Canadiens Acquire Phillip Danault
A familiar face has returned to Montreal, as the Canadiens have announced that they have acquired Kings forward Phillip Danault in exchange for the Blue Jackets’ 2026 second-round pick.
Los Angeles finds a new home for Danault, just an hour before the holiday roster freeze kicks in. The Kings had been examining trade options for the veteran middleman over the past few weeks amid one of the more difficult offensive stretches of his career. In 30 games this season, he’s yet to score a goal and has only mustered five assists.
Defensive acumen was always the highlight of the 32-year-old’s game, though. That hasn’t trailed off at all, with the 6’1″ pivot still managing a +3 rating in tough deployment despite the lack of offensive production going through him on the ice thus far. The paucity of goal-scoring also shouldn’t be conflated with a lack of trying. He’s averaging 2.93 shot attempts per game, slightly below his career average but far from a career-low.
The Kings were left with something of an excess of down-the-middle depth, too. Moving Quinton Byfield back to center had shifted Danault to a third-line role at even strength after shouldering duties as L.A.’s second-line center behind Anže Kopitar ever since his arrival in Hollywood in free agency in 2021. The Habs, who have long been looking to add an impact top-nine center as their rebuild draws to a close, were in even more dire need of help down the middle after losing center options Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook to injuries.
They won’t find the offensive needle-mover they were looking for in Danault, but he’s still a meaningful upgrade in the No. 2 slot behind captain Nick Suzuki over rookie Oliver Kapanen, at least in terms of two-way play. Assuming he is deployed there by head coach Martin St. Louis and gets extensive playing time with Calder Trophy candidate Ivan Demidov, Danault’s point production should come back alive.
Danault’s inclusion should also provide a meaningful boost to the Habs’ underlying numbers. Kapanen and Demidov have controlled 49.1% of expected goals with Newhook on their left flank and a horrid 38% with Juraj Slafkovsky in that slot at 5-on-5 this season. Danault hasn’t recorded a sub-50 xGF% since his rookie season, split between Chicago and Montreal back in 2015-16.
Aside from the obvious fit, as underscored by the Habs’ reported interest, it’s a feel-good story to reunite Montreal with its top center during their last deep playoff run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. That was the last of Danault’s six seasons in Montreal during his first run there, often used as their top-line anchor alongside Brendan Gallagher, including a career-high 41 assists in the 2018-19 season. He was top 10 in Selke Trophy voting in each of his final three seasons for the Habs and recorded 194 points in 360 games for them.
He’s now set to add to that total as the Habs only need to part ways with one of two second-rounders they were ticketed to hold in next year’s draft. They retain their own selection, parting ways with a pick they acquired from Columbus in the Patrik Laine deal.
The Kings won’t be enthused with the return. Danault is cost-controlled through next season at $5.5MM, and L.A. was hoping to make any trade a player-for-player swap rather than taking back futures. Nonetheless, it was becoming clear the Kings wanted a quick resolution, short of Danault outright asking for a trade, giving themselves time to flip the pick for a replacement on the other side of the roster freeze if they so choose.
PHR’s Josh Erickson contributed significantly to this article.
Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.
Hurricanes’ Seth Jarvis Injured, To Miss Time
A significant injury has occurred tonight as Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis left tonight’s game after taking a hard spill into the net, as seen in a clip shared by Sportsnet. The incident occurred early into the three-on-three overtime period, as Jarvis drove to the net with the puck, he was tripped by Florida’s Evan Rodrigues, slamming into the left post. No penalty was called, as the Panthers prevailed in the shootout.
After the game, Carolina Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour has told reporters, including Cory Lavalette of North State Journal, that Jarvis is “going to be out for a while”.
Due to a brutal impact in the vulnerable rib area, Jarvis was immediately in serious pain, holding his right side. He was able to skate off the ice, alongside a team trainer, but went down the tunnel immediately.
The 23-year-old has been on pace to shatter his career high of 33 goals, with 19 in 33 games, not yet missing a contest this season. Not only has he become an elite first line winger for Carolina, Jarvis has made a real case to make the Team Canada Olympic roster, which may now be in jeopardy. A sign of Canada’s absurd forward talent however, the young sniper, if healthy, is still a bubble player on the potential roster.
The Hurricanes, currently atop the Metropolitan Division with room to spare, boast a tremendously deep roster built to handle such adversity. However, Jarvis’ impact in the lineup cannot be overstated. Despite showing high output, ranking fifth in the league in goals scored, he is far and away the Canes’ go-to shooter. Combining the team’s second and third leading goal scorers, Sebastian Aho (11) and Jordan Staal/Jackson Blake (9) only ranks one tally above Jarvis.
