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Lightning Recall Steven Santini, Place Emil Lilleberg On IR

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10:30 a.m.: As alluded to earlier, the Lightning have placed Lilleberg on the team’s IR, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times. Lightning insider Erik Erlendsson passed along a note from head coach Jon Cooper indicating that Tampa Bay is expecting Lilleberg to miss the next few weeks and hopes for him to return before the Olympic break.

9:34 a.m.: According to a team announcement, the Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled defenseman Steven Santini from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. The Lightning already have 23 players on their active roster, so another roster move will have to be made before tonight’s game against the Florida Panthers.

It’s the second recall of the year for Santini. He was initially recalled one month ago and stayed with the team until the first week of December. During that stretch, Santini registered one assist in seven games while averaging 12:01 of ice time per night.

At the time, Tampa Bay was dealing with multiple injuries to its defensive core, and not much has changed since then. Defenseman Erik Černák and Ryan McDonagh remain on the Lightning’s injured reserve, while captain Victor Hedman recently underwent elbow surgery and will be out until February.

As for the specific reasoning behind Santini’s recall, there’s some loose reporting that Emil Martinsen Lilleberg is dealing with a lingering injury from the Lightning’s shootout loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday. Lilleberg missed the third period for that game, finishing with zero points in 13:30 of action.

Meanwhile, the corresponding roster move, if it’s not moving Lilleberg to the injured reserve, will likely come from demoting one of Tampa Bay’s 15 forwards on the active roster. Scott Sabourin, who was recalled less than a week ago, is the most likely candidate. The 33-year-old veteran has scored one goal and three points in six games for the Lightning this season.

Morning Notes: Hughes, Pitlick, Jiricek, Johansson

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More information rolls in regarding the Vancouver Canucks’ trade negotiations involving defenseman Quinn Hughes. We now know that several teams were scared of parting with significant value due to the perception that Hughes is far from a guarantee to sign a long-term extension.

According to The Athletic’s Michael Russo, Hughes is keeping an “open mind” when it comes to re-upping with Minnesota on July 1st, 2026. Russo noted that Hughes believes the Wild have “an amazing core.” He also shared that Hughes is happy with how close the team is to Michigan, and for being the organization that actually stepped up to get him, regardless of his perceived hesitancy to sign an extension.

Now, unlike other teams, the Wild have more than six months to convince Hughes to sign immediately when eligible, and even longer if both sides are comfortable with him entering the 2026-27 season as a pending unrestricted free agent. They got off to a good start last night, beating the Boston Bruins by four goals, with Hughes scoring his first goal with the team in the third period.

Additional morning notes:

  • Likely because they’ve added forward Samuel Poulin to their AHL roster, the Bakersfield Condors connected with the Rockford IceHogs on an AHL trade yesterday. According to an announcement from Rockford, the Condors have traded forward Rem Pitlick to the IceHogs for defenseman Tyson Feist. Rem, cousin of Tyler Pitlick, is a veteran of 132 NHL contests, scoring 21 goals and 54 points. Meanwhile, Feist has only played in the ECHL this season, scoring one goal and seven points in 14 games for the Indy Fuel.
  • Back in Minnesota, there were a few negatives that came from last night’s contest. Both defenseman David Jiříček and forward Marcus Johansson left yesterday’s game with lower-body injuries. According to Joe Smith of The Athletic, the Wild didn’t offer any updates for either player during the post-game media availability. Minnesota doesn’t play again until tomorrow, so more information should be provided before then.

Red Wings Recall John Leonard, Assign Erik Gustafsson To AHL

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The Detroit Red Wings shared tonight that forward John Leonard has been recalled from AHL Grand Rapids, and former NHL standout defenseman Erik Gustafsson is going back down in a corresponding transaction. 

Leonard, 27, was inked to a one-year, two-way deal with Detroit over the summer. It was unlikely such was a signing to directly benefit the Red Wings, as the forward is more known as an AHL star at this point, however, his production with Grand Rapids has become too hard to ignore. The former UMass Minuteman native ranks third in league scoring, with 29 points in 20 games, and his 19 goals, just shy of one-per-game, ranks first in the AHL. The Griffins have an insane 22-1-1 record this season, boasting a team full of accomplished veterans, but they will certainly miss their leading scorer for as long as he stays with the big club. 

Such a name as Leonard being called up may not excite Detroit fans as much as that of a top prospect, but Leonard’s goal scoring prowess in the AHL is seriously impressive, and well deserving of a chance at the highest level.

