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Wild Reassign Ben Jones, Carson Lambos

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Dec. 19: Minnesota announced it has reassigned Jones to AHL Iowa after clearing waivers, along with defenseman Carson Lambos. The 22-year-old Lambos made his NHL debut in Columbus last night after being recalled on Wednesday, recording a +1 rating and a shot on goal in 10:16 of ice time. After reassigning Nicolas Aubé-Kubel and David Spacek to Iowa earlier today, the Wild now has four open roster spots with only 11 forwards and six defensemen available for tomorrow’s game against the Oilers, ensuring multiple IR activations are coming between now and then.

Dec. 18: The Wild placed forward Ben Jones on waivers today, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. If he clears, he’s still expected to remain with the team, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Jones clearing waivers now means they won’t need to expose him again if they decide to send him to the minors in the 30 days following his clearance. It also makes him eligible to be assigned to the AHL during the holiday roster freeze if they need a spot to activate a player from injured reserve.

The 26-year-old will make his 20th appearance of the season and 48th of his career tonight against the Blue Jackets. He’s gone the previous 47 without recording a point, setting a post-expansion era record for most career games without an appearance on the scoresheet. The only player in league history to log more appearances with zero career points is defenseman Gord Strate, who played 62 games for the Red Wings in the late 1950s.

A lack of surplus options in the minors, plus a continually rotating cast of injuries to Minnesota’s forward group, has kept him in the lineup. For what it’s worth, the former seventh-round pick of the Golden Knights hasn’t been given many opportunities to score. He’s started just 22.2% of his even-strength shifts in the offensive zone, getting understandably shelled with a 35.0 CF% and getting outscored 6-1.

Jones brings two things to the table: faceoff acumen and physicality. The 6’0″ pivot leads the team with a 57.8% win rate on the dot this year (min. 100 draws) and ranks fourth with 2.47 hits per game.

Oilers Have Made Multiple Attempts To Acquire Alex Lyon

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The Oilers have called the Sabres “a couple of times in recent weeks” about the availability of goaltender Alex Lyon, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast.

Friedman implied that Edmonton had looked at Lyon for goaltending depth in the past. It’s unclear if they made a pass at signing him in free agency last summer before Buffalo inked him to a two-year, $3MM deal.

Lyon was named the Sabres’ opening night starter after a training camp injury made Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen unavailable. The journeyman vet started strong, rattling off a .923 SV% through his first seven starts, but has since regressed significantly. He only made four appearances in November as Luukkonen and waiver claim Colten Ellis took over the majority of the duties, and his numbers on the year now read as a .904 SV%, 2.99 GAA, and 3.9 GSAx, per MoneyPuck.

That’s still the best performance out of the Sabres’ three netminders, though, and great value for his $1.5MM price tag. Nonetheless, newly promoted general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen has indicated he wants to end Buffalo’s three-goalie rotation once Ellis clears concussion protocol and is activated from injured reserve, according to Friedman. With his voice being a significant factor in influencing Ellis’ waiver claim in the first place and Luukkonen inked through the 2028-29 campaign, Lyon will likely be moved to get Buffalo back to a more traditional starter/backup split between Ellis and Luukkonen.

Edmonton’s pursuit of Lyon will presumably only get more aggressive after they lost Tristan Jarry to a lower-body injury last night. He’s departed the Oilers’ road trip and is returning home for evaluation. Connor Ingram and his 102 games of NHL experience were recalled from the Bakersfield Condors to supplement struggling backup Calvin Pickard in Jarry’s absence.

But Ingram has been the worst starter/tandem netminder in the AHL by a significant margin this season with a .856 SV%. Pickard’s NHL numbers this season – a .857 SV% and 3.91 GAA – are barely any better.

Jarry had largely fared well since his arrival in Alberta last week, but with him out, they don’t have a clear-cut NHL-caliber option, let alone a starter. Bringing in Lyon would allow the Oilers to then trade or waive Pickard, although with seven goalies already under contract in the organization, they’d likely prefer the former.

Teams swapping out their opening-night tandem by the time New Year’s Day rolls around is a rare occurrence, but if Edmonton brings in Lyon to supplant Pickard as the new No. 2 behind Jarry, it’ll have happened two years in a row. The Oilers’ desired series of moves is strikingly similar to the set of trades the Avalanche pulled off in November and December last year, sending starter Alexandar Georgiev to the Sharks for Mackenzie Blackwood and swapping backup Justus Annunen for Scott Wedgewood with the Predators.

Image courtesy of Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images.

