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Golden Knights’ Adin Hill Out Week-To-Week, William Karlsson Targeting Olympic Return

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The Vegas Golden Knights received two important injury updates on Tuesday. Most pressing, goaltender Adin Hill was designated as week-to-week by head coach Bruce Cassidy, per Jesse Granger of The Athletic. Cassidy also said that forward William Karlsson is expected to be back in the lineup before the two-week break for the Winter Olympics in February.

Hill has been out of the lineup since sustaining a lower-body injury in the first period of Vegas’ October 20th win over the Carolina Hurricanes. He has carried a week-to-week designation for much of the time since then, though that’s turned into a two-month absence that appears set to drag on even further. Cassidy shared that Hill is “getting closer”. That confidence, pitted against a mention on the Olympics’ in Karlsson’s timeline, could be enough insinuation to hope that Vegas can get their starting goaltender back before January ends.

Karlsson has also missed a substantial amount of time already. He sustained a lower-body injury in Vegas’ November 8th loss to the Anaheim Ducks that earned a spot on long-term injured reserve. Karlsson has now missed 50 games since the start of the 2024-25 season – continuing a stretch of routine absences that extends back to the 2019-20 season.

Both Hill and Karlsson have strong Olympic hopes in mind. Hill was one of three goaltenders invited to Team Canada’s preliminary camp, suggesting that he’s a shoo-in to head to Milan. Hill joined Canada at the 2025 Four-Nations Face-Off but didn’t play in any of the four games. His only experience representing his country came in 2021, when he won one game and set a .909 save percentage in three games at the World Championships.

While Hill pushes for a backup role, Karlsson could carve out a solid role for Team Sweden. The 32-year-old center did not represent Sweden at the 2025 Four-Nations tournament, and has only played in four World Championship games dating back to 2018 – though that is often thanks to his NHL team sticking in the playoffs for too long. When he does adorn the tre kronor, Karlsson finds strong impact, with four points and one Gold Medal in 14 World Championship games across his career. He will be one of Sweden’s top center options as they assemble their Olympic roster.

More than their Olympic hopes, both players will hope they can quickly get back on ice with a Vegas team that ranks top in the Pacific Division. Karlsson maintained a key role in the lineup this season and scored seven points in his first 14 games of the season. Hill was an initial favorite for the starter’s crease, but began to share it with Akira Schmid and Carl Lindbom after posting one win and a .888 Sv% in five games. Since his injury, Vegas has also signed Carter Hart, bringing even more competition into the goalie room. It seems the Golden Knights will be set to sort out that goalie crowd early in the new year, with a similar logjam coming for their center depth soon after. The Golden Knights rank 16th in goals-for and eighth in goals-against in the NHL at Christmas break.

Injury Notes: Vejmelka, Horvat, Fox

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Shortly before tonight’s game in Colorado, the Utah Mammoth shared that starting goaltender Karel Vejmelka is unable to play, due to an upper-body injury. Vítek Vaněček has gotten the start, looking to improve upon his 2-7-1 record this season. 

As such occurred on short notice, the team signed Utah native Colten McIntyre to an Amateur Try-Out Agreement. McIntyre, 21, will live out a dream tonight having played in the NA3HL and EHL, at the Tier 3 Junior A level, fairly different than #2 goaltender against the best team in the NHL.  

Elsewhere across the league:

  • Islanders forward Bo Horvat was a participant in practice this morning, donning a non-contact jersey, per Ethan Sears of the New York Post. The center hasn’t played since December 11, leaving mid-game due to a lower-body injury. Fearing the worst, the club received favorable news on his diagnosis, and Horvat should return by early January. Despite showing some regression last season, the 30-year-old has 31 points in 32 games, and will be a huge boost for an Islanders group which has continued to win and exceed expectations. 
  • Another New York star was spotted this morning in a non-contact jersey, albeit elsewhere, as Adam Fox eases back in from his shoulder injury (shared by Mollie Walker of The New York Post). The defenseman first returned to practice last week, having been absent all of December. With 23 points in 27 games, Fox was playing at peak level prior to going down, and while they do not want to rush him, New York is facing mounting pressure to get their season on track which has been pushed back without their hometown hero. Fox will most likely return after the New Year.

