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Sabres Reassign Devon Levi

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2:50 p.m.: Buffalo used Levi’s roster spot to recall winger Isak Rosén from Rochester. The 2021 first-round pick will likely head back to the AHL when Thompson is ready to return, but it’s still a nice reward for the 21-year-old, who leads Rochester with 13 points (4 G, 9 A) in 14 games this season.

10:28 a.m.: The Sabres will reassign goaltender Devon Levi to AHL Rochester, head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters Monday, including Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.

While the demotion is made primarily with Levi’s development in mind, it also likely prefaces a couple of corresponding moves. Starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will be back in the crease against the Kings on Wednesday after missing two games with an undisclosed injury. At the same time, star center Tage Thompson will likely come off injured reserve to fill Levi’s vacated roster spot after sitting out a few contests with a lower-body injury.

Before Luukkonen’s injury last week, Levi had sat as the backup for 11 out of 15 games. That’s not the best recipe for success for a 22-year-old netminder with plenty of room to grow, which Ruff articulated as the primary reason for his return to Rochester.

It could also rightfully be considered a performance-based demotion. The 2020 seventh-round pick has gone five games without recording a .900 SV% and has won only two of his six starts, posting a .870 SV% and 3.95 GAA with a career-worst -5.7 GSAA on the year.

Buffalo’s top young netminder was excellent in the AHL last season while splitting time evenly between the NHL and the minors. In 26 games, he posted a 2.42 GAA, .927 SV% and a 16-6-4 record. It was his first full professional campaign after two seasons at Northeastern, where he compiled a sparkling .942 SV% in 66 appearances, winning the Mike Richter Award for the NCAA’s top goalie in 2022 and 2023.

While those are promising numbers, it’s clear Levi needs more reps and more frequent playing time before establishing himself as a fixture on the NHL roster. He’s arguably been the worst goaltender in the league in 2024-25, relative to the shot quality he’s faced. Among the 58 goalies with at least five games, Levi’s -1.23 goals saved above expected per 60 minutes are the lowest, per MoneyPuck.

Levi’s demotion leaves veteran James Reimer as the Sabres’ No. 2 option behind Luukkonen for the foreseeable future. The 36-year-old signed a one-year, $1MM contract with Buffalo in free agency over the summer but was selected off waivers by the Ducks the day before the regular season started.

Reimer suited up twice for Anaheim while John Gibson was on the shelf due to an emergency appendectomy surgery, conceding nine goals on 66 shots for a poor .864 SV%. Nonetheless, the Sabres wanted him back and re-claimed him off waivers last week after Gibson returned to play. The Manitoba native spent last season with the Red Wings, recording an 11-8-2 record, .904 SV%, 3.11 GAA, and two shutouts in 20 starts and five relief appearances.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Blues Place Kasperi Kapanen On Waivers

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The Blues have placed winger Kasperi Kapanen on waivers for the purposes of assignment to AHL Springfield, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports Monday.

Kapanen, 28, has been limited by an upper-body injury and multiple healthy scratches to 10 appearances this season. He has just one goal and a -6 rating with a 45.9 CF%, struggling to limit chances against while failing to generate many chances himself with 11 shots on goal.

That underwhelming showing has led head coach Drew Bannister to slash Kapanen’s ice time to 11:19 per game, his lowest average since his rookie season with the Maple Leafs in 2017-18. With Kapanen now sitting in the press box for back-to-back games and the team needing to clear a forward spot eventually to activate Robert Thomas from injured reserve, it was clear that he was becoming the odd man out.

The Blues had their chance to walk away from Kapanen over the offseason after he recorded six goals and 22 points in 73 games last year, his lowest points-per-game rate as a full-time NHLer. Instead, they opted to re-sign him to a one-year, $1MM contract shortly after the free agent market opened on July 1. While it’s a one-way deal, his cap hit is fully buriable and won’t count against St. Louis’ books if he clears waivers and reports to Springfield.

The Blues acquired Kapanen, a first-round pick by the Penguins back in 2014, by claiming him off waivers from Pittsburgh in Feb. 2023, less than halfway through a two-year, $6.4MM deal he’d signed with the Pens. It initially looked like Kapanen might have found a home in Missouri, posting 14 points in 23 games down the stretch while averaging 16:45 per game, the most minutes he’d ever shouldered as an NHLer. But inconsistency and a career-worst 6.1% shooting rate plagued him in 2023-24, kicking off a slow slide down the depth chart.

