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Islanders Recall Isaiah George

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The Islanders have recalled defenseman Isaiah George from AHL Bridgeport, per the NHL’s media site (hat tip to Stefen Rosner of NHL.com/The Hockey News). It’s the first-ever NHL recall for the 20-year-old, who could make his NHL debut tonight against the Penguins.

George replaces Samuel Bolduc on the active roster. Bolduc, 23, was summoned from Bridgeport before Sunday’s 5-2 loss to the Rangers after the club lost defensemen Adam Pelech, Mike Reilly and Alexander Romanov to injuries in their win over the Sabres on Friday. However, Bolduc played just 5:56 against the Rangers, posting a -1 rating, and was returned to Bridgeport yesterday. The organization evidently doesn’t view him as a legitimate NHL option for now after he played a career-high 34 games last year, so George comes up to get his first chance at NHL minutes.

George, a left-shot defender, was a fourth-round pick (98th overall) in 2022. He spent the following two seasons finishing out his junior career with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League before making his professional debut with Bridgeport this season. The “effortless puck-carrier,” as described by Elite Prospects, has a goal and an assist with a -1 rating through his first four games with the Baby Isles.

For now, Romanov remains day-to-day with the upper-body injury that’s cost him four of the Islanders’ last five games. He skated alongside Noah Dobson in line rushes in practice yesterday, though, per Denis P. Gorman of Newsday. He appears likely to play tonight, but if he can’t go, George will slot into the lineup with Ryan Pulock and Dennis Cholowski ahead of him on the Islanders’ left defense depth chart.

George only played three junior seasons instead of the typical four prior to aging out, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out what would have been his rookie campaign with London. He still totaled 19 goals, 56 assists, 75 points, 100 PIMs, and a +72 rating in 189 appearances for the Knights. He posted career-highs across the board last season with 24 assists, 30 points, and a +26 rating before adding 12 points in 18 playoff games as London won the OHL championship. He’s still in the first year of his entry-level contract, so he isn’t eligible for restricted free agency until 2027.

Philadelphia Flyers Acquire Ben Gleason From Oilers

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The Philadelphia Flyers have acquired defenseman Ben Gleason from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defenseman Ronnie Attard. The swap sees a pair of AHL defensemen on the move as neither player has been able to secure a full-time NHL role to this point in their respective careers. The move is necessary for the Oilers, as their affiliate, the Condors, are short on veterans as they embark on a four-game, seven-day marathon through Canada.

At the age of 26, Gleason has spent the entirety of this season with the Oilers AHL affiliate in Bakersfield. The native of Ortonville, Michigan, has a goal and three assists in those seven games and has registered 15 shots on goal. He originally signed with the Dallas Stars as a free agent back in 2018 and played four NHL games with the Stars that year, grabbing his first NHL point on November 10th, 2018. He went on to play five seasons with Dallas’ AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, and then eventually signed as a free agent with the Oilers in the summer of 2023.

Attard was drafted by Philadelphia back in 2019 (72nd overall) and went on to play 29 NHL games in the past three years, posting two goals and four assists. The 25-year-old has dressed in 123 career AHL games with Lehigh Valley between 2022-24 and has 22 goals and 37 assists during that time.

Metro Notes: Ersson, Johnson, York

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Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson is currently managing a minor groin injury (as per Kevin Kurz of The Athletic). Ersson’s condition isn’t expected to sideline him for long, though it’s not yet clear when he’ll return to full participation. The 25-year-old left his last start against the Boston Bruins with what was being called a lower-body injury, but now with that injury defined, it appears that the issue could cost the young netminder some time.

Ersson has shown a lot of promise this season and has arguably taken over the Flyers’ starting role. Given that, the Flyers are likely to take a cautious approach to ensure he avoids further issues. With the demands on goaltenders, groin-related injuries can be particularly limiting and difficult to predict. The Flyers will undoubtedly monitor Ersson’s progress as they continue building a solid roster of younger talent. So far this season, Ersson has dressed in nine games and is sporting a 4-2-1 record, with a .901 save percentage and a 2.68 goals-against average.