Capitals Activate Ryan Leonard, Reassign Ivan Miroshnichenko, Two Out

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5:45 p.m.: Wilson has been downgraded to out after being designated as a game-time decision earlier in the day per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. Sonny Milano will step onto the fourth-line, while Leonard will takes Wilson’s spot on the second-line in his return from injury. Washington will also be without defenseman Rasmus Sandin, who is out with an upper-body injury per Silber. He will be replaced by Declan Chisholm.

4:30 p.m.: The Washington Capitals will get a big piece back in Tuesday night’s game against the New York Rangers. Winger Ryan Leonard has been activated off of injured reserve after missing the last seven games with upper-body injuries sustained on December 5th. He was originally expected to miss three-to-four weeks, a timeline he falls right in line with. To make room for Leonard’s return, the Capitals have also assigned winger Ivan Miroshnichenko back to the AHL’s Hershey Bears.

Leonard’s return could be a big boost to the Capitals offense. The 21-year-old winger was finding another step in the NHL before he went down with injury. He scored seven points in his last five games, including the first four-point game of his NHL career. Leonard is now up to seven goals and 18 points in 29 games this season, putting him on pace for 47 points if he plays out the rest of the season. The rookie has been a major addition to a Capitals team that was already firing on all cylinders. Washington ranks 10th in the league in goals scored this season, and could rise up those ranks with the return of a player who scored 30 goals in 37 games in the NCAA’s Hockey East last season.

Meanwhile, Miroshnichenko will return to the AHL after playing two games in Leonard’s absence. He recorded three shots on net and four hits in those contests. Miroshnichenko is still searching for his groove at the top flight after posting 10 points in 39 NHL games over the last two seasons. He’s been a much bigger factor for Hershey, where he’s climbed into a top-six role and has nine points and 21 penalty minutes in 12 games this season. Miroshnichenko entered the season with 67 points in 100 AHL games to his name. He will continue to serve a scoring role in the minors, and hope for better outcomes next time he’s called up.

How Washington’s lineup will look on Tuesday still isn’t entirely clear. Both Leonard and winger Tom Wilson were designated as game-time decisions by head coach Spencer Carbery, per NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. No word has come through on Wilson’s availability. Leonard will step into Miroshnichenko’s spot in the bottom-six.

Golden Knights Recall Dylan Coghlan, Place Shea Theodore On IR

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A little over a week after reassigning him, the Vegas Golden Knights have brought one depth defender back to the active roster. According to Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Golden Knights have recalled Dylan Coghlan from the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights.

In a follow-up report, SinBin shared that the Golden Knights have placed defenseman Shea Theodore on the team’s injured reserve. He’s expected to miss the next few weeks with an upper-body injury.

Coghlan, 27, is in his second stint with the Golden Knights organization. Vegas signed Coghlan as an undrafted free agent from the WHL’s Tri-City Americans in their inaugural season. He spent two seasons exclusively with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, scoring 26 goals and 64 points in 126 contests.

The following two years were spent entirely with the Golden Knights, scoring six goals and 19 points in 88 games, averaging 13:58 of ice time. Coghlan was included as a sweetener in the salary dump trade that sent Max Pacioretty to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2022.

Despite the new opportunity in Raleigh, Coghlan was hardly utilized at the NHL level, amassing 18 games in two years. Still, he had his best AHL season to date whilst in the Hurricanes organization, registering 16 goals and 41 points in 61 games during the 2023-24 season.

After a one-year stint in the Winnipeg Jets organization, Coghlan made his way back to Vegas last offseason after signing a one-year league minimum deal. He’s only played for AHL Henderson up to this point, managing five goals and 11 points in 23 contests.

Hurricanes Recall Joel Nystrom From AHL, Place Slavin On IR

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This afternoon the Carolina Hurricanes shared that Joel Nystrom has been called up from AHL Chicago, while Jaccob Slavin has been placed on injured reserve. 

Given that he was listed as week-to-week earlier today, with Nystrom the most likely candidate to get the call, the word is not a big surprise. Just over one week ago, the two were swapped for each other when Slavin was activated, only now to be injured again. 