Somewhat unexpectedly given their firepower, Carolina’s powerplay ranks seventh-worst at 15.5%, and just three of Jarvis’ 19 goals have come on the man-advantage. Thus illustrates his impact at five-on-five.
Exact details on the injury, and subsequent timeline for return, remain unknown but based on Brind’Amour’s comments, the Canes are likely looking to head into the New Year without a major piece. The highly skilled Blake, proving to be a major steal at 109th overall in 2021, figures to be a top-line option for the time being. Two notable newcomers, Nikolaj Ehlers and Logan Stankoven, will also be leaned upon for more production.
With Team Canada’s roster set to be released on New Year’s Eve, a wrinkle might have been thrown into GM Doug Armstrong’s plans. However, Milan or not, Carolina will cross their fingers that Jarvis avoided major injury, and can return sometime in January.
Flyers Recall Denver Barkey For NHL Debut
The Flyers announced they’ve recalled center prospect Denver Barkey from the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. To open a roster spot, the team sent down defenseman Egor Zamula to Lehigh Valley after he cleared waivers earlier Friday. Barkey is expected to make his NHL debut Saturday afternoon against the Rangers.
Barkey, 20, is in the early stages of his first professional season after being drafted in the third round (No. 95 overall) by Philadelphia in 2023. He slipped a few spots past where most expected him to go in the draft, but he wasn’t viewed as much more than a potential mid-second round pick at best.
His stock exploded during his post-draft season. In 64 games for the OHL’s London Knights, he rattled off 35 goals and 102 points to lead the team in scoring and be named to the league’s Second All-Star Team. Last season, he captained the Knights to the second of back-to-back titles, took home a Memorial Cup ring for good measure, and averaged two points per game in the OHL playoffs.
At 5’10” and 172 lbs, Barkey plays bigger than his size. He’s one of the more energetic skaters in the Flyers’ system with above-average playmaking. Still, prospect evaluators are split on his ceiling. In preseason rankings, Elite Prospects named him the 13th-ranked prospect in Philly’s pool, projecting him as a third-line checking center or left-winger at best. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman had Barkey outside his top 13 rankings altogether, while Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff put him at No. 6, labeling him as a versatile top-nine piece.
Evidently, the Flyers have liked what they’ve seen from Barkey through his first 26 games with the Phantoms. His seven goals are tied for second on the team, and he’s fourth in points with 16. He’ll now get his first chance to show what he can do in NHL minutes, even if it’s not expected to be a lengthy call-up with 13 healthy names ahead of him on the depth chart.
Hoffmann Group Enters Deal To Purchase Penguins
Dec. 19: The Penguins announced the Hoffmann family has entered a definitive agreement to purchase a majority stake in the team from Fenway Sports Group.
Dec. 17: According to insider Frank Seravalli, the Fenway Sports Group has agreed to sell the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins to the Chicago-based Hoffmann Group. The sale is reportedly pending approval from the NHL’s Board of Governors. Multiple other outlets have confirmed the sale.
The Hoffmann Group, led by David Hoffmann, has been interested in purchasing the Penguins for several months. In August, it was reported that Hoffmann had emerged as a contender for a minority stake in the Penguins, competing with franchise legend Mario Lemieux, who had expressed interest in reacquiring the team. Instead of a minority piece, Hoffmann will be acquiring the whole pie.
FSG originally purchased the team in 2021 for a reported value of $900MM, and is selling it only a few years later. According to Forbes, the Penguins are the 22nd most valuable franchise in the league with an estimated value of $1.75B. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun believes that the final price will land between $1.7B and $1.8entB.
As for the new owners, there is little known about the Hoffmann Group, primarily David. Forbes projected his net worth to be around $2B, though there’s no confirmation of that. Additionally, the group’s only other venture into hockey has been their ownership of the ECHL’s Florida Everblades.
Regardless, they’re acquiring the team at an interesting time in their franchise history. Being one of the most successful teams since the turn of the century, the Penguins are nearing the end of the Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin era. Without another player on the roster or in the system even close to that level of superstardom, the Hoffmann Group will be tasked with guiding the franchise through a turbulent time.
The speed of the sale is fairly status quo for FSG. Despite owning the team for only five years, they will have doubled their original investment of $900MM. In 1999, FSG purchased the MLB’s Miami Marlins for $150MM, and sold the team in 2002 for $158.5MM.
Oilers Have Made Multiple Attempts To Acquire Alex Lyon
The Oilers have called the Sabres “a couple of times in recent weeks” about the availability of goaltender Alex Lyon, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast.
