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Blue Jackets Activate Boone Jenner, Reassign Luca Del Bel Belluz

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The Blue Jackets announced they’ve activated captain Boone Jenner from injured reserve, paving the way for him to return to the lineup tonight against the Senators as expected. Center Luca Del Bel Belluz was returned to AHL Cleveland in the corresponding move.

Jenner, 32, hasn’t played in exactly a month. He’s missed 14 games with an upper-body injury he sustained Nov. 11 against the Kraken. That news was initially of particular concern after Jenner missed the first several months of last season following shoulder surgery, but this injury ended up being unrelated.

Without their captain, the Jackets have treaded water with a 5-4-5 record. Even with collecting so many overtime/shootout losses, that hasn’t been enough to help them keep pace in the Eastern Conference playoff race. With sluggish contenders like the Panthers and Maple Leafs turning around their poor starts, Columbus’ 13-11-6 record has them third-last in the conference – although still well within reach of a playoff spot. While they have several teams to leapfrog, they’re only three points back of the Flyers for a wild-card spot and still have a respectable 20.9% chance of returning to the dance for the first time since 2020, per MoneyPuck.

Jenner will need to be a big part of that the rest of the way. The lifelong Jacket has been in something of a shooting slump since returning from his shoulder injury last year, finishing at a 9.8% clip. With 29 points in 42 games since then, though, his overall point production has remained a good bit above his career average. He’s got a 3-7–10 scoring line in 16 games this season, placing him sixth on the team at 0.63 points per game.

A natural center, Columbus has shifted Jenner to the wing as multiple young pivots come down the pike. He’s spent most of his time in the lineup flanking Adam Fantilli, usually with Kent Johnson on the opposite flank. They didn’t have great chemistry. Their 42.1% share of expected goals and 2.58 xGF/60 are the lowest among the Jackets’ five forward lines with at least 50 minutes together. Nonetheless, that trio is staying together in his return to the lineup, per Jeff Svoboda of NHL.com.

Del Bel Belluz’s second recall of the season draws to an end after nine days. He was summoned from Cleveland on an emergency basis on Dec. 2 after Mathieu Olivier landed on IR. With his presence on the roster no longer required to give Columbus 12 healthy forwards, they either had to return him to the AHL or shift his recall into a standard one.

In the last four games, the 22-year-old was a virtual non-factor. He had no points and an even rating while averaging 8:10 of ice time per game, going 8-for-19 on draws (42.1%) with five blocks. Limited ice time isn’t the best use of the 2022 second-round pick’s development. He’s done well when placed higher up in Columbus’ lineup before, posting eight points in 15 games last season when elevated into top-nine duties, but with his all-around ceiling not yet realized, it’s best to keep him in the minors until he’s fully ready to step into major minutes for the Jackets.

He’s likely not too far off from doing so. He’s operating at a point-per-game pace through 11 AHL contests after leading Cleveland with 27 goals in 61 games last year. They’ll continue to give him periodic check-ins at the NHL level to evaluate his game before he seriously competes for an opening-night job next fall.

Red Wings Place Mason Appleton On IR, Recall Erik Gustafsson

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The Red Wings announced that winger Mason Appleton has been placed on injured reserve, retroactive to Nov. 29, with a lower-body injury. Coming up from the AHL is veteran defenseman Erik Gustafsson to take his place on the active roster.

Appleton is already eligible to come off IR after missing at least seven days. He was only ticketed for a seven-to-10-day absence initially, so he’s already behind schedule and shouldn’t miss too much more time as a result. He won’t play tonight against the Oilers, but could return for this weekend’s tilt against the Blackhawks.

Appleton’s two-year, $5.8MM deal is the largest contract Detroit handed out to an external unrestricted free agent last offseason. The longtime Jets forward was brought in as a bottom-six fixture but has been deployed more as a top-nine piece, skating most of the time with some mix of Nate Danielson, Alex DeBrincat, and Marco Kasper. His production, though, hasn’t changed one bit from his career average. His three goals and nine points in 26 games fall right in line with his 0.35 lifetime points per game.