The season so far has not been kind to Slavin, who has dealt with a lower-body injury for the past few months. After an activation eight days ago, he was eased back gradually, a jump in ice time in each of three games. However, the vital defenseman was absent last Saturday in Tampa Bay, and now appears set to miss even more time. As such is categorized as an upper-body injury, it does not appear both are linked, instead simply brutal luck for the defender, who has never been thought to be injury prone. Now 31, he has played in no fewer than 76 games in the past five seasons, however, with only five so far, that streak will end this season. 

Meanwhile, Nystrom finds himself back with the big club after a short stint with the Chicago Wolves. Besides being called up and down, December has been a busy month for the Swede, as he inked a four year extension just 10 days ago, avoiding restricted free agency status after the campaign. In limited North American experience so far, his stats haven’t jumped out, with two assists in nine games for Chicago, and five assists in 24 games for Carolina. However, the 23-year-old is just getting started on smaller ice, and clearly the organization is high on him. A right shot, Nystrom has shown no fear of carrying the puck, and transition is the name of his game. A major steal, chosen in the seventh round by Carolina in 2021, Nystrom figures to be an everyday player for the team into the future, and they’ve certainly already leaned on him to this point. 

Carolina offers a deep blueline, relieved of their offseason acquisition of K’Andre Miller in times like these. Miller is currently averaging over 22 minutes of ice time, more than he ever had as a Ranger, and looking the part. Even so often without Slavin, the Canes boast a 22-10-3 record this season, good for fourth in the league. 

While Slavin’s presence is undeniable, and another setback is especially frustrating, his Olympic status for the United States is not thought to be in jeopardy, meaning hopefully he will gear up for a return by mid-January. 

Sharks’ Will Smith Out Week-To-Week, Collin Graf Questionable

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Luck was not on the San Jose Sharks’ side during Monday’s practice. Head coach Ryan Warsofsky designated top young forward Will Smith as out week-to-week with an upper-body injury and won’t be re-evaluated until 2026, per Max Miller of Ssan Jose Hockey Digest. Smith has been out since sustaining an injury in San Jose’s December 13th matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

On top of that injury, top-line winger Collin Graf had to get stitches during Monday’s practice, after an erant puck hit him in the face. The puck avoided Graf’s eye and seemed to injure his cheek, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. The Sharks aren’t yet sure if Graf will be available for their three-game road trip that runs through a December 29th matchup against the Anaheim Ducks.

The Sharks will continue to face an uphill battle without Smith in the lineup. He has driven the offense when he’s on the ice, netting 12 goals and 29 points in 33 games this season, good for second on the Sharks in scoring behind Macklin Celebrini. San Jose has lost two of their three games since Smith’s injury, painting his importance to the lineup even amid a scoring surge for the Sharks.

In Smith’s absence, Graf has emerged as a key factor and scoring compliment to Celebrini. He has four points in three games without Smith, and six points in his last five games. That hot streak has brought Graf up to 19 points in 35 games this season, eight more than he managed in 33 games of his rookie year last season. Graf has also contributed 29 shot blocks and 34 hits, ranked third and sixth among Sharks forwards respectively.

The 23-year-old Graf has carved out a nightly role in the top-six in December. His absence would force San Jose to push either William Eklund or Jeff Skinner – who has recently served as a healthy scratch – into a top-line role. The Sharks could also push Adam Gaudette or Tyler Toffoli into elevated minutes, if they’re willing to shake up their wingers.

One piece that will make the shakeup a bit easier is the emergence of rookie Igor Chernyshov, who has been playing on the top-line next to Graf and Celebrini and recorded three assists in his first three NHL games. Chernyshov was a breakout scorer in the OHL last season and leads the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda in scoring with 23 points in 25 games this year. He could quickly be leaned on as San Jose looks to mitigate injuries to a pair of high-impact forwards.

Ducks’ Leo Carlsson Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury

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The Anaheim Ducks will be without a top forward in Monday’s match against the Seattle Kraken. Star center Leo Carlsson has been announced as out day-to-day with a lower-body injury, head coach Joel Quenneville told Derek Lee of The Hockey News. He is expected to return in Anaheim’s first game back from the NHL’s Christmas break – a December 27th matchup against the Los Angeles Kings.

