International Notes: Leipsic, Bitten, Timashov, Gagner
The current roster freeze will prevent several roster moves in the NHL over the next few days. However, that won’t stop roster moves on the international stage, particularly in the Kontinental Hockey League. A couple of those transactions overseas include notable former NHL talent.
Longtime NHL veteran Brendan Leipsic has been traded in the KHL from Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg to Sibir Novosibirsk, per a release from the latter. In his first season with Yekaterinburg, Leipsic scored six goals and seven points in 25 KHL contests. It’s been six years since Leipsic suited up in the NHL, most recently for the Capitals. The former third-round pick of the Nashville Predators played in 187 games in the NHL from 2016 to 2020, scoring 16 goals and 59 points overall. He’s been far more productive in Russia, scoring 46 goals and 114 points in 197 games since joining the KHL ranks in 2020-21.
Other international transactions:
- Former NHL prospect William Bitten is on the move in the KHL. Anton Nekrasov of Championat confirmed that HK Sochi has claimed Bitten off waivers from Spartak Moscow. Only a year removed from scoring 39 goals and 78 points in 133 games for the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds and debuting in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues in 2022-23, Bitten’s transition to the KHL has been nothing short of disastrous. He scored one goal and five points in 21 games for Moscow, leading the team to move on relatively quickly.
- In a corresponding move, Sochi released former Maple Leafs, Red Wings, and Islanders winger Dmytro Timashov, the team announced on Telegram. The 28-year-old Swede has been a non-factor in his first season in Russia, posting a goal and three assists in 22 games. He last suited up in the NHL with the Isles in 2020-21 and has quickly established himself as a European journeyman since, suiting up in Sweden and Switzerland before arriving in Sochi over the offseason. A fifth-round pick of Toronto in 2015, Timashov recorded four goals and five assists in 45 NHL contests while averaging 8:30 per game across the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
- Unrestricted free agent center Sam Gagner is in Sweden training with Djurgårdens IF of the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan, reports Andreas Hanson of HockeyNews.se. Gagner, 35, has yet to play in 2024-25 but was recently named to Team Canada’s roster for this year’s Spengler Cup. The veteran of 1,043 NHL games could sign overseas for the first time since playing in Austria during the 2012 lockout if he has a decent showing at the tournament. After posting 10 points in 28 games in a limited role with the Oilers last season, Gagner signed a professional tryout with the Hurricanes in September but was released at the end of training camp.
PHR’s Josh Erickson contributed to this article.
Chicago Blackhawks Activate Seth Jones From IR
The Chicago Blackhawks are getting a major boost to their blue line. The organization announced they’ve activated defenseman Seth Jones from their injured reserve after missing the last 16 games with a right foot injury.
Jones’ activation couldn’t come soon enough for the Blackhawks. Through the first 17 games of the year with Jones on the roster, Chicago managed a 6-10-1 record with a -10 differential. In the 10 games following Jones’ exit from the lineup, the Blackhawks only had two wins while producing an identical -10 rating. The team has played better of late meaning Jones will only add to the current momentum.
The injury also came at a bad time for Jones personally. He got off to a solid start to the 2024-25 NHL season with two goals and 10 points in 17 games. Should he have continued his scoring pace throughout the regular season unencumbered, he would have finished with 10 goals and 49 points.
Jones can only finish the season with 66 games played meaning his eventual output should be similar to recent campaigns. He’s finished the last two years with 37 and 31 points respectively, a far cry from his five-goal, 51-point performance from 2021-22.
Still, Jones has unequivocally the most responsibility on Chicago’s blue line. He’s averaged 25:26 of ice time over 234 games played with the Blackhawks while playing in all situations. It might be a difficult transition for Jones tonight in his first game in over a month but it’s what’ll be required of him on a needy Blackhawks’ roster.
No corresponding roster move is necessary for Chicago given they only had 21 players on the active roster. However, one player is coming out of the lineup as Jones’ activation gives them seven defensemen.
According to Daily Faceoff’s projected lineups, that player is understandably youngster Kevin Korchinski. He’s scored zero points in six games for the Blackhawks this season and will likely head to Chicago’s AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, in due time.
Boston Bruins Recall Marc McLaughlin
According to the AHL transactions page, the Boston Bruins have recalled depth forward Marc McLaughlin. McLaughlin’s stay on the AHL roster was brief, as he was only reassigned yesterday afternoon.
Following the allowable roster moves during the roster freeze, McLaughlin was eligible for recall to the NHL active roster since he was recalled in a separate transaction after December 11th. It was another paper move, but it allowed the Bruins to bank valuable cap space for a short time.
It’s been another hybrid year for McLaughlin in his fourth season of professional hockey. He’s spent much of his career playing in AHL Providence but has 23 NHL games with the Bruins.
