Kraken Recall Oscar Fisker Molgaard, Place Berkly Catton On IR
The Seattle Kraken have swapped around the rookies on their active roster. Winger Berkly Catton has been placed on injured reserve with an injury sustained in Seattle’s win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on January 29th. The rookie took a hit to the head from Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson but was able to get off the ice under his own power, after a moment. He has missed two games since.
Catton was knocked out of the lineup in the midst of a running cold-streak. He has fallen to a depth role with one goal, two points, and a minus-one over his last nine games. Through what is officially his NHL rookie season, Catton has totaled only 11 points in 40 games. It has been a quiet year after back-to-back 100-point seasons in the WHL. Catton hasn’t yet made his AHL debut – something that could come on the other side of his recovery from this long-term injury. He will have the next three week to heal up before Seattle returns of February 25th.
With the roster spot created by Catton’s designation, the Kraken have called up winger Oscar Fisker Molgaard. He will have a chance to step into the lineup in Seattle’s final game before the three-week break for the Winter Olympics. Fisker-Molgaard will likely be returned to the minors before NHL rosters freeze on Friday, allowing him to stay on the ice while Kraken teammates Kaapo Kakko, Eeli Tolvanen, and Philipp Grubauer represent their countries in Milan.
Fisker Molgaard played the first two games of his NHL career in November. He recorded one assist, one shot on goal, and one hit. He has spent the rest of the season in a prominent role with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, where his 22 points in 36 games rank fourth in scoring. Fisker Molgaard has served as the team’s second-line center in his rookie season in North American pros. He spent the last three speasons in Sweden’s SHL, where he racked up 47 points in 129 games. It isn’t clear if Fisker Molgaard will step into the NHL lineup before the break. He was briefly recalled, but didn’t play, in January.
Anthony Cirelli To Miss Olympics
In an unfortunate update, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared that Tampa Bay Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli will be unable to play for Team Canada in the upcoming Olympics due to injury. Friedman added that Sam Bennett would replace Cirelli on Team Canada’s roster.
Cirelli, 28, sustained the injury in Tampa Bay’s Stadium Series win over the Boston Bruins. He was on the receiving end of a hard hit from Bruins forward Mark Kastelic in the first period and didn’t return to the game. He finished the game with a +1 rating in 6:25 of action.
Since then, there haven’t been any firm updates. After the game, head coach Jon Cooper was quoted as saying, “It was kind of a stinger. Cirell’s a tough kid. For him not to come back, clearly, there’s something wrong with him. So hopefully he’ll be okay. There’s some big games coming up ahead of him.”
Unfortunately, those big games will have to wait for the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs. It’s a tough break for a player who has dramatically turned his career around in recent years and helped Team Canada win the 4 Nations Face-Off last season.
Back in the 2022-23 season, after scoring 11 goals and 29 points in 58 games, Cirelli became a legitimate trade candidate for the Lightning. Tampa Bay had just signed him to an eight-year, $50MM extension, a high price to play for a center that wasn’t always available.
Still, over the last two years, he’s made that contract look well worth it, scoring 42 goals and 94 points in 129 games with a 49.4% success rate in the faceoff dot. Furthermore, he’s responsible on his own end, managing a 91.2% on-ice SV% at even strength through 49 games this season.
While it’s a depressing development for Cirelli, Team Canada has added more snarl to their forward core at the very least. Bennett scored one goal in three games during last year’s 4 Nations tournament. He famously got into a fight with Brady Tkachuk during the opening minutes of the much-awaited tilt with the United States. Outside of the obvious, Olympic opponents will be extra intimidated by Team Canada, which will also have Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson.
It’ll be interesting to see how Bennett responds offensively. Due to the number of injuries suffered by the Panthers this year, Bennett has earned more responsibility. At this time last year, he had scored 17 goals and 33 points in 53 games. This season, he has 19 goals and 42 points in 55 contests.
While that isn’t the typical production of a forward on Team Canada, Bennett tends to raise his game when the lights are brightest. Over the past three postseasons, Bennett has helped Florida reach three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, scoring 27 goals and 51 points in 62 games, culminating in the Conn Smythe Trophy last season.
