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Kraken Activate Frédérick Gaudreau, Place Kaapo Kakko On IR, Assign Ben Meyers

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The Seattle Kraken activated center Frédérick Gaudreau off of injured reserve before Saturday’s win over the San Jose Sharks. He came one day short of missing a full month of action, after sustaining an undisclosed injury in Seattle’s October 16th loss to the Ottawa Senators. In a corresponding move, the Kraken have placed winger Kaapo Kakko on injured reserve. He was designated as out week-to-week with a lower-body injury by head coach Lane Lambert, per Kraken broadcaster Alison Lukan.

Gaudreau was immediately folded back into the lineup. He played nearly 17 minutes of ice time on Saturday and recorded two shots and one block. Gaudreau recorded one assist and five blocks in five games prior to his injury. He has stepped up as a core piece of the Kraken bottom-six in his first season with the club. Gaudreau spent the last four seasons with the Minnesota Wild, where he posted 134 points in 307 games. That includes career years in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. He posted his highest scoring seasons in those years, netting 44 and 38 points respectively.

It isn’t entirely clear when Kakko sustained his injury. He hasn’t played since leaving Thursday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets in the first period. He appeared to sustain a non-contact injury – headed down the tunnel after an awkward stumble on a faceoff. Kakko missed the entirety of October with a broken hand that also required an IR placement. He returned for seven games, and managed no scoring, before falling out of the lineup once again.

Rookie Berkly Catton stepped back into the lineup in Kakko’s absence. The 19-year-old was an electric scorer through four years in the WHL, including back-to-back 100-point seasons over the last two years. Despite that, he has only recorded three assists through 13 NHL games this season. Catton should stick in the lineup as Seattle looks to continue developing their young stars, though Lambert has shown a preference for limiting the youngster’s ice time. He will continue operating behind Ryan Winterton, Jani Nyman, and Tye Kartye.

With Catton’s standing seemingly ensured, Seattle has also assigned Ben Meyers back to the minor-leagues. Meyers hasn’t appeared in the lineup since Thursday. He has three points, eight shots on goal, and 14 hits through nine games this season. He’s also recorded two goals and a minus-four in three games with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. Meyers scored 51 points in 57 AHL games last season, and will look to get back to that productivity with this transaction.

Canadiens’ Kirby Dach Out Four-To-Six Weeks With Fractured Foot

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The Montreal Canadiens have announced that forward Kirby Dach will miss the next four-to-six weeks after fracturing his right foot. In his place, Montreal has recalled winger Joshua Roy from the AHL. This marks the third-straight season that Dach has sustained a long-term injury, after facing season-ending knee injuries in each of the last two years.

This injury is luckily not related to any of Dach’s prior absences – but the hits keep on coming for the oft-injured 24-year-old. He was working his way back into a core role in Montreal’s offense this season, with five goals and seven points through 15 games so far. That scoring pace is well above last season, when Dach scored 20 points in 57 games. He is now seven years into his NHL career, but hasn’t yet appeared in more than 70 games in a single season. That healthiest year came in 2021-22, when he scored 26 points with the Chicago Blackhawks. Dach’s career year came in the following season, when he potted 38 points in 58 games in his first year with the Canadiens, before late-season injuries cut his year short.

Montreal was showing restraint with Dach’s minutes, even as his scoring grew. He has only averaged 14 minutes of ice time this season, despite routinely filling a second-line, usually rotating between center and left-wing. That’s proven especially conservative deployment, considering Dach has also appeared on the second power-play unit. But the added care will prove for naught, and Dach will land on the sideline once again.

This could prove a lucrative opportunity for Roy, who hasn’t yet received an extended chance at NHL minutes. The Quebec-native has scored seven points in 10 games for the AHL’s Laval Rockets, good for fifth on the team in scoring. Despite that, he’s only appeared in one NHL game this season, with no notable stat changes. Roy has also received NHL minutes in the last two seasons. He was productive in his first year, netting nine points in his first 23 NHL appearances, but followed it with only two points in 12 games last year. He’s been much more productive in the minors, where he’s totaled 74 points in 98 games across four seasons. If Roy doesn’t stick in the NHL, the Canadiens could turn towards prospect Sean Farrell as their next man up.

