Los Angeles Kings Recall Arthur Kaliyev, Place Trevor Moore On IR
Arthur Kaliyev is expected to play in his first NHL contest in the last 269 days. The Los Angeles Kings announced they’ve activated Kaliyev from the injured reserve and recalled him from his conditioning loan while placing Trevor Moore on the injured reserve in a corresponding roster move.
Kaliyev hasn’t played for the Kings since last year’s regular season. He got off to a solid start last season with six goals and 13 points through his first 25 games but his production dissipated quickly. Los Angeles did everything they could to jumpstart Kaliyev’s scoring output but he finished the 2023-24 season with one goal and two points in his subsequent 26 games.
His comeback effort didn’t start on the right foot. Kaliyev suffered a broken collarbone on the second day of training camp this year, precluding him from starting the regular season on time. He was finally cleared to play on December 10th when the Kings originally sent him to the AHL on his conditioning loan. His time with AHL’s Ontario Reign produced mixed results after scoring one goal and two points in five contests.
Los Angeles will hope Kaliyev can re-establish his offensive production this season. He’s only two years removed from scoring 13 goals and 28 points for the Kings in 56 games and is still only 23 years old. His play down the stretch of the 2024-25 season will likely dictate Kaliyev’s future in the Kings organization.
Still, Kaliyev is likely the best internal option at the Kings’ disposal to replace Moore in the lineup. The veteran winger has missed Los Angeles’ last five games due to an upper-body injury and isn’t ready to return. Moore is tied for the sixth on the Kings in goal-scoring with six goals in 28 games after finishing last year as the team’s best goal-scorer with 31 goals in 82 contests.
Ottawa Senators Recall Nikolas Matinpalo, Place Three On IR
The Ottawa Senators announced they’ve recalled depth defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo from their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators. The roster move marks the second time in three weeks that Matinpalo has been recalled to serve as the team’s seventh defenseman.
Ottawa had to make additional roster moves given that Matinpalo is the fifth player recalled by the organization in the last 24 hours. TSN’s Steve Lloyd reported that the Senators have retroactively placed David Perron, Anton Forsberg, and Artem Zub on the team’s injured reserve opening up the necessary roster spots. Perron and Zub reportedly returned to practice yesterday meaning Matinpalo’s time on the active roster should be short-lived.
Matinpalo is in his second year with the Senators organization signing back-to-back one-year contracts out of the Finnish Liiga. He was a quality two-way defenseman for the AHL Senators last year scoring four goals and 14 points in 67 games with a +15 rating. He went scoreless through his first seven AHL postseason contests but still finished with a positive +1 rating.
The Espoo, Finland also debuted in the NHL last year skating in four games for Ottawa from late October through early November. He was rarely used during those contests shouldering seven minutes of ice time a night on average but still found the time to deliver four hits.
He’s had a small uptick in scoring this year in the AHL with two goals and seven points in 23 games but isn’t expected to greatly extrapolate on last season’s totals. He’ll continue to serve as Ottawa’s seventh defenseman for the time being with the team four games through a nine-game road trip.
Matthew Schaefer Likely Out Two to Three Months With Broken Collarbone
Last night’s World Junior matchup between Team Canada and Team Latvia had severe implications beyond a round-robin matchup. Hockey Canada announced top defenseman and prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft, Matthew Schaefer will miss the remainder of the World Junior Championships due to an injury suffered yesterday evening.
TSN draft analyst, Bob McKenzie added more context to the injury this morning sharing that Schaefer suffered a broken collarbone and will likely miss the next two to three months of action. Hockey Canada has replaced Shaefer with Vancouver Canucks’ prospect Sawyer Mynio and could still add Seattle Kraken prospect Carson Rehkopf to secure a full 25-man roster.
Schaefer was already a top-five prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft heading into the season but his play to start the year had some mock drafts moving him up to the first overall selection. He’s scored five goals and 22 points in 17 games for the OHL’s Erie Otters while managing a +21 rating. He’s a solid skating defenseman with size and has displayed an exceptional hockey IQ this season in Erie.
Given his maturity and responsibility on both sides of the puck, there’s no question why Schaefer was considered a top prospect for the upcoming draft. Unfortunately, given that he’ll miss time on the world stage with Team Canada and a few months in the OHL, this injury likely nixes any chance for Schaefer to be selected with the first overall pick.
The injury shouldn’t move him too far down the draft board as there’s recent precedent for teams selecting players after injury-riddled draft years. The St. Louis Blues selected defenseman Adam Jiříček with the 16th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft after missing most of the season due to a knee injury. Given that Schaefer has a much higher ceiling than Jiříček it’s safe to say he’ll still be a top-five selection.
Dallas Stars Recall Justin Hryckowian; Mason Marchment Likely Out
According to a team announcement, the Dallas Stars have recalled Justin Hryckowian for the third time this month. Hryckowian hasn’t debuted in the NHL over the first two recalls but there’s reason to believe he’ll do that tomorrow against the Chicago Blackhawks.
