Lightning Recall Scott Sabourin
After more than a month away from the team, an old-fashioned enforcer is returning to the Tampa Bay Lightning. According to a team announcement, the Lightning have recalled Scott Sabourin from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch.
Sabourin, 33, was only in the AHL for the last week and a half. On December 28th, in a game against the Montreal Canadiens, Sabourin got into a fight with defenseman Arber Xhekaj, leading to an undisclosed injury. Tampa Bay placed him on the injured reserve a few days later, and he wasn’t activated until January 23rd.
Unfortunately, Sabourin’s return to the Lightning’s roster comes with some bad news. Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reported this morning that forwards Anthony Cirelli and Nick Paul, both injured in the Stadium Series contest against the Boston Bruins, aren’t expected to play again before the upcoming Olympic break. Additionally, Brayden Point, who is recovering from a knee injury, isn’t poised to return until after the Olympics, either.
The Lightning’s defensive core has already been tested this season. Now, their center depth will face a similar uphill battle over their last two contests before the break. Fortunately, Cirelli and Point are expected to play for Team Canada in the upcoming international contest, meaning there shouldn’t be any long-term injury concerns.
Assuming he plays in at least one of Tampa Bay’s final two contests, Sabourin will register his 10th game of the season, meaning he’ll need to clear waivers should they attempt to assign him back to AHL Syracuse. Over his nine contests thus far, he’s scored one goal and three points, averaging 8:12 of ice time per game.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen To Miss Olympics
According to a team announcement, Buffalo Sabres netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will miss the Olympic Games due to his lower-body injury. In the same announcement, the Sabres shared that Joonas Korpisalo of the Boston Bruins will play for Team Finland and Luukkonen’s stead.
Obviously, even though it’s never a good time to sustain an injury, it really couldn’t come at a worse time for Luukkonen. He’s been fairly healthy since missing the first month of the 2025-26 season. Still, an injury report from a few days ago indicated that Luukkonen would miss the next week of action. It’s unclear if he’ll actually be injured through the Olympic break, or if he and the Sabres agreed it would be best for him to sit it out as a precaution.
Furthermore, it was likely the expectation that Luukkonen would be Finland’s starter for the upcoming international contest. He’s managed an 11-7-2 record across 20 starts with Buffalo this season, earning a .902 SV%, 2.73 GAA, and 3.3 Goals Saved Above Average. His fellow countrymen, Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators and Kevin Lankinen of the Vancouver Canucks, haven’t come close to matching that production.
It would have also been his first international appearance as a professional netminder. Luukkonen was technically included on Team Finland’s roster for last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, though he didn’t participate in any action. His last time representing Team Finland in a game came back during the 2018-19 IIHF World Junior Championship. He managed a 3-2-0 record in six games with a .932 SV%.
Meanwhile, Korpisalo was the best available of the remaining options. Despite being a backup netminder with the Bruins, he was the obvious choice over Ville Husso, Justus Annunen, or Leevi Merilainen. He’s managed a 10-8-1 record in 21 games with Boston this season with a .895 SV% and 3.12 GAA.
Like Luukkonen, Korpisalo hasn’t played for Team Finland in some time. His last showing was in the 2017 IIHF World Championships, where he collected two wins in six appearances with an .858 SV%. Finland lost the Bronze medal game to Russia.
Injury Notes: Bennett, Avalanche, Rielly, Foligno
Outside of losing an important divisional matchup to the Buffalo Sabres, the Florida Panthers also suffered a loss to their roster. During the contest, the Panthers announced that Sam Bennett had left the game with an upper-body injury.
At this point, there’s no clear answer for how Bennett sustained the injury. Regardless, he joins a growing list of injured players in Florida as their quest for a third consecutive Stanley Cup Final continues to slip away. Bennett finished the game with a -1 rating in 5:11 of action.
If Bennett is unable to play in tomorrow’s game against the Boston Bruins, the Panthers will assuredly need to make a recall to their forward core. The Panthers were already without forwards Anton Lundell, Brad Marchand, and Tomas Nosek. Additionally, forwards Aleksander Barkov, Jonah Gadjovich, and defensemen Seth Jones and Dmitry Kulikov are all on the team’s injured reserve.
Additional injury updates:
- Despite returning defenseman Devon Toews in last night’s loss to the Detroit Red Wings, the Colorado Avalanche remain waiting for a pair of top-six forwards to return. According to Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports, the Avalanche hope that Martin Nečas will return tomorrow. Additionally, although he’s expected to play tomorrow, captain Gabriel Landeskog is nearing a return and is poised to play with Team Sweden for the upcoming Olympics. The 33-year-old winger has not played since January 4th due to an upper-body injury.