Rangers Recall Scott Morrow, Reassign Gabriel Perreault

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The New York Rangers have swapped prospects on the NHL roster. Defenseman Scott Morrow has been recalled once again, while winger Gabriel Perreault will return to the minors in his spot. Perreault played in his first NHL games of the season over New York’s last three games. He recorded one assist, a plus-two, and four blocked shots.

Despite the meager scoreline, Perreault’s return to the NHL was largely encouraging. He played top-line minutes next to captain J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad in his first game, then worked well off of fellow rookie Noah Laba from New York’s third line for his next two games. The outings proved Perreault’s ability to meet multiple needs in the lineup. Now, he’ll return to a starring role for the Hartford Wolf Pack. Perreault currently leads the AHL club in scoring with 10 points in nine games. He’s the only Wolf Pack scoring above a point-per-game through the early season.

While Perreault continues to grow in the minor-leagues, Morrow will return to the NHL hoping to finally debut with the Rangers. The 23-year-old has been back-and-forth between the NHL and AHL all season long, but has so far only taken the ice for Hartford. He has two points in 11 games with the AHL club, far below the scoring pace that led him to 13 goals and 39 points in 52 games with the Chicago Wolves last season. New York acquired Morrow as part of the deal that sent top-four defender K’Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes this summer. Prior to the trade, Morrow recorded six points in 16 games with Carolina.

This move could mark the best of both worlds for the Rangers. Hartford is in the midst of a seven-game losing streak that could be snapped with the return of their top scorer. Meanwhile, Morrow stands a reasonable chance to step into New York’s roster after William Borgen sat out of the team’s Saturday matchup with an upper-body injury. Borgen is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.

Penguins’ Ville Koivunen Out Day-To-Day

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The Pittsburgh Penguins announced early on Sunday that rookie winger Ville Koivunen is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He will be out of the lineup when Pittsburgh takes on the Nashville Predators in the second game of the NHL Global Series in Stockholm. Koivunen left the Penguins’ Saturday practice early, with no indication as to why, until this injury announcement.

Koivunen has recorded one assist and six shots on net through his last four appearances. Those marks bring him up to  two assists and 14 shots on goal in 11 games this season. He has operated out of a fourth-line role, which will make his absence easier to address. Danton Heinen is expected to draw back into the lineup for the fourth time this season. He has no scoring, a minus-one, and one penalty in those appearances.

Pittsburghs hould turn quickly back to their first-year Finn when he’s back to full health. Koivunen may still be finding his stride in the NHL, but he remains the leader in points-per-game in the AHL, with 11 points in six games (1.83 per-game). He posted a similar season last year, netting 21 goals and 56 points in 63 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, to go along with seven points in eight NHL games. Koivunen was also a scoring star in Finland’s Liiga, where he posted 113 points in 164 games and three seasons. He’s a volume shooter who knows how to drive the puck down the ice. It seems a question of when, not if, he’ll finds a scoring breakout this season.

Hall Of Fame Journalist Larry Brooks Passes Away At 75

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Longtime New York Post columnist and Hockey Hall Of Fame writer Larry Brooks has passed away at the age of 75 after a battle with cancer. Brooks spent 38 years with the Post, across two tenures, split by his work as the Senior Vice President Of Communications with the New Jersey Devils from 1982 to 1992.

Commonly refered to as “Brooksie”, Brooks’ time with The Post began in 1976. He originally covered the Ne wYork Islanders and the MLB’s New York Yankees, who he followed on a run to the World Series Championship in 1977. He took on covering the Rangers in the following year, and continued on for five years before taking on coverage of the Devils following their relocation from Colorado. That role blossomed into an executive role in New Jersey’s front office, giving Brooks a rare mix of experience on both sides of the mic. He became The Post’s primary Rangers beat writer and principal hockey columnist for their paper soon after his return to journalism in 1992.

Brooks covered the Rangers with great intimacy and consistency, modeling beat coverage for many up-and-coming journalists. That exemplary performance was recognized in 2001, when Brooks was named president of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association. He carried the title for three years, supporting the group that oversees voting for seven annual awards handed out by the NHL. The PHWA also votes for the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award, presented by the Hockey Hall of Fame to recognize those who have brought honor to journalism and to hockey.

