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Mikko Rantanen Suspended One Game

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This afternoon the NHL Department of Player Safety announced that Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen has been suspended one game. As a violation under Rule 23.6, Physical Infractions Category, Rantanen incurred two game misconduct penalties in his last 41 games, which automatically carries a one game suspension. Such infractions have occurred in an especially short timeline however, just the last three games for Rantanen. It is a bit unusual for the 29-year-old, who has never been categorized as much of a dirty player.

Late in last Tuesday’s loss versus the Islanders, Rantanen was ejected after shoving Alexander Romanov into the boards in a dangerous play where the defenseman skidded into the boards with no chance to stop. The hit landed Romanov on injured reserve, but ultimately, the league chose not to suspend Rantanen.

Meanwhile, apparently unperturbed, just last night Rantanen viciously boarded Calgary forward Matthew Coronato, where he again was thrown out of the game with a misconduct. Although Coronato turned away at the last second, making himself especially vulnerable, Rantanen was already flying in, set to deliver a hard hit on the numbers. Thankfully Coronato returned to the game, but with a noticeable nose injury, as the Flames triumphed in a shootout.

Now, given that the current one game suspension is automatic with no further mention, additional discipline could come to Rantanen for the Coronato incident as well, especially considering what all transpired with the 29-year-old’s reckless play throughout the week. For now, Dallas will prepare to take on Edmonton on Tuesday without their superstar, who is tied for the team lead in points.

Blues Terminate Alexandre Texier’s Contract

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Nov. 23: After much back-and-forth, the Alexander Texier Blues stalemate has reached an end. As expected, the St. Louis forward cleared waivers, and as per the team, his contract has been terminated. Texier is now an unrestricted free agent. The Montreal Canadiens are known as to having interest, the likely favorite to land the speedy two-way winger, with another unknown Eastern Conference team in the running. This morning it was noted that the Ottawa Senators have also expressed interest, but it is unclear if they are the second suitor.

Nonetheless, we will likely find out soon, as Texier is healthy, and likely eager to sign quickly and make an impact with his new club.

Nov. 22: Texier did not report to the minors and he has been placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination, reports Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press.  If he passes through unclaimed as expected on Sunday at 1:00 PM CT, he will become an unrestricted free agent and his $2.1MM AAV will be off the books for the Blues entirely.

He clearly has gotten a head start on talking to other teams even while still signed with St. Louis.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports that nine teams are believed to have shown interest in signing Texier when he hits the open market but Texier and his agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Sports Management have whittled the field down to two Eastern Conference teams.

Nov. 21: Texier has cleared waivers after being placed on them yesterday and has been assigned to AHL Springfield, the team announced. If he fails to report to the minors, he’ll be in breach of contract and can trigger a contract termination.

Nov. 20: Texier has considered asking for a contract termination to become an unrestricted free agent, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. He remains on the Blues’ roster for now but has played just once since Oct. 28, sitting as a healthy scratch in nine of their last 10 games.

Texier, the first player in NHL history drafted directly from France’s Ligue Magnus, signed a two-year, $4.2MM contract with the Blues in June 2024 after they acquired his signing rights from the Blue Jackets. He was coming off a career-high 12 goals and 30 points in 78 games with Columbus, averaging north of 15 minutes per game, but the team wasn’t interested in re-signing him as they opened roster spots for a younger wave of prospects.

The 26-year-old just hasn’t been a fit in St. Louis. He made only 31 appearances last season and lost 15 games to illness and injury, meaning he spent nearly half the year in the press box. When dressed, he delivered career-average production on a per-game basis, notching six goals and five assists for 11 points. He did so in reduced ice time, averaging closer to 12:30 per game, as his role as a penalty killer in Columbus was stripped entirely from him with the Blues.

This season, Texier’s ice time has been slashed further to 10:15 per game. He’s only made eight out of 20 possible appearances, on track to finish with a similar workload to last season. Skating most commonly in fourth-line deployment with Nick Bjugstad and Nathan Walker, he’s logged one assist and nine hits. Perhaps more importantly, his chance generation is way down. He averaged 1.61 shots on goal per game last year – even more than he managed during his breakout year in Columbus – but that figure has nearly halved to 0.88 in 2025-26.

A contract termination would allow Texier to be uninhibited by his above-market-value $2.1MM cap hit as he looks for a new home. Still, he would be walking away from roughly 75% of his identical base salary for this season to do so. Whether he desires to remain in the NHL also remains to be seen. He’s made a move back to Europe before to be closer to his family in France, asking the Blue Jackets to spend the 2022-23 season on loan to Switzerland’s ZSC Lions, which they granted.