His ice time has also dipped. He’s averaging 13:34 per game for the Wings after skating at least 14 per game in each of the last five seasons for Winnipeg and Seattle. That’s despite playing a larger role on Detroit’s penalty kill than he did for the Jets. His 5-on-5 numbers aren’t anything special this year, either – he’s been outscored 17-14 and is bottom-three among Detroit forwards in most possession metrics.

They’ll no doubt be looking for smoother two-way play from him on the other side of this injury. In the meantime, Gustafsson will get his second stint on the roster this season after Simon Edvinsson left yesterday’s 4-3 win over the Flames with a lower-body injury, making him questionable for the second half of their Alberta back-to-back tonight. Detroit already had righty Travis Hamonic available as an extra, but Edvinsson is a left shot – as is Gustafsson – and they likely don’t want to force anyone to their offside.

Gustafsson is a skilled puck-mover and a great power-play option – he racked up 60 points with the Blackhawks back in 2018-19 – but he’s a defensive liability at even strength and wasn’t a good fit in a Detroit lineup that desperately needed to improve its 5-on-5 play to make a run at the playoffs this season. In the back half of a two-year, $4MM deal, he landed on waivers to begin the season and has spent most of the year in Grand Rapids aside from a five-day recall in November. He logged a -1 rating and two shots in his lone appearance of the season back on Nov. 26 against the Predators.

The veteran of 516 NHL games has dominated the minor-league circuit as his name circulates in trade talks, awaiting his next extended NHL opportunity. He’s clicking at a point per game through 14 appearances and is tied for second on Grand Rapids with a +13 rating.

Wild Place Mats Zuccarello, Jake Middleton On IR; Recall Two

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The Wild announced today they’ve recalled winger Nicolas Aubé-Kubel and defenseman Matt Kiersted from AHL Iowa. Those recalls come after defenseman Jacob Middleton and winger Mats Zuccarello left Monday’s 4-1 win over the Kraken with injuries. Both of them have now landed on injured reserve in the corresponding moves.

Minnesota kicks off a string of three games in four nights tonight against the Stars. Middleton and Zuccarello will be eligible for reinstatement after that stretch, with their earliest possible return date coming Dec. 16 against the Capitals. There isn’t much known about when Middleton will be available again. He left the game in the third period with what the team termed an upper-body injury, but it wasn’t clear when he was injured, and they haven’t issued a timeline for his return.

The Wild have cleaned things up defensively after a tough start, but the loss of a second-pairing fixture won’t help the Minnesota blue line. Middleton has six assists in 28 games this season, averaging 18:08 of ice time per game as the left-shot partner to captain Jared Spurgeon at even strength. Those two also make up the defensive nucleus of the Wild’s second penalty kill unit. At 5-on-5, he leads Minnesota defensemen with a 51.4% share of high-danger chances.

As usual, the Wild’s recalls aren’t expected to step directly into the lineup and will instead serve as press-box fodder while Minnesota’s usual healthy scratches fill in the gaps in the lineup. That means Daemon Hunt, who’s spent most of the season as the Wild’s extra rearguard, will be stepping directly into Middleton’s shoes alongside Spurgeon, per Joe Smith of The Athletic. He’s fresh, having played against Seattle because the Wild dressed 11 forwards and seven defenders, but was a healthy scratch in eight straight before that.

Zuccarello is also dealing with an upper-body issue, likely a facial injury. He took a hard tumble in the first period after being laid out by Seattle defender Vince Dunn in the first period and didn’t return, leaving the Wild with only 10 forwards for much of the game. Head coach John Hynes wasn’t particularly concerned about his status, per Sarah McLellan of The Minnesota Star Tribune, but they haven’t confirmed whether Zuccarello is day-to-day – or worse.

