Metro Notes: Devils, Carlson, Borgen, Mitchell
Despite recent injuries affecting the New Jersey Devils, there is light at the end of the tunnel. According to team reporter Amanda Stein, the Devils are expected to welcome back defenseman Dougie Hamilton and forward Connor Brown to practice on Monday.
Hamilton, who’s tied as the highest-paid defenseman on New Jersey’s roster, hasn’t played since November 6th due to an undisclosed injury. The injury to Hamilton has left the Devils’ blue line relatively devastated, as they’re also without Brett Pesce and Johnathan Kovacevic on the right side. Despite missing the last few games, Hamilton is third on the team in scoring among defensemen with three goals and seven points in 14 games.
Meanwhile, Brown was just recently placed on the team’s injured reserve yesterday with an undisclosed injury. Since his injury designation was retroactive to October 30th, Brown is eligible to return whenever healthy. He’s scored five goals in his first 11 games with New Jersey this season.
Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- On the flip side of New Jersey’s game tonight, the Washington Capitals are playing without their longest-tenured defenseman. Before the game, Bailey Johnson of the Washington Post reported that blueliner John Carlson is dealing with an upper-body injury, and he didn’t participate in tonight’s contest. Fortunately, there’s no indication it’s expected to be a long-term issue for Carlson, who could return to the action in the Capitals’ next game.
- Staying on the blue line, the New York Rangers are also without a usual defenseman tonight. The Rangers announced that William Borgen, who’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury, would not appear in tonight’s contest. In his first full year with the Rangers, Borgen has scored one goal and three points in his first 18 contests, averaging 18:43 of ice time.
- On the other side of New York, the New York Islanders announced that they’ve returned defenseman Travis Mitchell to the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders. Although he participated in warmups before last night’s win against the Utah Mammoth, Mitchell has yet to debut in the NHL. He’s registered three assists in 12 games for the AHL Islanders this year.
Blue Jackets Place Boone Jenner On Injured Reserve
For the second time in as many seasons, the Columbus Blue Jackets will be without their captain for some time. The Blue Jackets announced that Boone Jenner has been placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
Jenner isn’t expected to have a short stay on the IR either. Head coach Dean Evason indicated that the injury wasn’t expected to be a short term one. It’s more of the same for Jenner, who hasn’t played in a full season since the 2016-17 campaign.
The injury stems from the Blue Jackets’ contest on Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken. Despite winning the game by one goal, Jenner left the contest after one shift in the second period.
It’s an unfortunate blow to Columbus and Jenner. He had gotten off to a solid start to the 2025-26 season, scoring three goals and 10 points through his first 16 games. After returning from an extended injury last season, Jenner had scored 10 goals and 29 points in his last 42 games.
That kind of production over the last little while, as well as his career performances, has made Jenner a speculative trade candidate of late. Unfortunately, if the Blue Jackets had any idea of trading Jenner in his contract year, the new injury concern has a chance of impacting their potential return.
Central Notes: Benn, Lundkvist, Tarasenko
The Dallas Stars are only a few days away from the return of their captain. Team radio host Bruce LeVine reported earlier that Jamie Benn has been upgraded to a day-to-day recovery timeline, and there was even a brief discussion of him playing this evening.
Dallas has been without Benn through the first quarter of the regular season. The longtime captain has missed due to a collapsed lung suffered during the team’s preseason. It’s highly uncharacteristic of Benn, who had only missed two regular-season contests since the start of the 2021-22 NHL season.
Even without their captain, the Stars have gotten off to a solid start to the 2025-26 season with an 11-4-3 record. Dallas quickly signed Benn to a one-year, performance-laden contract in what could be the last of his NHL career. Last season, Benn finished sixth on the team in scoring with 16 goals and 49 points in 80 games.
