Minor Transactions: 2/20/25
Minor moves will continue across the league Thursday as teams dial in their rosters coming out of the 4 Nations break. We’ll keep track of those moves here as always:
- The Blues announced Thursday they’ve called up forward Zachary Bolduc from AHL Springfield. The move was widely expected after they assigned him to the minors for the first time this season at the beginning of the 4 Nations break to get playing time while St. Louis was off. The 2021 first-round pick rejoins the club after posting 6-12–18 with a +10 rating through 46 games to begin the year. Bolduc, 21, posted a pair of assists and a minus-three rating in four games with Springfield over the last two weeks.
- The Devils announced they’d recalled goaltender Nico Daws from AHL Utica and reassigned forward Chase Stillman to Utica and goalie Tyler Brennan to ECHL Adirondack in corresponding transactions. Brennan and Stillman were recalled Tuesday to practice with the Devils while some of their players were returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off and were expected to return to their respective minor-league clubs in the coming days. Daws comes back up to serve as Jake Allen‘s backup coming out of the break until starter Jacob Markström is ready to return from his MCL sprain, which is set to keep him out for another two weeks. The 24-year-old won his only start of the season against the Penguins on Feb. 4, stopping 25 of 27 shots for a .926 SV%. He also saved all seven shots he faced in relief of Allen against the Sabres on Feb. 2.
- The Lightning announced they’ve reassigned left-winger Gabriel Fortier to AHL Syracuse. Tampa recalled him Tuesday to serve as an extra practice player as their contingent of 4 Nations players works their way back to Florida, but it won’t result in any NHL playing time. The 2018 second-rounder hasn’t suited up for the Bolts since 2022-23 and has 10-7–17 in 37 AHL games this season with a plus-five rating.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Brett Pesce To Serve As Standby Player For Team USA
Team USA has been given permission to bring Sabres center Tage Thompson and Devils defenseman Brett Pesce to Boston as standby players for Thursday’s 4 Nations Face-Off finale, reports Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. As was the case with Quinn Hughes who was initially intended as the reserve player, the only way Thompson or Pesce could suit up versus Canada is if Team USA drops below 12 healthy forwards or six healthy blueliners. Thompson was one of the more notable omissions from the initial roster and is averaging a point per game through 48 outings in Buffalo. Meanwhile, Pesce has been as advertised in his first season with New Jersey, logging nearly 21 minutes a night in a shutdown role in his 48 appearances.
Devils Place Jacob Markstrom, Jonas Siegenthaler On IR
The New Jersey Devils have made a flurry of move with the hockey world’s attention turning back towards NHL rosters. Most notably, the team has placed starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom (knee) and top-four defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler (lower-body) on injured reserve. Markstrom has missed New Jersey’s last seven games after suffering an MCL sprain in New Jersey’s win over Boston on January 22nd. He was announced as out four-to-six weeks at the time of his injury. Markstrom has posted a dazzling 21-9-5 record and .912 save percentage in 36 appearances this year. His starting role has been filled by veteran Jake Allen, who also has a .912 save percentage but just a 9-11-1 record in 21 games.
Siegenthaler’s injury is less clear. He left New Jersey’s February 7th game against the Pittsburgh Penguins after taking an awkward hit from Anthony Beauvillier. Siegenthaler missed New Jersey’s last two games. He is expected to miss an additional two-to-three weeks after undergoing a procedure to address his injury during the 4-Nations break, per head coach Sheldon Keefe. Siegenthaler has been one of New Jersey’s top defenders this season. He has just nine points in 55 games, but formed a strong pairing with Johnathan Kovacevic.
In corresponding moves, New Jersey also recalled defensemen Simon Nemec and Seamus Casey, and goaltender Tyler Brennan, to join the team’s Tuesday practice. The pair of defenders stand as perhaps New Jersey’s top two prospects. Nemec and Casey lead the Utica Comets’ blue-line in scoring, with 23 points in 34 games and 15 points in 22 games respectively. Meanwhile, Brennan has spent his last two seasons with the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder. He’s begun vying for the starting role this year, leading all Thunder netminders with 22 games played and posting a 6-14-2 record and .870 save percentage. Brennan likely won’t stick with the roster when games start back up, but one of Casey or Nemec could hold onto a spot depending on how long Siegenthaler misses.