The 38-year-old Norwegian has already missed significant time once this season. He started experiencing a lower-body issue late in the offseason that caused him to miss the first 15 games. Since returning, he’s been stapled to his usual role opposite Kirill Kaprizov on Minnesota’s top line. His ever-consistent production since arriving in the Twin Cities didn’t miss a beat, rattling off a 2-10–12 scoring line. His 0.80 points per game put him third on the team behind Kaprizov and Matt Boldy.

An extended absence past the three-game mark would be significant, especially since the Wild are also without their usual top-line center, Marco Rossi, due to a foot/ankle fracture. He’s still week-to-week with no imminent return. Rookie Danila Yurov has stepped into the role over the last nine games and has one goal and four assists in that span.

Ben Jones and Tyler Pitlick will re-enter the lineup with Zuccarello out after serving as healthy scratches against Seattle, per Smith, returning the Wild to a traditional 12-forward alignment. They’ll flank Nico Sturm on the fourth line. Vladimir Tarasenko will be shifted up to replace Zuccarello alongside Kaprizov and Yurov, forming an all-Russian top unit. The four-time All-Star has three goals and 11 points in 23 games this season after Minnesota picked him up from the Red Wings for future considerations over the offseason.

Both Aubé-Kubel and Kiersted are ticketed for scratches tonight. Aubé-Kubel has already been recalled once this season, but wasn’t even rostered for a game. Minnesota summoned him from Iowa on Thanksgiving but returned him before their game against the Avalanche on Black Friday after they received confirmation that Ryan Hartman would return to the lineup following a four-game absence. The veteran of 304 NHL games signed a two-way deal with the Wild in the offseason and has contributed a 5-8–13 scoring line in 23 showings in the AHL, almost incomprehensibly tied for the team lead in scoring. Minnesota’s farm club has scored just 1.92 goals per game this season.

Kiersted, 27, was also a two-way pickup over the summer and is in his first year with the organization. The left-shot Minnesota native has 39 NHL games to his name, all with the Panthers, who signed him as an undrafted free agent out of North Dakota back in 2021. He was a dominant two-way threat in the minors last season, posting a league-best +34 rating with Charlotte, but has a -12 mark with just three assists in 23 games for Iowa.

Calgary Flames Reassign Dryden Hunt

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The Calgary Flames announced today that they have reassigned forward Dryden Hunt to the club’s AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers. The move ends Hunt’s most recent NHL stint, a period that began on Nov. 17.

It was a bit of a curious recall for Hunt, as despite being on the NHL roster for nearly a month, he only managed to dress for two NHL games. Hunt played in Calgary’s road games against the Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators on Nov. 30 and Dec. 2, respectively, but other than that two-game stretch spent the rest of his time on the NHL roster as a healthy scratch.

While Hunt surely would rather have been in head coach Ryan Huska’s nightly lineup, he did nonetheless benefit from his most recent recall. Hunt’s two-year contract carries an $825K NHL salary compared to a $400K AHL salary. He carries a $500K guarantee this season, meaning the time spent on the NHL roster will go a long way in helping Hunt push past that guarantee in terms of total compensation by the end of the year. Hunt’s recall also carried additional, albeit marginal long-term financial benefits, as he is credited for the games in which he was a healthy scratch for the purposes of his post-career pension.

Now 30 years old, Hunt remains in the prime of what has been an admirable pro career. Hunt worked his way up from the AHL to the NHL, becoming a full-time player as the 2020s began. Hunt got into a career-high 76 NHL games for the New York Rangers in 2021-22, scoring a career-high 17 points. Hunt bounced around a bit after that season, returning to the AHL on a mostly full-time basis for 2024-25 in Calgary.

A strong year with the Wranglers (point-per-game in 49 games) helped Hunt climb the Flames’ call-up priority list, and he skated in a total of five NHL games last season, notching three assists. Now back in the AHL, Hunt will likely resume his status as one of the team’s most reliable scorers with the hope of earning another call-up as the season progresses.