- Before taking the ice against the Calgary Flames yesterday, The Athletic’s Joshua Kloke reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs won’t return defenseman Morgan Rielly to the lineup before the Olympic break. Rielly left Toronto’s recent win over the Vancouver Canucks due to an upper-body injury. Given that he’s not playing for Team Canada at the upcoming Winter Olympics, Rielly will likely return after the international event, but the Maple Leafs couldn’t specify a recovery timeline.
- The Minnesota Wild were without a middle-six forward last night against the Montreal Canadiens. Before the drop of the puck, the Wild announced that Marcus Foligno would miss the game because of illness. The 34-year-old forward had been playing better of late, scoring three goals and eight points in his last 15 games, including the first hat trick of his career a few weeks ago. He’s not expected to miss the Wild’s final contest before the Olympic break.
Golden Knights Place Jonas Rondbjerg On IR
2/2/26: The Golden Knights have placed Rondbjerg on injured reserve, according to Sin Bin Vegas.
Additionally, both Coghlan and Laczynski have been reassigned to AHL Henderson. Rondbjerg is out with an undisclosed injury, presumably suffered during yesterday’s game against the Ducks. Coghlan didn’t get to dress for any games during this recall, while Laczynski was able to get into the Golden Knights’ game yesterday. He played 7:35 in Vegas’ loss to the Ducks.
1/30/26: The Vegas Golden Knights have brought two players up to the NHL club with four games remaining before the Winter Olympics break. Forward Jonas Rondbjerg and defenseman Dylan Coghlan have both been recalled, while forward Tanner Laczynski has been reassigned.
Coghlan was assigned to the AHL just hours before the Henderson Silver Knights’ Wednesday game. The defenseman went on to score both goals in the team’s 2-1 overtime win. He has alternated between the NHL and AHL lineups over his last four games, after earning his first call-up of the season earlier this month. He ranks third on the Silver Knights’ blue-line in scoring with 18 points in 30 games. Coghlan hasn’t scored yet in two NHL games this season. The pair of games were his first with Vegas since the 2021-22 season, when he scored 13 points in 59 games with the Golden Knights. Coghlan spent the last three seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes and Winnipeg Jets, where he combined for three points in 24 NHL games.
Rondbjerg has also rotated between lineups throughout the season. He ranks second on Henderson in scoring with 12 goals and 23 points in 36 games. He has also scored one assist in two NHL games this season. Rondbjerg has served as one of Vegas’ go-to call-ups for the last five seasons. He has notched 11 points and eight penalty minutes in 78 NHL games in that span, to go with 142 points and 54 PIMs in 269 AHL games.
Coghlan and Rondbjerg will bring some assured depth to the Golden Knights’ roster in their last slate before an extended break. Vegas is currently facing injuries to William Karlsson, Brett Howden, Brandon Saad, and Colton Sissons – leaving notable holes in the forward group. That should be enough to earn Rondbjerg a fourth-line role in place of Laczynski, while Coghlan will likely serve as the team’s extra defenseman. Meanwhile, Henderson will welcome the return of top-scorer Laczynski, who has 35 points in 32 AHL games this season.
Latest On Logan Cooley, Alexander Kerfoot
As the NHL’s Olympic break inches closer, it is becoming increasingly clear which injured players are likely to be able to return to the ice once the NHL returns to action later in the month. Two names included in that group are Utah Mammoth forwards Logan Cooley and Alexander Kerfoot. Both Cooley and Kerfoot were non-contact skaters at Utah practice today, per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports. Bagley also noted that today was the first instance of Cooley actually participating in drills at a Mammoth skate.
While getting Kerfoot back will certainly be a boost for the Mammoth, the return of Cooley is undoubtedly the most significant part of this development. Cooley, 21, is the Mammoth’s emerging star forward, someone who signed a $10MM AAV contract extension in late October. The 2022 No. 3 overall pick scored 14 goals and 23 points in 29 games this season, a solid follow-up to his 65-point sophomore campaign from 2024-25.
Cooley has been out since Dec. 5 with a lower-body injury. It was announced on Dec. 11 that Cooley would miss a minimum of eight weeks, which means he’ll soon be within that originally projected return window. Of course, since the NHL will be on a break and Cooley is not headed to the Olympics in Italy, he has some extra breathing room to work his way back to game fitness at his own pace.
While Nick Schmaltz has certainly acquitted himself well as Utah’s No. 1 center in Cooley’s absence, Cooley’s return to the lineup figures to give the Mammoth a massive boost. He’s one of the team’s deadliest offensive creators, and his return would have a ripple effect on the rest of the lineup that would allow certain players to slot into more appropriate roles. 2018 No. 5 pick Barrett Hayton has been playing as Utah’s No. 2 center, but has just 19 points in 50 games this season. Getting Cooley back would have the effect of giving Utah an enviable level of depth in terms of its bottom-six centers, as they also have Jack McBain and Kevin Stenlund in the lineup.
