Maple Leafs Place Joseph Woll On IR
The Toronto Maple Leafs’ situation between the pipes has hit a new low for the 2025-26 season. The Maple Leafs announced that they have placed netminder Joseph Woll on the injured reserve and have recalled Artur Akhtyamov in a corresponding roster move.
Woll, who suffered a lower-body injury against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, had become Toronto’s de facto starter over the last few weeks. Considering fellow netminder Anthony Stolarz has missed nearly a month with an upper-body injury, the Maple Leafs had to rely on Woll for some stability in the crease.
That’s exactly what he provided. In his eight starts since Stolarz departed from the active roster, Woll has managed a 4-3-1 record with a .923 SV% and 2.44 GAA. According to Hockey Reference, Woll’s 6.1 Goals Saved Above Average has already surpassed Stolarz’s output, despite the latter playing in five more contests.
Moving forward, until one of Woll or Stolarz returns, Toronto will have to rely on an inexperienced duo to navigate them through the next little while. It’s expected that Dennis Hildeby will assume the starting role, as he’s earned a 1-2-1 record in six starts this year with a .919% SV% and 2.86 GAA.
However, Hildeby has only 13 NHL appearances under his belt, earning a combined record of 4-5-1 with a career .896 SV% and 3.12 GAA. Akhtyamov, on the other hand, has never suited up in an NHL contest and is only in his second professional season in North America.
Despite being in his second campaign with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, Akhtyamov, 24, hasn’t shown any meaningful signs of growth. He owns a career 18-13-7 record with the Marlies with a .900 SV%, and has only averaged a .896 mark this season.
Capitals’ Ryan Leonard Out With An Upper-Body Injury
After last night’s shootout loss against the Anaheim Ducks, Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery updated the media, saying that forward Ryan Leonard is “going to be out” with upper-body injuries (via Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post). No additional recovery timeline was provided, though that should change relatively quickly with the Capitals returning home from the road trip.
Although it only happened last night, Leonard’s injury has already become the subject of debate. The rookie forward was coming behind the net in the offensive zone and was intercepted by a vicious hit from Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba, while already being engaged with Olen Zellweger. He was clearly in a vulnerable position to receive a hit, though it was technically clean contact, as no penalty was assessed on the play.
Despite typically being isolated on Washington’s third forward unit, Leonard had scored seven goals and 18 points in 29 games with a +7 rating, averaging 13:20 of ice time per game. Leonard’s line was far from the best performing on the Capitals, though they had averaged a 50.8% xGoals% according to MoneyPuck. Missing any amount of time will ultimately have some impact on the 20-year-old’s development.
The Capitals were understandably upset postgame. Speaking with Sammi Silber of The Hockey News, veteran winger Tom Wilson said, “I could see it coming. He knows exactly what he was doing. Kid’s in a vulnerable spot and Leno’s obviously banged up.” Despite the two teams only matching up twice in any given season, Washington has likely already circled January 5th on the calendar when the Ducks come to play at Capital One Arena.
Canucks Recall Nikita Tolopilo, Elias Pettersson
Dec. 4: The demotion for both Pettersson and Tolopilo was brief and solely to get them into game action for Abbotsford last night. The Canucks have added both players back to the active roster today, with Patera being loaned back to the minors in a corresponding move.
Dec. 3: According to a team announcement, the Vancouver Canucks have assigned netminder Nikita Tolopilo and defenseman Elias N. Pettersson to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. The transaction indirectly confirms that the Canucks had previously activated Tolopilo from the non-roster designation.
It’s been nearly 10 days since Tolopilo was initially recalled by the Canucks. Dealing with an injury to Thatcher Demko and a brief leave of absence from Kevin Lankinen, Vancouver had to rely on Tolopilo and Jiří Patera for a short period.
He played relatively well in his first NHL action of the 2025-26 campaign, securing a 5-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks on 41 shots. Unfortunately, that success didn’t translate to his next start against the San Jose Sharks, where he managed a .875 SV% on 24 shots.
Following the loss to San Jose, Tolopilo took his own leave of absence for the birth of his child and hadn’t played since. He’ll return to Abbotsford, where he’s managed a 1-3-1 record in five games with a .901 SV% while Vancouver moves forward with a combination of Lankinen and Patera for the time being.
