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Wild Assign Reese Johnson, Recall Brendan Gaunce

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5:30 PM: The Minnesota Wild have recalled forward Brendan Gaunce, after placing Devin Shore on waivers, per Michael Russo of The Athletic. Gaunce would become the 31st player to suit up for the Wild, should he step into the lineup. He gets the call after scoring eight goals and 14 points in 21 games with the AHL’s Iowa Wild.

11:30 AM: The morning has started out with a heap of small-news roster transactions, headlined by the Minnesota Wild assigning center Reese Johnson to the Iowa Wild, per Michael Russo of The Athletic. Johnson stepped into Minnesota’s last two games to cover injuries to Yakov Trenin and Jakub Lauko. Trenin is expected to work his way back into the lineup before the team hosts Florida on Wednesday. That would alleviate some of the lineup pressure, though Russo points out that Minnesota will still need to recall a forward. He adds that the team could also place forwards Devin Shore or Ben Jones on waivers to create room for an additional call-up.

Johnson’s assignment gives Minnesota a chance to assess the playing field. They’ve had terrible luck with their extra forwards so far this season – with none of Johnson (three games), Shore (12 games), or Jones (13 games) recording any scoring in their opportunities this season. The lack of production has also extended to Michael Milne, Travis Boyd, and even top prospect Liam Ohgren – making the question of who to call up a tough one to answer.

Minnesota will need someone to step up for Lauko, who will be forced to miss at least the next two games with his placement on injured reserve. The top of their call-up sheet seems covered by this list of scoreless forwards, but Minnesota may opt for a new face instead. If that’s the case, it’d likely be Brendan Gaunce, Hunter Haight, and Luke Toporowski vying for NHL ice time. Gaunce (14 points in 21 games) and Haight (12 points in 23 games) rank near the top of the Iowa Wild in scoring, while Toporowski (nine points in 11 games) ranks fourth on the team in point-per-game scoring. Haight and Toporowski are still awaiting their NHL debuts.

Minnesota is 7-3-0 in their last 10 games, but have been outscored 14-4 in their losses. Scoring depth down the lineup would certainly support Minnesota’s game-to-game consistency – but which forward will bring that scoring continues to be an open question.

Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov A Game-Time Decision

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Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov has been announced as a “hopeful” game-time decision for the team’s Monday game against the Edmonton Oilers, per NHL.com’s Jameson Olive. Barkov sat out of Florida’s Saturday loss to the Calgary Flames, and the team’s optional practice on Monday morning, with an illness.

Barkov has continued to be a pillar of the Panthers lineup this season. He’s recorded nine goals and 20 assists in 22 games, averaging out to a 1.32 points-per-game pace – the 13th-best in the NHL. He ranks 10th in the league in assists-per-game (0.91). Barkov has continued his defensive acumen into his 12th NHL season, recording a staggering 62-percent faceoff win rate and 1.72 xGA/60 – both among the best in the league as well.

It’s been an impressive year for the reigning Selke Trophy-winner, though he could now miss his 10th game of the season should he get ruled out tonight. When asked for more detail into the decision, head coach Paul Maurice told NHL.com, “Guys will play through anything, but sometimes it’s just not the smartest thing to do… If he says he can play, then I’m not going to monitor his minutes. We’ll get him out on the ice against one of their two big centermen as much as I possibly can.”

Winger Jonah Gadjovich stepped into a rearranged Panthers lineup in Barkov’s absence. He recorded one shot on net and two hits in 10:30 of ice time. Gadjovich has posted one goal, a -5, and 10 penalty minutes in 15 games this season while averaging the second-fewest minutes (7:29) on the team. Still, he’ll likely return to the lineup should Barkov sit again, with Florida not carrying any additional forwards.

Afternoon Notes: Red Wings, Ostapchuk, Flames

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The Detroit Red Wings received a handful of reassuring injury updates at Monday’s practice, all documented by Ansar Khan of Michigan Live. Most notably, backup goaltender Alex Lyon returned to practice in full and is expected to return for Wednesday’s game against Philadelphia. Lyon has been out of the lineup since suffering an undisclosed injury at practice on November 27th.  He’s missed eight games. Cam Talbot is also making his way back to full health but isn’t expected to return until Friday. Talbot has missed five of Detroit’s last six games.

