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Evening Notes: Lycksell, Cooley, Zamula

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The Ottawa Senators assigned forward Olle Lycksell to the AHL’s Belleville Senators early on Friday. Lycksell appeared in two games with Ottawa this week, but sat out of the team’s most recent game on Thursday. He didn’t manage any scoring in those appearances.

Lycksell is in his first year in the Senators’ organization after signing a one-year, two-way, league-minimum $775K contract with the club on July 1st. He spent the last three seasons bouncing between the Philadelphia Flyers’ major and minor league rosters. He totaled 11 points in 45 NHL games, and 128 points in 134 AHL games with the Flyers. He’ll look to maintain near point-per-game scoring in the minors with Belleville. If he can, he could soon return to a depth role with Ottawa.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Utah Mammoth have a colossal extension looming when top center Logan Cooley hits free agency next summer. But despite minimal talks of an extension, Cooley’s agent, Brian Bartlett, told the Daily Faceoff that he’s not worried about getting a deal done. Bartlett emphasized that Cooley still has plenty of time to work something out. There’s no doubt Mammoth fan will be watching closely for Cooley’s next contract, after he posted 109 points in 157 games with the club over his first two seasons in the NHL. He’s likely to sign a hardy extension that should cement his spot as Utah’s top center.
  • The Calgary Flames are interested in acquiring a big-bodied, left-shot defenseman per Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco, who adds that Flyers defender Egor Zamula could be a prime target. Zamula played in 120 games with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen before beginning his pro career. Now, he’s found himself on the outside of Philadelphia’s daily lineup, despite mixed results. Zamula boasts a career stat line of 40 points in 157 games. He posted a career-high 21 points and plus-three in 66 games of the 2023-24 season, but fell to just 15 points and a minus-14 in 63 games last year. That dip in scoring could make him a relatively cheap acquisition, should Calgary swing a trade.

Brady Tkachuk Out 6-7 Weeks Following Hand Surgery

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Oct. 16: Tkachuk underwent surgery to repair a ligament issue in his right hand in New York today, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports. The procedure extends his return timeline to six to seven weeks and, with the clock resetting to today, won’t be back in the lineup until Thanksgiving at the earliest. That’s a 20-game minimum absence, including last night’s loss to the Sabres.

Oct. 14: Senators captain Brady Tkachuk will miss at least four weeks due to the right wrist injury he sustained in yesterday’s game against the Predators, head coach Travis Green said (via Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia). They’ve yet to decide on whether surgery is required. If so, his return timeline will be extended.

Tkachuk sustained the injury early in the game. While on the power play, he took a cross-check from Nashville captain Roman Josi near the goal line that carried enough force to cause Tkachuk to fall forward into the boards, bending his right wrist awkwardly in the process. He didn’t immediately leave the game but ended up taking his last shift midway through the third period. Green said immediately after the match that Tkachuk was going for evaluation and that his absence wasn’t precautionary.

This will stand as Tkachuk’s largest absence to date. While he’s missed games due to injury in four of his seven full NHL seasons, none of them were serious enough to warrant lengthy recovery times. The most time he ever missed was nine games due to a leg injury early in his rookie season. His four-week minimum means his earliest return is Nov. 11 against the Stars, meaning at least a 13-game absence for the star winger.

Thankfully for Ottawa, they have a relatively easy stretch of games ahead. Only three of those 13 contests are against teams that made the playoffs last season. They’ve gotten off to a tough start, though, especially defensively. They’re 1-2-0 through their first three contests and have yet to give up fewer than four goals, averaging a 4.67 GA/GP mark that ranks 31st in the league. While their 26.0 shots against per game figure is sixth-best in the NHL, their 64.3% success rate on the penalty kill – fifth-worst in the league – hasn’t helped matters. Linus Ullmark has also allowed a league-worst 5.4 goals above expected in his three starts, per MoneyPuck. Tkachuk doesn’t factor in shorthanded, so in that sense, his absence won’t mean much as Ottawa looks to address its biggest early-season weaknesses.