Other notes from the Central Division:
- Staying in Dallas, Owen Newkirk of DLLS Sports reports that defenseman Nils Lundkvist is expected to resume skating fairly soon. Unfortunately, despite the positive update, Lundkvist remains a ways away from returning to the active roster. The 25-year-old blueliner has been sidelined for the past month with a lower-body injury, and has one goal and three points in four games on the season.
- Moving to where the Stars originated from, the Minnesota Wild are dealing with some injury troubles up front. The Wild announced that veteran winger Vladimir Tarasenko will miss tonight’s contest with a lower-body injury. The two-time Stanley Cup winner has gotten off to a relatively decent start, scoring two goals and 10 points in 18 games.
Devils’ Cody Glass Out Week-To-Week With Upper-Body Injury
The New Jersey Devils ‘ center core continues to be depleted. A few hours after sharing that Jack Hughes would miss the next two months after hand surgery, the Devils announced that Cody Glass is considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
It truly couldn’t be worse news for New Jersey. Staying mostly healthy to start the year, the Devils have gotten off to an expectedly solid start, sitting atop the Metropolitan Division with a 12-4-1 start through their first 17 games.
Unfortunately, without Hughes and Glass for the foreseeable future, New Jersey will again be tested up front, as they have been so often in recent years. Although few teams would be upset with Nico Hischier as their first-line middleman, the Devils are now incredibly thin behind him.
According to the line rushes this morning, the Devils have shifted Dawson Mercer to the second-line center, with Luke Glendening and Juho Lammikko as the remaining options in the bottom-six. Last season, when New Jersey’s depth was tested after Hughes went down for the season around the trade deadline, the Devils stumbled into the postseason. The Carolina Hurricanes quickly dispatched them.
This isn’t the first time that Glass has dealt with injuries this season. He missed a few games with an upper-body injury in late October and returned for four games before the subsequent injury. Throughout his first 10 games this season, Glass has scored three goals with a 48.4% success rate in the faceoff dot while averaging 11:59 of ice time.
Vancouver Canucks Sign David Kämpf
David Kämpf‘s time on the free agent market didn’t last long. The Vancouver Canucks announced that they’ve signed the recently released center to a one-year, $1.1MM contract for the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign.
The news puts to bed some speculation from last night and this morning. A report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman yesterday indicated that the Canucks, Montreal Canadiens, and Pittsburgh Penguins were interested in Kämpf’s services. Additionally, TSN’s Darren Dreger shared earlier today that there were three finalists for Kämpf, with Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic confirming that Vancouver was one of the finalists.
Although a $1MM+ commitment may seem excessive at face value for a player who just had his contract bought out, it’s important to remember that, based on the payment schedule throughout the year, Kämpf’s agreement is prorated through the end of the regular season. It is far closer to a league minimum agreement in reality.
There’s no questioning that the Canucks needed some help down the middle. Even at the beginning of the year, the Canucks were known to be seeking a second-line center, and that was before Filip Chytil went down with another concussion. Coupled with Chytil’s injury, Vancouver has been without Teddy Blueger for the last month.
The Canucks tried to improve the situation by trading for Lukas Reichel in late October, but the gamble has yet to produce the anticipated results. Even with Reichel, Vancouver’s best available centers behind Elias Pettersson are Max Sasson and Aatu Räty. With all respect to those two, it wasn’t a conducive core to competitive results.
Before Chytil went down with a concussion on October 19th, the Canucks were 4-2-0 through their first six contests. They’ve struggled since with a 4-7-2 record and have dropped to 13th place in the Western Conference, yet are only two points shy of the final wild-card spot. Kämpf shouldn’t be expected to fix most of their troubles to start the year, though he should provide some stability down the middle of Vancouver’s forward core.
Golden Knights Assign Carter Hart On Conditioning Loan
According to a team announcement, the Vegas Golden Knights have assigned netminder Carter Hart to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights on a conditioning loan. In a corresponding roster move, Jason Pothier and Ken Boehlke of SinBin report that Adin Hill has been placed on the injured reserve, likely retroactive to October 20.