Lightning Recall Scott Sabourin
After more than a month away from the team, an old-fashioned enforcer is returning to the Tampa Bay Lightning. According to a team announcement, the Lightning have recalled Scott Sabourin from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch.
Sabourin, 33, was only in the AHL for the last week and a half. On December 28th, in a game against the Montreal Canadiens, Sabourin got into a fight with defenseman Arber Xhekaj, leading to an undisclosed injury. Tampa Bay placed him on the injured reserve a few days later, and he wasn’t activated until January 23rd.
Unfortunately, Sabourin’s return to the Lightning’s roster comes with some bad news. Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reported this morning that forwards Anthony Cirelli and Nick Paul, both injured in the Stadium Series contest against the Boston Bruins, aren’t expected to play again before the upcoming Olympic break. Additionally, Brayden Point, who is recovering from a knee injury, isn’t poised to return until after the Olympics, either.
The Lightning’s defensive core has already been tested this season. Now, their center depth will face a similar uphill battle over their last two contests before the break. Fortunately, Cirelli and Point are expected to play for Team Canada in the upcoming international contest, meaning there shouldn’t be any long-term injury concerns.
Assuming he plays in at least one of Tampa Bay’s final two contests, Sabourin will register his 10th game of the season, meaning he’ll need to clear waivers should they attempt to assign him back to AHL Syracuse. Over his nine contests thus far, he’s scored one goal and three points, averaging 8:12 of ice time per game.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen To Miss Olympics
According to a team announcement, Buffalo Sabres netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will miss the Olympic Games due to his lower-body injury. In the same announcement, the Sabres shared that Joonas Korpisalo of the Boston Bruins will play for Team Finland and Luukkonen’s stead.
Obviously, even though it’s never a good time to sustain an injury, it really couldn’t come at a worse time for Luukkonen. He’s been fairly healthy since missing the first month of the 2025-26 season. Still, an injury report from a few days ago indicated that Luukkonen would miss the next week of action. It’s unclear if he’ll actually be injured through the Olympic break, or if he and the Sabres agreed it would be best for him to sit it out as a precaution.
Furthermore, it was likely the expectation that Luukkonen would be Finland’s starter for the upcoming international contest. He’s managed an 11-7-2 record across 20 starts with Buffalo this season, earning a .902 SV%, 2.73 GAA, and 3.3 Goals Saved Above Average. His fellow countrymen, Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators and Kevin Lankinen of the Vancouver Canucks, haven’t come close to matching that production.
It would have also been his first international appearance as a professional netminder. Luukkonen was technically included on Team Finland’s roster for last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, though he didn’t participate in any action. His last time representing Team Finland in a game came back during the 2018-19 IIHF World Junior Championship. He managed a 3-2-0 record in six games with a .932 SV%.
Meanwhile, Korpisalo was the best available of the remaining options. Despite being a backup netminder with the Bruins, he was the obvious choice over Ville Husso, Justus Annunen, or Leevi Merilainen. He’s managed a 10-8-1 record in 21 games with Boston this season with a .895 SV% and 3.12 GAA.
Like Luukkonen, Korpisalo hasn’t played for Team Finland in some time. His last showing was in the 2017 IIHF World Championships, where he collected two wins in six appearances with an .858 SV%. Finland lost the Bronze medal game to Russia.
Injury Notes: Bennett, Avalanche, Rielly, Foligno
Outside of losing an important divisional matchup to the Buffalo Sabres, the Florida Panthers also suffered a loss to their roster. During the contest, the Panthers announced that Sam Bennett had left the game with an upper-body injury.
At this point, there’s no clear answer for how Bennett sustained the injury. Regardless, he joins a growing list of injured players in Florida as their quest for a third consecutive Stanley Cup Final continues to slip away. Bennett finished the game with a -1 rating in 5:11 of action.