Tampa Bay Lightning Place Victor Hedman On IR, Recall Declan Carlile

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The Tampa Bay Lightning announced today that defenseman Victor Hedman has been placed on injured reserve. In a corresponding move, the club has recalled blueliner Declan Carlile from their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.

Hedman’s placement on IR comes as the latest in a long line of defensive injuries the club has had to contend with so far in 2025-26. Tampa has been forced to utilize a large portion of its defensive depth chart stretching down into Syracuse, and as a result, multiple Crunch blueliners, including Carlile, have received NHL games this season.

Carlile played in his first NHL game of the year on Nov. 18 and was with the Lightning playing games up until earlier this month. His most recent NHL game for the club came on Dec. 4.

Despite a defensive group that has been ravaged by injuries, the Lightning have been extremely successful this season. Relying on a patchwork group of defenders hasn’t slowed them down one bit and the team won seven of the nine NHL games Carlile has played in this season.

A 25-year-old undrafted blueliner, Carlile is a scouting and development success story for the Lightning organization. They plucked him out of the NCAA’s Merrimack College after his third season playing NCAA hockey, and he grew into a reliable top-four AHL defenseman during his time in Syracuse. Carlile got into his first NHL game in 2023-24 and has steadily climbed up the Lightning’s organizational ranks to become a higher-priority call-up option as the years have gone on.

Carlile’s development into a reliable call-up option is coming at a great time for the player. The two-year contract extension Carlile signed in June 2024 is set to expire at the end of this season, and the blueliner has set himself up to potentially receive a hefty AHL guarantee on his next deal. Carlile is currently owed a $350K guarantee for 2025-26, and if he can continue earning call-ups and NHL games, he could make a legitimate push to earn a one-way deal as a free agent this upcoming summer.

As for Hedman, he’s set to be sidelined once again in what has been an injury-plagued 2025-26 season. Hedman missed 12 games with an undisclosed injury, and it is unclear at this time whether Hedman’s IR placement today is related to the injury he was dealing with for most of November.

With that said, it’s hardly a good sign that Hedman, now 34 years old, is dealing with persistent injury issues given how healthy and crucial to the Lightning’s success he’s been throughout his Hall of Fame career.

East Injury Notes: Jenner, Drouin, Maple Leafs

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Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner will return to the ice tonight against the Ottawa Senators after an injury cost him a month of hockey. Team reporter Jeff Svoboda relayed word from Columbus Head Coach Dean Evason, who confirmed to the media today that Jenner would be returning. Jenner hasn’t played since Nov. 11 due to an upper-body injury.

Jenner’s return to the Blue Jackets’ lineup comes at an important time. Columbus has lost three straight games and needs to get back into the win column quickly if they’re going to keep pace in the Eastern Conference’s tight playoff race. Getting Jenner back while the team is set to play a key Eastern Conference opponent, who they could feasibly be in the running against for a Wild Card spot later in the season, makes today’s news all the more positive for the Blue Jackets. Jenner scored 10 points in 16 games before his injury and was averaging 16:06 time on ice per game, including usage on both sides of special teams.

Other injury notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • The Hockey News’ Stefen Rosner reported today that New York Islanders forward Jonathan Drouin was on the ice for the team’s morning skate. Per Rosner, this is Drouin’s first time skating back with the team since he took warmups before the team’s game against the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 4. Drouin has been out with a back injury since that point, and has so far missed four games. The veteran forward has three goals and 15 points in 26 games so far this season and is playing out the first year of the two-year, $4MM AAV free agent pact that brought him to Long Island.
  • Two notable injury updates emerged from Toronto Maple Leafs morning skate today. First, TSN and The Athletic’s Chris Johnston reported that Joseph Woll hit the ice today for the first time since his injury last week. While it’s unclear how close he is to a return to the lineup, today’s news represents a positive development in his recovery from the lower-body injury that landed him on IR. In addition to Woll, defenseman Morgan Rielly was spotted at morning skate, per The Hockey News’ David Alter. Rielly missed Toronto’s last practice with an illness, but appears to be back to game readiness. Rielly is Toronto’s No. 1 defenseman, averaging 22 minutes per night with 22 points in 28 games this season.