Friedman implied that Edmonton had looked at Lyon for goaltending depth in the past. It’s unclear if they made a pass at signing him in free agency last summer before Buffalo inked him to a two-year, $3MM deal.
Lyon was named the Sabres’ opening night starter after a training camp injury made Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen unavailable. The journeyman vet started strong, rattling off a .923 SV% through his first seven starts, but has since regressed significantly. He only made four appearances in November as Luukkonen and waiver claim Colten Ellis took over the majority of the duties, and his numbers on the year now read as a .904 SV%, 2.99 GAA, and 3.9 GSAx, per MoneyPuck.
That’s still the best performance out of the Sabres’ three netminders, though, and great value for his $1.5MM price tag. Nonetheless, newly promoted general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen has indicated he wants to end Buffalo’s three-goalie rotation once Ellis clears concussion protocol and is activated from injured reserve, according to Friedman. With his voice being a significant factor in influencing Ellis’ waiver claim in the first place and Luukkonen inked through the 2028-29 campaign, Lyon will likely be moved to get Buffalo back to a more traditional starter/backup split between Ellis and Luukkonen.
Edmonton’s pursuit of Lyon will presumably only get more aggressive after they lost Tristan Jarry to a lower-body injury last night. He’s departed the Oilers’ road trip and is returning home for evaluation. Connor Ingram and his 102 games of NHL experience were recalled from the Bakersfield Condors to supplement struggling backup Calvin Pickard in Jarry’s absence.
But Ingram has been the worst starter/tandem netminder in the AHL by a significant margin this season with a .856 SV%. Pickard’s NHL numbers this season – a .857 SV% and 3.91 GAA – are barely any better.
Jarry had largely fared well since his arrival in Alberta last week, but with him out, they don’t have a clear-cut NHL-caliber option, let alone a starter. Bringing in Lyon would allow the Oilers to then trade or waive Pickard, although with seven goalies already under contract in the organization, they’d likely prefer the former.
Teams swapping out their opening-night tandem by the time New Year’s Day rolls around is a rare occurrence, but if Edmonton brings in Lyon to supplant Pickard as the new No. 2 behind Jarry, it’ll have happened two years in a row. The Oilers’ desired series of moves is strikingly similar to the set of trades the Avalanche pulled off in November and December last year, sending starter Alexandar Georgiev to the Sharks for Mackenzie Blackwood and swapping backup Justus Annunen for Scott Wedgewood with the Predators.
Image courtesy of Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images.
Flyers To Reassign Egor Zamula
Dec. 19: Zamula cleared waivers and will be reassigned to Lehigh Valley, according to Friedman.
Dec. 18: The Flyers have waived left-shot defenseman Egor Zamula, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.
Zamula has been a healthy scratch in five straight contests and has only played in 13 out of 32 games on the year. When Philadelphia needed some extra defensive depth earlier this month as Cameron York sustained a minor injury, they opted to make a roster move and recall Ty Murchison from the AHL instead of playing Zamula.
That was a clear indication that the writing was on the wall for his standing on the active roster. Today is the last day for teams to waive a player if they want to send him down to the minors before the holiday roster freeze begins on Dec. 20.
If Zamula clears and reports to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, it will mark his first minor-league action since the 2022-23 season. Now in his sixth NHL campaign, the 25-year-old had played 60-plus games for the Flyers in each of the last two seasons but was only on pace for 33 appearances this year.
The 6’3″ lefty looked like he could make a push for a fringe top-four role long-term after breaking out with 21 points and a +3 rating in 66 games in 2023-24, but his production has declined from that summit. This season, he’s got a +4 rating in 13 outings but has only managed one assist while averaging 14:02 of ice time per game, a decrease of over two minutes from last year.
Zamula is in the back half of the two-year, $3.4MM deal he signed with Philly as a restricted free agent in 2024. The Flyers can remove $1.15MM of his $1.7MM cap hit if they bury him in the minors, leaving them on the hook for a $550K cap charge if he’s in the AHL. If he’s not claimed, it’s clear the Flyers will be walking away from Zamula next offseason instead of extending him the $1.4MM qualifying offer he’s owed.
Oilers Recall Connor Ingram, Place Tristan Jarry On IR
12:30 p.m.: The Oilers made all three roster moves official, recalling Ingram and placing Jarry on IR while shifting Roslovic to LTIR.
12:10 p.m.: The Oilers are expected to recall goaltender Connor Ingram from AHL Bakersfield before tomorrow’s game against the Wild, Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports. Starter Tristan Jarry is leaving the road trip and returning to Edmonton to undergo evaluation on the lower-body injury that knocked him out of last night’s win over the Bruins.