If Bennett is unable to play in tomorrow’s game against the Boston Bruins, the Panthers will assuredly need to make a recall to their forward core. The Panthers were already without forwards Anton Lundell, Brad Marchand, and Tomas Nosek. Additionally, forwards Aleksander Barkov, Jonah Gadjovich, and defensemen Seth Jones and Dmitry Kulikov are all on the team’s injured reserve.
Additional injury updates:
- Despite returning defenseman Devon Toews in last night’s loss to the Detroit Red Wings, the Colorado Avalanche remain waiting for a pair of top-six forwards to return. According to Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports, the Avalanche hope that Martin Nečas will return tomorrow. Additionally, although he’s expected to play tomorrow, captain Gabriel Landeskog is nearing a return and is poised to play with Team Sweden for the upcoming Olympics. The 33-year-old winger has not played since January 4th due to an upper-body injury.
- Before taking the ice against the Calgary Flames yesterday, The Athletic’s Joshua Kloke reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs won’t return defenseman Morgan Rielly to the lineup before the Olympic break. Rielly left Toronto’s recent win over the Vancouver Canucks due to an upper-body injury. Given that he’s not playing for Team Canada at the upcoming Winter Olympics, Rielly will likely return after the international event, but the Maple Leafs couldn’t specify a recovery timeline.
- The Minnesota Wild were without a middle-six forward last night against the Montreal Canadiens. Before the drop of the puck, the Wild announced that Marcus Foligno would miss the game because of illness. The 34-year-old forward had been playing better of late, scoring three goals and eight points in his last 15 games, including the first hat trick of his career a few weeks ago. He’s not expected to miss the Wild’s final contest before the Olympic break.
Pittsburgh Penguins Activate Ryan Graves
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced today that defenseman Ryan Graves has been activated off of injured reserve. Graves landed on IR on Jan. 22 as the result of an upper-body injury, and ended up missing four games.
Graves’ return to health comes at a time when the Penguins’ defense, especially its left side, could use some reinforcement. The team recently announced that veteran stalwart Kris Letang will be sidelined on a week-to-week timeline as the result of an injury, so Graves’ activation gives head coach Dan Muse another option to work with as he plans how his defense will absorb the loss of Letang.
Letang’s injury provides Graves with quite a bit of runway to maintain a hold on an NHL roster spot. For a player with nearly 500 games of NHL experience, and one that costs $4.5MM against the cap per year, it’s something of a surprise that a spot in the NHL is even in question for Graves, but that’s been his reality in 2025-26. His decline in form since his days with the Colorado Avalanche and New Jersey Devils has led to multiple reassignments to the AHL, where he has played a total of 13 games this season, compared to 19 in the NHL.
Given Graves’ physical traits (he stands 6’5″, 225 pounds) and his wealth of NHL experience, it’s entirely reasonable to expect him to be capable of playing better. Other Penguins defensemen have had tough stretches before finding their form, such as veteran Connor Clifton. Due in part to Letang’s unavailability, Graves will likely get the chance to play in the NHL for Pittsburgh once more, and if he can string together some quality, stable performances, he could go a long way to justifying his lofty cap hit.
Graves’ most direct competition for NHL minutes appears to be 25-year-old Ilya Solovyov, a defender from Belarus who the team claimed off of waivers on Jan. 20. Solovyov has averaged just 15:09 time on ice per game in his two contests in Pittsburgh, which is only a shade lower than what Graves has averaged this year (15:28 per game). It’s inevitable that Graves will get the chance to play in some NHL games in the role currently occupied for Solovyov, so it’ll be important for him to make the most of that opportunity if he wants to avoid another reassignment to the AHL.
East Injury Notes: Texier, Rielly, Laba, Drouin
Montreal Canadiens forward Alexandre Texier missed last night’s victory over the Buffalo Sabres with a lower-body injury, according to a team announcement. Texier missed two games, on Jan. 20 and Jan. 22, with a lower-body injury, before returning for three games from Jan. 24 through Jan. 29. It is unclear at this time whether Texier’s current lower-body ailment is related to the one that cost him those two games, though it would certainly not be a huge surprise. The Canadiens did not issue a timeline related to Texier’s injury, so as of right now, he should be considered day-to-day.