Kerfoot’s return isn’t quite as significant as Cooley’s, but it’ll help Utah nonetheless. Since the relocation to Utah, the 31-year-old has struggled to replicate his scoring pace from his days in Arizona and Toronto. But even as his numbers have declined, he’s nonetheless managed to carve out a useful role in the team’s lineup. Kerfoot, who has been out since Jan. 11 with an upper-body injury, is a regular penalty killer for the team, and averaged the second-most shorthanded minutes of any Utah forward in 2024-25.
Utah has managed to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race despite the lengthy absences from Cooley and Kerfoot. Getting them back should make the team a serious threat to claim a playoff spot in the conference.
Anaheim Ducks Reassign Sam Colangelo
The Anaheim Ducks announced today that forward Sam Colangelo has been reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.
Colangelo, 24, was originally recalled to play in the Ducks’ game against the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 16. He played nearly 11 minutes in that contest, but spent the next six games as a healthy scratch. He returned to the lineup for Anaheim’s Jan. 29 game against the Vancouver Canucks before returning to the press box for the team’s game last night. In nine NHL games this season, Colangelo has one goal for one point.
After last season, it looked as though Colangelo was well on his way towards carving out a more regular NHL role. Last year was Colangelo’s first full campaign of pro hockey, and he played very well, producing 40 points in 40 AHL games and 10 goals for 12 points in 32 NHL games.
But as the Ducks upgraded their roster and replaced Greg Cronin with Joel Quenneville behind the bench, Colangelo found landing a spot in the Ducks’ NHL lineup a tougher task than last season. He’s likely to end this year with fewer NHL games played than last season, and while he certainly hasn’t taken a big developmental leap forward, he remains under contract for another season and figures to remain a high-level depth piece for the Ducks moving forward.
Wild Recall Cal Petersen, Activate Zach Bogosian
6:03 p.m: The Wild officially announced Bogosian’s activation in advance of their game tonight against the Montreal Canadiens.
In a corresponding move, they reassigned defenseman Matt Kiersted to the AHL. Kiersted, 27, began his most recent recall on Jan. 27, and ended up serving as a healthy scratch for the club’s game’s on Jan. 29 and Jan. 31. The 27-year-old undrafted blueliner has gotten into four NHL games for the Wild this season, and has four points in 28 AHL games. He’s under contract through next season at a league-minimum NHL cap hit, with a $450K AHL salary.
12:13 p.m.: The Wild have now activated Bogosian from injured reserve, per the NHL’s media site. Since teams can exceed the roster limit to have a third goalie under emergency conditions twice during the season, they won’t need to make a move to reinstate him. He’s been out for 13 games with an undisclosed injury sustained on Jan. 3 against the Kings. In 23 appearances this season, the veteran righty has four points with a +8 rating while averaging 14:52 of ice time per game.
11:30 a.m.: According to regional reporter Jessi Pierce, the Minnesota Wild have recalled netminder Cal Petersen from the AHL’s Iowa Wild. Minnesota confirmed the news, sharing that it’s under emergency conditions. The Wild will need to make an additional transaction before tonight to activate defenseman Zach Bogosian from the injured reserve.
Fortunately, there are no injury concerns with Minnesota’s usual goaltending tandem. Several reports from practice indicate that Jesper Wallstedt is dealing with the flu, and he won’t be available for tonight’s contest. Filip Gustavsson will assume the starting position.
This morning’s roster move is the first call-up of the year for Petersen. He was waived shortly before the start of the 2025-26 campaign after signing a one-year, $775K contract with the Wild last offseason. He’s spent the entire year with AHL Iowa up to this point.
Although his win/loss record isn’t great, it’s not the worst performance Petersen has had throughout his professional career. The 31-year-old veteran has a 4-13-0 record in 17 games with a .897 SV% and 2.82 GAA. Last season, with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Petersen finished with a 13-15-3 record in 31 games with a .885 SV% and 3.14 GAA.
His results are more indicative of the team in front of him rather than his individual performance. It’s much of the same for AHL Iowa, a team that has only made the playoffs twice since the 2013-14 season, though no postseason was held in 2020 or 2021. That’s not expected to change this season, as the Wild are in last place in the Central Division with a 12-26-4-1 record in 43 games.
Washington Capitals Activate Matt Roy
The Washington Capitals have activated Matt Roy off of injured reserve, per The Hockey News’ Sammi Silber. In a corresponding move, the team placed netminder Logan Thompson on injured reserve.
Thompson, Washington’s No. 1 goalie, has missed two games with an upper-body injury. While he skated yesterday, he’s unlikely to be back before the Olympic break begins. Thompson was named to Canada’s roster for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy.