Sabres Activate Zach Benson, Assign Isak Rosen To AHL

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Ahead of today’s game, the Buffalo Sabres shared that forward Isak Rosen is headed to AHL Rochester, and in a corresponding move, fellow forward Zach Benson has been activated off injured reserve. 

It had been speculated yesterday that Benson was nearing a return, and now Buffalo eagerly welcomes back the skilled youngster ahead of a big matinee tilt hosting Carolina. Sidelined with a lower-body injury throughout the month, the 20-year-old returns with a point-per-game pace in eight games so far, all assists. Somewhat unusually for a player drafted 13th overall (2023), Benson wasted no time becoming an NHLer, already with 154 games to his name at age 20. The winger has not yet jumped off the page statistically, with a career high of 30 points, but now healthy, Benson could be in for a major breakout going into 2026. 

On paper, the move to send down Rosen is a bit of a head scratcher. The 22-year-old former first round pick has shown serious improvement so far this year, with seven points in ten games, especially while filling in during Benson’s absence. However, with waiver exemptions in mind, the choice essentially came down to Rosen or Noah Ostlund, another first round selection. Head Coach Lindy Ruff has opted to keep the true center Ostlund in the lineup, set to hold things down on the third line today. Elsewhere, 26-year-old depth forward Joshua Dunne also appears set on Buffalo’s fourth line for the foreseeable future, as clearly they chose Rosen to go down, not risking losing Dunne on waivers. 

Such a transaction for Rosen may be short-term, but Rochester will be glad to have the Swede for the time being. Despite playing in half the games as his counterparts, Rosen is right amongst the Americans’ leaders in points, with 12 in eight games. Buffalo’s performance this afternoon may indicate if another shake-up is in order, with Rosen coming back sometime before December.

Mammoth Assign Kevin Rooney To AHL

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The Utah Mammoth announced today that forward Kevin Rooney has been assigned to the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL. Rooney has been bouncing between Utah and their affiliate throughout November, being last recalled to the big club last week, only to now be headed back down. 

Signed by Utah in October on a one-year, two-way deal, after a PTO stint in camp with New Jersey where he had hoped to return to his original club albeit unsuccessfully, the veteran center figures to be surefire organizational depth to slot in if needed. Despite considerable time spent with Utah so far this season, Rooney has yet to play in a game. In six AHL appearances he had netted three goals out of the gate. 

Originally undrafted out of Providence, Rooney made stops with the Devils, Rangers and Flames, establishing himself as a legitimate NHLer with relentless penalty killing efforts but never posting more than 14 points in a season. Despite setting a career high 70 appearances with Calgary in 2024-25, now 32, it appears Rooney’s NHL opportunities are sparse. 

With 330 NHL games under his belt however, Rooney figures to be strong leadership for Tucson alongside longtime AHL star Andrew Agozzino and fellow veteran Kevin Connauton. Still, Utah seems to have Rooney on speed dial, and at some point the center could earn his way into the Mammoth lineup in 2025-26, extending an admirable underdog career in the NHL. 

Detroit Red Wings Recall Erik Gustafsson

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The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Erik Gustafsson from their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. In a corresponding move, the club has placed forward Elmer Soderblom on injured reserve, retroactive to Nov. 9.

These moves place Gustafsson in position to potentially make his season debut for 2025-26. The veteran did not make the Red Wings’ NHL roster out of training camp, and has spent the entirety of the season thus far in the AHL. Through 10 games with Grand Rapids, Gustafsson has eight points, and is the most experienced blueliner available on the Griffins for the Red Wings to call up.

This recall indicates that Gustafsson is above fellow veteran Justin Holl in the team’s call-up priority order. Holl has just three points in 11 AHL games this season, though it’s important to draw a distinction between the style each blueliner plays when comparing the two. Holl has a more defensively-oriented game than Gustafsson, who is a natural puck-mover and power play quarterback.

Gustafsson was also the more successful NHL player than Holl, or at least reached a higher peak at the NHL level. In 2018-19, Gustafsson scored 60 points, leading all Chicago Blackhawks defensemen in scoring. As recently as 2022-23, Gustafsson remained an effective generator of offense from the blue line. He scored 42 points in 70 games between the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs, and followed that up with 31 points in 76 games playing 2023-24 for the New York Rangers.