Texier plays an important role in the Canadiens’ lineup, serving as the third wheel on the team’s top line alongside Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. In a role formerly occupied by 2022 No. 1 pick Juraj Slafkovsky, Texier has managed seven goals and 17 points in 30 games as a Canadien. His solid play earned him a two-year, $2.5MM AAV contract extension last month. 2019 No. 3 pick Kirby Dach skated in Texier’s vacated top line role against the Sabres, making a crucial play along the boards to help set up the team’s game-winning goal. For as long as Texier is injured, Dach, a pending RFA, figures to get the significant opportunity that is playing alongside two star forwards on Montreal’s top line.
Other injury notes from around the NHL:
- Toronto Maple Leafs blueliner Morgan Rielly left yesterday’s victory over the Vancouver Canucks with an upper-body injury, according to a team announcement. Rielly, 31, has missed just a single game this season, meaning if his absence is in any way extended, it would have significant implications for how head coach Craig Berube is able to staff his lineup. While Rielly’s play has come under increased criticism this season as Toronto has struggled to gain ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race, he still plays a significant role on the team. He’s scored 31 points in 54 games, and is Toronto’s No. 2 defenseman in terms of average ice time per game, skating 21:33 per night in a role that includes key power play responsibilities.
- New York Rangers rookie forward Noah Laba left yesterday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins with an upper-body injury, according to a team announcement. The Rangers did not have any further update on Laba’s status after the game, other than to say that he will continue to be evaluated. Laba, 22, has broken into the Rangers organization as a full-time NHL bottom-six center in what is his first full campaign of professional hockey. The former Colorado College pivot has scored 16 points in 53 games and is playing 13:17 time on ice per game, including a limited role on both sides of special teams. If Laba’s absence is extended, the Rangers could struggle to adequately replace the role Laba fills in their lineup, and that’s especially true if the club elects to trade 33-year-old veteran center Sam Carrick, who is under contract for an additional year at a $1MM cap hit and could draw interest from contending teams.
- New York Islanders forward Jonathan Drouin missed the team’s loss yesterday with an illness, per a team announcement. Drouin, who has 20 points in 48 games this season, had been skating on a top-six line with the Islanders alongside Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair. Head coach Patrick Roy elected to elevate rookie Maxim Shabanov into Drouin’s role as his response to Drouin’s illness. While it’s not known exactly how long Drouin will miss as a result of being under the weather, it would be safe to consider him day-to-day.
West Notes: Thomas, Catton, Necas, Blankenburg
There are no expectations that Robert Thomas will return to the St. Louis Blues before the upcoming Olympic break. The Blues announced that Thomas had minor leg surgery yesterday and would return after the Olympics.
Thomas has missed much of January, having last played on January 10th. So far in the 2025-26 season, the 26-year-old center has scored 11 goals and 33 points in 42 games, managing a -3 rating, while averaging 18:58 of ice time per game.
Although Thomas’s injury recovery won’t impact the Blues’ postseason outlook, it could have ramifications leading up to the trade deadline. While it was always unlikely, there was some speculation that St. Louis was entertaining trade offers on Thomas. Prospective buyers will likely shy away from the high price the Blues have set, given that Thomas would be only a few days removed from fully recovering by the deadline.
Additional notes from the Western Conference:
- The Seattle Kraken will be without one of their up-and-coming prospects through the upcoming Olympic break. Earlier today, the Kraken announced that Berkly Catton will miss Seattle’s next three games due to an upper-body injury. Catton, who missed several weeks in December due to a separate injury, has scored five goals and 11 points in 40 games throughout his rookie campaign.
- Despite the lopside afair, the Colorado Avalanche were without their second-highest scorer against the Detroit Red Wings this afternoon. Before the game, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post shared that Martin Nečas is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Regardless, the Avalanche pulled away with the victory, and there’s no expectation that Nečas will be held out through the Olympic break before he suits up for Team Czechia.
