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Blue Jackets Reassign Dysin Mayo

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The Blue Jackets announced they’ve reassigned defenseman Dysin Mayo to AHL Cleveland. Since he’s been rostered for fewer than 30 days and played under 10 games since last clearing waivers, he didn’t need them today. They’re now left with an open spot on their active roster.

Mayo was up as a stopgap No. 7 option with Erik Gudbranson on injured reserve. However, he was made redundant yesterday when Columbus converted veteran Brendan Smith’s tryout with Cleveland into a two-way NHL deal and added him to the roster.

Mayo signed a two-way deal with the Jackets over the offseason. He was recalled for one game last month during a previous Gudbranson injury, but was then summoned again on Oct. 30. He’s remained on Columbus’ roster since, but has been scratched for 12 out of 13 games. He entered the lineup back on Nov. 5 against the Flames for his first NHL appearance since February 2023, logging three shots on goal and a -1 rating in 7:33 of ice time.

He’s a defensive specialist, even in the minors, but he’d been on something of a hot streak with four assists through his first five games for Cleveland. He’ll look to resume that momentum now that he’s returning to the minors for the foreseeable future. The 29-year-old is now in his 10th full professional season and is on his third organization after a lengthy stint with the Coyotes, who drafted him in the fifth round in 2014, and a couple of seasons in the Golden Knights’ system.

Canucks’ Kevin Lankinen Takes Leave Of Absence

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The Canucks announced goaltender Kevin Lankinen will not travel with the team on their four-game road trip due to personal reasons, although the team didn’t clarify if he may join the club midway through. In a corresponding move, Vancouver recalled Jiří Patera from the AHL under emergency conditions after reassigning him just yesterday. They had an open roster spot, so they don’t need to free up a spot for Patera.

With Thatcher Demko still on injured reserve with a groin issue, the Canucks are now without both halves of their regular goaltending tandem. They will rely on Patera and Nikita Tolopilo, their top two minor-league options, until one of Demko or Lankinen can return. Patera had spent the past two-plus weeks as Lankinen’s backup, but the Canucks swapped him out for Tolopilo yesterday to give the latter a chance at playing time. Now, they could both be in line for starts soon with a back-to-back against the Sharks and Kings on Friday and Saturday, following tomorrow’s game against the Ducks.

Following a decent 2024-25 season in a higher-than-usual workload, Lankinen has kept up his play in 2025-26. Through 12 starts and one relief appearance, he’s 4-7-2 with a .880 SV%. Those aren’t inspiring numbers at face value, especially since his GAA has spiked from a 2.62 GAA last year to a 3.63 figure this year. A deeper look reveals Lankinen has had to contend with some of the league’s worst defensive support in front of him. Among the 40 goaltenders with at least nine appearances this season, Lankinen’s expected GAA of 3.65 ranks second-highest behind only Jeremy Swayman’s 3.68.

Combine that porous defense with untested goaltending depth, and this trip could be a disastrous one for the Canucks. Patera is inexperienced, even as No. 3 options go, and doesn’t have a promising track record in his limited NHL showings. The 26-year-old made one start during his previous call-up and was lit up for seven goals on 40 shots against the Panthers on Nov. 17. That worked out to a .825 SV%, 7.39 GAA, and -3.4 goals saved above expected. That brought down his career stat line to a 3-4-1 record, .892 SV%, and a 4.01 GAA in nine appearances. His other eight showings came with the Golden Knights in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.

Jets Recall Elias Salomonsson

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The Jets announced they’ve recalled defense prospect Elias Salomonsson from AHL Manitoba. Connor Hellebuyck is headed to injured reserve in the corresponding move. The placement is retroactive to Nov. 19, his last appearance before undergoing an arthroscopic knee procedure that has him out for another month-plus.

Salomonsson, 21, is coming off an All-Star Game nod in his rookie season with the Moose last year. The smooth-skating righty may be in his second professional season stateside, but he racked up parts of four seasons in Sweden’s top league with Skellefteå before landing in Manitoba. He’s never put up particularly gaudy point totals. However, he’s never been in a position to, logging top-four minutes in a notoriously offense-suffocating SHL before playing top-pairing minutes on a Moose team that scored just 2.35 goals per game last season. Over the past two seasons, he’s posted a 5-28–33 scoring line with a -7 rating in 70 games for Manitoba.