He’s failed to bring his point-per-game offense from the NCAA to the professional ranks. McLaughlin’s production has risen this season with five goals and 10 points in 15 games for the AHL Bruins which is much better than his six goals and 14 points in 68 games from a season ago.
His consistency in the AHL, or lack thereof, has prohibited McLaughlin from earning any legitimate opportunity at the NHL level. He’s scored six goals throughout his career and has shown flashes of being a responsible defensive forward but hasn’t earned a full-time spot on the roster up to this point.
Still, he’ll earn valuable experience during practice with the Bruins despite factoring little during games. Boston matches up against the flailing Buffalo Sabres tonight which makes as good an opportunity as ever for McLaughlin to enter the lineup.
USA Hockey Announces 2025 WJC Roster
Dec. 19: Emery, Fiddler, Pelosi and Spellacy didn’t make the cut. The rest of the names on the list below will comprise the Americans’ contingent at the tournament.
Dec. 2: The United States is on gold medal defense in the IIHF World Junior Championship for the first time since 2021. Excitement continues to build for this year’s rendition of the event and the team has announced its 28-man preliminary roster.
General manager John Vanbiesbrouck and head coach David Carle will have to trim three players from the preliminary roster before official rosters are due. The tournament will run from December 26, 2024, to January 5, 2025, in Ottawa, Canada. Team USA will play in Group A alongside Canada, Germany, Finland, and Latvia.
Will Smith of the San Jose Sharks is the biggest name left off the list of available age-eligible players from last year’s team. Smith was flat-out electric for the team last year scoring four goals and nine points in seven games but the Sharks organization has decided not to loan him back for this winter’s tournament.
Team USA will bring 10 members of last year’s gold-medal team present at this year’s camp. This year’s preliminary roster is as follows:
F Austin Burnevik (Ducks, 2024, 182nd overall)
F Trevor Connelly (Golden Knights, 2024, 19th overall)
F Cole Eiserman (Islanders, 2024, 20th overall)
F James Hagens (2025 draft-eligible)
F Ryan Leonard (Capitals, 2023, 8th overall)
F Oliver Moore (Blackhawks, 2023, 19th overall)
F Danny Nelson (Islanders, 2023, 49th overall)
F Chris Pelosi (Bruins, 2023, 92nd overall)
F Gabe Perreault (Rangers, 2023, 23rd overall)
F AJ Spellacy (Blackhawks, 2024, 72nd overall)
F Teddy Stiga (Predators, 2024, 55th overall)
F Brandon Svoboda (Sharks, 2023, 71st overall)
F Carey Terrance (Ducks, 2023, 59th overall)
F Joey Willis (Predators, 2023, 111th overall)
F Brodie Ziemer (Sabres, 2024, 71st overall)
D Zeev Buium (Wild, 2024, 12th overall)
D EJ Emery (Rangers, 2024, 30th overall)
D Blake Fiddler (2025 draft-eligible)
D Paul Fischer (Oilers, 2023, 138th overall)*
D Drew Fortescue (Rangers, 2023, 90th overall)
D Logan Hensler (2025 draft-eligible)
D Cole Hutson (Capitals, 2024, 43rd overall)
D Adam Kleber (Sabres, 2024, 42nd overall)
D Aram Minnetian (Stars, 2023, 125th overall)
D Colin Ralph (Blues, 2024, 48th overall)
G Trey Augustine (Red Wings, 2023, 41st overall)
G Sam Hillebrandt (went undrafted in 2023, 2024)
G Hampton Slukynsky (Kings, 2023, 118th overall)
* Fischer was originally drafted by the St. Louis Blues in 2023
Tampa Bay Lightning Re-Assign Declan Carlile
The Tampa Bay Lightning are shortening their available defense options as the team announced they’ve re-assigned defenseman Declan Carlile to their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. It’s unknown at this point if Tampa Bay will recall Carlile tomorrow as a seventh defenseman option or if they’ll continue with six until the roster freezes tomorrow evening.
Carlile was originally recalled on December 14th when defensive peer J.J. Moser was placed on the team’s injured reserve with a lower-body injury. He made his season debut that evening while captain Victor Hedman sat out with a lower-body injury but returned to seventh defensemen duties when Hedman came back on the 17th.
The Hartland, MI native is in his fourth season with the Lightning organization after signing with the team as a collegiate free agent in 2021-22. He suited up in three seasons for Merrimack College of the NCAA scoring 13 goals and 56 points in 83 contests.
Carlile’s scoring has depreciated in the AHL but he’s still proved an effective option for the Crunch. He’s only scored 17 goals and 57 points in 161 AHL contests but has achieved a whopping +41 career rating. He wasn’t as solid defensively during his time in the NCAA’s difficult Hockey East conference but his timing has improved during his transition to the professional scene.