The Red Wings could have their top two netminders back to full health by this weekend, finally relieving them of their crisis in net. Ville Husso stepped up as the team’s starter in the absence of Talbot and Lyon, but did little with the role – posting a 1-2-2 record and .894 save percentage. His poor performances paved the way for top goalie prospect Sebastian Cossa to make his NHL debut – relieving Husso on December 9th after he allowed three goals on the first seven shots. Cossa allowed two more goals but banded together with Detroit’s scorers to win in a shootout. It was a promising performance for the 22-year-old Cossa, though it’s clear Detroit prefers him as the AHL starter. That role will be easier to ensure with Talbot and Lyon finally returning to full health.

Khan also shared that forward Marco Kasper is dealing with an illness and will be questionable for the team’s Wednesday game. Kasper has seven points and 12 penalty minutes in 25 games this season.

Other quick notes from Tuesday practice:

  • The Ottawa Senators have sent forward Zack Ostapchuk to the minor leagues. The move appears to be a paper transaction to help accrue daily cap hit during off-days. Ostapchuk will likely be recalled ahead of Ottawa’s Tuesday game against Seattle, giving him a chance to continue searching for his first NHL goal. He has recorded two assists and one fighting major in 16 games this season – his only scoring or penalties through 23 career games. Ostapchuk has also recorded eight points and 10 penalty minutes in nine AHL games this year.
  • Both Jakob Pelletier and Walker Duehr have been returned to the NHL roster, after being assigned to the AHL for Calgary’s off-day. Both players could step back into the lineup when Calgary hosts Boston on Tuesday, after winger Andrei Kuzmenko left the team’s Tuesday practice early, per Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960. Kuzmenko is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, and missed Saturday’s game. Pelletier and Duehr are both on a quest to earn full-time roles in the NHL, serving as two of Calgary’s top prospects and minor-league standouts for the last few seasons. Pelletier has scored two points in five NHL games this year, while Duehr has one point in 16 games.
  • Flames goaltender Daniel Vladar returned to the team’s practice on Monday, shares Steinberg. Vladar missed Calgary’s Saturday game due to a lower-body injury, and has since been designated as day-to-day. He’s platooned starts with Dustin Wolf, narrowly beating out the rookie in games played with 16 to Wolf’s 15. Vladar has posted a 6-6-4 record and .885 save percentage in his performances, while Wolf has managed a 9-5-1 record and .915. That imbalance could soon push Wolf into the starter’s role, and return Vladar to the Flames’ backup spot where he spent the last three seasons.

Sabres Reassign Devon Levi

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12/16: Buffalo has loaned Levi back to Rochester. Levi allowed four goals on 40 shots in Buffalo’s Sunday loss to Toronto. He will return to the AHL, where he’s set a 7-1-1 record and .916 save percentage so far this season.

12/15: The Sabres’ top goaltending prospect is back in the NHL. Devon Levi has been recalled from AHL Rochester, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. He will start later today against the Maple Leafs, head coach Lindy Ruff told Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. Defenseman Ryan Johnson has been returned to the minors in a corresponding move to open a roster spot, the team confirmed.

Levi, 22, started the season on the NHL roster but played sparingly behind starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. That was simply due to strong play from the latter and weak play from the former. Levi was a strong backup option last season, posting a .899 SV% and 3.10 GAA behind a demanding workload. However, few-and-far-between starts likely contributed to a steep regression for the youngster in 2024-25. In six starts and one relief appearance, Levi managed just a .870 SV% and 3.95 GAA with a 2-5-0 record. His -7.5 goals saved above expected are the worst on Buffalo by far and seventh-worst in the league despite his low workload, per MoneyPuck.

That led the Sabres to reclaim veteran James Reimer off waivers in mid-November after they lost him to the Ducks at the beginning of the season. After re-installing him as Luukkonen’s backup, Buffalo returned the waiver-exempt Levi to Rochester on Nov. 18 to get him more playing time and, by extension, regain his confidence.