New Jersey has utilized 22 of 23 roster slots with both defense prospects up. That final roster spot could soon be taken up by captain Nico Hischier‘s return. Keefe told NHL.com that Hischier didn’t seem to be dealing with any sort of discomfort in New Jersey’s first day back, though he’ll need to be approved by doctors before he can return. Hischier added that he felt like his break, and Tuesday’s practice, both went well. The top Swiss has missed New Jersey’s last six games with an oblique injury after taking a cross-check to the ribs in the Devils’ January 25th win over the Boston Bruins. He’s been one of New Jersey’s top forwards when healthy, with 24 goals and 43 points in 51 games. Hischier will immediately return to a top-line role, should he be healthy enough to play this weekend.
Trade Deadline Primer: New Jersey Devils
With the 4 Nations Face-Off break here, the trade deadline looms large and is less than three weeks away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the New Jersey Devils.
A fully healthy Devils lineup is showing us exactly what they can do. New Jersey is safely positioned in a playoff spot entering the trade deadline after finishing bottom-five in the Eastern Conference last season. Still, the team is firmly set at the top for their forward core and defense, giving them little to add at the deadline. They have room to add in some areas but they won’t need too much heavy lifting to become a bona fide contender.
Record
31-20-6, 3rd in the Metropolitan
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$5.558MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2025: NJ 2nd, EDM 2nd, WPG 2nd, VGK 3rd, NJ 4th, SJ 6th, NJ 6th
2026: NJ 1st, NJ 2nd, NJ 3rd, DAL 4th, WPG 4th, NJ 5th, NJ 6th, NJ 7th
Trade Chips
Although they don’t have their first-round pick for the 2025 NHL Draft thanks to the trade that landed netminder Jacob Markström, the Devils have a trio of second-round picks they easily part with at the deadline. The Oilers’ second-round pick was acquired in the trade sending John Marino to the Utah Hockey Club this past offseason, and they landed the Jets’ second-round pick after trading Tyler Toffoli during last year’s deadline.
It’s inarguable where the Devils will trade from if they look to move prospects. New Jersey already carries one of the deepest blue lines in the league and has plenty of youngsters waiting in the wings. 
Scoring three goals and 15 points in 20 games with the AHL’s Utica Comets, defenseman Seamus Casey likely has similar value to a first-round pick. A prospect of his caliber would normally be a lock for NHL minutes relatively soon but Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, and Simon Nemec are blocking most if not all of his minutes.
Beyond Casey, a recent first-round pick of the Devils, Anton Silayev, could also garner interest. He’s got a higher ceiling than Casey given his size and skating ability, but he’s still a few years away from being an NHL regular. Given the Devils’ immediate needs, neither defenseman strikes as a popular trade candidate for the deadline but New Jersey could make both available in the offseason for a high-impact move.
Team Needs
1) Third-Line Center: If the Devils need anything to supplement their roster, it’s a third-line center. Erik Haula has performed admirably, securing a 54.4% faceoff rate with over 500 attempts. Still, Haula is better served in a fourth-line role at this point of his career giving New Jersey a hole on their third line. Jake Evans of the Montreal Canadiens, who the Devils have already been linked to, would be the obvious choice as a rental candidate. Outside of Evans, New Jersey could look into the market for San Jose Sharks’ Luke Kunin, Utah’s Nick Bjugstad, and Trent Frederic of the Boston Bruins for a similar addition.
2) Additional Bottom-Six Depth: Despite specifically needing a third-line center, the Devils could generally use more depth in the bottom-six of their forward core. Paul Cotter and Stefan Noesen have been two of their better additions from the offseason but the Devils could stand to make the likes of Tomas Tatar a rotational piece. It wouldn’t be a game-changing add, but a winger such as Brandon Tanev, Michael Carcone, or Alexandre Texier could slightly move the needle when it comes to New Jersey’s playoff chances.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Devils Assign Three To AHL
With the Devils playing their final game before the break this afternoon, they’ve wasted little time setting their roster for the next couple of weeks until play resumes while freeing up a bit of extra salary cap space in the process. The team announced that goaltender Nico Daws and defensemen Simon Nemec and Santeri Hatakka have been assigned to AHL Utica.