Tampa Bay and Syracuse only have two games during the upcoming roster freeze so it’s up to the organization if they want Carlile to have game reps. He should end up on the NHL roster after the freeze regardless, considering Moser is on a week-to-week basis.
LeBrun Notes: Provorov, Hurricanes, Canucks
In his latest rendition of ‘NHL Rumblings’ (Subscription Article), Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic touched on several topics including the future of Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman, Ivan Provorov. Provorov is in the final year of a six-year, $40.5MM contract and is believed to be a top trade chip heading into deadline season.
There is some growing belief in Columbus that the Blue Jackets and Provorov may opt to turn toward extension talks rather than a trade. This does not indicate that the Blue Jackets wouldn’t receive adequate value for Provorov in any hypothetical trade but simply that he is content with the city and the organization.
Provorov’s agent, Mark Gandler of International Sports Advisors Co., was quoted in the article saying, “Ivan is happy to be in Columbus, happy to play there. He thinks that the team is going to go places. It’s clear that the team is better than it was last year. Personally, I have all the confidence in the world in (general manager) Don Waddell’s ability. He’s an experienced manager who knows what he’s doing. I think the team is going to improve every year.”
The Yaroslavl, Russia native will have family in the area should he continue his relationship with the Blue Jackets organization. Provorov’s younger brother, Vladimir Provorov, recently committed to The Ohio State University and will begin play there during the 2027-28 NCAA season.
Other notes from LeBrun:
- LeBrun reiterated the Carolina Hurricanes’ interest in Anaheim Ducks netminder John Gibson. The most recent connection between the Hurricanes and Gibson came in a separate article from LeBrun nearly a month ago. Carolina isn’t enthusiastic about Anaheim’s asking price for Gibson which has the organization turning toward short-term options. LeBrun cites Utah Hockey Clubs’ Karel Vejmelka, Ottawa Senators’ Anton Forsberg, and Calgary Flames’ Dan Vladar as viable trade candidates moving toward deadline season.
- LeBrun also shared that the Vancouver Canucks were already looking for a top-four defenseman before losing defenseman Filip Hronek for the next several weeks. Hronek’s injury has increased Vancouver’s motivation to acquire a defenseman and LeBrun asserts there should be a solution long before the deadline. The Canucks are looking for more consistency from their roster as they’ve only managed a 4-2-2 record since the calendar turned to December.
Senators Recall Leevi Meriläinen, Reassign Zack Ostapchuk
The Ottawa Senators will be without goaltender Anton Forsberg for an undisclosed period due to injury and with that, the team needed a netminder. Ottawa announced they’ve recalled goaltender Leevi Meriläinen from their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators, and have reassigned forward Zack Ostapchuk the other way in a corresponding roster move.
It would be a surprise to see Meriläinen play meaningful minutes with the Senators with his last bit of work with the team coming in the 2022-23 NHL season. Meriläinen started two games for Ottawa that year as his only NHL experience and he finished with a 0-1-1 record and a .878 save percentage.
The former 71st overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft has understandably been more effective with AHL Belleville. Meriläinen has managed a solid 20-11-5 record in 41 AHL contests with a career .908 SV% and 2.65 GAA. Still, it’ll be difficult for the Senators to turn away from Linus Ullmark who’s posted a .966 SV% over his last five starts.
Returning to AHL Belleville is Ostapchuk, who’s been a mildly used forward for the Senators this year. He’s tallied two assists in 16 contests while averaging 9:16 of ice time per game.
As much as Ostapchuk might want to remain in Ottawa he won’t be confined to a fourth-line role for the next few games at the very least. He’s suited up in nine games for Belleville this season where he’s collected one goal and eight points in total.
Blues Looking To Move Brandon Saad
The St. Louis Blues made a surprising acquisition yesterday morning by trading for Cam Fowler from the Anaheim Ducks. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the organization isn’t done making moves just yet.
On yesterday’s rendition of ‘Saturday Headlines’, Friedman reports that the Blues are looking to move on from veteran winger Brandon Saad after making him a healthy scratch last night.
Any trade involving Saad would involve some hurdles. He’s not performing up to his $4.5MM salary for this year and next, not to mention a full no-trade clause for this season that turns into a 12-team no-trade list next year.
Based on Friedman’s description of the environment, Saad appears willing to amend his no-trade protection to facilitate a deal. Still, that doesn’t make other teams more interested in adding an aging winger struggling to score.
Saad rebounded from a disappointing 2022-23 season with a 26-goal, 42-point effort last year. He played in all 82 regular season games for the first time since the 2017-18 season and posted the strongest possession numbers of his career as a member of the Blues organization.