It was a prudent move by Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams. Levi has been stellar on the farm, posting a 7-1-1 record in nine games with Rochester with a 2.08 GAA, .916 SV% and two shutouts. That’s nothing new from the 2020 seventh-round pick of the Panthers, who Buffalo acquired as part of the trade that sent Sam Reinhart to Florida. Levi was similarly spectacular when on assignment to Rochester last season, finishing fourth in the league with a .927 SV% in 26 outings.

Nonetheless, Ruff wouldn’t confirm today if Levi’s promotion is a long-term bump or a short-term jolt to help the Sabres exit a debilitating nine-game losing streak. “I don’t really have that answer, but he’s going to play this game, and we’ll make a decision,” he told Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.

Both goalscoring and goaltending have been recent issues for the Sabres, whose last win was a 4-2 victory over the Sharks on Nov. 23. Luukkonen has a .890 mark in seven starts, while Reimer has a .860 in two over the losing streak. However, Buffalo won’t win many contests by scoring just 2.22 goals per game.

Outside of the current circumstances, it’s another chance for the Sabres’ top goaltending prospect to prove he can be a difference-maker at the NHL level after solidifying himself as an elite talent at every other step in his development. The Montreal native was arguably the best goaltender in college hockey during his two seasons with Northeastern in 2021-22 and 2022-23, logging a .942 SV% and 16 shutouts in 66 appearances and winning the Mike Richter Award for the NCAA’s top goaltender on both tries.

Meanwhile, Johnson returns to the minors after a middling showing during his 10-day recall. He appeared in Buffalo’s last three games with Rasmus Dahlin sidelined due to back spasms, posting no points and a -2 rating while averaging 17:40 per game. He recorded four blocks and one hit while hurting Buffalo’s puck possession at even strength, controlling only 45.2% of shot attempts. In contrast, the Sabres controlled 52.6% of shot attempts without Johnson on the ice.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Stars Notes: Bichsel, Harley, Lundkvist, DeSmith

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The Dallas Stars have reversed their paper transaction that sent Lian Bichsel to the minor leagues. He’s expected to step back into the lineup on Monday, setting Bichsel up for his third NHL game. The first two have both gone well, with Bichsel recording a goal, penalty, and eight hits. His four hits per game, or 16.08 hits-per-60, ranks second among all NHL defensemen behind Vegas’ Robert Hagg, who’s recorded 11 hits in two games.

Bichsel’s NHL debut was long anticipated. He was an imperative piece of Rogle BK’s lineup last season, recording a mere four points in 29 games but serving a physical shutdown role in the top four through much of the season. Rogle went on an underdog run to the SHL championship but ultimately fell to Skelleftea AIK in five games. Bichsel made the move to the AHL quickly after and has since combined for 16 points, 60 penalty minutes, and a +6 in 37 games with the Texas Stars.

Where Bichsel slots in on Monday could be up for question. Thomas Harley, who operated ahead of Bichsel in the rookie’s first two games, is listed as a game-time decision due to illness, per Brien Rea of Bally Sports Southwest. Rea also shares that Nils Lundkvist, who sat out of Saturday’s game with the flu, is expected to return on Monday. With Bichsel potentially filling in for Harley, Brendan Smith will step out of the lineup for Lundkvist’s return.

In additional news from Dallas’ Monday practice, it appears goaltender Casey DeSmith has also returned to full health after missing Saturday’s game with illness. His availability is evidenced by Dallas’ lack of a goaltending call-up, pointed out by Owen Newkirk of the Dallas Stars podcast.

Devils Reassign Nico Daws, Jake Allen To Travel With Team

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2:00 PM: Daws has been promptly reassigned to the minor leagues, with backup Jake Allen sharing that he’ll travel with the team on their upcoming two-game road trip, per James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now. The first game of the trip is against St. Louis, where Allen spent the first seven years of his NHL career. Daws will join Poulter in returning to Utica, giving the Comets their goaltending duo back in full.

9:30 AM: The Devils have swapped temporary backup netminders, announcing the recall of Nico Daws from AHL Utica. They’ve sent Isaac Poulter back down to the minors in a corresponding move after he backed up Jacob Markström in New Jersey’s last three games while Jake Allen is dealing with an upper-body injury.