It’ll be Hart’s first appearance in a professional setting since the 2023-24 season. Hart, as well as four others, were involved in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial during the summer months and found not guilty.
Per the additional punishment agreed to by the NHL and the NHLPA, the five players from the assault trial were barred from signing a contract until October 15, and could not return to NHL ice until December 1. Accordingly, it’s reasonable to assume that Hart’s conditioning stint will last until then.
Although he didn’t maintain the same production as in his first two NHL seasons, Hart remained consistent during his last three years with the Philadelphia Flyers.. From the beginning of the 2021-22 NHL season until he was suspended during the 2023-24 campaign, Hart managed a 47-56-20 record in Philadelphia with a .906 SV% and 2.99 GAA.
It’s anyone’s guess as to how Hart will perform upon his return. It’s one thing to return to the game’s highest levels after two years removed, and it’s another to return after going through the stress and embarrassment of a high-profile lawsuit. At any rate, the Golden Knights believe he has more left in the tank, signing Hart to a two-year, $4MM deal on October 25.
Meanwhile, Hill is designated for the IR after nearly a month away from the ice. Still, despite missing a month due to a lower-body ailment, Hill is expected to return within the next few weeks if his recovery timeline goes according to plan. He has a 1-0-2 record through five games to start the season with a .888 SV% and 2.73 GAA.
Devils’ Jack Hughes Out Two Months With Non-Hockey Hand Injury
Saturday: The Devils provided an update on Hughes, announcing that he has undergone surgery. He will be reevaluated in six weeks and the expected recovery timeline is eight weeks. With New Jersey having just $12.5K in available cap space per PuckPedia, Hughes is almost certainly heading for LTIR which would open up $3.82MM in available spending room.
Friday: In an odd report, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared that the New Jersey Devils will be without center Jack Hughes for at least one game after accidentally cutting his hand at a team dinner. The Devils confirmed the report and added that Hughes is still being evaluated.
Once again, Hughes was off to a sensational start to the season, only to have it paused due to injury. He began the 2025-26 campaign with 10 goals and 20 points in 17 games, leading New Jersey in scoring while tying for 22nd in the league with Brad Marchand, Sidney Crosby, Kyle Connor, Troy Terry, Nick Suzuki, Jason Robertson, and Leon Draisaitl.
Hopefully, for the Devils’ sake, Hughes will only miss a few games at most. Last season, around the trade deadline, New Jersey went 9-10-1 to finish the season and lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Devils were 33-23-6 before Hughes was injured.
His injury history is becoming a little much to overlook. Since the beginning of the 2021-22 campaign, Hughes has played in 268 regular-season contests for the Devils, which is only 77.7% of potential contests. Still, he’s been one of, if not the team’s best player over that stretch, scoring 133 goals and 319 points while averaging 20:25 of ice time per game.
Luckily, the team has an in-house replacement for Hughes on the first line in captain Nico Hischier. In the same stretch that Hughes has suffered multiple injuries, Hischier has remained remarkably consistent, scoring 117 goals and 288 points in 314 games, with a +41 rating and a 54.5% faceoff rate, while averaging 19:41 of ice time per game.
Depending on how long Hughes is out for, it could jumpstart New Jersey’s aggressiveness in acquiring some forward depth. The team already had a hole down the middle behind Hughes and Hischer, and the injury news could prompt some movement from the Devils.
Canucks, Penguins Reportedly Interested In David Kämpf
It’s only been a few hours since David Kämpf had his contract terminated by the Toronto Maple Leafs, and interested teams are already coming to light. In his recent rendition of 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared that the Vancouver Canucks and Pittsburgh Penguins were interested in signing the freshly minted unrestricted free agent.
Of all the teams that could be interested in Kämpf, the Canucks make the most sense. The team is dealing with longer-term injuries to Filip Chytil and Teddy Blueger, which have further thinned an already depleted center core. Behind Elias Pettersson, the team is utilizing Max Sasson, Aatu Räty, and recently acquired Lukas Reichel as their next three options.