Fittingly, Brooks won the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award himself in 2018. The Hockey Hall of Fame honored Brooks alongside longtime Toronto Maple Leafs broadcaster Joe Bowen.

Brooks was impossible to miss over his time covering the Rangers. Not only did his columns often headline The Post, but his words often found their way into the New York fandom zietgeist. He is often credited as being the one to award Henrik Lundqvist with his popular nickname, “The King”. Brooks was also a vocal challenger to longtime Rangers head coach John Tortorella, with the two butting heads more than a few times during Tortorella’s tenure from 2008 to 2013. The Post shares that Tortorella had reached out to check-in on Brooks over the last week, something that Brooks’ son, Jordan, says meant a lot to his father.

Brooks will be rememebered as a titan of hockey journalism, with the demeanor to stand up to hard-headed head coaches and unfair labor disputes. He was vocal and proud in both the small and the big moments. He watched over a 9-8-7 record to start New York’s season – a nice step forward from a dismal season last year. His final column was an analysis of why defender Braden Schneider deserves loftier minutes.

Brooks leaves behind a son, a daughter-in-law, Joanna, and two grandchildren. His work with The Post will be continued by longtime colleague Mollie Walker. Pro Hockey Rumors sends our condolences to Brooks’ family, friends, and the entire New York sports fanbase.

Blackhawks Recall Landon Slaggert, Jason Dickinson Remains Out

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The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled forward Landon Slaggert just over one week after his latest assignment. He will help the Blackhawks address injuries to centerman Jason Dickinson and winger Andre Burakovsky. Dickinson will miss Wednesday night’s game versus the New Jersey Devils, while Burakovsky is a gametime decision with an undisclosed injury, per NHL.com’s Tracey Myers.

The Blackhawks sent Dickinson home early from their recent six-game road-trip after placing him on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The 30-year-old has not played since leaving Chicago’s October 30th loss to the Winnipeg Jets after just eight minutes of ice time. He returned to Chicago’s practice donning a no-contact jersey on Wednesday morning.

Burakovsky played through Chicago’s road-trip, including scoring two points in Sunday’s win over the Detroit Red Wings. That scoring boosted Burakovsky up to seven points in five games through the month of November. He’s earned a fringe top-line role with that momentum, including playing over 21 minutes of ice time last Monday. He is averaging a career-high 17:28 in ice time, to go along with seven goals and 14 points, in 15 games this season.

The absence of Dickinson and Burakovsky would handicap Chicago on both sides of the puck. Slaggert would face an uphill battle in matching either of their impacts, after posting no scoring and a minus-two through five NHL games this season. He has also scored one point in three AHL games. The youngster showed a good amount of drive and physical play through 33 games last season. Even then, he sits with a mere 10 points through 54 career appearances in the NHL. He should step onto Chicago’s fourth-line, while rookie Ryan Greene earns a boost in place of Dickinson. Should Burakovsky also sit out, the Blackhawks would likely run 11 forwards and seven defensemen – bringing in defender Louis Crevier and tasking rookie winger Oliver Moore with a heftier role.

Golden Knights Recall Braeden Bowman

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The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled right-winger Braeden Bowman from the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights. This is the first call-up of Bowman’s professional career. He earns it after a hot start to Henderson’s season. Bowman leads the club with seven goals, and is tied for the scoring lead with 12 points, through 12 games so far.

His first call-up to the NHL is a major milestone for the undrafted Bowman. He earned a minor-league contract with Henderson out of Vegas’ training camp in 2024, after four years with the OHL’s Guelph Storm. Bowman scored 14 goals and 36 points in 68 games of his rookie AHL season, enough to work his way onto the Silver Knights’ second-line. Vegas bumped Bowman’s minor-league deal up to a two-year, entry-level contract in March, making him eligible for an NHL call-up.

Bowman’s rookie-year growth gave him plenty of runway headed into this season’s training camp. He was a standout once again – flashing a sharp finishing ability, pro-level physicality, and quick hands. Those attributes continued to headline Bowman’s game through the first month of the season, and will now be recognized by Vegas with one more home game before a two-game road-trip.