It isn’t clear when or how Carlsson sustained his injury. He has been leaned on heavily over Anaheim’s recent stretch, appearing in at least 20 minutes of ice time in four of his 11 games this month, including three games north of 22 minutes. That’s a heavy load for a 20-year-old pro and it appears it’s beginning to get to Carlsson. He has gone without any scoring in his last three games, after starting the month with four goals and seven points in eight games. It’s tied for the longest scoring drought of Carlsson’s season alongside a dry spell in November.

The Ducks will use a soft matchup against the Kraken, and an upcoming four days off, as a chance to give Carlsson a bit of a break. His absence is expected to be precautionary, more than anything, per Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune. The Ducks will promote Mikael Granlund to the top-line in Carlsson’s absence. Granlund, who has five points in his last three games, is expected to assume top-center duties while Troy Terry moves to the top right-wing slot.

Carlsson leads the Ducks in scoring with a staggering 41 points in 36 games this season, third-most of any player under the age of 21 in the NHL, behind Macklin Celebrini (54) and Connor Bedard (44). Even without their emerging franchise focal piece, Anaheim should be in good shape for Monday night. They got back on the right side of the scoresheet on Saturday, toppling the Columbus Blue Jackets to bring their record to 6-4-1 in December. Anaheim has been slightly outscored in that span – by a combined score of 36-to-40 – but have averaged 3.5 goals-per-game over their last four games.

With an improved performance on defense, and continued hot play in more minutes from Granlund, Anaheim should be in for a strong game against a Seattle club that’s gone 1-4-0 in their last five games and ranks dead-last in goals scored this season.

Seattle’s Brandon Montour Out Week-To-Week

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The Seattle Kraken announced today that defenseman Brandon Montour will miss approximately four weeks after undergoing successful hand surgery. Montour left the Kraken’s game last Tuesday with what was at the time an undisclosed injury, and didn’t dress for either of the team’s next two games. He has been placed on injured reserve.

With today’s announcement, the reason for Montour’s unavailability has become clear. The 31-year-old defenseman has become a key part of the Kraken blueline since signing a $7.14MM AAV deal with Seattle in 2024. He currently ranks No. 2 on the Kraken in time on ice per game, averaging 21:55 per game with 2:02 per game on the power play, just behind No. 1 defenseman Vince Dunn in each category.

Montour scored 18 goals and 41 points in his first season in Seattle, and has managed six goals and 16 points in 27 games this season, a scoring rate that is a slight tick above where he landed in 2024-25. Montour paired with lefty Ryan Lindgren to form Seattle’s second defensive pairing on Dec. 16, the date Montour suffered his injury.

With Montour sidelined, head coach Lane Lambert elevated Jamie Oleksiak off of the team’s third pairing into Montour’s role, electing to play Oleksiak on his off hand next to Lindgren. The elevation of Oleksiak paved the way for Josh Mahura to re-enter the Kraken lineup on the third pairing next to young defenseman Ryker Evans. Mahura, who averages 15:15 time on ice per game this season, had been a healthy scratch the prior two games and sat out most of November.

This injury to Montour will challenge the Kraken’s ability to re-enter the Western Conference playoff race. They sit seven points behind the Utah Mammoth, who hold the conference’s second wild card spot, though they have only played in 33 games compared to Utah’s 38. Seattle has gone 2-8-0 in its last 10 games, and losing a key veteran defenseman for four weeks certainly won’t help them reverse that trend.

Islanders’ Isaiah George Out Week-To-Week

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New York Islanders defenseman Isaiah George is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, according to The Hockey News’ Stefen Rosner.

George, who is currently playing for the Islanders’ AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders, needed to be helped off of the ice after he collided awkwardly with the boards while attempting a defensive zone puck retrieval. Per Isles in the Sound’s Kenny Kaminsky, George “did not leave the ice under his own power.” George had only recently returned from a separate injury, an upper-body ailment that had cost him the chance to play for most of November and early December.

While George’s injury won’t have an immediate or direct on the Islanders’ NHL defense, the news is still relevant for the Islanders’ NHL plans as George’s injury means that a top defensive call-up option will be unavailable on a week-to-week basis.