Daws would have been New Jersey’s preferred option for a recall initially, but the 23-year-old was battling an injury and played for the first time this month over the weekend. A 2020 third-round pick, the German-born Canadian national has a 2.96 GAA, .900 SV%, one shutout, and a 3-9-2 record on the farm with Utica this season.

Especially compared to Poulter’s blank slate, Daws already has a fair amount of experience at the NHL level. While he didn’t see NHL ice in 2022-23, he played at least 20 games for the Devils in both the 2021-22 and 2023-24 campaigns. In 46 career appearances, he has a 19-22-1 record, 3.13 GAA and .894 SV%. He’s saved 13.3 goals below average during that time.

Summoning Daws indicates that Allen will miss a fourth straight game tomorrow when New Jersey faces his former team, the Blues. He’s yet to land on injured reserve, suggesting he’s still a strong possibility of being available on Thursday against the Blue Jackets. The 12-year veteran has been a strong backup to Markström this season, recording a .900 SV% and 2.74 GAA in 10 starts while saving 2.6 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck.

Daws is still waiver-exempt, but in the unlikely event he plays 14 games this season, he’d be at 60 career appearances and would need waivers to return to Utica. Regardless of how much he plays, he’ll need to clear waivers to head to the minors next year.

Penguins’ Marcus Pettersson Out Week-To-Week

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Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan shared that defenseman Marcus Pettersson will be out week-to-week with an undisclosed injury, per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports. Pettersson left the team’s Saturday loss to Ottawa late in the first period after a collision with Senators forward Drake Batherson sent him awkwardly into the boards. He only played in six minutes of ice time.

Pettersson has continued to serve as a core piece of the Penguins lineup this season. He’s recorded 11 assists and 13 points in 32 games this season while averaging 22 minutes of ice time – making him the third-most utilized player on the Penguins roster. Pettersson also leads Pittsburgh in blocked shots (56) and ranks third among defenders in hits (36). He’s a top-unit, shutdown defender – a role he stamped when he played in all 82 of Pittsburgh’s games last season. A full year helped Pettersson solidify his spot on the top pair – averaging nearly 23 minutes of ice time – and led him to career-highs in assists (26) and points (30). With his momentum carrying into this season, Pettersson has become an unquestioned piece of the daily lineup – and one that will be tough to replace for an extended time.

Pittsburgh is currently carrying top prospect Owen Pickering and depth option Ryan Shea as their extra defenders. The former seems best set for a boost in ice time with Pettersson out. Pickering received the first 11 games of his NHL career earlier this season. He scored two points, split evenly, and added five shots on goal and 10 blocked shots – leading Pittsburgh in blocks-per-game. He’s so far defaulted to Pittsburgh’s third pair, but could be a reasonable upside bet with Pettersson standing as a potential IR candidate. If not Pickering, Pittsburgh could turn towards Shea, or call-up Sebastian Aho from the minor leagues.

Minor Moves: Pánik, Reedy, Pulkkinen

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Longtime NHL winger Richard Pánik is continuing his trek around Europe and Russia. After spending the first part of 2024-25 in his native Slovakia with HC Slovan Bratislava, the Kontinental Hockey League announced today that the 33-year-old has signed with Russian side Traktor Chelyabinsk for the remainder of the season.

Pánik last played in the NHL with the Islanders in 2021-22. Once a 20-goal scorer with the Blackhawks in 2016-17, he’s been relatively productive over the past three years while continuing his professional career overseas. He was decent with Bratislava in the early going, compiling six goals and 13 points in 18 games before leaving for tougher competition in the KHL. He spent last season in the Czech Extraliga, where he amassed 20 goals and 34 points in 51 games with HC Oceláři Třinec and HC Dynamo Pardubice.

A second-round pick of the Lightning in 2009, Pánik has undoubtedly had a journeyman’s career. In his NHL time, he suited up for seven clubs in 10 seasons, posting 195 points in 521 games with the Bolts, Maple Leafs, Blackhawks, Coyotes, Capitals, Red Wings, and Isles. He also suited up for three Ontario Hockey League squads in his major junior career and has signed on with five different European franchises since 2022.