It was after that strong campaign on Broadway that Gustafsson earned the two-year, $2MM AAV deal he’s currently playing out. His tenure in Michigan hasn’t gone to plan, though, as he scored just 18 points in 60 games in 2024-25 and appears to have been passed by several young defensemen, something that culminated in him needing to start the year in the AHL.

With this recall, he gets the chance to return to an NHL roster and perhaps get into some NHL games. While Gustafsson wouldn’t be a natural fit for that role as a left-handed defenseman, his addition to the roster could allow the Red Wings to take veteran Travis Hamonic, who has struggled this season, out of the lineup.

The chance to get back into the NHL and potentially hold down a spot in an NHL lineup is a significant opportunity for Gustafsson. As a pending UFA, spending the year in the AHL would likely do significant damage to his hopes of securing a strong contract in the upcoming free agent market. Assuming he gets the chance to draw into head coach Todd McLellan’s lineup, it’ll be very important that he finds a way to make a positive contribution.

Soderblom, a forward, was also involved in a transaction today, although his was more of a procedural move to clear a roster spot for Gustafsson to occupy. Soderblom has been out for two weeks with an undisclosed injury, and it’s unclear at this point what his timeline is to return.

The fact that his IR placement was retroactive does provide Detroit with the flexibility to activate him whenever he’s ready, though, bypassing the customary one-week waiting period mandated by standard, non-retroactive IR placements.

Latest On Andrei Svechnikov

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On last night’s Saturday Headlines segment of Sportsnet’s NHL broadcast, Elliotte Friedman reported an interesting development coming out of Carolina. He noted that “earlier on in the season,” Carolina Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov “was unhappy” with his usage at the time under head coach Rod Brind’Amour. As a result, per Friedman, “the inference was made” to the Hurricanes that “if they wanted to trade” Svechnikov, “he wouldn’t be upset about it,” he “would be open to the idea” of a trade from the Hurricanes.

Friedman then added that “there were some teams that called the Hurricanes” to inquire about trading for Svechnikov, but were told that the club still views the player as a cornerstone one, and that any hypothetical trade for Svechnikov would need to begin with “a monster offer.”  Friedman also noted that since that point earlier in the season, “things have cooled off” as Svechnikov’s usage has increased and he’s been placed on the team’s first line alongside Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho.

But if Svechnikov’s usage slips back to where it was earlier in the year, Friedman’s reporting suggests his name could re-enter trade conversations. While it’s reasonable for Carolina to value Svechnikov highly, other teams could fairly point out that his recent production hasn’t matched that valuation.

The 25-year-old has 12 points in 21 games this season, good for a 47-point 82-game pace. That’s somewhat misleading, though, because Svechnikov has those 12 points in his last 13 games since being moved into the top-six, and began the season scoreless through eight games. So it does appear, at least as far as this season is concerned, that Svechnikov’s production is highly dependent on how he’s utilized in the lineup.

Dating back to last season, Svechnikov’s offensive impact has been more modest than expected for a player of his pedigree. He scored 48 points in 72 games last season, though he did add eight goals and 12 points in 15 postseason contests. Svechnikov has shown flashes of becoming the kind of superstar winger he was projected to become when he was drafted, but those flashes haven’t been consistent enough for the player to truly ascend to the point where he’s considered a league-wide star.

On a team that has long chased a true superstar winger, including last year’s short-lived swing for Mikko Rantanen, Svechnikov being on pace for a second straight sub-50-point season stands out.

But the good thing about Svechnikov, from the Hurricanes’ perspective, is that regardless of his numbers at any given time, anyone who watches him can see he’s far more talented than the average player who produces at a similar rate. He’s shown the ability to score at near point-per-game rates, as he had 52 points in 59 games in 2023-24 and 55 points in 64 games in 2022-23.

But if his usage frustrates him again and his scoring continues to lag behind his 2022–24 levels, it’s natural that trade chatter would pick up. It’d certainly be a difficult deal to pull off given Svechnikov’s value to the Hurricanes, as well as his $7.75MM cap hit, but it’d also be a deal a massive portion of the NHL’s teams would likely have at least some level of interest in being involved in.

While it doesn’t appear that a trade is in any way likely at this point in time, Friedman’s reporting indicates that his status and usage in Carolina will at least be a storyline to watch moving forward.

Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Morning Notes: Texier, Misa, Skinner, McCabe

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While St. Louis Blues forward Alexandre Texier is not yet a free agent as he awaits word on whether he’s cleared unconditional waivers for the purposes of contract termination, that hasn’t stopped reporters from getting info on which teams are most likely to land the 26-year-old’s services once he becomes a free agent as is expected. On yesterday’s Saturday Headlines segment on Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman reported that “the favorite” to land Texier at this point is the Montreal Canadiens.