Bowman could step into the lineup in place of center William Karlsson, who remained absent from practice on Wednesday, per Danny Webster of the Vegas Review Journal. Karlsson sustained a lower-body injury in Saturday’s loss to the Anaheim Ducks and has been designated as out day-to-day. Should that injury stick around, Bowman could earn his NHL debut in Thursday’s match versus the New York Islanders. He’d likely step onto the fourth-line, while Keegan Kolesar and Brandon Saad move up to fill Karlsson’s absence. Vegas could also deploy Alexander Holtz over Bowman. Holtz has no scoring through seven games this season.

Senators, Shane Pinto To Meet Again On Contract Extension

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The Ottawa Senators will resume one of their most important conversations of the season later this week. High-scoring centerman Shane Pinto is set to become an arbitration-eligible, restricted free agent this summer, after closing out the two-year bridge deal he signed in 2024. The Senators have already started offering new deals to the 24-year-old, including a six-year, $52MM extension offered last month, per Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch. That deal would have set Pinto’s cap hit at $6.5MM each season – though Garrioch points out that Pinto likely wouldn’t have liked the money or term of that deal.

Pinto has certainly garnered the right to ask for a few favors on his next contract. He’s scored eight goals and 14 points through 16 games this season, good for third on the team in scoring behind Drake Batherson and Tim Stutzle (16 points each). More than that, Pinto has posted a 57.8 faceoff percentage on 199 draws – ranking him 16th in the league among eligible players (>100 faceoffs). He also ranks among the top-five Senators forwards in blocked shots per game. That performance has cemented Pinto as Ottawa’s second-line center this season – a role the team was desperately looking for, even acquiring Dylan Cozens to fit the bill last season.

Pinto saved his career-year for his contract-year, but his performance doesn’t appear to be a total fluke. He leads the Senators’ offense in total expected-goals with 7.0 – a mark he’s just narrowly outperformed with eight goals on the year. He also leads the bunch in shot attempts per game – averaging 5.8, one full shot more than Stutle’s 4.8 in second-place. Pinto has recorded an 18.6 shooting percentage in total – a mark that sits far above his career-average of 13.2 percent. That could indicate that the young center is set to fall back to Earth in due time, though it could also be elevated by Pinto’s growing lineup role.

In full, Pinto is on pace to score 41 goals and 72 points this season. That would blow his previous best – 21 goals and 37 points scored last year – out of the water. It would also command far more than $6.5MM each season, especially against the growing salary cap.

Few players have found themselves in Pinto’s shoes – with a productive, top-end role still a few years away from their prime. Many comparable free agents have opted to avoid max-term contracts – including Marco Rossi, who signed a three-year, $15MM deal with the Minnesota Wild, and Connor Zary, who signed a three-year, $11.325MM deal with the Calgary Flames.

Pinto and his agent Lewis Gross could point towards Chicago Blackhawks’ recent extension of Frank Nazar as a baseline. Chicago inked Nazar to a seven-year, $46.2MM contract ahead of his second full season in the NHL. Nazar has gone on to score just below a point-per-game pace – 11 points in 15 games – enough to cement his spot as Chicago’s number-two behind Connor Bedard. Pinto is three years older than Nazar, and likely won’t be able to carve out as much importance on a top-heavy Senators offense. Nonetheless, shooting for roughly $7MM each season could be a sensible mark, especially if Pinto continues his dominant season.

The salary cap is expected to grow by up to $8.5MM between this season and next. That will be more than enough room for Ottawa to afford a player-friendly extension with Pinto – or earn some savings by pulling him closer to their first offer. Either way, it seems the Senators are well on their way towards cementing yet another young, high-potential forward into their future.

Photo courtesy of Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports.

Five Key Stories: 11/3/25 – 11/9/25

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After a flurry of long-term deals were handed out last week, this week was much quieter on the transaction front.  However, there was still some news of note from the past seven days, recapped in our key stories.