- Tied with the New York Islanders at the time of writing, the Nashville Predators are without one of their most underrated defenseman tonight. The Predators announced that Nick Blankenburg would miss tonight’s contest due to illness. Already setting career-highs across the board, Blankenburg sits eighth on the team in scoring with six goals and 21 points in 43 games.
Atlantic Notes: Senators, Lightning, Sabres
In a recent article, Bruce Garrioch from The Ottawa Citizen analyzed the Ottawa Senators’ approach to the trade deadline. To no surprise, Garrioch indicated that the Senators remain committed to winning this season, and that the team is seeking a top-six forward and top-four defenseman.
That’s a hefty wishlist, especially for a team that’s 10 points back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Garrioch reported that the Senators are interested in forward Blake Coleman and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar from the Calgary Flames, which would immediately fulfill both desires.
Still, Weegar has a full no-movement clause in his contract, meaning he would have to sign off on a trade to Ottawa. He is from there, but there’s been no indication that he is one of the players that the Flames are considering moving this season. At any rate, it’s clear that the Senators are trying to fill a pair of higher-level holes, and they’re looking for players with term.
Additional notes from the Atlantic Division:
- There is more positive news on the injury front for the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s already been reported that captain Victor Hedman will return to the lineup tomorrow, and the team is only a few days away from returning a few more. According to team reporter Benjamin Pierce, the trio of Brayden Point, Emil Martinsen Lilleberg, and Charle-Edouard D’Astous all skated with the team at practice today. Once Hedman officially returns, they will be the only remaining players on the injured reserve.
- In a separate injury update, this time with the Buffalo Sabres, Bill Hoppe of The Times Herald reported that there are no plans to shut down Joshua Norris through the upcoming Olympic break. Norris has missed the Sabres’ last nine games, including tonight, due to an upper-body injury. Still, he has resumed skating over the last few days and will travel with the team for their road trip next week. Norris specifically shut down the idea of sitting out if he’s healthy, saying, “If you’re ready to go, you’re not just going to sit out. So when I feel like I’m 100 percent, I’m going to play.”
Metropolitan Notes: Hischier, Glass, Ritchie, Cizikas, Fehervary
Already without their top center, Jack Hughes, tonight against Ottawa due to a lower-body injury, the Devils could also find themselves missing their captain. The team listed Nico Hischier as a game-time decision due to illness. Hischier is New Jersey’s top scorer this season, notching 18 goals and 23 assists in 54 games. He’s also averaging a career high in playing time (20:53 per game) and is winning more than 55% of his faceoffs for the third straight season. The Devils are already on the outside looking in at a playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference and missing their top two pivots against a team they’re battling to stay ahead of in the race for the postseason would certainly be a big blow.
More from the Metropolitan:
- There is some good news on the injury front for the Devils, at least. From that same listing, Cody Glass will return to the lineup tonight after missing Thursday’s contest due to an undisclosed injury. The 26-year-old is in his first full season with New Jersey after being acquired before last year’s trade deadline and has given the Devils some decent depth scoring, chipping in with 13 goals in 42 games.
- Islanders winger Calum Ritchie has been shut down until after the Olympic break, relays Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News. The rookie is dealing with a lower-body injury sustained last weekend and tried to skate on his own on Friday but wasn’t doing well enough to realistically be considered as an option to return over the next few days. Ritchie has been eased into his first full season of NHL action and has seven goals and eight assists in 40 games this season while averaging a little over 12 minutes per night.
- Still with the Islanders, the team announced that veteran Casey Cizikas will return to the lineup tonight against Nashville after missing Thursday’s contest due to illness. The 34-year-old has 14 points and 108 hits in 53 games this season but his playing time has dropped to 11:34 per game, his lowest since the 2012-13 campaign. Cizikas will take Max Shabanov’s place in the lineup tonight.
- The Capitals announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Martin Fehervary will miss today’s game against Carolina for personal reasons. The 26-year-old was the only Washington blueliner to play in every game, a run that will now come to an end. Through 55 games this season, Fehervary has 19 points and 115 blocks while averaging 19 minutes of playing time.