His missing offense and intangibles will, though. Tkachuk had three assists and a +1 rating through his first three outings and, although his 29-26–55 scoring line in 72 games last year was underwhelming by his standards, he received Hart Trophy consideration for the first time as he captained Ottawa to its first playoff berth since 2017. Despite missing a good portion of yesterday’s contest, he still ranks third on the team so far with 10 hits, is tied for the team lead with 21 shot attempts, and has controlled possession well with a 56.5 CF% at even strength.

Now, it’ll be mid-November until he’s consistently in the mix this season. The Senators can place him on injured reserve whenever they need a roster spot. That will likely come in conjunction with activating Drake Batherson, who is expected to come off IR before tomorrow’s game, according to Garrioch. Tkachuk is eligible for long-term injured reserve as well and can yield up to $3.82MM in cap relief, but with the Sens already banking over $2.45MM in space, that won’t be necessary, at least for now.

Luckily for the Sens, they don’t have any mounting injuries behind their leader. They have all available options, including Batherson, to elevate into top-line duties alongside Tim Stützle and Fabian Zetterlund in his absence.

Panthers Claim Donovan Sebrango

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The Panthers have claimed left-shot defenseman Donovan Sebrango off waivers from the Senators, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports. Their active roster is full, so they must make a corresponding transaction.

Sebrango, 23, has just four games of NHL experience. All of them have come with the Senators this calendar year, making two appearances in 2024-25 and playing in their first two games of this season. He hasn’t been involved on the scoresheet, going pointless with a -2 rating and one hit while averaging 12:46 of ice time per game. Ottawa controlled 51.1% of shot attempts while he was on the ice at even strength despite two-thirds of his shifts starting in the defensive end, which are some promising early results.

This is Sebrango’s first season being waiver-eligible. Florida will be his third organization. He was a third-round pick by the Red Wings in 2020, but only recorded AHL and ECHL time in the Detroit organization before being sent to Ottawa in 2023 in the Alex DeBrincat deal. He’s a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights after signing a two-way contract to return to the Sens late in the offseason.

The intrigue with Sebrango lies in his minor-league progression. En route to working his way onto Ottawa’s opening night roster for 2025-26, the 6’2″ lefty had a career year on the farm with Belleville last season. He served as an alternate captain for the AHL club with an 8-12–20 scoring line in 50 games. The hard-hitting rearguard also had 79 PIMs and a -4 rating.

There’s no coincidence that Florida’s claim lines up with their announcement earlier today that Dmitry Kulikov will be out through the trade deadline after undergoing shoulder surgery on a torn labrum. Sebrango will now get a crack at competing for Kulikov’s vacant spot on the left side of the Cats’ bottom pairing with Jeff Petry. Uvis Balinskis has that role for now after starting the season in the press box and appearing in all but six regular-season games for Florida last year, though, so he isn’t walking in uncontested.

Senators Place Donovan Sebrango On Waivers

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The Senators have placed defenseman Donovan Sebrango on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. That opens a roster spot for winger Drake Batherson, who’s ticketed to come off IR before tomorrow’s game, meaning they don’t necessarily have to place Brady Tkachuk immediately on IR following today’s news that he’ll miss at least a month with an injury to his right wrist.

Sebrango, 23, is in his third season with the Sens organization. He was acquired from the Red Wings in 2023’s Alex DeBrincat trade. He split his first year between the AHL and ECHL before rocketing up Ottawa’s depth chart in 2024-25, serving as an alternate captain for AHL Belleville while even securing a handful of recalls and his NHL debut.