A sixth-round selection of San Jose in 2018, Leonard has mostly been an AHL “hired gun” of sorts, bouncing between various organizations in the last three seasons, including a standout 36 goals for the Charlotte Checkers last year, leading them to the Calder Cup finals. With 17 points in 70 career NHL games between San Jose, Nashville, and Arizona, Leonard’s NHL forecast is limited. However, he could earn an opportunity with Detroit, as Mason Appleton landed on IR late last week. 

On the other hand, Gustafsson has bounced between Detroit and Grand Rapids throughout the season. The once highly productive offensive defenseman remains a skilled power-play specialist, but his defensive metrics have become too large at age 33. Gustafsson has appeared in just one game with Detroit, in late November, and otherwise is an extra depth option. With an expiring contract, the hope is that the veteran can find a change of scenery and end his NHL tenure on a higher note, but until then, he returns to be an elite AHL producer for the top ranked Griffins.

It is not often that a player sustains a near goal-per-game pace in the AHL, and Leonard could bring a spark to the Wings lineup, depending on his role. Considering his elite AHL production, perhaps the older brother of Capitals’ forward Ryan Leonard could finally earn his way into a legitimate NHL role after years of working to earn it. 

Wild Eager To Integrate Quinn Hughes

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As the dust begins to settle from Friday’s blockbuster trade which sent Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes to Minnesota in exchange for a haul including Zeev Buium and Marco Rossi, the next step is the Wild’s need to integrate their new superstar. Michael Russo of The Athletic wrote earlier today that while the team has rolled the dice with no guarantees, they are confident. Tonight’s electric home debut, a convincing win over Boston, is step one in what will be Minnesota’s ultimate goal to make Hughes happy in his new home, and keep him for the long haul.

The news that Hughes was headed to Minnesota came as a shock to many, as they had not been thought of as a top suitor. However, as mentioned by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet on yesterday’s edition of Saturday Headlines (link), several teams were “scared off” by Hughes’ lack of long-term commitment. Friedman says that only Minnesota and New Jersey remained unfazed. 

New Jersey was naturally aggressive in their pursuit, as it has long been thought that Quinn would like to join his brothers Jack and Luke to form a one-of-a-kind trio in Newark. However, it has become apparent that salaries were unable to work out. The Devils had several older, higher dollar candidates which could have been moved to open up space, but with ample full or modified no trade clauses throughout, such a move would be difficult. Even if a player such as Ondřej Palát or Brenden Dillon would be willing to move, Vancouver, in their current state as a franchise, would have no real use for them. GM Tom Fitzgerald’s loyalty to his veterans seems to have seriously limited his options, when an unforgettable trade opportunity presented itself. 

Minnesota GM Bill Guerin swooped in aggressively, and as noted by Russo, he wasted no time. The offer of Rossi, Buium, Liam Ohgren, and a 2026 first-round pick was the first and only one made.

While losing a 26-year-old franchise level player has massive implications for Vancouver, they were able to bring in a young and highly capable second line center, a rookie defenseman with high end potential to fill a Hughes-type role eventually, along with other assets. Such a return is an ideal scenario, as it came with no “baggage” of sorts, unlike what they would have likely received from New Jersey. Sure enough, much like Hughes, Buium also scored in his Canucks debut tonight, in a two-point effort, as Vancouver ironically defeated their trade suitors, the Devils. The 20-year-old rookie played in a second-pair deployment alongside veteran Tyler Myers, a favorable scenario as the team looks to shelter Buium early on. 

Meanwhile, the window for Minnesota is as open as ever. After locking up Kirill Kaprizov, Guerin has assembled a seriously formidable group. The loss of Rossi leaves a hole down the middle, but Ryan Hartman, 31, may have an opportunity to return to a top six level offensively. For now, he has 12 points in 26 games, remaining a solid player on both ends, but such is a far cry from his 34 goal output in 2021-22. Even if not, the Wild could pursue a 2C on the trade market, perhaps the affordable contract of Ryan O’Reilly, if they are able to pry the veteran from their divisional rivals in Nashville. 

Hughes’ debut tonight went as well as could have been expected. He led all Minnesota defenders with 26:55 of ice time, and scored a goal. His Wild tenure is just in infant stages, but after the game, Hughes said he is “very open minded” to staying long term in Minnesota, as shared by Joe Smith of The Athletic. Guerin’s aggressiveness also made an impression, as Hughes mentioned his respect for the esteemed GM for going out to get him in such a big trade package. 