Daws was recalled last weekend to serve as Jake Allen’s backup with Jacob Markstrom still sidelined due to a lower-body injury. He made a pair of appearances during that stint, one in relief with one start, turning aside 32 of 34 shots. Daws has been limited to just 21 games with the Comets due to injury where he has a 3.40 GAA and a .888 SV%. He’ll likely get a few starts during the break before being recalled when NHL play resumes as Markstrom might not quite be ready to return by then.
As for Nemec, he was brought up on Thursday with Jonas Siegenthaler banged up. He played in both of New Jersey’s games following his promotion but was held off the scoresheet. On the season, he has only played 11 games with the Devils after seeing action in 60 a year ago. Instead, Nemec has spent most of the campaign in Utica where he has been able to play a much bigger role. The 20-year-old has done well down there with 22 points in 32 games.
As for Hatakka, his demotion should come as little surprise after he cleared waivers earlier today. He has yet to play this season after missing the first four months of the campaign while recovering from shoulder surgery. He split last season between New Jersey and Utica and will now try to play himself into consideration for a recall for the stretch run.
Devils’ Santeri Hatakka Clears Waivers
Feb. 8th: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared that Hatakka has successfully cleared waivers. New Jersey is free to reassign him to AHL Utica at any time.
Feb. 7th: The Devils placed defenseman Santeri Hatakka on waivers Friday for the purposes of reassignment to AHL Utica, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. The move indicates he’s been cleared to play after spending the first four months of the season on injured reserve due to shoulder surgery.
The 24-year-old Hatakka will aim to get back up to game speed in Utica and quickly challenge for a recall, assuming he clears. The Devils are down a defenseman with Jonas Siegenthaler dealing with an undisclosed injury, and top prospect Simon Nemec struggled in his first game back with the team last night in their loss to the Golden Knights after a months-long AHL stint. There’s an opening for Hatakka to return to NHL action once his conditioning is where it needs to be.
This is the first year Hatakka has needed waivers to head to the minors. As a result, the Finnish prospect was a frequent flyer between Newark and Utica last season. He signed a two-way deal with a $125K AHL salary as a restricted free agent last summer before aiming to grab a spot on the opening night roster. However, that pathway was muddied for him with the Devils’ signings of Brenden Dillon and Brett Pesce in free agency (as well as the trade acquisition of Johnathan Kovacevic) even before his late-preseason shoulder injury.
Hatakka, acquired from the Sharks in the Timo Meier trade in 2023, skated in 12 NHL games for Jersey last year and recorded two assists with a plus-five rating. He averaged 14:39 per game and had 12 blocks and 14 hits, putting up a perfectly serviceable 49.8 CF% at even strength in bottom pairing usage. The 2019 sixth-rounder is an intriguing third-pairing option for the long haul, especially after posting 5-15–20 in 48 games for Utica last season.
Devils Place Nico Hischier On IR, Recall Simon Nemec
The Devils announced today that captain Nico Hischier is headed for injured reserve after missing the last four contests with an upper-body injury. Top defense prospect Simon Nemec was called up from AHL Utica in the corresponding move and will enter the lineup tonight against the Golden Knights in place of Jonas Siegenthaler, who left Tuesday’s game against the Penguins with an apparent leg/ankle injury after falling awkwardly in the neutral zone.
Hischier sustained the injury on a cross-check/slash from Montreal captain Nick Suzuki, leading to his first absence of the season. Head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters last week that Hischier is out week-to-week, so while he’s eligible to come off IR at any time, he’s still not expected back for their final game before the 4 Nations Face-Off against the Canadiens on Saturday.
He remains the team’s goal leader despite missing time, with 24 in 51 games. He’s also added 19 assists for 43 points, ranking fourth on the team with a +11 rating and leading them with a 55.5 FO%. Dawson Mercer briefly shifted from wing to center for the first few games of his absence but was replaced down the middle by Erik Haula for Tuesday’s game after the veteran was cleared to return from an ankle sprain.
After making New Jersey’s opening-night roster, Nemec gets another chance in the NHL. He recorded an assist and a minus-two rating in nine games before a string of healthy scratches and an eventual reassignment to Utica in early November. The 2022 second-overall pick has 5-17–22 in 32 AHL games since his demotion, the best offensive showing of his three-minor league campaigns.