It’s been more of the same from the 6’2″ Salomonsson to begin this year. He’s yet to score a goal through 17 AHL contests, but has six assists – a number that’s tied for the team lead amid another disastrous offensive campaign from the Moose. His even rating has him tied for fourth on the team among skaters with at least 10 appearances this season.

Salomonsson’s skating, stick skills, and vision are what made him the No. 12-ranked European skater by NHL Central Scouting in the 2022 draft. He went to the Jets midway through the second round at No. 55 overall and signed his entry-level contract a few weeks later, although they loaned him to Skellefteå in back-to-back campaigns before the deal went into effect for 2024-25. In those two seasons, Salomonsson advanced with Skellefteå to the Swedish Hockey League championship series both times, winning the crown in 2024. He also earned a silver medal with the Swedes at that year’s World Junior Championship.

Salmonsson ranked inside the league’s top 100 prospects on offseason lists from Elite Prospects (No. 94) and Scott Wheeler of The Athletic (No. 76). He’s universally lauded as Winnipeg’s top defense prospect and is a consensus top-three prospect in their pool.

His ceiling will likely be directly related to his point production at the NHL level. He has enough of a well-rounded skillset to virtually guarantee him a job as Winnipeg’s No. 3 right-shot defender with penalty kill deployment next season after Colin Miller becomes an unrestricted free agent. How his ability to read plays adjusts to the top level will determine whether he can challenge Dylan DeMelo or Neal Pionk for a top-four job and steal some power-play work, too.

In the short term, he’s ticketed to make his NHL debut tomorrow against the Capitals in second-pairing duties alongside Dylan Samberg in place of Pionk, who left Sunday’s game against the Wild in the first period with a lower-body injury. He’s listed as day-to-day and was back on the ice before today’s practice, Kelly Moore of 680 CJOB Winnipeg reports, so he isn’t expected to miss significant time.

With Samberg missing a good chunk of the campaign so far due to wrist surgery, Pionk has struggled. The 30-year-old righty scored 39 points and had a +21 rating in 69 appearances last season, practically a career year, that landed him a six-year, $42MM extension. This season, he’s been limited to a goal and four assists in 21 appearances despite an uptick in power-play deployment. His two-way play has taken a step back, too. After controlling 56.7% of expected goals with Samberg last season, he controlled just 42.5% when Logan Stanley was elevated to his left side in Samberg’s absence to begin this season. Since Samberg’s return, though, his and Pionk’s xGF% is back over 54.

Salmonsson likely won’t stick with the big club once Pionk is healthy, barring a particularly impressive performance alongside Samberg in his debut. He’s still got another year left on his entry-level deal and remains waiver-exempt through that time.

Image courtesy of James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images.

Poll: Who Will Be The Next Pending UFA To Sign An Extension?

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As expected, the upcoming unrestricted free agent class has been thinned out over the last couple of months. From Connor McDavid to Adrian Kempe, there are very few top-level pending UFAs left on the board. Still, there’s some belief that the list could get even shorter relatively soon.

Of the highest-scoring pending UFAs in the league right now, Evgeni Malkin, Nick Schmaltz, Alex Ovechkin, John Carlson, Alex Tuch, and Artemi Panarin lead the way. However, in the cases of Malkin, Ovechkin, and Carlson, they are all 35 years or older, and there’s no guarantee they’ll continue playing beyond the 2025-26 campaign. That leaves Schmaltz, Tuch, and Panarin as the three likeliest options to sign an in-season extension.

Much has been made of Schmaltz’s situation with the Utah Mammoth this season. Despite getting off to an excellent start with 10 goals and 22 points in 23 games, there is some indication that the relationship between Schmaltz and Utah has soured.