Assessing Potential Under-The-Radar Trade Candidates

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After two major trades last week involving players like Quinn Hughes, Marco Rossi, Tristan Jarry, and Stuart Skinner, the trade bait boards in the media have removed several names from the potential trade list. There are still many clear candidates available for trade, including Ryan O’Reilly, Rasmus Andersson, Alex Tuch, and Yegor Chinakhov. However, beyond that initial group of obvious options, there are less obvious, under-the-radar players who might come into play as the next few months unfold.

We start with a couple of Jets players who are near the bottom of the NHL standings and have been a colossal disappointment this season. Much of their struggles are due to three-time Vezina Trophy winner (and last season’s Hart Trophy winner) Connor Hellebuyck missing three weeks after an arthroscopic knee procedure on Nov. 21.

If this slow start persists, the Jets have two veterans, Gustav Nyquist and Jonathan Toews, who could be trade targets if Winnipeg decides to punt on this season. With just six assists in 24 games, Nyquist hasn’t been a fit in Winnipeg. The 36-year-old is on a one-year deal worth $3.25MM that he signed on July 1 and is only two years removed from posting 75 points in 81 games with the Predators.

Should Winnipeg make Nyquist available, he will attract significant interest due to his veteran experience and passing skills. Make no mistake, Nyquist is somewhat one-dimensional at this stage in his career, but he can also contribute on the penalty kill and occasionally score. Last year at the trade deadline, Nashville traded Nyquist to the Wild for a second-round pick; however, his performance this season (and last year) makes that return unlikely. Nyquist doesn’t have trade protection on his current deal.

Initially, Toews’ story was an incredible demonstration of perseverance and grit in getting back to the NHL. The Jets took a chance on Toews, hoping he could regain his spot as an NHL center in their top six, or at least their top nine. That hasn’t happened so far, as Toews has struggled to keep up with today’s NHL pace, which is understandable given his health issues and the time he was away from the game.

Winnipeg misjudged how effective Toews would be, and they are now paying the price in the standings because of a significant gap in their forward group. That said, they are still in the playoff hunt, and with an intense stretch of play, they could contend again. However, if they stumble, they might consider moving Toews if he’s willing to waive his no-move clause. Since he returned home to play for the Jets, it’s unlikely they will trade him or that he will accept a deal, but if Winnipeg’s struggles persist, it could become a real possibility.

Toews has been moved to the fourth line (along with Nyquist) and has scored just three goals and six assists in 33 games this season with a -13 rating while averaging 15:33 of ice time per game. Those stats mark the worst production of Toews’ career. He’s appeared slow this year, and Winnipeg seems like a team playing in slow motion when he is on the ice. It raises the question of whether they can continue to include him in the lineup.

The Jets signed Toews to make a substantial impact in the playoffs, but if the playoffs look unlikely, it makes sense to see if they can find him a team that will qualify and receive a small return. That is, if he wishes to play elsewhere.

Sticking with the Western Conference, the Blues have also disappointed this season, after pushing the Jets to the very limit in last year’s playoffs. St. Louis is a team caught between being a playoff contender and an up-and-coming squad, and it’s fair to wonder how many veterans they might move this season. Much has been said about Jordan Kyrou, Jordan Binnington, and Brayden Schenn, all of whom are on many trade candidate lists, but one name that isn’t talked about often is forward Mathieu Joseph.

Joseph is a Stanley Cup champion who could be a reliable addition to a contending team looking to strengthen its depth. The 28-year-old has a good shot, can kill penalties, and plays with a lot of speed. He is carrying a $2.95MM cap hit in the final year of a four-year deal and won’t cost a fortune for any team aiming to improve their lineup. Joseph would also bring a bit of physicality to the bottom of a forward group, making him a strong candidate for a trade.

Switching over to the Eastern Conference, a name that emerges as a somewhat under-the-radar trade candidate is defenseman Ryan Shea. The Penguins signed Shea to a one-year NHL contract in the summer of 2023 that included a $775K guarantee, despite him having never played an NHL game up to that point.

Shea had spent three seasons in the Stars’ minor league system after captaining Northeastern University in the NCAA. The 28-year-old is once again heading for free agency next summer and was earlier projected by AFP Analytics to receive a one-year deal worth just over $1MM.

However, his performance this season (two goals and 11 assists in 33 games) has raised his value, and he could be eyeing a multi-year contract considering his age and recent form. The Penguins have over $54MM in cap space for next season (as per PuckPedia) and could easily re-sign him, but it remains uncertain whether he fits into their long-term plans given their projected window of contention. If they see him as part of their top-six forward group, he will sign and stay; if not, he should be an available trade asset before the deadline due to his $900K cap hit.