Jarry will likely be placed on injured reserve to open the roster spot for Ingram’s recall, but that’s not the only roster move Edmonton will need to make. Adding Ingram to the roster will incur a $1.15MM cap charge, but the Oilers have already dipped significantly into their LTIR pool and have just $59K in cap space, per PuckPedia.
Edmonton can add $1.44MM to its LTIR pool by transferring forward Jack Roslovic from standard IR to LTIR. He’s already missed 10 games and 24 days with an undisclosed injury, satisfying LTIR minimums. He was initially set to return around Christmas but has yet to resume skating. Doing so would create enough flexibility to add Ingram to the roster.
Ingram, 28, is two years removed from posting a league-leading six shutouts and a 23-21-8 record in 48 starts for the Coyotes in their final season. After moving to Utah, Ingram only managed a .882 SV% and 3.27 GAA in 22 games, limited by an upper-body injury, until his season ended in March as a result of entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.
The 2016 third-round pick by the Lightning entered training camp as the Mammoth’s No. 3 option behind Karel Vejmelka and free agent pickup Vítek Vaněček, but he didn’t report as he and Utah mutually agreed to part ways with a year remaining on his contract. After clearing waivers in September, he was traded to the Oilers with salary retained to serve as a high-ceiling third-stringer behind their questionable NHL tandem of the since-traded Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard.
Ingram likely hoped the Oilers’ questions between the pipes and a starting role in AHL Bakersfield would help provide him with a long-term path back to the NHL. So far, that hasn’t been the case. His .856 SV% in 11 games is the worst in the league by 15 percentage points among netminders with at least 10 games, and he’s the only one of the group with a GAA above four (4.04).
He’s actually recorded fewer starts than fellow veteran Matt Tomkins in Bakersfield as a result. While Tomkins has a far superior .893 SV% and 3.30 GAA in 15 showings, it’ll be the theoretically higher-ceiling and more experienced Ingram getting the call to serve as Pickard’s backup for the time being while Jarry works toward a return.
Image courtesy of Brad Penner-Imagn Images.
Tyler Seguin Undergoes ACL Surgery, Not Yet Ruled Out For Season
The Stars announced today that forward Tyler Seguin had surgery to repair his previously reported torn right ACL on Tuesday. They haven’t yet decided on a timeframe for his return, though, leaving the door open for him to return this season. They’ll reevaluate him and issue a more specific timeframe after the Olympic break, general manager Jim Nill said.
Still, the prognosis doesn’t look good. Undergoing the procedure a full two weeks after he sustained the tear shortens the runway as well. At the time, head coach Glen Gulutzan said they were operating under the assumption that Seguin wouldn’t be back this year.
He can almost surely be ruled out for the regular season. Getting him back for Game 82 would require a turnaround time of four months, essentially unheard of for an ACL tear. His postseason availability is what’s in play, a decision that, for the practical purposes of an all-in contender like the Stars, needs to be made before the March 6 trade deadline.
Seguin has already been placed on long-term injured reserve. Under the extended Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Stars can only get a fraction of Seguin’s $9.85MM cap hit in relief. Because they haven’t ruled him out for the season – including the playoffs – he’s only contributing $3.82MM to their LTIR pool, which currently stands at $5.36MM with Lian Bichsel and Adam Erne also on LTIR.
Ruling him out for the playoffs, a process that requires approval from the league, team medical staff, the player, and the NHLPA, would allow the Stars to apply Seguin’s full cap hit to their LTIR pool, giving them nearly $6MM in added flexibility to make trades before the deadline. Since they’re already in LTIR, they’re not accruing cap space, so the timing of making that decision is inconsequential. All that matters is making the call before executing their inevitable pre-deadline pickup.
The 33-year-old Seguin isn’t quite clicking at the point-per-game pace he flashed in similarly limited availability last season, but he was still a valuable second-line asset with seven goals and 17 points in 27 games before the ACL tear. He was averaging 16:40 of ice time per game, notably his highest workload in four years.
Image courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.
Canadiens, Devils, Mammoth Among Teams With Interest In Phillip Danault
The Canadiens, Devils, and Mammoth are among the teams that have interest in making a deal for Kings center Phillip Danault, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports.
Montreal has long been active in the market for a second-line center, a pursuit that only intensified after long-term hopeful Alex Newhook had ankle surgery, knocking him out until March. Danault wouldn’t back nearly as much offensive punch as some other candidates, but he’s a familiar option – playing 360 games for the Habs between 2016 and 2021 as one of the most suffocating matchup centers in the league. His comfort level in a top-six support role, averaging at least 16 minutes per game for nine consecutive seasons, makes him a natural fit even as his scoring has dried up.