According to a report from late October by David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the Mammoth apparently attempted to trade Schmaltz to the Carolina Hurricanes during the past offseason when the first round of extension negotiations proved unfruitful. Schmaltz was involved with the trade talks at the time, as he provided Utah with a list of teams with which he would sign an extension. Since then, there have been no updates as to any further negotiations between the two sides.

Meanwhile, Tuch has gotten off to a similarly good start to his contract year with the Buffalo Sabres. A native of Syracuse, NY, Tuch’s love for the Buffalo area is well known, leading many to believe that he’ll sign an extension with the team this season. However, given that the Sabres are headed for a 15th consecutive year without reaching the playoffs, few people would blame Tuch if he were to depart for a more competitive situation.

Lastly, there have been a few updates between Panarin and the New York Rangers, though it doesn’t appear anything is close between the two sides. Reports from earlier in the year indicated that the Rangers would only extend Panarin if he were amenable to a much lower salary, which is something Panarin has not appeared enthusiastic about. The 34-year-old Russian has scored six goals and 20 points in 24 games.

Despite all three potentially leading the pack of prospective UFAs next summer, and additionally being quality trade assets, there’s plenty of time remaining in the regular season to get a deal done. Which of these three, if any, do you think will be the next to sign?

Mobile users click here to vote.

Canucks Reportedly Listening To Offers On Veterans

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In a new report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the insider shares that the Vancouver Canucks have begun listening to offers on ’veteran players’. Friedman indicated that this includes players who are pending unrestricted free agents, as well as a handful with two or more years left on their contracts.

Friedman’s report states that the Canucks have zero interest in a full-scale rebuild, although they are considering a retooling effort to become a younger team. Instead of theorizing on a few names that could get moved, Friedman only noted the two that Vancouver has no interest in parting with: Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek.

If the Canucks enter the deadline season as sellers, they haven’t made it particularly easy on themselves. 10 out of the 23 players on the active roster have sizeable trade protection on their contracts, while two more (Conor Garland & Thatcher Demko) will be getting no-movement clauses next season as a part of their recent extensions.

Arguably, the most tradeable asset the team has is winger Kiefer Sherwood. Signed to a modest $1.5MM salary this season before becoming an unrestricted free agent, Sherwood has styled himself as an ideal playoff performer. Over the last two years with Vancouver, Sherwood has scored 31 goals and 56 points in 101 games, averaging 15:32 of ice time per game, while also delivering a whopping 560 hits.

Similar to Sherwood, Evander Kane, who’s in his first year with the club, could also have interest from contending teams. The former fourth-overall pick recently went to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals with the Edmonton Oilers, scoring 10 goals and 20 points in 41 games, delivering 159 hits. Unlike Sherwood, Kane is earning a higher salary of $5.125MM for the remainder of the season and can block trades to up to 16 different teams.

Assuming Vancouver doesn’t attempt to move anyone with a no-movement clause and hold to their desire to retain Hughes and Hronek, there aren’t many veterans with multiple years left on their contracts to move. In fact, bottom-six forward Drew O’Connor is one of the few to fit this criteria who the Canucks could conceivably receive positive value for on the trade market.

It’s the cost of doing business, but there’s no questioning that the duo of Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford have put themselves in a bind, at least for the 2025-26 campaign, with the amount of no-movement clauses they have handed out over the years. Vancouver has a few pieces they could trade away for younger talent, though it doesn’t seem like enough to move the needle in any meaningful fashion.

Snapshots: Werenski, Olivier, Karmanov

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The Columbus Blue Jackets suffered a tough 5-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on Monday night, and a further blow was dealt to the team when veteran Zach Werenski was forced to leave the game due to an injury. The club announced tonight that Werenski suffered an upper-body injury during the game, and after, Columbus head coach Dean Evason told the media (including NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti) that it was too early to tell the extent of the injury. Evason did say that the team will evaluate Werenski’s status tomorrow.

Werenski has a strong argument as the Blue Jackets’ best player. The 28-year-old is a Norris Trophy-caliber all-around defenseman who scored 82 points in 81 games last season and finished as the Norris Trophy runner-up. He has 21 points through 23 games this season, good for second on the team in scoring. He plays just over 26 minutes per night, and is relied-upon by Evason in just about every key situation. While it’s too early to tell if Werenski’s injury is anything serious, if the Blue Jackets have to go without their most important player for any extended amount of time, that absence would likely deal a significant amount of damage to their ability to keep pace in a hotly-contested Eastern Conference Wild Card race.