That’s not to suggest that Kämpf should be considered a cure-all to Vancouver’s woes, though he would be an improvement on their existing bottom-six options. The 30-year-old center has scored 31 goals and 85 points in 301 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs over the last four years, with a 51.7% success rate in the faceoff dot.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh’s interest may come from familiarity with Kämpf’s game. The Penguins General Manager and President of Hockey Operations, Kyle Dubas, brought Kämpf to the Maple Leafs ahead of the 2021-22 season on a two-year, $3MM contract. Brad Traveling was at the helm when Toronto signed Kämpf to the four-year, $9.6MM deal that was terminated this morning.
Still, the Penguins don’t have a true need for Kämpf outside of the front office’s familiarity. The team is already relatively deep at center with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kevin Hayes as their top-three options, and has put a premium on bringing in younger players — not additional ones that have already cleared the 30-year threshold.
There are a few additional teams, such as the Montreal Canadiens and New Jersey Devils, that could use more forward depth in their bottom six. Still, given that teams are already being named, Kämpf shouldn’t expect to remain a UFA for very long.
Cam Talbot Could Become A Valuable Trade Chip
In a recent update on Daily Faceoff Live, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that Detroit Red Wings netminder Cam Talbot could become the most viable goaltending trade candidate by the deadline. Any trade for Talbot would depend on Detroit falling out of playoff contention by the trade deadline and the interested teams not having internal improvements in their goaltending situation.
Assuming the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes don’t peddle Sergei Bobrovsky or Frederik Andersen, respectively, Talbot could be considered one of the most movable netminders at the deadline should he be made available. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent on a more than affordable $2.5MM salary and has no trade protection to overcome.
Furthermore, he has been a consistent, albeit unimpressive, netminder for his entire career, which is more than most teams can count on each night. Even since the 2019-20 season, despite playing for five different teams, Talbot has compiled a 134-85-23 record in 254 games with a .909 SV% and 2.73 GAA.
He gets better the more he plays in the postseason, though it’s been five years since he spent any meaningful time in the Stanley Cup playoffs. This season, while sharing the crease with John Gibson, Talbot has earned a 6-2-0 record in nine games with a .892 SV% and 2.93 GAA.
Entertaining the idea that the Red Wings may make Talbot available for trade by the deadline, there are a few teams that should be interested. The Edmonton Oilers, Utah Mammoth, and even the Montreal Canadiens could all use some veteran depth in net. Still, there is plenty of time for each of the listed teams to improve their goaltending performance by March, rendering any reason to seek out Talbot via trade moot.
Devils Place Connor Brown On IR, Recall Shane Lachance
With today’s news that the New Jersey Devils will be without Jack Hughes for at least one game due to a freak accident at a team dinner, the Devils needed another body for their upcoming game against the Washington Capitals. To that end, New Jersey announced they’ve placed Connor Brown on the injured reserve (retroactive to October 30th) and has recalled Shane Lachance from the AHL’s Utica Comets.
The move is status quo for Brown. He didn’t join the team for their five-game road trip due to an upper-body injury, so a placement on the IR won’t alter his recovery timeline at all.
New Jersey has not provided any updates on Brown’s return, but we should receive more clarity once the team returns home. Brown has already missed the Devils’ last six games, so he’ll miss a minimum of 10.
Brown signed for a relatively cheap four-year, $12MM this past summer in an attempt to add some goal-scoring punch to the team’s middle-six. He did just that to start the season, scoring five goals in 11 games before going down with the injury.
Meanwhile, Lachance will have the opportunity to play in his NHL debut during the recall. The 22-year-old forward was signed as a collegiate free agent last season out of Boston University, where he was the team’s captain. Lachance scored 12 goals and 30 points in 40 games throughout his last year with the Terriers. Still, he’s had a disappointing transition to professional hockey, tallying only one assist in 11 games for AHL Utica so far this campaign.