There’s growing concern the Stars will be without Mason Marchment tomorrow, leading to the idea that Hryckowian will be called upon to make his debut. Last night, Marchment took a puck to the face in a scary scene and was helped off the ice by the team. He was immediately taken to the hospital and head Peter DeBoer shared (X Link) that Marchment is ‘okay in a broader sense’ but is unsure how long he’ll be sidelined.
If Marchment isn’t available Dallas will be limited to 12 healthy forwards. Hryckowian will likely slot on the team’s fourth line next to Oskar Back and Sam Steel with Logan Stankoven moving back to the team’s second line.
The Stars may even replace Marchment with Hryckowian on the team’s second line considering the strength of Dallas’ opponent tomorrow night. The former captain of Northeastern University has exceeded expectations in his first full AHL season scoring 12 goals and 26 points through his first 27 games. He may not be a longer-term player for the Stars yet but he’s certainly growing his prospect pedigree in the organization.
International & Minor Transaction Notes: Chartier, Gosselin, Johnson
Rourke Chartier has been traded for the first time in his professional career albeit in the Kontinental Hockey League. Derek O’Brien of The Hockey News wrote earlier that the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star had traded Chartier to CSKA Moskva for cash considerations.
The centerman played admirably with the Red Star, scoring eight goals and 17 points in 37 games, but Kunlun has fallen in the KHL’s Western Conference Standings with only 11 wins on the year. Chartier will join third-place Moskva alongside former NHL talents such as Ivan Prosvetov, Nikita Nesterov, and Denis Gurianov.
Chartier suited up in the NHL as recently as last year with the Ottawa Senators. He spent three years within the Senators organization collecting two goals and three points in 43 NHL contests with another 37 goals and 66 points in 82 games with AHL Belleville. Chartier spent the first three years of his professional career with the San Jose Sharks scoring 30 goals and 74 points in 121 AHL contests and one goal in 13 games for the Sharks during his lone NHL season with the club in 2018-19.
Other international and minor transactions:
- According to the AHL transactions page, the Utica Comets, the top affiliate of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, added some defensive depth to the lineup. The team signed defenseman Kurt Gosselin on a professional tryout agreement and he could play in his first AHL contest since the 2018-19 season. Gosselin has spent the last four years hopping around numerous ECHL franchises playing for the Cincinnati Cyclones, Toledo Walleye, Kalamazoo Wings, Reading Royals, Orlando Solar Bears, and the Adirondack Thunder. He’s scored 24 goals and 61 points in 167 ECHL contests while managing a -4 rating.
- Mathieu Sheridan of The Hockey News reports former AHL forward Isaac Johnson has signed a contract with the Finnish Liiga’s Jukurit. Johnson has only managed 30 AHL games between the Manitoba Moose and Toronto Marlies since joining the professional ranks in the 2021-22 season scoring three goals and eight points overall. He has a much better track record in the ECHL — scoring 64 goals and 139 points in 125 games for the now-defunct Newfoundland Growlers while managing a solid +31 rating.
Blackhawks Assign Brett Seney To Canadian National Team
According to the AHL transactions page, the Chicago Blackhawks have reassigned Brett Seney, the captain of their AHL affiliate, to the Canadian National Team for the upcoming Spengler Cup. It will be the first time Seney has suited up for Team Canada in international play throughout his professional career.
Seney is in his eighth professional season and third with the Blackhawks organization. The New Jersey Devils drafted him with the 157th overall pick of the 2015 NHL Draft. He made his professional debut with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Binghampton Devils, toward the end of the 2017-18 season.
Before turning to the professional ranks, Seney amassed a solid career with the NCAA’s Merrimack College scoring 42 goals and 115 points in 139 games. That level of offensive consistency has translated well to the AHL where Seney has collected 97 goals and 274 points in 345 games.
Unfortunately for Seney, his talent hasn’t translated well to the NHL. He scored five goals and 13 points in 51 games for the Devils in his rookie campaign during the 2018-19 season while averaging 10:20 of ice time per game. He saw his role significantly reduced during the Covid-shortened 2019-20 season as Seney only suited up in two games for the rebuilding New Jersey franchise.
He spent one more year in the Devils organization before signing a one-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2021. Seney led the team’s AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies in scoring that year leading to three straight one-year contracts with the Blackhawks.
Vancouver Canucks Assign Three Players To AHL
Like every team in the National Hockey League, the Vancouver Canucks have played their final game before the short holiday break. Per the AHL transactions page, the Canucks have papered down forwards Phillip Di Giuseppe, Max Sasson, and Linus Karlsson bringing their roster down a minimum of 18 skaters and two goalies.
The roster moves will give Vancouver a relatively large window of salary cap relief despite all three players earning below $900K on their current contracts. The Canucks don’t play until Saturday when they take on the Seattle Kraken meaning all three players will likely be recalled then.
The veteran Di Giuseppe played in three games for Vancouver during his recent call-up from December 17th to today, tallying two assists and 12 hits while averaging 12:39 of ice time. He’ll likely spend more time on the Canucks roster for the rest of the season after returning from an injury earlier in the year. Di Giuseppe is in the final season of a two-year, $1.55MM agreement signed with Vancouver and can bring quality defensive play toward the bottom of the lineup.