Other notes from around the hockey world:

  • Werenski wasn’t the only Blue Jackets player to leave the game with an upper-body injury; the team also announced that forward Mathieu Olivier would miss the rest of the game with his own upper-body ailment. While Olivier isn’t nearly as crucial to the Blue Jackets’ lineup as Werenski is, his loss would also be felt by the team should his injury sideline him for any notable period of time. Olivier is one of the game’s more intimidating physical wingers, and he also showed some goal-scoring touch last season, scoring a career-high 18 times. The Blue Jackets will evaluate Olivier’s status tomorrow, as they will with Werenski.
  • The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler reported tonight that prospect blueliner Alexander Karmanov will sign with the OHL’s North Bay Battalion tomorrow, registering as the team’s third import player. Karmanov, 17, is notable as he stands 7’0″ tall and weighs 278 pounds, according to Elite Prospects’ listing. There are no defensemen in the NHL (or AHL, for that matter) with that kind of size profile, and in an NHL that has become increasingly focused on size and strength for defensemen, that alone is enough to help Karmanov garner interest as a pro prospect. A Penn State commit who is repped by Dan Milstein’s Gold Star Sports Management, Karmanov’s reported signing in the OHL gives him a greater platform to raise his stock as a prospect in advance of the 2026 NHL Draft, which he is eligible to be selected in.

East Injury Updates: Miller, Quick, Maple Leafs

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As the New York Rangers attempt to spark a push up the Eastern Conference standings tonight during their game against the St. Louis Blues, they’ll need to do so without the on-ice help of captain J.T. Miller. Newsday’s Colin Stephenson reported today that Miller remains out with an upper-body injury on a day-to-day timeline. While the injury appears highly unlikely to keep Miller out of action for very long, it is a discouraging development nonetheless in what has been a troubling start to the season for both Miller and the Rangers as a whole. The Rangers traded two promising young players in Filip Chytil and Victor Mancini, as well as a first-round pick, to the Vancouver Canucks to acquire Miller, and at the time the move seemed easily defensible as Miller had very recently scored 37 goals and 103 points. Centers capable of that level of production are very rarely made available, and since the Rangers already had a cornerstone defenseman (Adam Fox) and franchise goalie (Igor Shesterkin), paying that price to add a true number-one center was seen as a “win” for the team.

But since Miller has arrived in New York, he’s only been able to match the level of play he set in Vancouver on a sporadic basis. Miller scored a solid 35 points in 32 games last season, but the Rangers failed to reach the playoffs. So far this year, Miller has struggled to produce as consistently, and has just 12 points in 22 games. That’s a 45-point 82-game pace. For a player making $8MM against the cap with the clear expectation to be a leading scorer on a playoff team, that’s simply not enough production for the Rangers to get where they want to go as a team. While this injury will sideline Miller for a short while, it won’t rob him of his chance to turn around his season whenever he recovers and returns to the ice. For the Rangers to restore their status as true Stanley Cup contenders, a status they lived up to by reaching two Eastern Conference Finals in three seasons, they’ll need Miller healthy and firing on all cylinders.

Other injury notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • Stephenson also reported that veteran Rangers backup goalie Jonathan Quick has a lower-body injury and is still being evaluated. While the Rangers have a young, capable No. 3 goalie in their organization in the form of Dylan Garand, who was an AHL All-Star last season, any extended absence faced by Quick would damage the Rangers’ ability to turn around their season. Through six games played this year, Quick has turned back the clock, putting forward performances reminiscent of his prime years backstopping the Los Angeles Kings to Stanley Cup championships. Quick is 3-3-0 in his six starts with a .944 save percentage and 1.69 goals-against-average. While he’s 39 years old and a pending UFA, he’s making the case to remain the Rangers’ backup for next season with his form early in 2025-26. His current lower-body injury threatens the momentum he’s built so far this year, though, and the Rangers are likely hoping his absence is a brief one.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs blueliners Chris Tanev and Marshall Rifai were on the ice before practice today, according to The Hockey News’ Nick Barden. Tanev, 35, hasn’t played since he was helped off the ice in the team’s Nov. 1 game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Tanev remains without a firm recovery timeline, though he is not expected to return anytime soon. Rifai, 27, has spent most of his time in the Maple Leafs organization at the AHL level, save for two games in 2023-24. He’s working his way back from wrist surgery and will likely be assigned to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies whenever his recovery concludes.