Capitals Place Ryan Leonard And Charlie Lindgren On IR, Recall Two

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12/11/2025: The Capitals issued an official update to Leonard’s status today, writing that Leonard “sustained a shoulder injury” during the Dec. 5 game against the Ducks, and that “his projected recovery time is approximately 3-4 weeks.” The Hockey News’ Sammi Silber called it a “positive update” for the Capitals, due to the fact that it does not appear Leonard will need surgery.

12/7/2025: The Washington Capitals this morning announced a series of transactions: they have placed forward Ryan Leonard and netminder Charlie Lindgren on IR, and recalled forward Bogdan Trineyev and goalie Clay Stevenson from their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears.

Both IR placements are retroactive to Friday, meaning the earliest they’ll be able to return is Dec. 12.

The biggest name in these transactions is that of Leonard, the No. 8 overall pick at the 2023 draft and one of the Capitals’ top young players. Leonard was on the wrong end of a hit from Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba in the team’s game Dec. 5, and appears to have suffered an upper-body injury as a result. Head coach Spencer Carbery said today that Leonard will miss “an extended period of time” with his injury.

Since the game, members of the Capitals, including Carbery and star forward Tom Wilson, have expressed frustration at Trouba’s hit on Leonard. Carbery said today of the hit: “it looks old school to me, like hunting a player that’s in a vulnerable spot.”

Wilson was critical of Trouba, saying the Ducks veteran “knows exactly what he was doing” and adding that Leonard was “in a vulnerable spot” when he was hit. Wilson has himself been suspended multiple times in the past for illegal checks, including a 20-game suspension for an illegal hit to the head delivered in a 2018 preseason contest.

Losing Leonard to IR as a result of Trouba’s hit is an unfortunate development for the Capitals. The rookie has impressed to start 2025-26, scoring 18 points in 29 games. His blend of competitiveness and skill is one many teams covet, and a combination of traits the Capitals have benefited from greatly whenever he’s been on the ice.

The forward the Capitals recalled to fill Leonard’s spot on the roster, Trineyev, isn’t likely going to be able to match what Leonard is able to contribute on a nightly basis. The 23-year-old has yet to make his NHL debut. He scored 22 points in 62 AHL games last season, but has seen his production tick upward so far this year. Trineyev has 12 points in 16 games for Hershey so far in 2025-26. Standing 6’3″, 206 pounds, Trineyev may at least be able to replace some of the physical edge Leonard provides, even if he is less likely to match Leonard’s offense.

Lindgren last played Dec. 3 and has been dealing with an upper-body injury. The 31-year-old is in his fourth season in Washington, and has established himself as a quality full-time NHLer in the American capital. He played a career-high 50 games in 2023-24, posting a .911 save percentage. His performance that season earned him a third-place Vezina Trophy vote and a fifth-place Hart Trophy vote, coming from The Hockey News’ Sammi Silber who covers the Capitals.

Lindgren hasn’t been quite as good since that point, ceding the No. 1 role in Washington to Logan Thompson. Lindgren has a .893 save percentage in 10 games this season and posted an .896 in 39 games last year. Lindgren’s replacement on the NHL roster while he’s on IR is Stevenson. Stevenson is part of a tandem with Garin Bjorklund in Hershey, and has impressed thus far in his AHL career.

He has a .910 save percentage in 11 games this season, and while he was not as good in 2024-25, he had a .922 in 36 starts as an AHL rookie in 2023-24. Stevenson has played in one career NHL game to this point, an April 17 contest last season where he made 33 saves in a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

New Jersey Devils Recall Xavier Parent

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The New Jersey Devils announced today that forward Xavier Parent has been recalled from the club’s AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.

In a corresponding move, veteran forward Evgenii Dadonov, who has been out since Nov. 26 with an undisclosed injury, was placed on IR by the club. It was reported in late November that Dadonov was likely to miss an extended period of time with his injury.

The move to recall Parent gives the Devils an additional forward on its roster while Timo Meier is away from the club on a personal leave of absence. Meier’s absence leaves a hole in the Devils’ top six, specifically on the wing on the club’s first line alongside captain Nico Hischier.

On paper, it doesn’t appear Parent would be an ideal fit for such an important role, largely due to the fact that he remains a complete unknown quantity at the NHL level. The 24-year-old undrafted former QMJHL star has spent the entirety of his professional career to this point in the minor leagues, working his way up from the ECHL to, now, the NHL.

Parent began his pro career with the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder in 2022, marking his entry into the wider Devils organization. (The Thunder are the Devils’ ECHL affiliate) While ECHL clubs generally act with a good degree of independence when it comes to the day-to-day hockey operations decision-making, Parent’s first pro contract was actually a two-year AHL deal with the Utica Comets.

Since the Comets’ hockey operations are run by executives who work for the Devils, (Devils AGM Dan MacKinnon serves as Comets GM) while Parent may not have occupied an NHL contract spot to begin his career, he has nonetheless spent his entire time as a pro under the watchful eye of Devils management.

Parent instantly impressed, turning a point-per-game ECHL rookie campaign into a full-time role in the AHL the following year. As an AHL rookie, Parent scored 15 goals and 45 points, earning himself an AHL contract extension for 2024-25. Parent continued his top-six production into 2024-25, earning himself an NHL entry-level deal for 2025-26.

It’s that entry-level signing, as well as Parent’s continued production, that’s earned him this recall, the first of his pro career. As a five-foot-eight undrafted winger, Parent has always battled steep odds en route to this call-up. But with the Devils in need of additional scoring, Parent placed himself in prime position to be recalled by leading Utica in scoring this season.

While it’s unclear whether Parent’s scoring ability (he has 12 points in 20 games for the Comets this season) will translate to the NHL level, his recall marks a genuine developmental success story for the Devils.

While much of the commentary regarding the Devils’ work in the AHL has been negative this season (the Comets are third-to-last in the AHL standings and are tied for the fewest goals scored), today’s recall of Parent does illustrate that there are still some positive storylines to follow in Utica.

Timo Meier Taking Personal Leave Of Absence

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The New Jersey Devils announced today that forward Timo Meier is taking a personal leave of absence to tend to a family health matter.

As is customary in situations such as these, no further detail was provided nor was a timeline on Meier’s absence noted. That’s to be expected in situations like these, where the hockey, to be frank, becomes completely secondary to whatever is going on in the player’s off-ice life.

The Devils said in their statement “The entire organization supports Timo and his family and appreciates everyone respecting their privacy at this time.”

While, as mentioned, the hockey implications are secondary in this sort of situation, it is important for us here at PHR to at least take a moment to break down the on-ice ripple effect of Meier’s absence.

The core takeaway is that the Devils’ leading scorer on a points-per-game basis, Jack Hughes, remains out with an injury, so Meier’s leave of absence only further emphasizes the importance of the other key offensive players on the Devils. The unfortunate side effect of this development is that players such as Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer, and rookie Arseni Gritsyuk now have an even greater level of importance to New Jersey’s efforts in terms of scoring goals.

Meier is in the midst of a strong offensive campaign, ranking third on the team in scoring with 11 goals and 23 points in 30 games. He’s a key power forward for the Devils, with at least 50 points in each campaign since arriving in New Jersey.