His recall comes after he expressed frustration about his extended AHL assignment to a media outlet in his native Slovakia last month. However, he said he hadn’t requested a trade out of Newark, and the Devils haven’t yet appeared willing to leverage him in a trade.
Someone will be playing on their offside tonight against Vegas, as Nemec gives them four righties and two lefties on the blue line. Johnathan Kovacevic is the only one of the former group to spend significant time on the left this season, per CapWages, so he’ll likely replace Siegenthaler in top-pairing duties alongside Dougie Hamilton while Nemec enters the lineup alongside either Brenden Dillon or Luke Hughes.
New Jersey Devils Activate Erik Haula, Reassign Brian Halonen
The New Jersey Devils have taken their last player off injured reserve as they enter tonight’s action against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Devils announced they’ve activated forward Erik Haula from the injured reserve and reassigned forward Brian Halonen to their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, in a corresponding roster move.
Tonight’s game against the Penguins will be Haula’s first in exactly a month. The veteran middle-six forward suffered a sprained ankle in New Jersey’s January 4th matchup against the San Jose Sharks leading to his placement on the team’s injured reserve.
The 33-year-old from Pori, Finland, is experiencing his lowest average offensive output in an 82-game season since his second year with the Minnesota Wild during the 2014-15 campaign. This season, he has scored five goals and recorded 11 points in 42 games with the Devils, placing him 14th on the team in scoring and 10th among forwards.
It’s an understandable decline, given his deteriorating responsibility with New Jersey. He’s only one year removed from scoring 16 goals and 35 points in 76 games for the Devils, averaging 16:53 of ice time per game. His usage was primarily based on team necessity, as New Jersey suffered an onslaught of injuries last year.
Haula has seen his average ice time drop by approximately two and a half minutes, which makes him more of a third-line scoring option at this point in his career. Still, given his ability to play all three forward positions and his experience on the special teams, he’s one of the multiple cost-effective options the Devils could put anywhere in the lineup.
Halonen, the former standout at Michigan Technological University, returns to AHL Utica after a two-game stint in New Jersey. He’ll return to his role as a productive top-six forward, having scored 54 goals and 86 points in 138 career games as a Comet, although the team has struggled dramatically in that time.
Metropolitan Notes: Haula, Malkin, Duclair, Edstrom, Stillman
It has been one of the busiest weeks of the season for the Metropolitan Division. Five of the division’s eight teams have made trades in the last few weeks, and all eight clubs are dealing with multiple injuries. That’s sparked plenty of news and updates – starting with the New Jersey Devils, who plan to bring centerman Erik Haula on their upcoming two-game road trip despite already ruling him out for Sunday’s game against Buffalo, per team reporter Amanda Stein. Stein added that Haula will practice with the team on the road trip and be questionable for Tuesday’s game against Pittsburgh. Haula suffered an ankle injury on January 5th and has been out of action ever since. He’s missed 11 games and was placed on injured reserve on January 17th. He resumed skating four days later and was upgraded to out day-to-day on January 29th.
Haula is now one step closer to returning. Having already been ruled out of Sunday’s game, he’ll have three more opportunities to get back into the lineup before the team goes on a two-week break for the 4-Nations Face-Off. Whether or not he’ll be able to return before that break will be notable, as Haula has been selected to represent Team Finland at the tournament. He has so far made no indication that he won’t be able to play – but the thought of his absence will weigh on a Finnish club that recently lost top defenseman Miro Heiskanen for the tourney. Haula is in the midst of a down year, with just 11 points in 42 games – his lowest scoring pace since the 2016-17 season. But he’ll still be an important addition to the Finns’ lineup should he return back to full health, likely to slot in as a middle-six winger with Sebastian Aho, Roope Hintz, Aleksander Barkov, and Anton Lundell manning the middle lane.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are gearing up for an even more notable return, after franchise legend Evgeni Malkin has returned to practice in a non-contact jersey on Saturday, per Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Malkin has missed Pittsburgh’s last four games and is still expected to miss a few more with a lower-body injury. He will be hard-pressed to return before Pittsburgh’s 4-Nations break begins on February 8th. The Penguins have lost two of the games that Malkin has missed. They were outscored 9-2 in the pair of outings. With that in mind, Pittsburgh will hope their future Hall-of-Fame Russian can get back to full health ASAP – and get back to building on the 34 points he’s scored in 47 games this season. Malkin continues to play a pivotal role on the team’s second line, averaging north of 18 minutes of ice time this season.