New Jersey Devils Reassign Shane Lachance

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The New Jersey Devils announced today that forward Shane Lachance has been reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. The move came in tandem with the team activating center Cody Glass off of injured reserve.

Today’s move ends what was the first NHL call-up of Lachance’s young professional career. The 22-year-old, who is the son of former NHLer Scott Lachance (who serves as the Devils’ director of amateur scouting), is currently in his first full season of professional hockey. Lachance signed his entry-level deal in April and got a two-game cameo late in the AHL season with the Comets on an ATO.

While Lachance has gotten off to a bit of a slow start at the AHL level in terms of scoring (he has registered just one point through 11 games), his game has always been about more than just scoring, something that was the case for him both at Boston University and with the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL.

Lachance stands 6’5″ 218 pounds, and his ability to impact a game away from the puck has helped him earn the pro opportunities he’s gotten. What’s also helped him has been his résumé as a leader. Lachance captained Youngstown to a Clark Cup championship in 2022-23, and captained Boston University to the 2025 NCAA Men’s Hockey national championship game last season.

During this most recent call-up, Lachance ended up skating in one NHL game, the team’s Nov. 15 win against the Washington Capitals. While he only played in 10 shifts for a little over seven minutes of ice time, he did receive a financial benefit for remaining on the NHL roster for three additional games as a healthy scratch. The terms of Lachance’s entry-level contract stipulate that he receive a $80K salary while in the AHL, and a league-minimum $775K salary in the NHL. So while Lachance did have to watch from the press box as a healthy scratch for three games, the fact that he was able to spend 10 days on the Devils’ NHL roster will provide him with a brief, but substantial pay bump.

For Lachance to stick in the NHL on a more permanent basis moving forward, it’s likely he’ll need to prove he can produce at some level with the Comets. Utica has struggled to score as a whole so far this season. They are the AHL’s lowest-scoring team with just 26 goals in 15 games. The Grand Rapids Griffins, who are in the middle of the pack in scoring in the AHL, have scored 56 times this season, while playing one fewer game than Utica.

At the moment, Utica’s offensive situation appears dire, which adds another challenge for Lachance as a player trying to adjust his game to the professional ranks. But even though the team as a whole has struggled mightily to generate offense, Lachance will likely need to find a way to improve his production if he wants to position himself best for a future call-up opportunity.

Colorado Avalanche Reassign Jason Polin, Tristen Nielsen

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The Colorado Avalanche announced today that forwards Tristen Nielsen and Jason Polin have been reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles.

Polin was originally recalled to the Avalanche’s NHL roster on Nov. 21, while Nielsen was recalled on Nov. 20. Nielsen got into three games during this recall, while Polin drew into two.

The Avalanche did not surrender a goal in both games where Polin and Nielsen played, with Nielsen scoring his first NHL point during the team’s win over the Chicago Blackhawks yesterday.

Both Polin and Nielsen are undrafted forwards who have spent significant time in the AHL en route to becoming NHL call-up options. Nielsen began his pro career with the Abbotsford Canucks, and won the Calder Cup with the team in 2024-25.

Polin, 26, had a four-year college hockey career at Western Michigan University, where he starred as a senior, scoring 30 goals and 47 points in 39 games. Polin was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as a senior, and was his conference’s player of the year.

While neither player has fully established himself in the NHL to this point, (and their recent recall further underscores that), it’s clear they have at least earned the trust of the Avalanche to the point where they’ll be called on to fill NHL roles in instances where injuries hit.