The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun did report yesterday that Texier’s representatives are deciding between two Eastern Conference teams, and with Friedman naming the Canadiens as a favorite, it appears one of those two teams has been revealed. The Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch reported yesterday that the Ottawa Senators expressed interest in acquiring Texier, but it’s unclear at this time whether they’re one of the two finalists. Texier’s tenure as a St. Louis Blue was unequivocally a disappointment, as he played just 39 games across two seasons and scored just 12 points. While he might not seem like the kind of player who would merit this kind of league wide attention as a free agent, it’s worth noting that Texier did score 30 points in 78 games in 2023-24. But perhaps more importantly, it’s very difficult at this early stage of the season for teams to add external talent that is NHL-caliber. The fact that Texier is available for just a small cap hit investment (and doesn’t carry the additional asset cost associated with a trade) is likely contributing to the high level of interest in his services. As NHL teams grapple with injuries testing their depth, the chance to add an NHL-ready bottom-six forward for a small amount of cap space is an opportunity most teams likely want to take advantage of.

Other notes from across the NHL:

  • San Jose Sharks forwards Michael Misa and Jeff Skinner are inching closer to a return to the ice, Curtis Pashelka of Bay Area News Group reported yesterday. Head coach Ryan Warsofsky told the media yesterday that both Misa and Skinner have resumed skating, and while Skinner is currently ahead of Misa in his recovery, Warsofsky is hopeful both will be back participating in practice by the end of next week. Misa, 18, was the No. 2 overall pick at this most recent NHL Entry Draft, and has three points through seven games this season. Getting healthy and back on the ice is arguably more important for Skinner, who is a pending UFA playing out a one-year, $3MM deal. Skinner, who scored 29 points in 72 games in 2024-25, has seven points in 17 games so far this year.
  • It was a difficult night for the Toronto Maple Leafs yesterday as they lost 5-2 to their arch rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, and now sit second-to-last in the Eastern Conference, one point above the Buffalo Sabres, who have a game in hand. Making last night’s game worse was the fact that veteran defenseman Jake McCabe left the game due to an upper-body injury, according to a team announcement. While we await an update revealing the extent of McCabe’s injury, it’s clear any extended absence for McCabe would be a major loss for Toronto. The team is already dealing with an injury to veteran Chris Tanev, and losing McCabe for any duration of time would mean the Maple Leafs would lose one of their most relied-upon defensemen. McCabe ranks second on the team among defensemen in time-on-ice per game, and leads Toronto defensemen in shorthanded time-on-ice per game.

Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point Leave With Injury

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The Tampa Bay Lightning’s injury woes could be getting worse. Star forwards Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point left Saturday night’s game against the Washington Capitals with injuries. Kucherov was hurt in the second period after getting knocked around in a scrum. Point also left in the second period with an undisclosed injury, though he made a brief return before leaving again in the third. Head coach Jon Cooper said that it was too soon to make a statement on either injury, per team reporter Gabby Shirley.

Rookie Dominic James also left the game in the second period with an apparent injury, but managed to return for the third.

Kucherov scored one goal and three points in the first period, helping set Tampa up for an eventual 5-3 win. It was the 44th time he has scored multiple points in the first period, a new Lightning record above Steven Stamkos’ 43 per the NHL Public Records. He ranks second on the Lightning in scoring on the year, with 19 points in 18 games. The superstar Russian has lost no momentum in his 12th NHL season, and would leave a major hole in the lineup and on the scoresheet should he need to miss time.

Point also remains a core piece of the Lightning’s offense. He has had a down year by his standards, with 11 points and a minus-10 in 20 games, though that mark still ranks fifth on the team in scoring. The Lightning lean on Point’s ability to play both between, and off of, star scorers Kucherov and Jake Guentzel. His absence would force the team to find another adaptable second-line center. It would also bump rookie Jack Finley back into the lineup. Finley has two points and a plus-one in eight games this season. He made his NHL debut last season, after scoring 28 points in 40 AHL games.

Tampa Bay is already facing injuries to top defenders Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh. Despite that, Saturday night’s win earned the Bolts a three-game win streak, and a 11-3-0 record over their last 14 games.

Flames Focused On Balancing Short-And-Long-Term In Trade Market

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The Calgary Flames have reached an impasse, stuck between whether to push for contention or rebuilding after a few up-and-down seasons. That gap widened on Friday, when team president Don Maloney said that the team shouldn’t blow up to try and build up the future in an interview with Sportsnet’s Eric Francis. Maloney added that general manager Craig Conroy has no restrictions on deals he thinks can impact the long-term, but reminded fans that Calgary must push through the short-term as well, pushing a need to stay competitive.