Sasson, the second forward included in today’s transaction, is starting to rack up playing time in the NHL. The former Western Michigan University standout has scored one goal and five points in 12 games for the Canucks this season and has seen his ice time climb to or near 13 minutes in three of his last four games. There’s a legitimate chance his playing days in the AHL are over for the foreseeable future unless Vancouver makes a notable outside addition to their bottom six.
Karlsson also sustained an early-season injury keeping him out of the lineup for both Vancouver and the Abbotsford Canucks for much of the 2024-25 regular season. He’s gotten off to a hot start in Abbotsford scoring five goals and six points in seven games but he failed to find the scoresheet during his pair of contests in the NHL. He’s an interesting offensive weapon Vancouver could toy with toward the bottom of their forward grouping given that Karlsson is only a year removed from scoring 23 goals and 60 points in 60 AHL games.
Capitals Reassign Henrik Rybinski
Dec. 24: The Caps announced this morning that they’ve returned Rybinski to the AHL over the holiday break.
Dec. 21: Veteran center Lars Eller has officially been placed on injured reserve by the Washington Capitals as expected. The Capitals will use forward Henrik Rybinski in Eller’s stead with the organization announcing his recall from their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears.
It’s his first NHL recall during his short professional career. The Florida Panthers drafted Rybinski with the 136th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft but he signed with Washington after his draft rights expired in 2022.
Rybinski has had a slow start to his professional career offensively scoring 10 goals and 34 points in 103 games for the Bears from 2022 to 2024. The current season can already be classified as a breakout year for Rybinski as he’s scored six goals and 20 points in 28 games. He’s unlikely to break any scoring records but his production is still good for third in scoring on a second-place Hershey team.
The uptick in point production likely led to Rybinski’s recall by the Capitals. Still, he’s unlikely to debut in the NHL given Washington’s upcoming schedule. The organization matches up against the Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins, and Toronto Maple Leafs over their next three games.
Should the Capitals still need Rybinski on the roster by next Sunday, it would make sense for him to debut against a fledgling Detroit Red Wings. Still, the recall is an acknowledgment by the Capitals of Rybinski’s development this season.
New Jersey Devils Reassign Colton White
Colton White‘s time with the New Jersey Devils is on pause after 10 days on the active roster. The organization announced the reassignment of White to their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. New Jersey also added that White will join Team Canada for the upcoming Spengler Cup instead of joining the Comets roster.
The 2024-25 season is his eighth professional season and his sixth with the Devils organization. New Jersey drafted White with the 97th overall pick of the 2015 NHL Draft and he’s been with the organization since aside from two years with the Anaheim Ducks organization.
Most of White’s value centers around his physicality. He’s tallied 10 assists in 84 games at the NHL level since the 2018-19 season with 57 blocked shots and 65 hits. He’s understandably scored more at the AHL level with 17 goals and 78 points in 274 games but has a dismal -69 rating throughout his career.
His inclusion on Team Canada’s roster for this year’s Spengler Cup will be the first international competition of White’s career. He’ll assist the Canadians in pursuing their first Spengler Cup victory since the 2019 tournament. The tournament will take place from December 26th to December 31st in Davos, Switzerland.
The Devils will likely make a corresponding roster move on defense after the Christmas break. They have one more game tomorrow night against the New York Rangers but will want more than six healthy defensemen on the active roster by the weekend.
Canadiens, Jake Evans Haven’t Discussed Extension
The Montreal Canadiens are well-positioned to be deadline sellers for the fourth consecutive season. They also might have one of the most valuable rental candidates on the market.
Middle-six center Jake Evans is in the middle of a career year, only 11 points away from reaching career-highs in scoring despite playing in 39 fewer games. He’s scored seven goals and 19 points in 33 games for the Canadiens this season and sits fourth on the team in scoring. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent next summer when his three-year, $5.1MM contract concludes.
Montreal should theoretically be interested in keeping a player like Evans around but if they do — he doesn’t know it. In an interview with Eric Engels of Sportsnet, Evans replied, “Still crickets” when asked about extension negotiations with the Canadiens.
The Toronto, Ontario native is on pace for 17 goals and 47 points should he continue his current pace for the rest of the regular season. His career 50.8% faceoff rate and 89.2% on-ice save percentage in all situations should give interested teams confidence that Evans can play center toward the bottom of a contending lineup.
Evans’ biggest issue is his inconsistency over the last several years. That’s something he acknowledged in the interview with Engels when he said, “You start to understand your role and where you’re going to fit in and where you’re going to bring value to a team. Sometimes it takes guys half a season, but for me, moving up and down the lineup, you don’t really know what kind of player you’re supposed to be, and now I feel like I’ve finally found it.”
Still, even though he could conceivably double his current salary on the open market, Evans strikes as a player the Canadiens should keep around for the long haul. Cap space won’t be a concern for Montreal anytime soon and Evans has proven his value to the organization this season.