Lastly, we have Teddy Blueger of the Canucks. Blueger has played just two games this season due to a lower-body injury, but is expected to return after Christmas, making him a likely trade candidate given his upcoming free agency next summer.

Blueger is a dependable pro and a consistent presence; he is a fourth-line center, no more, no less. The 31-year-old is in the final season of a two-year deal paying him $1.8MM and is likely to get a raise if he can return to the lineup and perform at his best. Blueger has been remarkably consistent throughout his career, peaking at 28 points in a season, a number he has reached multiple times.

Blueger isn’t overly big or fast, but he is an excellent forechecker and has some offensive skills beyond goal scoring, which he isn’t particularly good at. He is a smart player both offensively and defensively, especially on the penalty kill, where he has been excellent historically.

All these factors make Blueger a prime candidate to be moved before the deadline, given his timeline and the Canucks’ plans. Vancouver is about as unpredictable as any team can be right now, but Blueger has a Stanley Cup on his resume and will be sought after by playoff-bound teams, which Vancouver is not.

Flames Waive Dryden Hunt, Recall Justin Kirkland

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Dec. 19: Hunt cleared waivers and can now be reassigned to the Wranglers, per Friedman.

Dec. 18: The Flames placed forward Dryden Hunt on waivers Thursday, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The move will allow Calgary to assign him to the AHL before the holiday roster freeze goes into effect Saturday if he clears.

Calgary later announced it’s recalled forward Justin Kirkland from the Wranglers, signaling Hunt will be heading down to the AHL tomorrow if he clears and should remain there through the holiday freeze, barring multiple injuries. The 29-year-old Kirkland was on the Flames’ opening night roster but was waived in November after scoring one assist in nine games.

In 14 games for the Wranglers since being demoted, he’s rattled off five goals and two assists with a -8 rating. He’s now set for another run at being Calgary’s 13th forward. The Flames have an open roster spot, so they don’t need to wait for Hunt to clear waivers before adding Kirkland to the roster.

This is Hunt’s fifth time on waivers since the Flames acquired him from the Maple Leafs before the 2023 trade deadline, and his second time this season, so it seems likely he’ll pass through without incident. Calgary hasn’t leaned on the 30-year-old for much playing time over three separate recalls this season, as he’s only entered the lineup twice. However, since he’s now spent more than 30 days on the active roster since clearing waivers during training camp, he now needs them again to return to the minors.

While the nine-year NHL vet may not be of much use to the Flames outside of serving as a no-fuss 13th forward, he’s continued to light up the AHL. In 16 games for the Calgary Wranglers this season, the 6’0″ winger has five goals, 13 assists, and 18 points to lead the team in points per game (1.13).

Without Hunt rostered, Calgary won’t be carrying any extra forwards. They can still add him back to the active roster during the freeze if they sustain an injury because not being able to ice 12 forwards counts as an emergency condition. They might also simply keep him on the roster if he clears tomorrow, resetting the 30-day clock until he needs them again.

Flyers To Reassign Egor Zamula

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Dec. 19: Zamula cleared waivers and will be reassigned to Lehigh Valley, according to Friedman.

Dec. 18: The Flyers have waived left-shot defenseman Egor Zamula, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.

Zamula has been a healthy scratch in five straight contests and has only played in 13 out of 32 games on the year. When Philadelphia needed some extra defensive depth earlier this month as Cameron York sustained a minor injury, they opted to make a roster move and recall Ty Murchison from the AHL instead of playing Zamula.

That was a clear indication that the writing was on the wall for his standing on the active roster. Today is the last day for teams to waive a player if they want to send him down to the minors before the holiday roster freeze begins on Dec. 20.

If Zamula clears and reports to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, it will mark his first minor-league action since the 2022-23 season. Now in his sixth NHL campaign, the 25-year-old had played 60-plus games for the Flyers in each of the last two seasons but was only on pace for 33 appearances this year.

The 6’3″ lefty looked like he could make a push for a fringe top-four role long-term after breaking out with 21 points and a +3 rating in 66 games in 2023-24, but his production has declined from that summit. This season, he’s got a +4 rating in 13 outings but has only managed one assist while averaging 14:02 of ice time per game, a decrease of over two minutes from last year.

Zamula is in the back half of the two-year, $3.4MM deal he signed with Philly as a restricted free agent in 2024. The Flyers can remove $1.15MM of his $1.7MM cap hit if they bury him in the minors, leaving them on the hook for a $550K cap charge if he’s in the AHL. If he’s not claimed, it’s clear the Flyers will be walking away from Zamula next offseason instead of extending him the $1.4MM qualifying offer he’s owed.