Danault’s contract, which expires after next season and carries a $5.5MM cap hit, won’t be an obstacle for them or most other teams. The Kings will almost certainly be taking money back in the deal as they seek rostered talent in return for Danault, with LeBrun reporting they’re unwilling to flip him for draft picks or futures.
His putrid scoring line this season, notching just five assists in 30 games with no goals, is bound to scare at least a few center-needy teams off. He’s still averaging a respectable 1.40 shots on goal per game, though, and the Kings have finished at a woeful 7.0% clip with him on the ice at 5-on-5. Some positive regression is bound to occur, particularly with the 32-year-old notching at least 40 points in each of his first four seasons with Los Angeles.
While that offensive falloff and his minutes being cut due to Quinton Byfield‘s move back to center have him looking for a change of scenery, his advanced numbers still remain some of the best on the Kings. He’s managed a +3 rating despite the lack of offensive production while receiving primarily defensive zone starts at even strength. No L.A. forward has been on the ice for fewer shots per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 than Danault at 23.9.
That makes the Devils’ interest in him likely more than just a top-six stopgap while Jack Hughes continues his rehab from a hand injury. When Hughes returns in the coming weeks, Danault would slot in as New Jersey’s third-line pivot behind Hughes and fellow Selke Trophy candidate Nico Hischier while also serving as one of their top penalty killers. It wouldn’t amount to a significant change in role compared to what Danault’s seeing now in L.A., but with only a 10-team no-trade list as part of his deal, he doesn’t have much say in the matter.
Still, he would appear as more of a redundancy behind Hischier than another scoring winger, presumably a higher priority for the Devils as their offense has slipped into the bottom half of the league amid a rough post-Thanksgiving stretch. Weaponizing their already limited cap space on Danault wouldn’t offer a truly meaningful upgrade to their top nine when healthy, especially with their new-look third line of Arseny Gritsyuk, Cody Glass, and Connor Brown posting spectacular results earlier this year.
Like New Jersey, the Mammoth have a short-term need down the middle with Logan Cooley out of commission until February. They have a younger, cheaper, in-house option with a similar archetype to Danault in Barrett Hayton. While he’s also had some offensive struggles this season, he’s still contributed more points than Danault (a 4-3–7 scoring line in 31 games) and is coming off a 20-goal year. He’s struggled in the faceoff dot at 47.8%, though, indicating they may be planning on shifting him to the wing if they do pick up Danault once Cooley is back in the fold.
Image courtesy of David Gonzales-Imagn Images.
Lightning Activate Ryan McDonagh From Injured Reserve
4:12 p.m.: While not a necessity to activate McDonagh, the Bolts still took his return as motivation to reassign defenseman Steven Santini to Syracuse, per a team announcement. The 30-year-old was recalled Monday in the wake of Lilleberg’s injury and skated 12 minutes against the Panthers that evening, posting zeroes across the board. Santini has now appeared in eight games for the Bolts this season between call-ups, recording one assist and a respectable 50.4% share of shot attempts at even strength.
1:05 p.m.: Two-time Stanley Cup champion Ryan McDonagh has been activated from injured reserve and will be in the Lightning’s lineup on Thursday evening versus the Kings, Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider reports. Tampa had an open roster spot after reassigning Scott Sabourin to AHL Syracuse earlier in the week.
McDonagh, who has missed the past 18 games due to an undisclosed injury, had his no-contact designation removed during Monday’s practice as part of his ramp-up toward a return. Since he’s been a full participant for a few days, he shouldn’t have a meaningful minutes restriction as he slots back into the lineup.
The 36-year-old defenseman has been limited to 15 games this season. The activation ends the ever-durable rearguard’s most extended absence of his 16-year NHL career. After finishing 14th in Norris Trophy voting last season with a league-high +43 rating, he’s continued to play at a top-pairing level in 2025-26 while technically still serving behind Victor Hedman as the second-pairing lefty on Tampa’s depth chart. Averaging north of 20 minutes per game for the 15th straight year, he recorded six points and a +1 rating while serving as the Bolts’ top penalty killer.
He’s the second household name returning to Tampa’s lineup for tonight’s game. Starting netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy was activated from IR earlier in the week after a seven-game absence.
McDonagh’s insertion into the lineup is crucial at a time when the Bolts still have three regular defenders – Hedman, Erik Černák, and Emil Martinsen Lilleberg – on IR. The pileup of injuries had finally seemed to have caught up with the Lightning, who are 2-5-1 in December and have slipped to third in the Atlantic Division, although they’re still first by points percentage (.591).