His second season in Washington has been a strong one. Although he’s only gone 18-16-4, he’s posted a .912 save percentage, which ranks No. 9 among goalies this season with at least 10 games played. Either he or St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington will likely be Canada’s No. 1 at the Olympics, and it remains to be seen if the injury Thompson is dealing with will in any way impact his chances of getting into the crease for Canada.
Roy returns to Washington’s lineup after missing three games with a lower-body injury. The 30-year-old, who is under contract for an additional four years at a $5.75MM cap hit, has been the Capitals’ No. 3 defenseman this season, averaging 20:46 time on ice per game, including 2:27 short-handed.
When he was last in the lineup, Roy skated alongside Jakob Chychrun on Washington’s second pairing. In his absence, Declan Chisholm was able to enter the lineup as a result of head coach Spencer Carbery reconstructing his defensive pairings. Now that Roy is healthy, Chisholm will draw out of the lineup, once again becoming a healthy scratch. The 26-year-old offseason trade addition from the Minnesota Wild has gotten into 21 NHL games this season, and has operated as the team’s seventh defenseman.
Pittsburgh Penguins Activate Ryan Graves
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced today that defenseman Ryan Graves has been activated off of injured reserve. Graves landed on IR on Jan. 22 as the result of an upper-body injury, and ended up missing four games.
Graves’ return to health comes at a time when the Penguins’ defense, especially its left side, could use some reinforcement. The team recently announced that veteran stalwart Kris Letang will be sidelined on a week-to-week timeline as the result of an injury, so Graves’ activation gives head coach Dan Muse another option to work with as he plans how his defense will absorb the loss of Letang.
Letang’s injury provides Graves with quite a bit of runway to maintain a hold on an NHL roster spot. For a player with nearly 500 games of NHL experience, and one that costs $4.5MM against the cap per year, it’s something of a surprise that a spot in the NHL is even in question for Graves, but that’s been his reality in 2025-26. His decline in form since his days with the Colorado Avalanche and New Jersey Devils has led to multiple reassignments to the AHL, where he has played a total of 13 games this season, compared to 19 in the NHL.
Given Graves’ physical traits (he stands 6’5″, 225 pounds) and his wealth of NHL experience, it’s entirely reasonable to expect him to be capable of playing better. Other Penguins defensemen have had tough stretches before finding their form, such as veteran Connor Clifton. Due in part to Letang’s unavailability, Graves will likely get the chance to play in the NHL for Pittsburgh once more, and if he can string together some quality, stable performances, he could go a long way to justifying his lofty cap hit.
Graves’ most direct competition for NHL minutes appears to be 25-year-old Ilya Solovyov, a defender from Belarus who the team claimed off of waivers on Jan. 20. Solovyov has averaged just 15:09 time on ice per game in his two contests in Pittsburgh, which is only a shade lower than what Graves has averaged this year (15:28 per game). It’s inevitable that Graves will get the chance to play in some NHL games in the role currently occupied for Solovyov, so it’ll be important for him to make the most of that opportunity if he wants to avoid another reassignment to the AHL.
Bruins Place Elias Lindholm On IR, Recall Jordan Harris
The Boston Bruins announced today that forward Elias Lindholm has been placed on injured reserve. In a corresponding move, the Bruins recalled defenseman Jordan Harris from his conditioning loan with their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins.
Lindholm has been out since Jan. 27 with an upper-body injury, costing him two games. While Lindholm would technically be eligible to return for the Bruins’ game Thursday against the Blue Jackets, it appears highly unlikely he’ll be back before the Olympic break begins.
Replacing Lindholm on Boston’s roster is Harris. The 25-year-old underwent ankle surgery in October after playing in just five games for the Bruins, and missed a few months before his conditioning stint in the AHL began on Jan. 22. Harris played in four AHL games in Providence, scoring three points.
Back at full health, the rest of the season will be very significant for Harris given the time he’s missed. He’s slated to be an RFA with arbitration rights this upcoming summer, when his one-year, one-way $825K contract expires. Finding a way to land a consistent role on the Bruins defense will be key for him to position himself to earn the best possible contract in the summer.
Harris had built quite a bit of positive developmental momentum early in his career, earning himself an NHL role quickly after signing with the Montreal Canadiens at the conclusion of his four-year NCAA career. He was able to show some flashes as a third-pairing defenseman in Montreal, and it’s worth noting that this conditioning stint in Boston was actually Harris’ first trip to the AHL. But he was unable to gain traction with the Columbus Blue Jackets after his inclusion in the Patrik Laine trade, and landed in Boston after being non-tendered by Columbus.
There was some hope that he’d be able to pick up where he left off in Montreal now as a member of his hometown team, but the injury scuttled any chance of that happening earlier in the year. Now healthy, that opportunity is in front of him once again.