Oilers Recall Connor Ingram, Place Tristan Jarry On IR

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12:30 p.m.: The Oilers made all three roster moves official, recalling Ingram and placing Jarry on IR while shifting Roslovic to LTIR.

12:10 p.m.: The Oilers are expected to recall goaltender Connor Ingram from AHL Bakersfield before tomorrow’s game against the Wild, Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports. Starter Tristan Jarry is leaving the road trip and returning to Edmonton to undergo evaluation on the lower-body injury that knocked him out of last night’s win over the Bruins.

Jarry will likely be placed on injured reserve to open the roster spot for Ingram’s recall, but that’s not the only roster move Edmonton will need to make. Adding Ingram to the roster will incur a $1.15MM cap charge, but the Oilers have already dipped significantly into their LTIR pool and have just $59K in cap space, per PuckPedia.

Edmonton can add $1.44MM to its LTIR pool by transferring forward Jack Roslovic from standard IR to LTIR. He’s already missed 10 games and 24 days with an undisclosed injury, satisfying LTIR minimums. He was initially set to return around Christmas but has yet to resume skating. Doing so would create enough flexibility to add Ingram to the roster.

Ingram, 28, is two years removed from posting a league-leading six shutouts and a 23-21-8 record in 48 starts for the Coyotes in their final season. After moving to Utah, Ingram only managed a .882 SV% and 3.27 GAA in 22 games, limited by an upper-body injury, until his season ended in March as a result of entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.

The 2016 third-round pick by the Lightning entered training camp as the Mammoth’s No. 3 option behind Karel Vejmelka and free agent pickup Vítek Vaněček, but he didn’t report as he and Utah mutually agreed to part ways with a year remaining on his contract. After clearing waivers in September, he was traded to the Oilers with salary retained to serve as a high-ceiling third-stringer behind their questionable NHL tandem of the since-traded Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard.

Ingram likely hoped the Oilers’ questions between the pipes and a starting role in AHL Bakersfield would help provide him with a long-term path back to the NHL. So far, that hasn’t been the case. His .856 SV% in 11 games is the worst in the league by 15 percentage points among netminders with at least 10 games, and he’s the only one of the group with a GAA above four (4.04).

He’s actually recorded fewer starts than fellow veteran Matt Tomkins in Bakersfield as a result. While Tomkins has a far superior .893 SV% and 3.30 GAA in 15 showings, it’ll be the theoretically higher-ceiling and more experienced Ingram getting the call to serve as Pickard’s backup for the time being while Jarry works toward a return.

Image courtesy of Brad Penner-Imagn Images.

Wild Reassign Nicolas Aube-Kubel, David Spacek

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The Wild announced Friday that they’ve reassigned winger Nicolas Aubé-Kubel and defenseman David Spacek to AHL Iowa ahead of tomorrow’s roster freeze. They’re now left with two open roster spots, which could be used for at least one injured reserve activation before Saturday afternoon’s tilt with the Oilers.

Minnesota is coming off a 5-2 win over the Blue Jackets last night despite having an injury list with seven names on it, five of which are on IR. Most of those names are also carrying day-to-day designations and haven’t yet been ruled out for tomorrow’s game.

The two non-IR-bound players are winger Marcus Johansson and defenseman Zach Bogosian, both of whom sustained lower-body injuries against the Bruins on Dec. 14. They’re the likeliest to return to action, but Jonas Brodin and Vinnie Hinostroza are also listed as day-to-day and are eligible to come off IR as they’ve missed more than a week.

Aubé-Kubel had played in Minnesota’s last four games, his first appearances for the Wild, after sitting as a scratch once following his recall last week. The eight-year vet recorded an assist, a +1 rating, and four hits while averaging 12:08 per game, usually slotting in place of Hinostroza as the third line right wing alongside Marcus Foligno and Ryan Hartman. That line had good results in limited minutes, controlling 60% of expected goals and shot attempts.

Signed to a two-way deal over the summer, the 29-year-old has also made 23 appearances for Iowa. He’s third on the Baby Wild in goals (five), assists (eight), and second in points (13) with a -4 rating.

Spacek’s second recall of the season ends the way his first one did – without making an appearance. The 22-year-old righty is still looking to make his NHL debut after sitting in the press box Thursday in Columbus.

A fifth-round pick in 2022, Spacek is still looking for his first goal of the season with Iowa but is tied for the team lead with 11 assists. He’s coming off a 31-point breakout in 72 games last year and might still profile as a long-term depth option if he stays on his current trajectory.