He had a strong enough training camp to work his way onto Ottawa’s opening roster submission and was even in their opening night lineup over offseason trade pickup Jordan Spence. The Sens have been carrying eight defensemen this year, and Sebrango, a lefty, earned a spot with most of his organizational depth competitors being righties. In his four NHL appearances over the last several months, though, he hasn’t shown much. He’s got no points, a -2 rating, no blocks, and one hit while averaging 12:46 per game. For someone who doesn’t provide much offense and has had poor relative possession impacts in his pair of outings this year, that lack of physicality is a sinker. The Sens ended up scratching Sebrango for yesterday’s loss, allowing Spence to make his season debut.

Sebrango was a fine point producer in juniors. The pandemic forced him to make an early jump to pro hockey in Detroit’s system, likely stunting his development. He seemed to get things on track in the minors last year after a few years of bouncing between leagues, managing a career-best 8-12–20 scoring line in 50 games.

He’ll now be available for anyone to claim over the next 24 hours. He sat as a restricted free agent for most of the offseason before signing a two-way deal in September. He costs $775K against the cap, makes $140K in the minors, and will be an RFA next summer with arbitration eligibility. That latter part could serve as a claim deterrent.

Brady Tkachuk Leaves Game With Injury

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  • Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reported today that Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk was forced out of the team’s loss to the Nashville Predators today, stating that he is currently being evaluated for an injury after being on the other end of a Roman Josi cross-checking minor penalty. Tkachuk only managed to skate in 13:53 in today’s game, and although there is no further information other than Tkachuk being under evaluation, any injury he could suffer would be a serious blow to the Senators. He is among the team’s most important wingers and has started off the season with three assists in three games.

Afternoon Notes: Kleven, Player Fines, Devils

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This afternoon TSN’s Bruce Garrioch updated that Tyler Kleven expects to play tomorrow, as the Sens host Nashville in an afternoon tilt. Garrioch also mentioned Drake Batherson, who remains sidelined, but is still expected to return sometime this week, as noted yesterday. Having both been injured in training camp, last week it was speculated that the pair of Senators could possibly have appeared for the team’s season opener. While that was not the case, it appears Batherson and Kleven are on the cusp of a return, joining the one-win, one-loss club with high expectations this season. 

Elsewhere across the league:

  • This afternoon, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced a pair of $2,500 fines from infractions during Saturday’s games; the recipients being Ian Cole and Tyler Myers. Cole caught discipline for what was noted as a “dangerous trip” on Steven Stamkos. Next, fellow veteran Myers was fined for slashing Connor McDavid. Cole was caught up in a bizarre play with Stamkos, where both players ended up in the box as the Nashville forward’s stick struck Cole as he came down from the trip. Meanwhile, Myers was looking to box out attackers around Thatcher Demko, business as usual for the 6’8” defenseman, when he swung his stick upward, catching McDavid in the groin area, leading to a minor penalty.
  • With newcomer Evgenii Dadonov likely to miss multiple weeks with a fractured hand, James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now speculated earlier today on how the lineup should adjust. Nichols pointed out prospect Shane Lachance as deserving of an opportunity to be called up for his NHL debut. Acquired from Edmonton by New Jersey in the three-team deal headlined by Trent Frederic last season, Lachance, a former 6th-round pick has become a standout prospect for the Devils. After two respectable seasons with Boston University, the 6’5” forward turned pro last season, appearing in two games with AHL Utica, netting a goal and an assist. Although he has yet to find the scoresheet early on this season with the Comets, Lachance has the frame to slot into any lineup. Nichols also mentioned exciting rookie Arseny Gritsyuk as a candidate to move up to a top-line role, perhaps holding down the fort for his mentor, Dadonov. Regardless, it is a tough blow for a Devils’ club which is all too familiar with injuries to key players.