This season doesn’t carry major financial implications for Nielsen, who remains under contract through 2026-27 at a $775K cap hit (with a two-way structure and total guarantee of $225K next season) it is, however, an important one for Polin. Polin is a pending unrestricted free agent who will have the opportunity in the summer to leave the only pro organization he’s ever known, assuming he does not sign an extension beforehand.

Polin is currently playing out a one-year, two-way contract carrying a league-minimum NHL cap hit and a $140K guarantee at the AHL level. AHL veterans have had some difficulty in recent years securing contracts to continue their career in the AHL due to the league’s development rule, which caps the number of players a team can dress for any game that have cleared a specific threshold of professional games played.

For Polin, this is where his extensive NCAA career comes in handy. By developing his game in the NCAA, he has limited his exposure to pro hockey, leaving him at this point with just 115 total pro games played. That gives him a solid amount of runway before teams will need to consider the AHL’s development rule when signing him, which should alleviate some of the pressure on him heading into an important unrestricted free agency.

Now back in the AHL thanks to this reassignment, it’ll be important for both Polin and Nielsen to continue playing well for the Eagles. Nielsen has nine goals and 14 points in 16 games this season, while Polin has six points through 16 games.

With other call-up options waiting in the wings, such as veterans Alex Barre-Boulet and T.J. Tynan, as well as younger contributors Ivan Ivan and Taylor Makar, it’ll be important for Nielsen and Polin to sustain their momentum in a crowded field of call-up options.

Canucks Recall Nikita Tolopilo, Reassign MacKenzie MacEachern

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The Canucks are swapping backup goaltenders ahead of a four-game road swing. The team announced they’ve recalled Nikita Tolopilo from AHL Abbotsford to replace Jiří Patera, who’s been returned to Abbotsford in a corresponding move. In a separate transaction, they also left themselves with an open roster spot by reassigning winger Mackenzie MacEachern to Abbotsford.

Tolopilo, 25, gets his first crack at handling NHL goaltending duties for any significant length of time, as Thatcher Demko is set to miss around another week with a groin injury. An undrafted free agent signed from Sweden’s Södertälje SK in 2023, the Belarusian national made his NHL debut late last season, starting Vancouver’s penultimate game of the campaign before entering in relief in Game 82. The 6’6″, 229-lb netminder faced 26 shots and saved 23 of them for a .885 SV% and -1.0 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck.

While it wasn’t the most promising initial showing in a small sample, Tolopilo has been a quality AHL option ever since his arrival over two years ago. The two-time medalist with Belarus at the Division 1A World Juniors has a .903 SV%, 2.78 GAA, four shutouts, and a 41-30-4 record in 76 career appearances for Abbotsford. He’s been consistent year-to-year and has started five games for the struggling Baby Canucks this season, posting a respectable 3.35 GAA and .901 SV% despite the team’s dreadful 3-12-3 record and allowing more than four goals per game. With Vancouver having a back-to-back against the Sharks and Kings on Friday and Saturday, Tolopilo could start one of those games if Demko isn’t ready to return.

He’ll get a crack after Patera failed to impress in his first start as a Canuck one week ago in Florida. He was shelled by the Panthers for 40 shots against and conceded goals on seven of them for a .825 SV% and -3.4 goals saved above expected. The six-year pro is in his second season with Vancouver after being a longtime No. 3/4 option for the Golden Knights, who let him walk as a Group VI unrestricted free agent in 2024. He signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Canucks that will see him become a UFA again next summer.

MacEachern, 31, concludes his first recall as a Canuck. He inked a two-year, two-way deal with Vancouver this summer and started the season in Abbotsford after clearing waivers. The decision to demote him is presumably to preserve his waiver-exempt status for a while longer. He’d played in eight of 12 games since being called up, including five in a row. He’d been delivering bang for his buck in a fourth-line role, notching his first regular-season NHL goal since February 2021 and adding three assists for four points while averaging 10:11 per game. That heater, plus his 131 games of NHL experience, could make him a claim target if he hits waivers. He can only play two more games for the Canucks or be rostered for four more days until he needs them again to return to Abbotsford, where he had two goals in seven games to begin the season.

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