Meanwhile, Pettersson will suit up in his first AHL appearance of the season. Cracking the Canucks roster out of training camp, the 21-year-old blueliner has tallied two assists in 24 games with a -6 rating, averaging 13:29 of ice time per night. It’s essentially the same production he provided last season, when he scored one goal and three points in 28 games with a -4 rating while finishing with an ATOI of 12:49.
Simply put, the former 80th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft hasn’t earned a spot on the NHL blue line, even on a disappointing Vancouver team. He’ll look to build confidence and develop in the AHL for the foreseeable future. Unless the Canucks unexpectedly activate Derek Forbort from the LTIR or make a separate call-up, they’ll play their next few contests with six defenseman on the active roster.
Pacific Injury Notes: Marchment, Mrazek, Prosvetov
After losing Jaden Schwartz for the next month and a half a few days ago, the Seattle Kraken are dealing with another injury to a middle-six winger. Earlier today, team broadcast producer Scott Malone reported that Mason Marchment is dealing with an undisclosed injury and won’t travel with the team to Edmonton.
Furthermore, Malone indicated that Marchment didn’t skate in any of the Kraken’s practices this week, although the team is only giving him a day-to-day recovery timeline. Regardless, it’s another absence in the team’s middle-six, albeit brief. Depth forward Jani Nyman will likely fill in tomorrow night against the Oilers, unless Seattle makes a separate recall.
Outside of the minor injury, it’s been a relatively productive year for Marchment in what could be his only year with the Kraken. He’s scored two goals and 11 points in 23 games, which is tied for seventh on the team in scoring. Carrying a $4.5MM salary and a 10-team no-trade clause, there is a high chance that Marchment is moved by the end of the season if Seattle continues their fall out of the Western Conference playoff race.
Additional injury notes from the Pacific Division:
- Head coach of the Anaheim Ducks, Joel Quenneville, provided an update on injured netminder Petr Mrázek earlier today (via Derek Lee of The Hockey News). Quenneville stated that Mrázek’s lower-body injury would sideline him between two and three weeks. The 14-year veteran had started seven games for the Ducks this season, earning a 3-3-0 record with a .876 SV% and 3.69 GAA. Goaltender Ville Husso, who was recalled last week, will fill in the gap for the time being.
- The Calgary Flames got an injury scare to one of their organizational netminders last night. Ivan Prosvetov, currently playing for the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, left last night’s game with under eight minutes remaining in regulation (Twitter Link). There have been no further updates to his status. Regardless, he finished the game with the win, stopping 31 of 33 shots.
Capitals To Activate Nic Dowd, Reassign Bogdan Trineyev
The Washington Capitals should be getting a boost to their bottom-six tonight against the San Jose Sharks. According to Sammi Silber of the DC Backcheck, the Capitals have activated Nic Dowd from the injured reserve and assigned Bogdan Trineyev to the AHL’s Hershey Bears in a corresponding roster move.
Dowd has been participating in a few skates over the last couple of days, but hasn’t played since mid-November. The 11-year veteran has been recovering from an upper-body injury since November 17th, missing eight games in the process.
Before his absence, Dowd was again his steady self down the middle for Washington. He typically centered a line between Justin Sourdif and Brandon Duhaime, and the trio combined for a 53.3% xGoals% according to MoneyPuck.
Regarding the boxcar stats, Dowd was relatively quiet, scoring one goal and five points in 19 games with a 51.0% success rate in the faceoff dot. He’s additionally averaged nearly two hits per game and has managed a 94.6% on-ice save percentage at even strength — far and away the best on the team for those who have played in more than 10 games.
Meanwhile, Trineyev’s recall lasts exactly one week, without an NHL debut. He’ll return to the Bears, where he’s gotten off to the best start of his career, scoring six goals and 12 points in 15 games. To put that production into context, the former 117th overall pick finished last season with 14 goals and 22 points in 62 games. Should he continue his pace, which admittedly is unrealistic, Trineyev would more than double last year’s performance if he plays in 62 or more games.
St. Louis Blues Recall Matt Luff
The St. Louis Blues have recalled a stopgap as the team navigates multiple injuries to their forward core. According to a team announcement, the Blues have recalled veteran depth forward Matt Luff from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds.