Some other minor moves involving former NHLers:

  • Ex-Sharks center prospect Scott Reedy has finally found a place to play for 2024-25, signing a tryout with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Now 25, the Minnesota native spent last season under contract with the Stars but was limited to 12 AHL contests due to injury, registering five goals and two assists. After being a Group VI unrestricted free agent over the summer, the 2017 fourth-rounder of San Jose will now look to catch on with his third NHL organization since turning pro out of the University of Minnesota in 2021. Reedy recorded seven goals and two assists in 35 NHL games with the Sharks in 2021-22 before being traded to Dallas for Jacob Peterson the following year.
  • Once a depth NHLer in the mid-2010s, Finnish scoring winger Teemu Pulkkinen has terminated his contract with Germany’s Schwenninger Wild Wings to pursue options back in his home country, the team announced. The former Red Wings, Wild and Coyotes winger had four goals and 11 points in 22 Deutsche Eishockey Liga games this season. Since leaving North America back in 2018, Pulkkinen has suited up with seven teams across Russia, Belarus, China and Germany. He amassed 13 goals and 22 points in 83 NHL games between the 2013-14 and 2016-17 campaigns.

Evening Notes: Maple Leafs, Johnson, Trouba

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are believed to be searching for another center (as per The Fourth Period). General manager Brad Treliving has been hoping to upgrade the second-line center position for some time now and is looking at potential options to do so. With the holiday trade freeze set to start on Friday, it doesn’t appear likely that a deal will be made in 2024, but Toronto is searching the market for a potential fit. Any move that they make will require a lot of creativity as Toronto doesn’t have a first-round pick this year, although they do hold their second and third-rounders.

Toronto may just have to wait until closer to the NHL trade deadline to make a deal happen as they will have just under $2.3MM available to them at that time (as per PuckPedia). The Maple Leafs could potentially look at a player like Brock Nelson of the New York Islanders, who is in the final year of his deal and is making $6MM. Toronto would need New York to retain on a deal and take a salary back, but those are the types of transactions Treliving could target.

In other evening notes:

  • Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson left today’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes with an upper-body injury and did not return (Twitter Link). The 37-year-old took a stick to the face from Hurricanes forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the first period and did not return at the start of the second period. Kotkaniemi was assessed a four-minute double minor on the play. Johnson has dressed in 17 games this season, averaging just over 14 minutes of ice time per game and tallying one assist.
  • Aaron Portzline of The Athletic spoke with Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba about his recent trade and why he declined to facilitate a trade to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Trouba was dealt by the New York Rangers to Anaheim, but had other suitors, including Columbus. Trouba told Portzline that there were no issues with Columbus, but he felt Anaheim would be a better fit for him and his wife, as well as her career as a doctor.

West Notes: Räty, Foligno, Faksa, Gustavsson

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The Vancouver Canucks announced today that they’ve assigned forward Aatu Räty to the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League. The 22-year-old was recalled on Saturday before the Canucks game against the Bruins but didn’t end up dressing and served as a healthy scratch.

The former second-round pick has spent considerable time in the NHL this season, dressing in 20 games and picking up two goals and two assists. His AHL campaign has been limited, playing just eight games with Abbotsford, but Räty has been very productive posting four goals and three assists.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • Chicago Blackhawks forward Nick Foligno was sick today and didn’t dress today in Chicago’s 5-3 win over the New York Islanders (as per Mario Tirabassi of CHGO Sports). The 37-year-old had points in each of his previous two games and is having a decent offensive season with seven goals and six assists in 30 games. He was replaced today by Joey Anderson who went scoreless in 13:27 of ice time.
  • Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic tweeted that St. Louis Blues forward Radek Faksa missed his third consecutive game tonight due to a cut on his leg. The 30-year-old suffered the injury in a game against Vancouver and is making progress towards a return. Veteran Brandon Saad replaced Faksa in the lineup. Faksa is in his first season with the Blues after spending the first nine years of his NHL career with the Dallas Stars.
  • Michael Russo of The Athletic writes that Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson is dealing with some soreness in his lower body and was getting looked at today. The ailment is reportedly nothing major, but it was enough to prompt the Wild to take a longer look at the issue. The 26-year-old is having a terrific bounce-back season with a 14-5-3 record along with a. 2.24 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. Gustavsson took warmups last night and did serve as the backup, but the issue prompted the team to act today as well as call up top prospect Jesper Wallstedt.

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