Barnes Promoted: Even hockey fans who aren’t entirely familiar with advanced statistics have likely heard of the terms Corsi rating and Fenwick rating.  Those were created by Tim Barnes, under the pseudonym Vic Ferrari.  Barnes joined Washington’s front office more than a decade ago and he now has a new role with the team as he has been promoted to Assistant GM.  He becomes the third AM under Craig Patrick, joining Ross Mahoney and Don Fishman.  The Capitals are no stranger to getting creative with some of their front office moves; late in the spring of 2024, they purchased the former cap-tracking site CapFriendly, adding the staff from their site into the fold as well.

Back To Russia: Vitali Kravtsov’s return to North America didn’t go as well as he had planned.  A so-so preseason saw the 2018 ninth overall pick land on waivers and after passing through unclaimed, the Canucks sent him to AHL Abbotsford.  Things didn’t go better there as he managed just four points in ten games and with several others getting an NHL look before him, he requested and was granted a termination of his contract, making him an unrestricted free agent.  He won’t be unsigned for long as it’s expected that he will sign a three-year deal with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL, returning to the team he spent the last two seasons with, including putting together a 27-goal, 58-point performance in 2024-25.

Dubois Out Long Term: Pierre-Luc Dubois had a strong first season with Washington in 2024-25, posting a career-high 66 points while helping lead them to the Eastern Conference regular season title.  Year two didn’t start strong with no points in six games and it has gotten even worse.  He recently underwent surgery to address injuries to his abdominal and adductor muscles; the estimated timeline for a return is three to four months.  His absence will be a big one for a Washington team that has been slow out of the gate, sitting seventh in the Metropolitan Division heading into tonight’s action.  Dubois will be eligible for regular LTIR which would give them up to $3.82MM in additional spending flexibility.  However, since they have more than that in regular cap room per PuckPedia, it’s unlikely they’ll be dipping into LTIR.

Kampf Suspended By Maple Leafs: After deciding he wanted to step away from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies to ponder his playing future, the Maple Leafs suspended David Kampf without pay, further fueling speculation about a change being on the horizon.  Believed to be a key issue here is the $1.325MM signing bonus paid back in July.  If Kampf requests a contract termination, Toronto could be seeking repayment of that while the NHLPA would argue that it should remain with him.  Kampf has been away from the Marlies for more than a week now so it feels like this should be coming to a conclusion in the near future.

Kyrou Scratched: One of the bigger stories of the week came from St. Louis.  With the Blues struggling to start the season, head coach Jim Montgomery sent a message to his group by scratching Jordan Kyrou.  The winger has had an okay start to his year with nine points in 15 games but after being in trade speculation over the summer, this could get him back in the rumor mill.  Speaking of that rumor mill, reports are beginning to surface that the Blues could be looking to retool or at least shake up their roster so they could be a team to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.  One of those retooling moves won’t involve veteran winger Milan Lucic, at least for now, as he was released from his PTO and signed a PTO with their AHL affiliate in Springfield where he’ll continue his NHL comeback efforts.

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.

Senators Recall Hayden Hodgson

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The Ottawa Senators have recalled forward Hayden Hodgson from the AHL’s Belleville Senators. This is Hodgson’s first call-up of the season. He is in his second year with the Ottawa organization, after signing a one-year, two-way contract on July 2nd.

Hodgson spent roughly a week on Ottawa’s roster last season. He made two appearances in that span, and recorded no scoring and one fight. The rest of his season was spent with Belleville, where he posted a team-leading 156 penalty minutes – and 11 points – in 43 games. Hodgson became known for his bruising, enforcer presence througout four years in the ECHL and five years in the AHL. That presence has earned Hodgson nine games in the NHL in total. He has recorded three points and 16 penalty minutes at the top flight.

Hodgson has returned to his usual role this season, again leading Belleville with 28 PIMs through their first 11 games of the season. Ottawa will now bring in that imposing presence ahead of a match against the Utah Mammoth, who have posted the fourth-fewest hits-per-game this season. This is the second game of a back-to-back for Ottawa, which could push Hodgson into the lineup in relief of Olle Lycksell. Ottawa also has gritty forward Kurtis MacDermid in the press box. MacDermid has posted no scoring and 11 penalty minutes in seven games this season.

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