As a former 20-goal scorer with Toronto and a five-time 30-point getter, there might be some interest in Kapanen on the wire as a fully buriable expiring contract with some rebound potential. If not, he’ll be staring down his first minor league assignment since the 2017-18 season.

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Red Wings To Reassign Jack Campbell

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Nov. 18: Campbell cleared waivers Monday and is on his way to Grand Rapids, Friedman reports.

Nov. 17: The Detroit Red Wings have placed goaltender Jack Campbell on waivers per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Campbell signed a one-year, league-minimum deal with Detroit on July 1st but entered the NHL Player Assistance Program on October 4th. That’s been his designation ever since, though this waiver placement suggests he’s been activated and will soon return to the ice.

Campbell has been on a downward spiral since his stout service as Toronto’s starter in 2021-22. He recorded 31 wins and a .914 save percentage in 49 games that year – both higher than any Leafs starter not named Frederik Andersen since 2010. Campbell followed what seemed to be his breakout season by signing a rich deal with the Edmonton Oilers. But he’d quickly lose his grip, ultimately ceding the starting role to rookie Stuart Skinner after only posting 21 wins and a .888 save percentage in 36 games. Skinner managed a hardier 29 wins and .914 save percentage in 50 games, leading Edmonton to placing Campbell’s hefty $5MM cap hit on waivers. He passed through and proceeded to look much better with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors – posting an 18-13-1 record and .918 save percentage in 33 games. But that wasn’t enough to vindicate his price tag, and the Oilers chose to buy out the last three years of Campbell’s contract this summer.

A new deal in Detroit marked a chance for Campbell to rediscover his footing – though a chance at the NHL roster has always been a long shot. The Red Wings made a point of building out their net this summer, adding Cam Talbot on a two-year, $5MM contract to help challenge Alex Lyon and Ville Husso for the starting role. Talbot has more than earned it so far, posting a .927 save percentage through 10 games, while Lyon’s .903 is strong enough to hang onto the backup role.

Unfortunately, that’s left Husso and his .811 in two NHL games as the odd-man-out. He’s been buried in the minor leagues, though he’s recorded a much more encouraging .952 save percentage in four games with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Husso is rotating with Carter Gylander as the backup to top Red Wings prospect Sebastian Cossa, who’s set a dazzling .937 save percentage in 11 games. Campbell will now step into that crowd, likely pushing Gylander back to the ECHL but not guaranteeing any minutes in front of Husso. It’ll be a battle of the middling goaltenders in Grand Rapids’ goaltending room, while the 21-year-old Cossa continues to pave a strong path forward.

Kings Recall Samuel Helenius, Jacob Moverare

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Nov. 18: It was indeed a paper transaction. Helenius and Moverare are back up with the NHL club today, per a team announcement.

Nov. 17: The Kings loaned center Samuel Helenius and defenseman Jacob Moverare to AHL Ontario on Sunday, the team announced. With four days until their next game, it could be a paper transaction to get them playing time and, in Moverare’s case, delay the expiration of his temporary waiver exemption.

Los Angeles recalled Helenius, 22 next week, last weekend, shortly after Alex Turcotte exited the lineup with an upper-body injury. Turcotte returned to action Saturday against the Red Wings, but Helenius remained in the lineup for his fourth straight appearance while Akil Thomas sat in the press box.

Helenius has spent his first look in the NHL centering the Kings’ fourth line. He’s averaged 10:22 per game, won 13 of his 26 draws, and recorded his first two NHL points – both assists. He has a +1 rating, four shots on goal, 7 PIMs, and put his 6’6″, 201-lb frame to work by averaging 17.37 hits per 60 minutes, second on the team only to Tanner Jeannot.

It’s hard not to be optimistic based on the 2021 second-round pick’s initial showing. The son of former NHL enforcer Sami Helenius hasn’t flashed intriguing point totals at the AHL level, with only 37 in 150 games for Ontario over the past four seasons. But the fundamentals are there for Helenius to continue growing into a potential fourth-line fixture at the game’s highest level, although he’ll need to improve on his possession play. The Kings controlled only 42.9% of shot attempts with Helenius on the ice at even strength despite giving him rather advantageous offensive usage.

Meanwhile, all signs point to the 26-year-old Moverare coming back up before Wednesday’s game if Caleb Jones isn’t yet ready to come off IR with his undisclosed injury. The 2016 fourth-round pick made his season debut on Saturday, posting a +1 rating, two hits, four blocks, and a 60.6 CF% in 14:50 of ice time. He was just recalled on Friday, so only two days and one game have been shaved off from his temporary 30-day, 10-game exemption after clearing waivers during preseason.