Drake Batherson Will Return Tonight Or Monday

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  • In more positive injury news, the Ottawa Senators could be getting a major boost to their forward core. Although he was ruled out for the team’s recent game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, forward Drake Batherson alluded to a return tonight or Monday in an interview with Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Citizen. Remarkably, the Senators’ first game of the year was the first Batherson has missed since the 2021-22 campaign, playing in 246 consecutive regular-season contests for Ottawa.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Despite IR Placements, Batherson And Kleven Could Play Season Opener

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  • While the Senators placed winger Drake Batherson and defenseman Tyler Kleven on injured reserve today, neither have been ruled out for Thursday’s season opener, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Their IR placements were back-dated to when they were injured in training camp, meaning they technically have already served the required seven days.  Both players skated for about 45 minutes today but haven’t been cleared to return just yet.

Senators Reassign Six Players, Place Two On IR

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  • The Ottawa Senators reassigned the players they placed on waivers Sunday to their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators. Making up the group is Jan Jenik, Hayden Hodgson, Arthur Kaliyev, Mads Sogaard, and Lassi Thomson. 2024 seventh-overall pick Carter Yakemchuk was reassigned to Belleville, his Sept. 29 birthdate making him eligible to play in the AHL despite being a 2024 draft pick. In addition to those reassignments, the Senators placed Drake Batherson and Tyler Kleven on IR to further prepare their final roster. Batherson has been out since Sept. 24 with an upper-body injury on a projected two-week recovery timeline, while Kleven has been out since Sept. 21 with an undisclosed injury.

Training Camp Cuts: 10/5/25

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With final rosters due Monday evening, teams are down to their final few rounds of cuts. We’re keeping tabs on all of today’s demotions here as clubs near their final 23-man roster to open the season:

Chicago Blackhawks (per team announcement)

D Nolan Allan (to AHL Rockford)
F Ryan Greene (to AHL Rockford)
D Taige Harding (to AHL Rockford)
F Gavin Hayes (to AHL Rockford)
D Kevin Korchinski (to AHL Rockford)
F Paul Ludwinski (to AHL Rockford)
F Martin Misiak (to AHL Rockford)
F Oliver Moore (to AHL Rockford)
F Samuel Savoie (to AHL Rockford)
F Aidan Thompson (to AHL Rockford)
F Dominic Toninato (to AHL Rockford)
D Cavan Fitzgerald (released from PTO to AHL Rockford)
F Brett Seney (released from PTO to AHL Rockford)
G Mitchell Weeks (released from PTO to AHL Rockford)
D Ty Henry (to OHL Erie)

Dallas Stars (per team announcement)

F Justin Hryckowian (to AHL Texas)
F Cameron Hughes (to AHL Texas)
F Arttu Hyry (to AHL Texas)
D Vladislav Kolyachonok (to AHL Texas)

Minnesota Wild (per team announcement)

F Hunter Haight (to AHL Iowa)
D Matt Kiersted (to AHL Iowa)

Montreal Canadiens (per team announcement)

F Owen Beck (to AHL Laval)
F Florian Xhekaj (to AHL Laval)
D Adam Engstrom (to AHL Laval)

New Jersey Devils (per team announcement)

D Ethan Edwards (to AHL Utica)
D Mikael Diotte (to AHL Utica)
D Topias Vilen (to AHL Utica)

Ottawa Senators (per team announcement)

F Stephen Halliday (to AHL Belleville)

San Jose Sharks (per team announcement)

F Cameron Lund (to AHL San Jose)
F Quentin Musty (to AHL San Jose)
F Colin White (to AHL San Jose)

Seattle Kraken (per team announcement)

F Oscar Fisker Molgaard (to AHL Coachella)
F Ville Ottavainen ( to AHL Coachella)

St. Louis Blues (per team announcement)

F Aleksanteri Kaskimaki (to AHL Springfield)
F Dalibor Dvorsky (to AHL Springfield)
F Otto Stenberg (to AHL Springfield)
D Leo Loof (to AHL Springfield)
D Theo Lindstein (to AHL Springfield)

Vancouver Canucks (per team announcement)

D Victor Mancini (to AHL Abbotsford)
D Tom Willander (to AHL Abbotsford)

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