His play hasn’t been as promising this year. Saad has scored four goals and 10 points in 27 games for St. Louis this season which would be his lowest goal-per-game pace since his sophomore campaign in the 2012-13 season.
This is likely the main contributing factor in St. Louis’ inability to move Saad at this point in the regular season. Many competitive teams don’t have the cap space necessary to acquire Saad and they’d likely want to use it on a player projecting higher than 12 goals on the campaign.
Blues Acquire Cam Fowler From Ducks
Cam Fowler‘s 15-year career with the Anaheim Ducks has come to an end. The St. Louis Blues organization announced they’ve acquired Fowler (38.5% retained) and a 2027 fourth-round pick for defensive prospect Jeremie Biakabutuka and a 2027 second-round pick.
Once the trade call is finalized, the Ducks organization will have parted with their longest-tenured player. Fowler was only nine games away from reaching the 1000th of his career with Anaheim but will now accomplish the career mark as a member of the Blues.
Consistency has been the name of the game for Fowler throughout his career. Anaheim selected Fowler with the 12th overall pick of the 2010 NHL Draft and debuted a year later during the 2010-11 season. He finished his rookie campaign with 10 goals and 40 points in 76 contests finishing eighth in Calder Trophy voting.
He’s averaged approximately 38 points a season for the next 14 years and impressively averaged 23 minutes of ice time per game across that timeline. His career CorsiFor% of 49.7% and career on-ice save percentage in all situations of 90.2% show that the Ducks have leaned on Fowler’s two-way play and used him in nearly all situations. 
St. Louis is filling a clear need on the left side of their defense for less than expected. The Blues organization will owe Fowler just under $4MM a year for the remainder of this season and next and he has the experience to move up and down the lineup.
Key injuries to Torey Krug and Nick Leddy have left a sizeable hole in the lineup. Philip Broberg has been a bright spot in the top-four but the team can’t continue to utilize Ryan Suter or Pierre-Olivier Joseph as the other option.
The addition of Fowler isn’t expected to pull St. Louis up the standings but it shouldn’t hurt their chances either. The Blues are four points back of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference with one game in hand on their division rivals, the Colorado Avalanche.
At any rate, the acquisition of Fowler gives them cost certainty on their blue line for next season. Fowler makes seven St. Louis defensemen signed beyond this season and they’ll likely reprise their roles next year. The team could move out of Leddy’s contract as he’s also being paid $4MM by the Blues but their top-four is likely set.
Biakabutuka, from Longueuil, Quebec, is in his second full year with the Blues organization. He’s primarily spent time in the ECHL with the Orlando Solar Bears and Florida Everblades where he’s collected five goals and 22 points in 76 contests. It’s unlikely he’ll suit up for the Ducks in the AHL meaning he’ll suit up for their ECHL affiliate in Tulsa.
In the announcement from the Blues organization, the team also shared they’ve sent down defenseman Matthew Kessel to their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. St. Louis didn’t require eight defensemen on the active roster and Kessel was the only waiver exempt among them.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Friedman was the first to report the majority of the trade package.
Friedman was the first to report Biakabutuka was included in the deal.
Middleton’s Injury May Affect Minnesota’s Deadline Plans
It’s been a surprising year for the Minnesota Wild. After missing the playoffs last year, they’ve accrued the second-most points in the Western Conference up to this point in the regular season.
They’re still cap-strapped, too, thanks to the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, with the team still owing the pair a combined $14.7MM this season. The Wild needed to stay diligent in their efforts to accrue up cap space throughout the regular season to eventually add a substantive complementary piece at the trade deadline.
Minnesota has unfortunately hit a few roadblocks in the form of injuries. The team already had to place forward Mats Zuccarello on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury earlier in the season and placed underrated defenseman Jacob Middleton on it yesterday.
In an interview with Michael Russo of The Athletic (Subscription Article), general manager Bill Guerin explains that the latest LTIR placement may affect the team’s chances of acquiring a top-six forward at this year’s deadline. Russo quoted Guerin saying, “Yeah, I mean, it probably will. And again, that’s just one of those things. We can’t control it. We’ve been doing our best to build up cap space as we go along. But things happen and we can’t necessarily control it all the time. We’ll see what we can do though. That’s a couple months away. So we’ll see.”
According to PuckPedia, the Wild should have a projected deadline cap space of $5.4MM, barely enough to acquire the top-six winger they’ve needed for much of the season. The available cap space will shrink should Middelton’s injury keep him on LTIR longer than expected.
To their credit, Minnesota has blown past their expectations this season while dealing with numerous injuries. Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, and Joel Eriksson Ek have each missed considerable time with injury this season but the Wild have still found success without deploying a full roster for much of the year.