Calgary is shopping high-value veterans like Nazem Kadri and Rasmus Andersson just a few years after trading away a heap, including Noah Hanifin and Jacob Markstrom. They are plowing towards a new era, on the back of multiple young pros, but the kids haven’t quite proven themselves yet. Kadri and Andersson have helped supplement Calgary’s rookies while they find their spots in the lineup.

At the same time, the pair of vets could fetch serious returns in a buyer’s market. Kadri has 14 points in 22 games this season, and scored 35 goals and 67 points in 82 games last year. He remains a clear top-line scorer, who could boom on a stronger offense. The same can be said for scoring-defender Andersson, who has 12 points in 22 games this year and scored 11 goals and 31 points last year.

Landing more young firepower – like Winnipeg’s Brad Lambert or Anaheim’s Pavel Mintyukov – could be the piece that ramps up Calgary’s rebuild. But they’ll have to make sure they’re not jeporadizing their next few seasons to do it. It will be a balancing act for novice GM Conroy, and one that should underscore the future of Flames hockey.

Kraken Looking To Add Impact Winger, Re-Sign Jaden Schwartz

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The Seattle Kraken are searching for a balance between bolstering the lineup and not breaking the budget as the season goes on. Adding a top-six winger will be a top priority, but Seattle is taking a cautious approach with seven players headed for free agency, per David Pangotta of The Fourth Period on the latest episode of DFO Rundown. Of their free agents, re-signing winger Jaden Schwartz could be the fisrt to get something done, with Pagnotta adding that the two sides have already begun discussions that could ramp up in the Spring.

It is no surprise that re-signing Schwartz sits high on Seattle’s to-do list. The 33-year-old is a core piece of a young Seattle lineup. He has averaged over 17 minutes of ice time through 20 games this season and filled roles on both the power-play and penalty-kill. He’s recorded 15 points, 23 hits, and 40 shots on goal in the key role.

Schwartz’s performance is well in-line with what he’s offered Seattle through the last four seasons. He has challenged 40-point scoring pace in every year, and peaked with 26 goals and 49 points last season, his highest-scoring year since the 2019-20 season. He has held his role in Seattle’s lineup since he was selected by the club in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Before then, Schwartz filled a similar locked-in role through 10 seasons with the St. Louis Blues. His career-year came in 2014-15, when he scored 28 goals and 63 points in 75 games, though Schwartz scored more than 50 points in half of his years with the Blues. He was also a key part of the 2019 Stanley Cup winning Blues, scoring 20 points in 26 playoff games that year.

His veteran presence offers major support to the Kraken’s young forwards, especially with ramped-up scoring this year. But while his next contract could carry him through the 169 games he has left to reach 1,000, it will also likely be Schwartz’s last.

That will ramp up Seattle’s need for another heavy imapct in the top-six. The team has plenty of value in their prospect pool to afford some major additions on the trade market. They promoted Tyson Jugnauth, Carson Rehkopf, Kaden Hammell, Caden Price, and Lukas Dragicevic to the AHL this season – while 21-year-old Jagger Firkus ranks third in the AHL with 18 points in 15 games. Many of those players are destined to support Seattle’s next era, but they could clear the overstock in a buyer’s market next year.

The trade market features strong veterans like Nazem Kadri and Boone Jenner, or youngsters like Brad Lambert and Nicholas Robertson. With the model set by vets like Schwartz and Jordan Eberle, a 10-5-5 record this season, and plenty of buying power – the Kraken could be a perfect candidate to make one of the year’s biggest deals.

Then again, they could opt to wait until free agency when they have roughly $35MM in cap space to make a big purchase, per Pagnotta. The 2026 free agency market has dried up with a wave of key extensions but high-impact forwards Alex Tuch, Nick Schmaltz, and Evgeni Malkin still remain on the market. The trio will each challenge a salary north of $9MM should they make a team-change, but an exodus of unrestricted free agents will give Seattle enough turnover to build a new star into the lineup.

The Kraken seem set on taking their time with a big move, but a big move seems a matter of when and not if. Seattle has allowed the fourth-fewest goals in the NHL this season, but ranks third-to-last in goals scored. They’re in desperate need of another spark, even amid a 4-1 record over their last five games. That will set them up to be major buyers as the Trade Deadline and free agency roll around.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports.

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