While New Jersey and Pittsburgh gear up for returns, the Islanders will have yet another lineup vacancy to fill, with winger Anthony Duclair set to miss Saturday’s game due to illness, per Andrew Gross of Newsday Sports. Duclair missed over two months of action earlier in the year, sitting out from October 20th to December 21st with a lower-body injury. He scored three points in his first three games back, but has been ice cold ever since – with just two points in his last 14 games. Duclair has held onto top-nine ice time despite the scoring drought, giving the Islanders a hardy role to fill as he misses yet another game. Marc Gatcomb has returned to the lineup to fill the vacancy, earning another chance to find scoring after playing in his first seven NHL games, and scoring his first goal, earlier this season. Gatcomb will fill a fourth-line role, while Simon Holmstrom has been promoted into the top-nine.
Joining the list of Metropolitan absentees is New York Rangers forward Adam Edstrom, who suffered an apparent injury in the team’s Saturday loss to the Boston Bruins. No specifics of Edstrom’s injury or timeline have been revealed. It’s terrible timing for the towering forward, who’s scored two points and seen a boost in ice time over his last five games. His absence will force the Rangers to fill a hole on their fourth line, likely opening the door for Arthur Kaliyev, Jimmy Vesey, or top prospect Brennan Othmann to earn a spot start. Vesey notably voiced concerns over his ice time recently – and could now have a golden chance to prove he can make a lasting impact with minimal minutes.
Closing out the littany of Metro updates – the Carolina Hurricanes have reassigned depth defenseman Riley Stillman back to the minor leagues. Stillman was recalled for his season debut on Friday. He played in just under eight minutes of ice time and recorded one shot and two hits. He’ll now return to the minor leagues, where he’s scored two goals and five points through 15 games.
Devils Reassign Isaac Poulter, Recall Nico Daws
Saturday: As expected, the Devils announced that Daws has been recalled and will accompany the team on their upcoming two-game road trip.
Thursday: The Devils assigned goaltender Isaac Poulter to AHL Utica on Thursday, per a team announcement. The move banks a bit of cap space during a three-day break in the schedule, but he’s not expected to return to the roster when they leave for a two-game road trip to Buffalo and Pittsburgh. Instead, the more experienced Nico Daws will be recalled “in all likelihood” to backup Jake Allen for the trip, Amanda Stein of the team’s official site reports.
New Jersey recalled Poulter last Friday after news broke that starter Jacob Markström would miss the next four to six weeks with an MCL sprain. The 23-year-old backed up Allen in the Devils’ last three games following Markström’s injury but did not play. He’s still awaiting his NHL debut despite being recalled four times since signing a two-year two-way contract with New Jersey last February.
Initially signed by Utica as an undrafted free agent out of the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League, Poulter is now in his third season of professional hockey. The 6’2″, 174-lb depth netminder has a 2.90 GAA, .900 SV%, four shutouts, and a 32-18-8 record in 60 appearances with Utica, as well as a 2.82 GAA, .911 SV%, one shutout, and a 15-8-2 record in 28 games with ECHL Adirondack. This season has been his first without any ECHL time after establishing himself as a full-time AHL option, taking over as the struggling Comets’ best option between the pipes with a .897 SV% and 8-7-4 record in 19 showings.
Despite outperforming Daws this season, he’ll need to continue biding his time in the minors while the latter gets another chance at NHL ice time. Daws, 24, has 46 games of NHL experience compared to Poulter’s zero, but those have come out of necessity, with injuries being a common theme in the New Jersey crease over the past few seasons. The German-born Canadian national has a 19-22-1 record with a 3.13 GAA and .894 SV% across action in the 2021-22 and 2023-24 campaigns. He allowed 10.2 goals above expected over that multi-year run, per MoneyPuck.
In 21 games with Utica this season, Daws has a 3.40 GAA, .888 SV%, one shutout, and a 5-14-2 record. While he posted save percentages north of .900 in his first two AHL campaigns, he’s been below that mark since the beginning of last year. Neither Daws nor Poulter requires waivers this season, but the former will as of next year. Daws is under contract through next season, while Poulter is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights.