Washington Capitals Reassign Brett Leason
The Washington Capitals announced today that forward Brett Leason has been reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears.
The move opens a roster spot for the Capitals, a notable development as the team has three forwards on IR who would need to be activated before they can return to the lineup: Tom Wilson, Justin Sourdif, and Pierre-Luc Dubois. Dubois is expected to be out long-term, but Wilson or Sourdif could return on a shorter timeline.
The Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson wrote that Leason’s reassignment is a “good indication” that Wilson “is getting close to returning,” perhaps as soon as Monday against the Colorado Avalanche.
While Wilson’s impending return is undoubtedly good news for the Capitals — the 31-year-old has scored 22 goals and 42 points in 41 games this season, and was named to Canada’s Olympic roster — it’s more difficult news for Leason, whose most recent stint in the NHL has now concluded.
Leason, 26, was recalled on Jan. 7 and ended up playing in six games for the Capitals. While he wasn’t able to land on the scoresheet, his size and heft (he stands 6’5″, 220 pounds) earned him a small amount of power play time in three separate contests.
It’s not the most common occurrence for bottom-six call-ups to get any look on an NHL power play, so Leason at the very least got a more significant opportunity than many other players in similar situations.
In total, Leason averaged 8:34 time on ice per game, registering 10 hits in six games, but just one shot on goal. Washington went 2-4-0 with Leason in the lineup. He’ll now return to Hershey, the team where he made his professional debut as a second-round pick in 2019-20.
Leason has scored a healthy 14 points in 20 games for the Bears, a solid scoring rate and one to be expected for a player who has mostly played in the NHL over the last few years. Washington lost Leason on waivers to the Anaheim Ducks in 2022, and Leason went on to skate in 184 NHL games for the Ducks.
The Ducks non-tendered Leason after he scored 17 points in 62 games last season, leading to the player’s return to the Capitals organization. Leason signed with Washington on Oct. 27 after spending the preseason on a PTO with the Minnesota Wild and a brief stint on an AHL PTO with the Charlotte Checkers.
This year is a significant one for the pending UFA, especially from a financial perspective. While he made $1.05MM on his most recent Ducks contract, the deal he signed with the Capitals after being non-tendered not a one-way contract. Leason’s one-year, two-way deal carries a $775K NHL salary and a $250K AHL salary. Undoubtedly, Leason will want to continue his level of production for the Bears in order to earn as many recalls back to Washington as possible this season.
Not only will recalls back to the NHL hold an immediate financial benefit, but the more time he can spend in the NHL, the better-positioned he’ll be to get back to a one-way contract as a free agent in the summer.
Kirby Dach Nearing Return From Injury
Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach is “very close to a return to the lineup,” and could be activated off long-term injured reserve in time for the team’s game Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild, reports Arpon Basu of The Athletic.
Dach’s impending return was signaled when he skated without restriction at practice in Ottawa. Fellow injured forward Patrik Laine also skated without restriction, though it’s unclear what his full return timeline is at this stage.
The 24-year-old suffered a fractured foot in November. He most recently played Nov. 15 against the Boston Bruins. Dach has missed 30 consecutive games as a result, with this injury (as well as an earlier lower-body ailment) limiting him to 15 games played in 2025-26.
Unfortunately, injuries have become the dominant storyline in Dach’s career not only since he arrived in Montreal, but even stretching back to his days as a top prospect with the Chicago Blackhawks.
The No. 3 pick of the 2018 draft was limited to just 18 games in his sophomore season (2020-21) due to injury, something that clearly hampered his development and helped pave his way out of Chicago.
Dach impressed early after arriving in Montreal, scoring 38 points in his first campaign as a Canadien, flashing some chemistry on the team’s top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.
Injuries limited Dach to 58 games in that campaign, though, and while he looked exceptional in the first game of the 2023-24 campaign, he suffered a season-ending injury in the Canadiens’ second game of the season.
Dach returned for 2024-25, but injuries again limited his effectiveness alongside his availability. Having lost his spot next to Caufield and Suzuki to 2022 No. 1 pick Juraj Slafkovsky, Dach only managed 22 points and an injury limited him to just 57 games played.
Through 15 games of 2025-26, Dach had seven points. If he is indeed able to return to the lineup at some point soon, a significant opportunity could be in reach. While Slafkovsky had usurped Dach’s former place on the Canadiens’ top line and held it firmly, the Slovak forward has since been moved to the Canadiens’ second line, forming a deadly trio with rookies Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen.
As a result, the Canadiens have been forced to rotate several forwards in Slafkovsky’s former lineup spot alongside Suzuki and Caufield. Zachary Bolduc was tried at first, but his ineffectiveness prompted head coach Martin St. Louis to try midseason signing Alexandre Texier on that line.
Texier recently inked a two-year, $2.5MM AAV extension with the Canadiens, and has performed very well so far next to the Canadiens’ two star forwards, scoring 16 points in 27 games. That could indicate that Texier will remain next to Suzuki and Caufield for the foreseeable future. But if Texier falters at any point, Dach could be next in line to get a shot on Montreal’s top line.
If that can happen, it would be a massive opportunity for Dach to rebuild his confidence and his stock in the eyes of Canadiens decision-makers in advance of his upcoming restricted free agency.
Regardless of where he ends up playing in Montreal’s lineup, the key for Dach, arguably more than even finding a way to produce, is going to be finding a way to stay healthy. For as talented as he can be, his chronic lack of availability threatens to undercut his value proposition to NHL teams.
As a 6’4″ forward who can play center or the wing, and has the coveted combination of size and skill, he should be a player NHL teams trip over themselves to get their hands on. Injuries have, so far, kept him from achieving that status. More than anything else, Dach will need to show he can put those injuries behind him if he’s going to maximize his value as an NHL player.
Photos courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Bruins Lead Pursuit Of Flames’ Rasmus Andersson
Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson is one of the top players available for trade at this stage in the 2025-26 season, and as a result, his name has featured heavily in recent reporting as he figures to be dealt at some point in the near future. Numerous developments have been reported regarding Andersson, and on yesterday’s Saturday Headlines segment on Sportsnet’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, Elliotte Friedman issued a few notable updates on Andersson’s status.
According to Friedman, “the team that appears to be in the driver’s seat” is the Boston Bruins. Friedman characterized Boston’s interest in Andersson as “very serious,” and added that not only has Boston made Calgary an offer that is believed to be more to Calgary’s liking than the offers of other suitors (such as the Vegas Golden Knights), but they are also the only team, per Friedman, that has permission from the Flames to conduct extension talks with Andersson’s representatives.
Those extension talks between Boston and Andersson’s camp, which is led by Claude Lemieux of 4Sports Hockey, were characterized as “pretty significant” by Friedman. The talks are significant for all parties involved, as the Bruins’ interest in trading for Andersson is reportedly entirely contingent on being able to secure his agreement on a long-term extension.
Because the Bruins are only interested in trading for Andersson if they can sign him to a contract extension, it tracks that their offer to the Flames appears to be more substantive, at this stage, than the offers made by other suitors.
Generally speaking, teams are more willing to part with quality trade assets if they’re receiving a core player in return, rather than a rental.
While the Vegas Golden Knights appear confident that they’d be able to sign Andersson, the fact that the Bruins would only make this trade with an extension in place has a key implication: it means that their trade offer to the Flames takes into consideration, from the outset, the fact that they’d be acquiring a core piece rather than a rental player.
Right now, per Friedman, Vegas’ offer “is not seen” to be as strong as Boston’s. While he cited both the Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs as other teams in the mix, the Bruins are seen as the clear front-runner to acquire the Flames blueliner.
As for what Andersson might cost Boston, there’s no firm indication as to what the Bruins have included in their offer to Calgary. If the Flames are looking for, at minimum, a first-round pick and a quality prospect, perhaps one that is close to NHL ready, the Bruins have some options to play with.
Boston could dangle a top-five-protected Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2026 first round pick, the one they acquired in last year’s Brandon Carlo deal, as a core part of their offer. The Maple Leafs are currently on the outside of the playoff picture, meaning the pick could be one that participates in the draft lottery.
While it’s almost guaranteed Boston would be trading at least one of its first-rounders in any Andersson deal, it’s less immediately clear what sort of prospect (or prospects) they might have included in their offer to the Flames. Their prospect pool is in better shape than it’s been in recent years, rising to a No. 17 ranking among systems across the league, per Elite Prospects.
One has to assume 2025 No. 7 pick James Hagens is off the table as Boston’s No. 1 prospect and a key piece of the team’s future. 2024 first-rounder Dean Letourneau has had a stellar sophomore season at Boston College, but the Bruins may be loath to surrender the 6’7″ pivot alongside a high-end draft choice.
2021 first-rounder Fabian Lysell has been unable to break into the NHL with the Bruins, and an Andersson trade could serve as his opportunity to receive a change of scenery. But Lysell may not hold enough value at this stage to be the centerpiece prospect of an Andersson offer, though he is far closer to the NHL than No. 2-ranked prospect Letourneau or No. 4 prospect William Moore.
Other possibilities from Boston’s system include World Juniors standout Will Zellers, first-year pro center Dans Locmelis, and Youngstown Phantoms star Cooper Simpson.
While one of these names appears likely to have been included in Boston’s offer for Andersson, there’s no guarantee any of them will end up ultimately being dealt by the Bruins. Other teams are still in the mix to secure Andersson’s services. Although Boston is reportedly the only one at this stage that has had substantive extension talks with the player, it’s not a foregone conclusion that he’ll end up a Bruin.
Photos courtesy of Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Evening Notes: Abols, Igram, Love
The Philadelphia Flyers could soon receive bad news about a scary-looking injury. Center Rodrigo Abols needed helped off the ice after his right-foot went into the boards awkwardly during Saturday’s game against the New York Rangers. Head coach Rick Tocchet provided little update after the game, except to say that the injury was “not good” per Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Abols was on Latvia’s official roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics, set to begin in roughly one month. He has represented Latvia at Olympic events in 2017, 2022, and 2025, with 13 points in 13 games in total. A long-term injury would leave Latvia, and the Flyers, without an important bit of depth.
The Flyers have deployed Abols in a fourth-line role in his second season with the club. He has recorded 10 points, 22 penalty minutes, and a minus-one in 41 games. Each of those marks are up from the five points, four penalty minutes, and minus-10 that Abols recorded in the first 22 games of his NHL career last season. He should have a spot carved out at the bottom of Philadelphia’s lineup on the other side of this injury, so long as he returns before hitting unrestricted free agency this summer.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- The Edmonton Oilers have found a small bit of reliability in net. Goaltender Connor Ingram is expected to stick with the team even after he regains waiver eligibility per Sportsnet’s Mark Spector. The team is expected to carry three goaltenders – Ingram, Tristan Jarry, and Calvin Pickard – through the Olympic break. Ingram has recorded four wins and a .907 save percentage in his first eight games with Edmonton. The performance is a major improvement over the four wins and .856 save percentage he recorded in 11 AHL games to start the year – while this resurgence is wholely a nice rebound for Ingram after losing the Utah Hockey Club’s starting role last season. He seems to have found a new role in Edmonton, where he could earn a heap of starts with strong play. Ingram is currently the only Oilers goaltender with a save percentage above .900.
- The KHL’s Shanghai Dragons have hired Mitch Love as their next head coach after Gerard Gallant stepped down last week per Sergey Demidov of RG. Coach Mike Kelly – a former Florida Panthers coach who served as interim head coach in Gallant’s absence – will stay with the team as an assistant coach. Love was hired as an assistant coach by the Washington Capitals this summer but was placed on team-imposed leave before coaching in his first game. The leave was spurred by an NHL investigation into Love, ultimately revealed to be looking into allegations of domestic abuse against Love. The Capitals fired Love after that investigation. Love will now try to lift up a Dragons club that ranks third-to-last in the KHL’s Western Conference. Shanghai is led by former North American pros Spencer Foo, Austin Wagner, Alexander Burmistrov, and Kevin Labanc.
Devils Recall Lenni Hameenaho, Assign Colton White To AHL
The Devils have made a pair of roster moves heading into tonight’s game against Carolina. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Lenni Hameenaho from AHL Utica. To make room on the roster, defenseman Colton White was assigned to AHL Utica.
Hameenaho was a second-round pick by New Jersey back in 2023, going 58th overall. He spent the last three seasons with Assat in Finland and had a breakout offensive showing last season, picking up 20 goals and 31 assists in 58 games, good for 15th in league scoring.
That showing was good enough for him to earn his entry-level deal with the Devils back in May. This is Hameenaho’s first NHL recall after spending the first three-plus months of the season in the minors with the Comets. Through 33 games, he has nine goals and 12 assists, good enough to lead the team in scoring. With Ondrej Palat uncertain for tonight due to illness, there could be a chance for Hameenaho to suit up and make his NHL debut.
As for White, he passed through waivers unclaimed earlier today. The 28-year-old has been up with New Jersey for the bulk of the season, getting into 23 games where he has four assists in 12:15 per night of playing time. This was his first NHL action since the 2022-23 campaign when he was with Anaheim. With the Devils back to full health on the back end, keeping him as an eighth defender made little sense to he’ll return to Utica where he’ll have a much more prominent role in their lineup.
Bruins Activate Hampus Lindholm, Reassign Billy Sweezey
The Boston Bruins will have a major piece of the defense back for their Saturday matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks. Hampus Lindholm has been activated from injured reserve after missing the last six games with an undisclosed injury sustained in January 3rd’s overtime win over the Vancouver Canucks. To make room for Lindholm’s addition, Boston has reassigned defenseman Billy Sweezey.
Boston kept up their strong season in Lindholm’s absence. The Bruins posted a 5-1-0 record and 4.33-to-2.00 average goal differential over their last six games. The Bruins leaned on their top-four defenders with Lindholm out – but the second pair of Jonathan Aspirot and Henri Jokiharju stood up to the test, while Mason Lohrei offered a nice bit of depth offense.
Lindholm will offer a timely boost to Boston’s firing defense, while Andrew Peeke – the Bruins’ quietest defender as of late – will be a natural scratch from the lineup. Lindholm has recorded 14 points, 36 penalty minutes, and a minus-seven in 34 games this season. He has again served as a pillar of the blue-line, averaging over 22 minutes of ice time each game. He’ll bring a responsible, veteran presence back to the Bruins’ fold as the team looks to extend a five-game win streak.
Meanwhile, Sweezey will return to the Providence Bruins without making his Boston Bruins debut. The 29-year-old defenseman was recalled as an extra defenseman after Thursday’s game against the Seattle Kraken. Sweezey has recorded 11 points, 33 penalty minutes, and a team-leading plus-22 in 34 games with Providence this season. He is in his second season in Providence after spending three seasons with the Cleveland Monsters. That stint saw Sweezey play his first nine games in the NHL with the 2022-23 Columbus Blue Jackets. He recorded one assist, nine penalty minutes, and a minus-three in those games.
Flyers Place Rasmus Ristolainen On IR, Recall Hunter McDonald
The Philadelphia Flyers will embark on a three-game road trip without one veteran defender. Rasmus Ristolainen won’t be healthy for the road trip after missing the last two games with an upper-body injury. He has been placed on injured reserve to open a spot for Philadelphia to recall Hunter McDonald from the AHL.
Ristolainen’s IR designation can be made retroactive to his last game on January 12th. That means he has already missed five of the seven days required and could join Philadelphia on their road-trip after the first game. Ristolainen has carried a day-to-day designation through the last week. His absence isn’t expected to be long term, head coach Rick Tocchet told NHL.com’s Bill Meltzer.
The 31-year-old defenseman is again having a tough time staying healthy. He missed the first 31 games of the season while recovering from a ruptured tricep tendon suffered in March. Ristolainen played in 13 games after making his season debut in mid-December and before sustaining this upper-body injury. He recorded three assists, a minus-three, and four penalty minutes in those appearances.
Injuries have become routine for Ristolainen. He has missed 127 games across five seasons with the Flyers and only averages 49 appearances each year. In total, Ristolainen has posted 10 goals, 62 points, and a minus-19 in 247 games with the Flyers. His best season in Philadelphia came in 2022-23 when he scored 20 points in 74 games played.
The Flyers will brace for a road trip without Ristolainen by rewarding McDonald with the first in-season call-up of his career. The 2022 sixth-round pick is in his second full season in the AHL, after playing an 11-game sample at the end of the 2023-24 season. He has recorded 26 points and 172 penalty minutes in 115 AHL games – carrying forward the hard-hitting and antagonistic style he carved out through three seasons in the USHL and two seasons at Northeastern University.
McDonald will serve as Philadelphia’s extra defenseman for at least one game, while Noah Juulsen hangs onto his role in the lineup. Juulsen has two points in his last five games and seven points in 33 games on the season.
Rangers Reassign Connor Mackey
1/17: The Rangers reassigned Mackey to the minor leagues after he served as a healthy scratch in Saturday’s win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
1/16: According to a team announcement, the New York Rangers have recalled defenseman Connor Mackey from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. The reasoning behind Mackey’s recall is that defenseman Carson Soucy will miss tomorrow’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers due to personal reasons.