Sharks Recall Yaroslav Askarov

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The Sharks announced Monday that they’ve recalled top goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov from AHL San Jose. The team placed center Nico Sturm on injured reserve to open up a roster spot.

Askarov was expected to compete for an NHL job out of training camp after being acquired in a blockbuster swap with the Predators in August. A lower-body injury sustained over the offseason threw a wrench into those plans, though. Since Askarov didn’t get on the ice with San Jose until the beginning of October, they kept their veteran tandem of Mackenzie Blackwood and Vítek Vaněček intact while loaning the 22-year-old to their AHL affiliate.

If the 2020 11th-overall pick’s desire for NHL time wasn’t apparent when he requested a trade out of Nashville, it’s crystal clear now after his impeccable start in the AHL. He’s been among the league’s best netminders with a 1.92 GAA, .939 SV%, two shutouts, and a 6-3-0 record in nine appearances behind one of the AHL’s worst teams over the past few seasons. His play has fuelled the Barracuda to a 93-point pace, which would be their second-best record in franchise history since their inception in 2015.

It’s a marked improvement on his already strong numbers with AHL Milwaukee while in the Predators’ system. He started 40-plus games in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns with matching .911 save percentages, earning himself a pair of All-Star Game nods. It only translated into two NHL starts and one relief appearance with Nashville during that time, posting a 2.58 GAA and .914 SV% with a 1-1-0 record.

Askarov is expected to back up Blackwood tonight against the Red Wings. His recall comes after Vaněček sustained an undisclosed injury in the first period against the Penguins on Saturday and did not return after the intermission.

While Blackwood has been strong for the Sharks this year with a .914 SV% and 4.7 GSAA in 11 appearances, Vaněček’s .899 SV% and -0.5 GSAA in 10 games have solidified him as the weak link in San Jose’s tandem thus far. If he’s out long enough for Askarov to get some game action, there’s a small but visible opening for him to steal the No. 2 job behind Blackwood and potentially push the pending UFA Vaněček to the waiver wire or force San Jose to carry three goalies.

Meanwhile, Sturm lands on IR after missing Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury. His placement is retroactive to Nov. 14, so he’ll miss at least two more games but is eligible to return for Thursday’s road tilt against the Blues. The German pivot has averaged just 9:50 per game this season but is still tied for seventh on the Sharks in scoring with six points (3 G, 3 A) in 18 games.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Bruins Recall Jeffrey Viel

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The Bruins promoted winger Jeffrey Viel from AHL Providence on Monday, per a team announcement. Boston had an open roster spot after reassigning Riley Tufte on Sunday, so no corresponding transaction is necessary.

Viel, 27, is in his first season in the Bruins organization. The 6’2″, 205-lb power forward signed a two-year, partial two-way deal in free agency over the summer after spending the first six seasons of his professional career in the Sharks and Jets systems.

The Quebec native is expected to play his first NHL game in 19 months tonight against the Blue Jackets, per Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub. He’ll slot in a fourth-line role at left wing alongside John Beecher and Tyler Johnson while Mark Kastelic comes out due to a lower-body injury, and Cole Koepke serves as a healthy scratch despite being fourth on the Bruins in scoring with eight points (4 G, 4 A) in 19 games. There’s hope Kastelic could return for Thursday’s game against Utah, Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald reports, so Viel’s stint in the lineup could be a short one.

While Viel spent last year with Winnipeg, he didn’t see NHL ice and spent the entire 2023-24 season on assignment to AHL Manitoba. All of his 49 career NHL games came in a Sharks uniform. He recorded three goals and two assists for five points with a -9 rating and 139 PIMs in parts of three seasons. He averaged 8:29 per game in San Jose and controlled 43.6% of shot attempts at even strength.

Viel has routinely blended strong physical play and frequent fights with decent scoring numbers in the minors, making him an attractive power winger option for NHL clubs looking to add some skill and protection for their younger prospects at the AHL level. His production hasn’t come alive with Providence yet, though, limited to two goals and two assists in 14 games.

Viel passed through waivers unclaimed at the beginning of the season. He can remain on Boston’s roster for up to 30 days or play 10 games before he needs them again to return to Providence. The first season of his contract carries a two-way structure, so the recall represents a significant pay bump to $775K from his $375K minors salary.

Maple Leafs’ Calle Järnkrok Undergoes Groin, Sports Hernia Surgery

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The Maple Leafs announced that forward Calle Järnkrok underwent groin and sports hernia surgery on Monday. He will remain out of the lineup indefinitely and will be evaluated monthly.

