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Avalanche Recall Daniil Gushchin

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The Avalanche have brought up some extra forward depth heading into their game tonight in Edmonton.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled winger Daniil Gushchin from AHL Colorado.  They had two open roster spots prior to the move.

The 23-year-old was acquired from San Jose back in late July in exchange for winger Oskar Olausson in a change-of-scenery swap for a pair of players who had slid down their former employer’s depth chart.  Gushchin then signed a one-year, two-way contract that same day that pays $775K in the NHL and $150K in the minors with a guaranteed payout of $200K.

It’s the second recall of the season for Gushchin although the first one only lasted two days and he didn’t see any NHL action during that time.  He has been quite productive with the Eagles in the early going this season, notching nine goals (tied for the league lead) and two assists in a dozen games.

Gushchin has 18 career NHL appearances under his belt over parts of three seasons with the Sharks.  In those outings, he has a respectable two goals and three assists while averaging 13:14 of playing time.  We’ll see if he has a chance to add to those totals on this recall.

Pittsburgh Penguins Activate Kevin Hayes

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The Pittsburgh Penguins announced they’ve activated veteran forward Kevin Hayes from the injured reserve. In a corresponding roster move, the team has placed Filip Hallander on the IR, who was diagnosed with a blood clot yesterday.

It’s been nearly seven months since Hayes last skated in an NHL contest. The 11-year veteran has been dealing with an upper-body injury since training camp, and initially garnered an expected return date in mid-October. Obviously, the injury kept him out a few weeks past the scheduled recovery timeline.

The belief is that Hayes will return to a familiar role this evening, centering Pittsburgh’s third line between Ville Koivunen and one other forward, given that Philip Tomasino has been scratched from the lineup. That spot was held by recently recalled Danton Heinen for the team’s last contest, who went scoreless while earning a -1 rating.

At his best, Hayes is a quality second-line center who’s two years removed from scoring 18 goals and 54 points with the Philadelphia Flyers, along with earning a spot in the All-Star Game. Unfortunately, Hayes has failed to match his 2022-23 scoring output in two years split between the St. Louis Blues and the Penguins. Over that stretch, he’s registered 26 goals and 52 points in 143 games with a -15 rating, averaging 13:23 of ice time per game.

Still, although his defensive metrics took a hit during his first year in Pittsburgh, Hayes is a capable third-line middleman with the capacity to average a 55.0% success rate in the faceoff dot. Further, he deepens the unexpectedly competitive Penguins down the middle behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

Meanwhile, as noted yesterday, it’ll be some time before Hallander returns to the Penguins roster. Given the seriousness of the ailment, Hallander is expected to miss the next three months, which would position him for a return in early February. The 25-year-old former second-round pick scored one goal and four points through his first 13 games this season.

Maple Leafs Suspend David Kämpf Without Pay

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Nov. 8th: According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, Kämpf and his agent, JP Barry, are exploring all of their options and will decide on Monday. Given that a trade is highly unlikely at this point, Kämpf and the Maple Leafs are likely to agree to a mutual contract termination by the end of the weekend, despite reports indicating otherwise.

Nov. 6th: The Maple Leafs have suspended center David Kämpf without pay for departing their AHL affiliate while on assignment, PuckPedia reports. As such, the $1.25MM cap charge Kämpf incurred while in the minors is temporarily struck from their books until the situation is resolved.

Recently, there was talk of a potential mutual contract termination between Kämpf and the Leafs. The 30-year-old has not suited up for Toronto this season after clearing waivers and heading to the minors late in training camp. He initially accepted the assignment, but the defensive specialist only registered one assist and a -1 rating in four games before leaving the team late last month. Today, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported there’s been “pushback” against a contract termination.

That’s not particularly surprising. Doing so would mean Kämpf walking away from the remainder of his $1.075MM salary for this season, plus the $1.325MM signing bonus and $1.075MM base salary he’s owed for 2026-27 before he becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He’s only just past the halfway point of the four-year, $9.6MM extension he signed with Toronto in 2023.

Others have taken the contract termination approach in the past few years, most notably Brandon Saad, Conor Sheary, and Filip Zadina, in order to remove their albatross contract as an obstacle toward returning to an everyday NHL role. In the vast majority of cases, it’s worked out, at least in terms of the player being able to find an everyday role again. Recouping the money they surrender by doing so doesn’t always happen, though.