The Islanders selected George in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, and he quickly rose to become one of the team’s more pro-ready defensive prospects.

He entered last season ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the Islanders’ system by the team at Elite Prospects, and ranked as the No. 4 prospect in the Islanders’ pool by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler in January.

Wheeler called George “one of the development stories of the year in hockey” and called his rapid development “a real surprise to those who followed him closely in the OHL.” Wheeler projected George to become a “useful depth defenseman” at the NHL level, and that appears to be what he has become, although he hasn’t played at the NHL level this season.

There are multiple factors influencing why George has not played at all in the NHL in 2025-26 after getting into 33 NHL games in 2024-25. First and foremost, the addition of 2025 No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer to the Islanders’ depth chart has meant Islanders’ depth blueliners have had one less lineup spot to compete for.

When Alexander Romanov is healthy, that means the Islanders can run a trio of left-handed defensemen that would be the envy of many teams across the league: Schaefer, Romanov, and veteran Adam Pelech. With Romanov out due to injury, the Islanders’ depth defensemen have been left to compete for one lineup spot, a spot next to Scott Mayfield on the team’s third pairing.

So far this season, the Islanders have elected to give older depth blueliners Marshall Warren and Travis Mitchell a look in that spot, rather than George. Of course, George’s earlier injury didn’t help his odds of earning a recall. But there are also other factors to consider as well. Perhaps most significant is contract status. George has an additional season left on his entry-level deal beyond 2025-26, while Mitchell and Warren are both playing on expiring contracts.

The Islanders have a GM in Mathieu Darche that is in the midst of his first full campaign with the club. While there has been no firm reporting that this is the case, one could speculate that Darche has chosen to recall Mitchell and Warren over George in part because he’s looking to get as much information as possible about how each of those expiring defensemen fare in the NHL while he considers how to approach each player’s upcoming free agency.

If the club knows it has George under contract for another year, from a resource-management perspective, there’s an argument to be made that the Islanders are better served using those NHL games to see what they have in Mitchell and Warren before the summer.

Of course, if the Islanders believe George is a substantial upgrade in the NHL over those two players, and believe that playing George over Mitchell or Warren improves their chances of winning games, then that aforementioned perspective naturally takes a back seat. But seeing as Warren is currently in the NHL and Mitchell only recently concluded an NHL call-up, it appears unlikely that the Islanders view the situation that way.

While he was likely eyeing a chance to return to the NHL, due to today’s injury development, George will have to first recover from his injury before he can make another push to earn a spot in head coach Patrick Roy’s lineup.

Photos courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Flyers Reassign Aleksei Kolosov

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12/22/25: The Flyers announced Monday morning that they have reassigned Kolosov back to AHL Lehigh Valley. The announcement of Kolosov’s reassignment came with an announcement that Vladar has recovered from his injury and will be available tonight for the team’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.

Kolosov didn’t hit the ice during his most recent emergency recall, instead serving as a backup to Sam Ersson. Ersson saved 23 of 27 shots in the team’s shootout loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday.

12/20/25: Needing an extra goalie following the announcement that Daniel Vladar is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, the Flyers have recalled goaltender Aleksei Kolosov from AHL Lehigh Valley.  Philadelphia had an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made.

It’s the second recall of the season for the 23-year-old.  Kolosov got into two games during his first stint in early November, making one start while coming into the game in relief in the other.  He fared well in those outings, turning aside 26 of 28 shots.  That’s certainly a positive sign after he struggled mightily in his first taste of NHL action last season which saw him post a 3.59 GAA and a .867 SV% in 17 outings with the Flyers.

Those struggles played a big role in the team going out and signing Vladar in free agency over the summer to try to stabilize things between the pipes which he has certainly done.  That has resulted in Kolosov spending most of the year with the Phantoms where he has played in 15 games, compiling a 2.77 GAA along with a .900 SV%.

The team also announced that center Christian Dvorak is also out today with a lower-body injury; like Vladar, he’s listed as day-to-day.  His spot in the lineup today will be taken by Denver Barkey, who will make his NHL debut after being recalled on Friday.

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