Järnkrok, 33, has spent the entire season on long-term injured reserve with what the team previously labeled a lower-body injury. General manager Brad Treliving said last week that Järnkrok had left Toronto after experiencing a setback in his recovery and was seeing a specialist in New York.

That meeting evidently resulted in the decision for Järnkrok to undergo surgery to repair the issue, which he sustained early in training camp. Recovery timelines from sports hernia surgery vary but usually fall somewhere in the four-month range, so while there’s still a chance for him to play this season, it likely won’t be until after the March 7 trade deadline.

Järnkrok has been plagued by injuries since signing a four-year, $8.4MM contract with the Maple Leafs in free agency in 2022. He missed 30 games last season with two different hand injuries and also missed a couple of weeks in December 2022 with a groin injury, although it’s unclear if that’s related to the current groin issue that required surgery.

When in the lineup, the versatile Swede has been an effective depth presence. He’s averaged 0.48 points per game in a Toronto uniform, a tad higher than his 0.43 career average. He averaged 15:16 in 52 appearances last season, recording 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points while averaging more than a minute per game on both the power play and penalty kill.

While the Maple Leafs will continue to miss a capable veteran presence with a well-rounded game who can slot in pretty much anywhere in the lineup, they will continue to gain relief from his $2.1MM cap hit while on LTIR. Toronto currently has $731,562 left in their LTIR pool with a full roster, per PuckPedia, although that number will increase when Auston Matthews and Max Pacioretty come off standard injured reserve.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Flyers Recall Helge Grans Under Emergency Conditions

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The Flyers announced Monday that they’ve recalled defenseman Helge Grans from AHL Lehigh Valley under emergency conditions. The 22-year-old will make his NHL debut tonight against the Avalanche, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Grans will enter the lineup for Emil Andrae, who the team said won’t play after sustaining a mid-body injury against the Sabres on Saturday. Philadelphia moved goaltender Samuel Ersson to injured reserve to open a spot on the active roster.

Grans arrived in the Flyers organization last year as part of the three-team trade with the Kings and Blue Jackets that sent Ivan Provorov to Columbus. Drafted 35th overall by Los Angeles in 2020, the 6’3″, 205-lb righty already has loads of professional experience. He logged 69 games of Swedish Hockey League experience with Örebro HK before coming to North America in 2021, and he’s since recorded 11 goals, 33 assists, 44 points, 58 PIMs, and a -4 rating in 185 games for the Kings’ and Flyers’ affiliates in Ontario and Lehigh Valley.

While Grans once projected as a solid puck-moving defender with good size, his point totals in the minors suggest he’ll be more of a stay-at-home option if he manages to lock down an everyday NHL role. He’s struggled to make a significant impact on the scoresheet after a 24-point rookie season in 56 games with Ontario in 2021-22, posting just eight points (1 G, 7 A) in 56 games with Lehigh Valley last season.

Grans will debut on the right side of a pairing with Yegor Zamula, head coach John Tortorella said. Don’t expect them to log a ton of minutes, though, with Tortorella adding he plans to “play the s*** out of [Travis Sanheim] and [Rasmus Ristolainen]” as the Flyers look to win their fourth game in a row and push their record above .500 for the first time since their first game of the season (via Kevin Kurz of The Athletic).

For Andrae, it’s a tough break for the 22-year-old. He’s played well in fringe top-four minutes with Jamie Drysdale and Cameron York hitting injured reserve in recent weeks, posting three assists with a +1 rating in 10 appearances while averaging 18:27 per game. The undersized 5’9″ blue-liner has gotten involved physically with 13 blocks and 15 hits, and his possession play has been quite good. The Flyers have controlled 51.2% of shot attempts with Andrae on the ice at even strength compared to 42.2% without him.

Ersson, meanwhile, hits IR after re-aggravating a lower-body injury last week. He’s not expected back until Saturday’s game against the Blackhawks at the earliest, so today’s move is purely for roster flexibility purposes and doesn’t impact his timeline for a return.

Wild Recall Ben Jones, Devin Shore

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The Wild brought up forwards Ben Jones and Devin Shore from AHL Iowa on Sunday, per a team release.

One or both could make their Wild debuts on Tuesday against the Blues. They replace up-and-coming forwards Michael Milne and Liam Öhgren on the active roster, both of whom were reassigned to Iowa earlier Sunday.

If Jones plays, it would be just his third career NHL game. The 25-year-old last appeared at the top level with the Golden Knights in Nov. 2021, recording 2 PIMs, a shot on goal and four hits while averaging 8:03 in a pair of contests.