It’s been several years since Luff last played in the NHL. Dating back to the 2022-23 season, Luff played 19 games for the Detroit Red Wings, scoring two goals and four points with a -4 rating, while averaging less than 10 minutes of ice time per game.
He actually spent one additional year within the Red Wings organization, although he played exclusively for their AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids. Before that season with Detroit, and a one-year stint with the Nashville Predators, Luff had spent three years as a depth forward for the Los Angeles Kings, registering 10 goals and 17 points in 64 games.
Without a pathway back to the NHL, Luff settled on a PTO with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers last season before ultimately signing a one-year AHL deal with Springfield. It turned out beneficial for both sides as Luff enjoyed the best season of his professional career, tallying 18 goals and 45 points in 50 games. That extra offense was enough to earn the Thunderbirds a spot in the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs, though they were eliminated in the First Round by the Providence Bruins.
Regardless, there’s no guarantee Luff will suit up in another NHL contest during this recall. The Blues are reportedly leaning toward giving Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, who was recalled yesterday, his NHL debut. Additionally, Pius Suter is expected to return to the lineup after missing St. Louis’ previous two games.
Central Injury Notes: Brindley, O’Connor, Hellebuyck, McCarron
Speaking on Denver’s Altitude Sports Radio (via Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette), head coach of the Colorado Avalanche, Jared Bednar, provided a few injury updates to forwards Gavin Brindley and Logan O’Connor. In a positive development, Bednar indicated that Brindley is ahead of schedule and is expected to return by the end of the team’s current road trip.
Brindley, 21, has been a valuable depth scorer for the Avalanche this season, registering four goals and seven points in 18 games, averaging 9:17 of ice time per night. That production in so few minutes garnered a two-year, $1.75MM extension from Colorado earlier in the season. Despite offering quality production in the team’s bottom-six, it’s difficult to say if the scorching Avalanche even noticed Brindley’s absence, as they’ve managed a 5-0-1 record in the six games without him so far while outscoring opponents 22-6.
Meanwhile, Bednar was more neutral when speaking on O’Connor. The seven-year veteran hasn’t played since Colorado’s Game Seven loss to the Dallas Stars last postseason due to a hip injury, and the team is still waiting for a clearer picture of his return.
Other injury updates from the Central Division:
- According to Mitchell Clinton of the Winnipeg Jets, the team is expected to have netminder Connor Hellebuyck resume skating relatively soon. Although he won’t be returning early, it’s a positive update that Hellebuyck is staying on his original recovery timeline at the very least and has not suffered a setback. In the report, head coach Scott Arniel jokingly said, “I’m going to make sure he has four yellow (non-contact) jerseys on.” Winnipeg is 2-5-0 without Hellebuyck, allowing 25 goals against on 204 shots (.877 SV%).
- It doesn’t appear that Nashville Predators forward Michael McCarron will miss any more time with a lower-body injury. Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean reports that McCarron fully participated in practice today after missing the team’s most recent contest against the Calgary Flames. The bottom-six center has scored one goal and five points in 25 games for the Predators this season, with a 53.8% success rate in the faceoff dot.
Mammoth Recall Maveric Lamoureux, Reassign Kevin Rooney
According to a team announcement, the Utah Mammoth have recalled defenseman Maveric Lamoureux from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, and have reassigned forward Kevin Rooney in a corresponding roster move. The transaction indirectly confirms that Rooney cleared waivers and will remain ineligible for them until he spends another 30 days on the NHL roster or plays in 10 games.
It’s the first call-up of the year for the former 29th overall pick. Despite retaining his status as a rookie, Lamoureux skated in 15 games with Utah last season, scoring one goal and three points while averaging 16:07 of ice time.
Standing 6’6″, Lamoureux made his presence known in his brief time in the NHL last season. He racked up 18 hits and a whopping 42 PIMs, averaging out to 2.8 PIMs a game. Additionally, he showed a lot of promise on the defensive side of the puck, managing a 57.1% CorsiFor% at even strength and 92.0% on-ice save percentage at even strength.
He wasn’t drafted due to his offensive prowess, and that remains true today, although he’s shown signs of improvement. He finished last year with two goals and 13 points in 42 games at the AHL level, and has nearly matched that total this season, tallying nine assists through his first 19 contests.