It’s not as if Kämpf is completely dead weight. He’s still a serviceable fourth-line piece who can contribute two-plus minutes a game shorthanded. He did fall out of a regular role on a deeper Toronto forward group last season, though. His 59 appearances in 2024-25 were his lowest since the COVID-shortened 2021 season, and he scored five goals and 13 assists with a -1 rating. He’s 51.4% on faceoffs for his career, and while he doesn’t have a history of strong possession impacts, he started over 70% of his shifts in the defensive zone at even strength in all of his four years as a Maple Leaf so far.

Bruins Place Elias Lindholm On IR, Recall Alex Steeves

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According to a team announcement, the Boston Bruins have placed forward Elias Lindholm on the injured reserve and recalled forward Alex Steeves in a corresponding roster move. Lindholm’s IR placement is likely retroactive to October 30th, when he originally sustained the injury.

The move was largely expected. Lindholm sustained a lower-body injury against the Buffalo Sabres on October 30th, and it was initially believed that he would miss several weeks. The Bruins confirmed the following day that the timeline was accurate after Lindholm underwent an MRI.

Before the injury, Lindholm had gotten off to a relatively solid start to the season. Through 13 games, Boston’s first-line center scored four goals and nine points with a 57.5% success rate in the faceoff dot. It wasn’t on par with his point-per-game average from the 2021-22 campaign with the Calgary Flames, though he would have bested last year’s performance by 10 or so points had he continued the pace.

Fortunately, the Bruins haven’t missed a beat since Lindholm exited the lineup. The team has utilized 23-year-old Marat Khusnutdinov in his stead, centering Morgan Geekie and David Pastrňák on Boston’s first line. The team has won three straight and has an important matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs this evening.

Meanwhile, the Bruins have recalled a former Maple Leaf to fill Lindholm’s void on the active roster. Steeves is in his first year with Boston after signing a one-year, $850K contract with them over the offseason. He cleared waivers on October 6th after failing to make the team’s roster out of training camp.

Thus far, Steeves has gotten off to a quality start with the AHL’s Providence Bruins, scoring three goals and eight points in nine games. Throughout his time with Toronto, which was largely spent with the AHL Marlies, Steeves scored one goal and three points in 14 NHL games from 2021 to 2025.

Evening Notes: Nazar, Girard, Brindley, Cuylle

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The Chicago Blackhawks will hold their breath through Friday night. Top forward Frank Nazar exited their game against the Calgary Flames in the first period, after a subtle cross-check from Flames forward Joel Farabee. Emerging Blackhawks bruiser Colton Dach stepped up to fight Farabee after the collision.

Nazar’s importance to the Blackhawks can’t be understated. He has recorded 11 points and a plus-three through 14 games this season, placing him second on the team in scoring behind Connor Bedard. The duo are growing into a true one-two punch for Chicago, something the organization bet on when they signed Nazar long-term this summer. The Blackhawks would face a difficult decision should Nazar need to miss gametime.

They would likely need to promote Ryan Greene in the lineup, and move Oliver Moore from left-wing to center. That would place even more stake on the rookies on a Blackhawks team currently ranked fifth in the Central Division.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar issued updates on a pair of injuries, captured by Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now. Defenseman Samuel Girard won’t join the team on their two-game road-trip as he continues to recover from a week-to-week, upper-body injury. That could prompt the team to recall an extra forward, though rookie Gavin Brindley was a full participant at Friday’s practice. Brindley has missed two games with a concussion sustained last week. He would give the Avalanche 12 healthy forwards for their upcoming road-trip. Brindley has scored two points in 12 games this season. Should he remain out, Colorado would have to choose who to recall between minor-leaguers Tristen Nielsen, Jayson Megna, and Alex Barre-Boulet.
  • The New York Rangers will also have a young forward to keep an eye on. Centerman William Cuylle left Friday’s game versus the Detroit Red Wings after blocking a shot with his knee in the third period, per Peter Baugh of The Athletic. He appeared noticeably hurt, and needed help from teammates to get off the ice and down the tunnel. Somehow, Cuylle managed to return to the bench before the end of the game, per Baugh, prompting a sigh of relief among the Rangers’ faithful. Still, with the weight of the shot, Cuylle could still need a few days off once the bruise sets in. New York’s Saturday practice will bring a clearer picture of Cuylle’s prognosis. He managed a power-play goal prior to exiting on Friday, marking his seventh point in 15 games this season.