The final pick of Vegas’ inaugural 2017 draft class, the 6’0″ Jones has developed into a top-six option at the AHL level despite his lack of NHL time. While the Knights opted not to qualify him when his entry-level contract expired in 2022, he caught on with the Flames organization for the past two seasons and compiled 97 points (38 G, 59 A) in 143 games.

Jones’ six seasons of AHL experience but lack of NHL games played made him eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency this past summer, and he was plucked off the market by the Wild on a two-year, two-way deal amid a flurry of minor signings from Minnesota on July 1. It’s worked out so far, as Jones leads Iowa in scoring with 12 points (4 G, 8 A) in 14 games and earned his first NHL recall in three years in the process.

Shore has far more top-level experience than Jones – 441 games separating the two, to be exact. The 30-year-old Shore also inked a two-way deal with the Wild when free agency opened and has two goals and 10 points in 14 games with Iowa after clearing waivers, although his -11 rating is second-worst on the team behind Brendan Gaunce.

A long-time bottom-six fixture with the Stars, Ducks, Blue Jackets, and Oilers, Shore’s 21 NHL games last season with the Kraken were his fewest in a campaign since a three-game trial with Dallas in 2015-16. He’s spent parts of the last three seasons in the AHL after going seven years without a minor-league assignment, largely due to steadily declining offense and ice time at the NHL level. Shore had only four points for Seattle last year and averaged 8:00 per game, a career-low capping off a third straight season in which he averaged under 10 minutes per game.

Both Jones and Shore can remain on Minnesota’s roster for up to 30 days and play 10 games before needing waivers again to return to the AHL. The Wild have been dipping into their AHL depth in recent days with Mats Zuccarello on injured reserve and Joel Eriksson Ek out day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Ducks Place Mason McTavish On IR; Recall Sam Colangelo, Tyson Hinds

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The Ducks placed center Mason McTavish on injured reserve Sunday with an upper-body issue, the team announced. The move opened up a second spot on the active roster, and Anaheim used both open slots to recall right-winger Sam Colangelo and defenseman Tyson Hinds in corresponding moves.

McTavish, 21, has already sat out three games with the injury, which he sustained on Nov. 8 against the Wild. He was listed as day-to-day as late as Saturday, so the placement doesn’t indicate a change in his return timeline. He’ll be eligible for reinstatement from IR at any time, as he’s already missed more than seven days.

The third overall pick of the 2021 draft is the third Duck to land on IR in the past few days. He joins fellow forward Robby Fabbri, who underwent surgery on Friday to repair a torn meniscus and will miss the next six weeks, and defenseman Cam Fowler, who’s out for two to four weeks with an upper-body injury.

It’s been a good start to the season for McTavish, who’s averaging a career-high 16:18 per game and is tied for third on the team in points with eight (2 G, 6 A) in 13 appearances. The 6’0″, 213-lb pivot has won 48.3% of his faceoffs and has arguably earned a couple of more points than he’s produced, shooting 3.6 points below his career average of 12.3%.

He has been a slight drag on the team’s possession numbers, though. The Ducks are controlling 41.2% of shot attempts with McTavish on the ice at even strength compared to 45.5% without him. He had been centering a line between Fabbri and Trevor Zegras, with the former now moving up to center Frank Vatrano and Troy Terry with his linemates injured.

Whether Colangelo and Hinds will draw into the lineup Monday against the Stars remains to be seen, although it’s a decent possibility with head coach Greg Cronin continuing to shuffle lines in the wake of injuries. Colangelo, 23 next month, is off to a scorching-hot start in the minors with San Diego. The 2020 second-round pick leads the team with nine goals in 14 games and is second with points in 14, trailing only Jansen Harkins’ 17.

Colangelo, who checks in at 6’2″ and 205 lbs, is in his first full season of pro hockey. The Massachusetts native signed his entry-level contract last spring after transferring to Western Michigan for his senior season, leading them with 24 goals in 38 games. He made his NHL debut down the stretch in 2023-24, averaging 12:33 per contest and recording his first NHL goal in his first game on April 12 against the Flames.

It is, however, the first NHL recall for the 21-year-old Hinds. The lefty was a third-round pick in 2021 and is amid his second professional season, recording 10 points and a -8 rating in 71 appearances for San Diego last year. He’s yet to record an assist in 2024-25 but has already matched last year’s goal total with two in 13 games. The Quebec native, who’s on track to become the capable stay-at-home defender he was drafted to be, was ranked as the 14th-best prospect in Anaheim’s system in McKeen’s Hockey’s preseason ranking.

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