Given that the Mammoth were willing to give him a roster spot, he’ll likely enter the lineup rather than become a seventh defenseman. It would make sense for Utah to replace Nick DeSimone with Lamoureux next to Ian Cole on the bottom pair.
Meanwhile, Rooney was a likely consequence of Lamoureux’s recall, given that most of his games this season have been played in the AHL. He’s scored one goal in one game with the Mammoth, and five goals and six points in eight games for the Roadrunners.
San Jose Sharks Assign Michael Misa On Conditioning Loan
The San Jose Sharks are close to returning this past summer’s second-overall pick to the active roster. The Sharks announced they’ve placed Michael Misa on the team’s long-term injured reserve, and have assigned him to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda on a conditioning stint.
It’s not a foregone conclusion that Misa will return to the Sharks’ lineup by the end of the conditioning loan, though it is a workaround to the current rules regarding CHL-drafted 18-year-olds playing in the AHL. If the Sharks were to activate Misa and reassign him, he would have to play for the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit instead of the Barracuda.
After scoring 62 goals and 134 points in 65 games for the Spirit last season, there’s little development available for Misa in the OHL. Still, considering how sheltered he was during his first few games in the NHL, and the subsequent lower-body injury that’s kept him sidelined since early November, sticking the rest of the year out in the NHL may not be the best avenue for his development, either.
Regardless, aside from Macklin Celebrini, it’s par for the course in how San Jose has treated their top prospects at the NHL level. Last season, in the first month of the season, Will Smith had registered only two goals through his first nine games, averaging 13:32 of ice time per night. That’s eerily similar to Misa, who’s scored one goal and three points in seven games, managing an ATOI of 11:44.
Smith’s usage had dramatically changed by the end of the season, as the former fourth-overall pick scored five goals and eight points in nine games, averaging 20:44 of action. There’s no guarantee that they’ll do the same with Misa, though it’s confirmation that the Sharks have been slowplaying their upper-level prospects throughout the course of a season.
Despite the open debate on whether Misa is better suited in the OHL or sheltered NHL minutes, it’s objectively better that he’s healthy and back to playing in some capacity. Given that he placed him on LTIR beforehand, the Sharks will now have six days or three games, whichever is longer, to make a longer-term decision on Misa’s immediate future. Additionally, they can request an extension on the conditioning stint that would allow them nine days or five games.
Tampa Bay Lightning Reassign Maxim Groshev
12/3/2025: Tampa announced today that they’ve reassigned Groshev back to AHL Syracuse, one day after they recalled him. Groshev was a healthy scratch for the team’s loss to the New York Islanders last night, meaning he heads back to Syracuse still waiting on the chance to make his NHL debut.
Due to the fact that Groshev is playing on a two-way entry level contract, his NHL salary ($775K) is significantly higher than his AHL salary ($80K). So while Groshev was only recalled to serve as a healthy scratch, he at least got to enjoy a brief pay bump to do so.
12/2/2025: The Tampa Bay Lightning have again recalled another depth defenseman as they deal with multiple injuries. Tampa Bay announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Maxim Groshev from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch.
It’s the second time Groshev has been recalled over the last little while. Unfortunately, he didn’t make his NHL debut over that call-up, and that’s not expected to change this time around.
Groshev, 23, was drafted as a winger when he was selected with the 85th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft. Having converted to the blue line, he has spent the last three years playing for the Crunch, scoring 17 goals and 51 points in 142 games with a +10 rating.
In between call-ups for Groshev, the Lightning had recalled Simon Lundmark to serve as the team’s seventh defenseman. It doesn’t appear to be internal management to prolong waiver placement for Groshev, that is, who remains exempt from waivers on his current contract. Lundmark, on the other hand, is eligible for waivers but has some time before he’ll require it again.
Meanwhile, Groshev’s recall confirms that defenseman Erik Černák will not return to the Lightning lineup on their current road trip, which concludes tonight against the New York Islanders. Černák landed on Tampa Bay’s injured reserve shortly before American Thanksgiving, and there was some hope he would’ve returned by now. Still, the Lightning will return home for a two-game stretch on Thursday, so the team may wait until then to give official updates on their injured players.