Tyler Seguin Undergoes ACL Surgery, Not Yet Ruled Out For Season

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The Stars announced today that forward Tyler Seguin had surgery to repair his previously reported torn right ACL on Tuesday. They haven’t yet decided on a timeframe for his return, though, leaving the door open for him to return this season. They’ll reevaluate him and issue a more specific timeframe after the Olympic break, general manager Jim Nill said.

Still, the prognosis doesn’t look good. Undergoing the procedure a full two weeks after he sustained the tear shortens the runway as well. At the time, head coach Glen Gulutzan said they were operating under the assumption that Seguin wouldn’t be back this year.

He can almost surely be ruled out for the regular season. Getting him back for Game 82 would require a turnaround time of four months, essentially unheard of for an ACL tear. His postseason availability is what’s in play, a decision that, for the practical purposes of an all-in contender like the Stars, needs to be made before the March 6 trade deadline.

Seguin has already been placed on long-term injured reserve. Under the extended Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Stars can only get a fraction of Seguin’s $9.85MM cap hit in relief. Because they haven’t ruled him out for the season – including the playoffs – he’s only contributing $3.82MM to their LTIR pool, which currently stands at $5.36MM with Lian Bichsel and Adam Erne also on LTIR.

Ruling him out for the playoffs, a process that requires approval from the league, team medical staff, the player, and the NHLPA, would allow the Stars to apply Seguin’s full cap hit to their LTIR pool, giving them nearly $6MM in added flexibility to make trades before the deadline. Since they’re already in LTIR, they’re not accruing cap space, so the timing of making that decision is inconsequential. All that matters is making the call before executing their inevitable pre-deadline pickup.

The 33-year-old Seguin isn’t quite clicking at the point-per-game pace he flashed in similarly limited availability last season, but he was still a valuable second-line asset with seven goals and 17 points in 27 games before the ACL tear. He was averaging 16:40 of ice time per game, notably his highest workload in four years.

Image courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.

Ottawa Senators Reassign Dennis Gilbert

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The Ottawa Senators have made a roster move ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Ottawa shared that they’ve reassigned depth defenseman Dennis Gilbert to the AHL’s Belleville Senators.

Fortunately, the transaction is for a positive reason. Thomas Chabot, who returned to practice as a full participant on Wednesday, is expected to be activated from the injured reserve and be in the lineup tomorrow afternoon. Chabot has been nursing an upper-body injury for the last month.

Gilbert, 29, is in his second stint with the Senators organization. He was acquired by the team last offseason in the deadline deal that brought Dylan Cozens to Ottawa. He signed with the Philadelphia Flyers last summer as an unrestricted free agent and was later traded back to the Senators in November for Max Guenette.

Despite the pair of trades, Gilbert has only appeared in five games with Ottawa, registering one assist and a -1 rating. He earned far more time with the Buffalo Sabres last season, tallying five assists in 25 contests.

Still, that hasn’t meant more ice time in the AHL. Even though he only appeared in 29 games last season, Gilbert spent the entire year on an NHL roster. This year, he battled some injury concerns earlier on, so he’s only managed nine AHL contests between Belleville and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Assuming the Senators’ defensive core can remain healthy, Gilbert will have a consistent home for the next little while.

St. Louis Blues Reassign Matt Luff

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The St. Louis Blues announced that they’ve assigned depth forward Matt Luff to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds. The Blues are down to 21 players on the active roster.

St. Louis likely felt comfortable reassigning Luff given yesterday’s injury updates. According to Lou Korac of The Hockey News, all three of Jordan Kyrou, Jimmy Snuggerud, and Nathan Walker were skating yesterday morning. The expectation is that Kyrou will return to play against the Florida Panthers tomorrow.

Today’s reassignment concludes Luff’s first playing time in the NHL since the 2022-23 campaign. He skated in five games for the Blues, registering one goal with a -2 rating while averaging 9:08 of ice time in a fourth-line role.

He’ll return to a Thunderbirds where he’s joined the best stretch of his professional career, at least in the AHL. Throughout the past two years in Springfield, Luff has scored 25 goals and 59 points in 67 games with a -14 rating. Despite spending the last two weeks with the Blues, Luff remains third on the Thunderbirds in scoring this season.

It may not be his last pit stop in St. Louis this season. Given their current trajectory, the Blues are expected to sell off a few pieces leading up to the trade deadline, especially at the forward position. Should that come to fruition, Luff may find his way back to the NHL for the last stretch of the regular season.

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