Hurricanes Reassign Bradly Nadeau

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The Carolina Hurricanes have assigned top prospect Bradly Nadeau back to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. Nadeau played six games and scored his first NHL goal on this recall. That was his only point, though, and he’ll now return to the minor-leagues after no scoring in his last three games.

Nadeau has carved out a reserved seat in Chicago’s top-six this season. He scored four points in three games before being recalled to Carolina. That mark ranked third on the team in scoring at the time, though he’s fallen to eighth in six games since his call-up. He’ll face the challenge of climbing back up Chicago’s scoreboard following this move, a task that should prove easy for the former first-round pick. Nadeau scored 58 points in 64 games of his rookie AHL season last year, the most of any Wolves rookie since 2007. He carved out a top-line spot next to Ryan Suzuki and Justin Robidas, one that stuck around through the first two weekends of this season. He’ll return to that spot when Chicago takes on rivalry matchups versus the Iowa Wild and Grand Rapids Griffins this weekend.

Nadeau was also a hot scorer in junior hockey. He scored 45 goals and 113 points with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees in the 2022-23 season, the most of any draft eligible prospect in the BCHL since Beau Bennett (120 points) in 2009-10 and Kyle Turris (121 points) in 2006-07. That scoring earned Nadeau the 30th-overall selection in the 2023 NHL Draft. He followed that up with 19 goals and 46 points in 37 games at the University of Maine, again a milestone mark – the most from a teenager in the Maine roster since Steve Kariya (50 points) in 1996-97 and Paul Kariya (100 points) in 1992-93. Nadeau has found impressive scoring at every step from juniors to the AHL, and while his impact away from the game will need to continue improving, his breakthrough in the NHL seems on its way.

Sharks’ Michael Misa Out Week-To-Week

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The San Jose Sharks will be without the ace up their sleeves for the next few games. Rookie winger Michael Misa is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury sustained during practice, head coach Ryan Warsofsky told Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (subscription required). Warsofsky emphasized that the medical staff was confident Misa’s recovery will only take a few weeks. He also said that the Sharks will continue to use video coaching and light skates to focus on Misa’s development.

Misa, the 2025 second-overall pick, has been rotated in-and-out of the lineup through the start of his NHL career. He has one goal and three points in seven games. More importantly, he’s posted five blocked shots and a 52.6 faceoff percentage. Those are positive signs of Misa’s adjustment to the NHL, especially on a Sharks team that’s allowed the sixth-most goals this season.

Misa is a true star prospect, coming off a near goal-per-game season in the OHL last year. He finished the season with 62 goals and 134 points in 65 games, the second-most from a draft-year OHL player since 2000, behind Patrick Kane’s 145 points in 2006-07. San Jose’s lineup won’t be much affected by Misa’s absence, given his rotating role and Ryan Reaves’ return from injury, but making sure their latest top-pick stays on the track will remain top priority.

Working through a frustrating injury and returning to a strong role in the lineup could be enough to earn Misa a crack at minutes in the top-six, or on the powerplay. He has been held out of both groups so far, but created a dynamic fourth-line alongside fellow rookie Collin Graf and veteran Adam Gaudette. The trio spent 20 minutes of even-strength ice-time together across three games in mid-October and outscored their opponents three-to-zero. Misa recorded a point on all three goals, stretched across a brief three-game point streak. It has become clear that the Sharks want to make Misa earn his path to top minutes, but his success in a depth role is an encouraging sign of things to come. He’ll jump right back into that climb up the lineup on the other side of the first injury of his career.

Flyers Recall Carl Grundstrom

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The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled forward Carl Grundstrom from the AHL. This is Grundstrom’s first call-up in Philadelphia, after joining the organization via trade earlier this month. He was moved alongside defense prospect Artem Guryev in a deal that sent Ryan Ellis’ $6.25MM cap hit, and a 2026 sixth-round pick, to the San Jose Sharks.

The Flyers waived Grundstrom on the same day that they acquired him. That set the 27-year-old up for his first prolonged stint in the minor-leagues since 2020. He’s done well with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, recording three goals, six points, and a plus-four in 11 games.

Grundstrom previously won a Calder Cup Championship with the 2018 Toronto Marlies. He joined the ring-winning squad as only two games of the regular season, then torched the postseason for 14 points in 20 games. Grundstrom maintained the hot scoring through the next two AHL seasons, ultimately earning his NHL debut with the Los Angeles Kings in March of 2019. Since then, Grundstrom has totaled 43 goals and 76 points in 292 NHL games. His single-season best sits at 12 goals and 19 points, scored in 57 games of the Kings’ 2022-23 season.