Although they are tired of hearing it, the Wild have not won a playoff round in a decade. The fan base has patiently waited for another deep push, which has not happened since their Cinderella run in 2003. With Hughes in the fold, 2026 could be a year to remember for Minnesota. Thankfully, as he is signed through next season, the contract status of their franchise defenseman won’t yet be a major distraction, but for now, the Wild must make him happy and set the stage for a long future together.  

Evening Notes: Yakemchuk, Dorofeyev, Marchment

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Earlier today, Senators top prospect Carter Yakemchuk left mid-game in the AHL due to injury, as reported by Alex Adams of Sportsnet, who also provided the video clip. The defenseman, coming around the corner in his own end, made a routine pass to start the breakout when Bridgeport enforcer Hunter Drew finished a hard check. Such an impact sent Yakemchuk spilling awkwardly into the boards, and he did not return.

Drafted by Ottawa seventh overall in 2024, the 6’3” defenseman is the team’s top prospect, posting an impressive 18 points in 27 games for Belleville in his first professional season. On the other hand, Drew, 27, was a sixth round selection by Anaheim in 2018, appearing in two NHL games in 2021-22, but since then has been a full-time AHLer, even switching from a defenseman to a forward as a professional. Drew regularly surpasses the 100+ annual penalty minute mark, and after taking out a young star, naturally, his actions drew the ire of Belleville.

Further details have not been confirmed on Yakemchuk’s status, but the Alberta native figures to be a huge part of Ottawa’s future. It was already noted in late November that he is likely untouchable in trade discussions, and hopefully as long as he is able to avoid serious injury, the 20-year-old could soon earn a call up and provide a needed boost to the Sens’ right side defense. 

Elsewhere across the league:

  • Vegas forward Pavel Dorofeyev left last night’s win over Columbus, not returning for the third period, as reported by Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (Twitter link). The 25-year-old is one of the game’s more unsung top scorers, since breaking out last season with 35 goals. He has maintained such levels so far this year with 13 in 31 games, doing all of it at an absurd value, $1.8MM, with pending RFA status at season’s end. No additional updates on Dorofeyev have come yet, with the Knights out of action until next Wednesday, but if he is set to miss time, the winger’s elite power play production will especially be missed. Eight of his 13 goals have been buried on the man advantage. 
  • Ahead of tonight’s game versus Buffalo, the Seattle Kraken announced that forward Mason Marchment will not play, however it is noted as due to illness, rather than injury. The 30-year-old was an intriguing cap-dump addition by Seattle last summer given his production with Dallas, but the scoring touch has fallen off a bit since then. Marchment found the back of the net twice on Friday, but prior to that, he had just two goals in 26 games. The power forward is drawing trade interest as a pending UFA, but with a $4.5MM cap hit and a modified no trade clause, such a move may require creativity. In Marchment’s absence, 22-year-old Jacob Melanson enters the lineup for his second NHL game. Melanson was drafted in the fifth round by Seattle and projects as a future bottom six winger. 

Afternoon Notes: Misa, DiVincentiis, Team Canada

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San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky elaborated on why top prospect Michael Misa missed the start of Team Canada’s World Junior Championship training camp. Misa is not too injured to miss any World Juniors time, but was still considered recovering day-to-day, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. That was enough for San Jose to keep Misa with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda for a couple more days, and a couple more practices.

Misa taking in a tad more pro coaching before headed to camp will be no bad news for Team Canada. They will be bringing in a potential tournament MVP in Misa, who scored an incredible 62 goals and 134 points in 65 OHL games last season. That earned Misa the second-overall selection in the 2025 draft, behind New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who will not head to World Juniors camp. Misa will form a formidable top-line with Gavin McKenna and Porter Martone and look to bring Canada their first World Junior Gold since 2018.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Winnipeg Jets have reassigned depth goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis in the wake of Connor Hellebuyck’s return. DiVincentiis served as backup for a few days after Thomas Milic – who earned three starts in Hellebuyck’s absence – was reassigned earlier in the month. DiVincentiis did not make his NHL debut. He has six wins and a .915 save percentage in 13 AHL games this season, and will battle with Milic for the Manitoba Moose’s starting role.
  • Hockey Canada will announce their men’s Olympic roster on New Year’s Eve per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Team Canada has already locked six players into the lineup – Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Connor McDavid, Brayden Point, and Sam Reinhart. They also hosted an orientation camp that invited 42 players to prep for Olympic selection. The camp roster only featured three goalies – Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill, and Sam Montembeault. All three goalies have struggled in the season since, which could make for some interesting decisions come the last day of the year. With Crosby, McDavid, MacKinnon, and Makar getting ready for their first Winter Olympics, Canada will be the early favorite for 2026 Gold.