Meier is slotted in on the Devils’ first line alongside Hischier at the moment, but this development will mean head coach Sheldon Keefe will need to adjust his lineup. It’s possible veteran Ondrej Palat sees a promotion into Meier’s role while Meier is away from the team, or that Keefe elects to more substantially alter his lines beyond just promoting one player.

Again, while the hockey implications of this news might appear important, for the entire Devils organization, the hockey side of things is secondary to supporting Meier as he deals with this family health matter.

Wild Reportedly Have “Significant Interest” In Kiefer Sherwood

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The Minnesota Wild have reportedly “shown significant interest” in Vancouver Canucks veteran forward Kiefer Sherwood, according to The Athletic’s Michael Russo and Joe Smith.

Sherwood, a pending unrestricted free agent, is widely expected to be dealt by the Canucks before the trade deadline next year. According to Russo and Smith, “The Canucks have shopped him around the league and originally wanted a good, young prospect.”

Smith and Russo now cite league sources who tell them the Canucks “have since changed gears” in their expectations, and “now want a good roster player and have also asked teams for a first-round pick.”

Whether the Wild remain interested in trading for Sherwood specifically at that price remains unclear. Earlier this month, we covered reporting indicating that Sherwood clearly fits the exact kind of mold of player Wild GM Bill Guerin would like to acquire.

The 30-year-old is notoriously difficult to play against, combining pest-like attributes with a real physical edge to his game.

The sandpaper in Sherwood’s game (he registered a whopping 462 hits last season) pairs with Sherwood’s more recent emergence as a goal scorer to create a really intriguing player for teams to target.

Sherwood has already scored 12 goals this season, and he had 19 goals and 40 points last year. While he’s rapidly increasing his expected asking price in free agency next summer, he’s also rapidly increasing his overall on-ice value.

As for his potential trade fit in Minnesota, it’s important to also note that there is some recent history of substantial trade talks between the Wild and Canucks. Russo and Smith in the same piece as earlier reported that “the Canucks turned down an offer from the Wild” that would have sent Wild center Marco Rossi to Vancouver at the 2025 draft. Per Russo and Smith, the offer included the No. 15 overall pick, center Aatu Raty, and netminder Arturs Silovs.

While Sherwood has gone cold in terms of scoring over the past two weeks, it’s unclear whether that will play a role in changing the leaguewide interest in his services. The trade market for established NHLers has been widely characterized as slower than usual, with few teams embracing the role as true sellers.

The fact that the Canucks appear clearly motivated to deal their unrestricted free agents, even established NHLers, makes them unique in the overall trade market landscape of the NHL right now. As a result, it’s likely that the high level of trade interest in Sherwood will likely be immune to the game-to-game fluctuations in his form.

As for where Sherwood might fit in Minnesota, the clear objective for the Wild in pursuing him would be to help address their need for more secondary scoring. Stars Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy are doing a lot of the heavy lifting for the Wild in terms of production, and they’re the only two Wild players with a double-digit goals total so far in 2025-26.

Sherwood would add a third such player to their team, and would give head coach John Hynes a player who could easily slot in on their third line, perhaps in the spot of veteran Yakov Trenin. While Trenin’s salary ($3.55MM AAV) merits more of a third-line role, Trenin has produced like a fourth-liner in Minnesota. He has eight points in 30 games this season and scored just 15 points in 76 games last year.

Whether the Wild are in enough of a need of immediate secondary scoring help to surrender what the Canucks are asking for in exchange for Sherwood is not clear at this time. For as many positive qualities Sherwood brings on the ice, trading a first-round pick as well as a “good roster player” for him is a steep price.

The Wild are already without second-round picks in each of the next two drafts thanks to prior transactions. Consequently, Guerin may need to think carefully before spending another premium draft asset on immediate help.

When it comes to acquiring Sherwood, or any other veteran player for that matter, Minnesota will need to carefully balance the value of immediate help versus the risks of depleting the resources the team’s amateur scouting department, led by Judd Brackett, will have at their disposal next year.

Photos courtesy of Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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