion of the SHL season.

Oilers Place Kasperi Kapanen On Injured Reserve

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Oct. 23: The Oilers announced that Kapanen has been placed on injured reserve. They’re now operating with an open roster spot, which could be used to activate Mattias Janmark or Alec Regula from IR in the coming days.

Oct. 21: After leaving the team’s most recent loss to the Detroit Red Wings, the Edmonton Oilers aren’t expecting Kasperi Kapanen back for several weeks. Head coach Kris Knoblauch (via Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic) confirmed the severity of Kapanen’s undisclosed injury earlier today.

Specifically, Knoblauch said this morning, “Right now, it’s looking (like) up to six (weeks). He’ll be unavailable for a while.” That means that Kapanen could be out until the last week of November, which would likely position him for the injured reserve.

However, the Oilers likely won’t be able to replace Kapanen in the active roster anyway, which would negate any reason to place him on the IR. As PHR’s Brian La Rose pointed out, “Notably, the team does not have enough accrued cap space to recall anyone from AHL Bakersfield (even with LTIR) as things stand which could be something to keep an eye on if he’s set to miss any more time.”

Still, it’ll be a missing bottom-six piece for the next month or more. After being claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Blues last season, Kapanen scored five goals and 13 points in 57 games, averaging 12:01 of ice time per game. He had improved play in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, registering three goals and six points in 12 games, averaging 13:28 of action per night.

Despite some poor defensive play, which isn’t typical of most bottom-six forwards, the Oilers clearly liked what they saw from Kapanen last season, signing him to a one-year, $1.3MM contract one day before the start of free agency this past summer.

Regardless, it’ll mean more ice time for at least one on Edmonton’s roster. Noah Philp and Curtis Lazar have been the most oft-scratched forwards for the Oilers through their first six contests, though the former played in Sunday’s loss to Detroit. Edmonton appears set to keep Philp in for tonight’s game against the Ottawa Senators, while also reintroducing David Tomasek back into the lineup after missing Sunday’s contests.

Senators Recall Leevi Merilainen, Reassign Mads Søgaard

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The Ottawa Senators are reversing course on a move made just four days ago. According to a team announcement, the Senators have recalled netminder Leevi Merilainen and have assigned Mads Søgaard to the AHL’s Belleville Senators in a corresponding transaction.

It was apparent that Merilainen’s recent demotion was to reinstate some confidence in the young netminder. After winning the backup job out of training camp, Merilainen’s first game this season couldn’t have gone much worse.

He allowed seven goals on 26 shots against the Buffalo Sabres in 58:06 of ice time, translating to a .731 SV% and 7.23 GAA. Furthermore, his Goals Saved Above Average is already -4.4, while his Adjusted Goals Against Average is 8.26.

His first start in the AHL against the Syracuse Crunch was better, but not by much. Merilainen stopped 35 of 40 shots against, earning a .875 SV% and 5.00 GAA. Fortunately, his most recent start was his best of the year, stopping 26 of 28 shots against the Laval Rocket. Ottawa is hopeful that Merilainen’s play against Laval will give him the needed confidence to add more stability in the crease.

Meanwhile, Søgaard didn’t feature in any games for the Senators over the brief recall. He’s appeared in two games for AHL Belleville this year, managing a 0-1-1 record with a .864 SV% and 2.94 GAA.

The performance of Ottawa’s potential backup netminders wouldn’t be as important a storyline if not for the disappointing play of Linus Ullmark to begin the 2025-26 season. Acquired before last season to give the Senators a legitimate starting option, Ullmark earned a 25-14-3 record in 44 games with a .909 SV% and 2.27 GAA, helping Ottawa reach the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Ottawa hasn’t even gotten average production from him this season. Ullmark has gotten off to a 2-3-1 record through his first six starts with an .854 SV% and 3.80 GAA, and a disastrous -7.3 GSAA. Hopefully, Ullmark can turn his season around relatively soon, so Ottawa can take more pressure off Merilainen.

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