Recalling Grundstrom will help the Flyers fill their extra-forward role after assigning Jacob Gaucher to the minors. Gaucher recently played in three games with Philadelphia, but managed no scoring and a minus-one in the efforts. Grundstrom’s recent AHL scoring streak – five points in his last three games – could bring a major spark over the minimal scoring offered by Gaucher and Rodrigo Abols, who has no scoring in nine games.

Sabres Recall Zac Jones

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The Sabres announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Zachary Jones from AHL Rochester. Jones will replace rearguard Rasmus Dahlin on the active roster as he heads to the non-roster list following today’s news of an indefinite leave of absence.

Jones, 25, has parts of five NHL seasons under his belt but hasn’t yet appeared for Buffalo this year. He was briefly rostered for a couple of days last month but didn’t get into a game. The lefty debuted with the Rangers back in 2020-21 and languished in a fringe press box/minor-league role for essentially his entire tenure. He never logged more than 46 appearances in a campaign, that career-high coming last season, and was finally non-tendered by the club last summer.

Despite looking like he could at least be a reliable No. 7 option in New York, the market for Jones wasn’t very strong. He accepted a high-paying two-way deal from Buffalo ($950K NHL/$550K AHL) and cleared waivers at the beginning of the season. Aside from that two-day call-up in October, he’s spent the season in Rochester with mixed results. Jones has always been viewed as an offensively talented rearguard who was considered enough of a defensive liability to keep him out of an everyday role. Nothing he’s done in Rochester has changed that perception. He’s off to an electric start on the scoresheet with a league-leading 13 assists but has a -4 rating, tied for second-worst on the team.

That dichotomy will keep him from being an NHL regular, but he remains an intriguing call-up option if a team needs a puck-mover in sheltered minutes. With Buffalo’s offensive heartbeat on the blue line in Dahlin now unavailable, bringing up an offensive-minded name from the minors is a natural choice. Jones, a 2019 third-round pick, has a 4-24–28 scoring line in 115 career appearances while averaging 15:54 of ice time per game.

Wild Activate Mats Zuccarello

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The Wild announced they’ve activated winger Mats Zuccarello from injured reserve. The top-six fixture will make his season debut in a couple of hours against the Islanders. They’ve been operating with an open roster spot for quite some time, so no corresponding move is required.

Minnesota didn’t hold a morning skate before today’s game. That’s to be expected on the second half of a back-to-back with travel – they lost to the Hurricanes 4-3 in Carolina last night. As such, it’s unclear where Zuccarello will slot into the lineup, but it’s assumed he’ll reprise his familiar role on the top line with Kirill Kaprizov and Marco Rossi.

Zuccarello had a lower-body issue pop up in the closing weeks of the offseason and wasn’t cleared to participate at the beginning of training camp. The initial expectation was that he’d miss the start of the regular season, and that was confirmed when the Wild said in late September that he’d be out for a minimum of seven to eight weeks. That makes his recent progress and today’s activation around a week and a half ahead of schedule.

His return is of special note for a Wild club that’s been looking to add an impact scoring winger on the trade market. They’re off to a sluggish 5-7-3 start, due mostly to uncharacteristically poor defensive play. They’re bottom-five in the league or close to it in most metrics – 29th in goals against per game (3.67), 29th in penalty killing (68.8%), 26th in shots against per game (30.1), and 29th in expected goals against per game at 5-on-5 (2.47).

Zuccarello won’t have much of an impact there, but the Wild are hoping he can at least help them outscore their problems. Fellow aging veteran Marcus Johansson stepped into Zuccarello’s top-line home to start the year and performed admirably, rattling off six goals and seven assists for 13 points in 15 games. The Wild hope he can keep some semblance of that momentum up as he shifts down into a second-line job with Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek – the former of whom is clicking at a point per game – to boost the depth output from their middle-six.

Now in his age-38 season, expectations for Zuccarello should start to be tempered. He’s still been a minutes-muncher for the Wild as he ages, averaging 19:39 per game last year, but he can’t keep that workload up forever. His 0.78 points per game last season were his lowest since 2019-20 and a 14% dropoff from the year prior. If that decline ends up being linear and Zuccarello only operates at around a 55-point pace this year, Minnesota’s search for another top-nine piece will only intensify.

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