Hurricanes Activate Jaccob Slavin, Reassign Joel Nystrom

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A major piece will be back in the Carolina Hurricanes lineup when the puck drops in Sunday’s matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers. Defenseman Jaccob Slavin was activated from injured reserve just before the game, after being designated as a game-time decision before warmups. He will return from a lower-body injury sustained in the second game of the season. He’s missed the last 29 games. To make room for Slavin’s return, Carolina has reassigned defenseman Joel Nystrom to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. Nystrom signed a four-year extension on Friday.

Slavin only played in 36 minutes of ice time before going down with injury. He managed no scoring, a minus-one, and three shot blocks in those minutes. But two games was hardly enough for Slavin to settle into his usual role on top of Carolina’s defense. He has averaged more than 22 minutes of ice time each game through 11 years with the Hurricanes. He brings a shutdown presence to hard matchups, giving Carolina the flexibility to deploy offensive defensemen like Shayne Gostisbehere.

The Hurricanes had to turn to a committee approach to round out their top-four in Slavin’s absence. Jalen Chatfield and Alexander Nikishin both rotated into the top-four, while Nystrom did well to carve out a role on an open bottom-pair. The 23-year-old rookie recorded five assists, a plus-three, and 14 shot blocks in the first 24 games of his NHL career. He played well enough to earn a multi-year, seven-figure extension just before this reassignment. That’s a tidy bit of confidence for Nystrom, who had only played in seven AHL games before his name was called to fill-in. He spent the last five seasons with the SHL’s Farjestads BK, where he won a league championship in 2022. Carolina drafted Nystrom in the seventh-round of the 2021 NHL Draft.

Slavin’s return will suddenly provide Carolina with a heap of defense depth, after going through a start to the season that saw most of the blue-line banged up. They will carry a confident three pairs, with Slavin watching over rookie Nikishin, into Sunday’s match against Philadelphia. That should only ramp up a Hurricanes squad that’s gone 6-2-0 in their last eight games, including back-to-back shootout wins in their last two.

Blues’ Dylan Holloway Leaves, Alexey Toropchenko Returns To Practice

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The St. Louis Blues kicked off practice with good news. Winger Alexey Toropchenko took the practice sheet with his teammates for the first time this month, after missing the last seven games with burns to his legs sustained away from the team. He is expected to return to the lineup in Monday’s game against the Nashville Predators, per NHL.com’s Lou Korac. Practice took a turn towards the negative partway through, though, when top winger Dylan Holloway sustained a lower-body injury. He was helped off the ice by teammate Logan Mailloux and a coach, captured by Korac.

Blues head coach Jim Montgomery said the team didn’t have a clear view of Holloway’s injury, or availability for Monday’s game, just yet. He will carry a questionable tag moving forward. Holloway has been a spark plug once again for the Blues. He is second on the team in scoring with 17 points in 33 games. That scoring has stalled as of late, though. Holloway hasn’t scored in three games, and only has four points – three scorede in one game – over his last seven games.

Holloway has a nightly spot in St. Louis’ top-six. Should he get knocked out of the lineup, the Blues would likely turn towards Pius Suter, who could nicely rotate with Brayden Schenn on faceoffs. Suter has 14 points in 31 games this season – but is riding his own scoring drought through the last four games.

Toropchenko’s return will balance out the bottom-end of the lineup. He had a quiet season prior to his injury, with only two points in 17 games. Toropchenko has long been a minimal scorer – but hasn’t even reached half of the scoring pace that led him to 18 points in 80 games last year. Should St. Louis want to ease him into a role, they could bring Nick Bjugstad down from the press box. He has four goals and five points in 25 games this season.