Today’s transaction makes the fourth recall of the year for Mackey. The 29-year-old defenseman is in his third year with the organization and in the final year of a two-year, $1.55MM contract.
Despite being recalled on multiple occasions, Mackey has yet to play for the Rangers this season. Up to this point, since the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign, Mackey has gone scoreless in three games with New York, averaging 16:14 of ice time per game. The Rangers have six other healthy defensemen on the roster, so Mackey isn’t expected to add to those totals.
He has spent most of his time with the organization playing with AHL Hartford. Providing quality hard-nosed two-way play, Mackey has scored 10 goals and 42 points in 142 games with the Wolf Pack, accruing 238 PIMs in the process.
Meanwhile, Soucy will miss his fifth game this season. The 31-year-old blue liner has appeared in 44 games with New York this season, scoring three goals and eight points while averaging 17:18 of ice time. He has provided quality play on the defensive side of the puck, averaging a 93.5% on-ice SV% at even strength.
There is an indication that Soucy is in his final few weeks with the Rangers. Earlier today, General Manager Chris Drury penned a letter to fans, indicating that the team would punt on the 2025-26 campaign to retool for the future success of the franchise. Being a pending unrestricted free agent, Soucy would be an ideal trade candidate leading up to the deadline, should New York find any suitors for his services.
Golden Knights Recall Dylan Coghlan
Dylan Coghlan is no stranger to finding himself in transactions this season as he has been frequently shuffled between Vegas and AHL Henderson. That move is once again being made as the Golden Knights announced (Twitter link) that the defenseman has been brought up from the Silver Knights.
This is now the fourth time in the last six weeks that Vegas has recalled the 27-year-old. However, it hasn’t yielded much playing time for Coghlan as he has only suited up once for the Golden Knights this season, bringing his career NHL appearances to 113. It’s his second stint with the franchise after signing with them as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and returned to Vegas as an unrestricted free agent last July.
Coghlan has played in 29 games this season with Henderson. While his offensive numbers are down a bit from 2024-25 when he had 28 points in 36 games with Manitoba, he has still contributed five goals and 11 helpers for the Silver Knights.
Coghlan cleared waivers back in early October during training camp, making him exempt until he reaches 10 NHL games or 30 NHL days. Despite the frequent recalls, he has only been up for 13 days to this point so he won’t have to go through the waiver process for a little while yet. He’ll likely once again serve as the seventh defender for however long this particular stint lasts.
Central Notes: Miller, Nazar, Heiskanen, Ivan
Jets defenseman Colin Miller recently underwent knee surgery, head coach Scott Arniel told reporters including Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link). The bench boss noted that the procedure was similar to the one that goaltender Connor Hellebuyck had, one that kept him out four weeks earlier this season. Officially, Miller remains listed as out week-to-week. The 33-year-old has had a limited role in 2025-26, playing in just 13 games. He’d have had an opportunity to play more regularly with Neal Pionk and Haydn Fleury also out week-to-week but now after having surgery, that doesn’t appear to be in the cards.
More from the Central:
- Blackhawks center Frank Nazar took part in the morning skate today and is expected to be a full participant in practice tomorrow as he works his way back from an upper-body injury, notes WGN Radio’s Charlie Roumeliotis (Twitter link). The 22-year-old has impressed in his first full NHL season, picking up six goals and 15 assists in 33 games while seeing his playing time push past 18 minutes per night. Originally expected to miss four weeks due to the injury, Nazar appears to be pretty close to that recovery timeline although he’s still a few days away from returning.
- After missing Thursday’s game to tend to a personal matter, Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen was back with the team at practice today, relays Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports (Twitter link). The 26-year-old is back in top form this season after a quieter 2024-25 campaign by his standards. Through 46 games, Heiskanen has 36 points and 87 blocks while averaging a career-high 26:04 per game of ice time, third-most in the NHL.
- The Avalanche announced last night (Twitter link) that they have once again assigned forward Ivan Ivan back to AHL Colorado. It’s the third time in barely a week that he has been recalled and subsequently reassigned. The 23-year-old did suit up against Nashville on Friday, his sixth NHL contest of the season. In those outings, Ivan has one assist while in 31 games with the Eagles, he has two goals and six helpers.