Team Latvia Announces Roster For 2026 World Juniors

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All 10 countries have officially announced preliminary rosters for the 2026 World Junior Championship. The final announcement came earlier this morning, when Team Latvia named 28 players to their initial roster. They will need to cut three before the tournament opens on December 24th. Latvia’s full roster is as follows:

F Olivers Mūrnieks (2026 draft eligible)
F Kārlis Flugins (2026 draft eligible)
F Kristers Ansons (2026 draft eligible)
F Dmitrijs Diļevka (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
F Bruno Osmanis (2026 draft eligible)
F Markuss Sieradzkis (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
F Maksims Pumpiņš (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
F Roberts Polis (2026 draft eligible)
F Toms Trockis (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
F Rūdolfs Bērzkalns (2026 draft eligible)
F Kristiāns Utnāns (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
F Antons Macijevskis (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
F Roberts Naudiņš (2027 draft eligible)
F Daniels Serkins (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
F Martins Klaucāns (2026 draft eligible)

D Alberts Šmits (2026 draft eligible)
D Mārtiņš Vītols (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
D Oskars Briedis (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
D Rolands Naglis (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
D Darels Uļjanskis (Ducks, 2024, 7-214)
D Krišjānis Sārts (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
D Krists Retenais (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
D Matīss Ošāns (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
D Reinis Auziņš (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
D Harijs Cjunskis (2026 re-entry draft eligible)

G Nils Roberts Mauriņš (2026 re-entry draft eligible)
G Mikus Vecvanags (Canadiens, 2024, 5-134)
G Ivans Kufterins (2026 re-entry draft eligible)

Latvia is building up a track record of aggressive and physical international hockey. That has helped them push to a quarterfinal loss in each of the last two seasons. Back-to-back fourth-place finishes is impressive for a country that was promoted to the top level of World Juniors just four years ago. They faced, and avoided, relegation in 2023 and now boast lineups capable of outplaying much more skilled opponents.

That trend should continue this season. The Latvians saw a lot of turnover from last year’s tourney, including leading scorer and Washington Capitals prospect Eriks Mateiko. But they’ll still be able to lean on a strong group of returnees. The hard-nosed Osmanis and flashy Murnieks are set to lead the lineup once again, after each scoring four points – second-most on the team – last year. They’ll both be pushing for a 2026 draft selection, but the games will matter a little bit more for Murnieks, who is considered a first-round pick by many.

The defense will also return a long lsit of players, including shutdown defender and Ducks prospect Uljanskis. But the focus of the defense will undeniably sit with Šmits – a high-skill, offensive-defenseman who has established a top-line role in Finland’s Liiga despite being one of the league’s youngest defenders. After leading all Liiga rookie defenders with 12 points in 29 games, Šmits could be an X-factor addition to the Latvian side.

Latvia will look entirely different in net after icing a trio of 2005-born goalies last year. The starter’s crease could go to anyone this year. Vecvangs, one of two NHL prospects on the team, could have the early advantage. Starting minutes could help him kick a slow start to the year, marked by an .850 save percentage in six QMJHL games. Mauriņš could be a better option, after earning a promotion from the NAHL to the USHL, a move between America’s top two junior leagues. He has posted a .896 Sv% in 16 games with the Omaha Lancers since his promotion. Kufterins, the youngest of the three, has a .888 Sv% in 13 games. Deciding between three junior-level goalies could be a determining factor in Latvia’s chances to return to the Quarterfinals this year.

Bruins Without Viktor Arvidsson, Jonathan Aspirot On Sunday

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The Boston Bruins will be down a pair of players in today’s match against the Minnesota Wild. Winger Viktor Arvidsson (lower-body) and defenseman Jonathan Aspirot (upper-body) are both expected to sit out after sustaining injuries in Thursday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets. Both were absent from Saturday’s practice.

Arvidsson missed seven games with a lower-body injury in late November. It isn’t yet clear if that injury is connected to the one that forced him out early on Thursday. Boston would sorely miss Arvidsson should he be forced into another extended absence. The 32-year-old winger has seven goals and 14 points in 25 games this season. He’s offered reliable depth scoring, usually operating on the second or third line.

Aspirot exited Thursday’s game in the first period. It was just the 19th game of his NHL career, which kicked off with a debut on October 28th. Aspirot hadn’t managed any scoring, unti lhe scored his first career goal on December 2nd. That stands as his only point, to go with 28 shot blocks and 32 hits. He has served a bottom-pair role, but has been rotated up to top-line minutes when Boston needs to hold a lead. His responsible defense will be sorely missing from the lineup.

The Bruins clarified that no recalls will be made in light of these injuries. That means Boston will bring in winger Michael Eyssimont and defender Victor Söderström to fill their gaps. Eyssimont has 12 points and a minus-eight in 30 appearances this season. He has continued to serve as a well-rounded, bottom-line forward. Söderström is hoping to push into a full-time, NHL role for the first time since the 2022-23 season – when he played 30 games with the Arizona Coyotes. He has one assist and a plus-three in three appearances with the Bruins. He brings smooth puck-movement, which could boost Boston’s offense in place of the defense-focuse Aspirot.

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