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • Kent Johnson of the Columbus Blue Jackets participated in a skate after practice today (as per Blue Jackets reporter Jeff Svoboda). Johnson’s return to the ice is a good sign of progress, even in a limited capacity. Johnson has been kept out of action with a shoulder injury since October 17th and isn’t expected to get back into the lineup until the end of November. He was fortunate to avoid surgery but will ultimately miss around six weeks of the regular season with the ailment.
  • Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Cameron York will be travelling with the team, hinting at his availability for upcoming games (as per Kevin Kurz of The Athletic). York’s presence on the road is promising for the Flyers but head coach John Tortorella wasn’t sure whether the 23-year-old would play. York has been dealing with an upper-body injury that has kept him out of action since October 23rd and was off to a decent start to the year with two goals and an assist in his first seven games.

Penguins Notes: Jarry, Rust, Nieto

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Josh Yohe of The Athletic expects Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Tristan Jarry to return to the NHL lineup sometime next week. Jarry has been with the Penguins American Hockey League affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and has posted stellar numbers with a 3-0 record and a .937 save percentage as well as a 1.95 goals-against average.

Yohe thinks Jarry may bump rookie Joel Blomqvist back to the AHL which makes sense, given the play of fellow netminder Alex Nedeljkovic. The Penguins need to see Jarry in NHL action again before they can decide what to do in the crease for the rest of the season, and they could certainly use some good news after a rough start to the season. The Penguins can keep Jarry in the AHL for two weeks during his conditioning stint, which makes November 11th the date he will likely return to the NHL.

In other Pittsburgh Penguins notes:

  • Penguins forward Bryan Rust reportedly reaggravated a preseason injury when he exited a game against the Vancouver Canucks last week (as per Josh Yohe of The Athletic). Rust suffered a lower-body injury in the preseason, and when the injury resurfaced last week, there was fear that it could be serious, but that is not the case. The Penguins want to get Rust back to full health and plan to ease him back into things so he can function optimally when he is in the lineup.
  • Penguins forward Matthew Nieto was reportedly a full participant in practice today (as per Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). The 31-year-old has been out of action since last season as he continues to recover from offseason knee surgery. He remains on long-term injured reserve and will need to be activated once he is cleared for game action. It’s fair to wonder if Nieto will be a regular when he is ready to return, as the Penguins have a pile of depth options for their bottom six and may not have room for the 11-year NHL veteran.

Pacific Notes: McDavid, Demko, Forbort

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There’s growing optimism within the Edmonton Oilers organization that captain Connor McDavid could return sooner than expected. Tom Gazzola of Edmonton Sports Talk reported video of McDavid skating on his injured ankle earlier this morning adding he hasn’t ruled out playing this upcoming weekend.

The Oilers originally believed McDavid would miss two to three weeks with an ankle injury but two weeks may be the maximum. The fact that McDavid is already back skating on the ice is a positive step in the right direction regarding his recovery timeline.

McDavid hasn’t played since Edmonton’s blowout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on October 28th. The Oilers have done as well as possible in his absence securing wins against the Nashville Predators and Calgary Flames but have two difficult games this week against the New Jersey Devils and Vegas Golden Knights. Should McDavid return this weekend in the Oilers’ contest against the Vancouver Canucks he will have only missed a total of four contests.

Other Pacific notes:

  • Another Pacific Division team with positive news on the injury front is the Canucks. The Athletic’s Rick Dhaliwal reported earlier that goaltender Thatcher Demko is on the last step before being medically cleared to practice although his timeline is still up in the air. Vancouver could certainly use a reinforcement in the crease. Free agency pickup Kevin Lankinen has held down the fort with a .919 save percentage through seven starts but backup netminder Arturs Silovs has struggled to a .797 SV% mark in three.
  • Staying in Vancouver, Harman Dayal of The Athletic reported defenseman Derek Forbort got shaken up during a practice drill and left early. Dayal noted that Forbort appeared to favor a leg as he left the ice but the team didn’t update his status after the practice. If Forbort is unavailable in tomorrow night’s action against the Anaheim Ducks expect one of Vincent Desharnais or Noah Juulsen to suit up on the bottom pairing.

New York Islanders Reassign Samuel Bolduc

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According to a team announcement, New York Islanders’ defensive prospect Samuel Bolduc is headed back to the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders after only one game in the NHL. The former 57th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft had the opportunity for more playing time in New York with injuries to Alexander Romanov and Mike Reilly. Still, he was unable to capture a consistent spot in the lineup.

Bolduc was largely invisible in the team’s loss against the New York Rangers last night. He skated in 5:56 of the action but was kept off the stat sheet entirely aside from producing a -1 rating. The demotion to the AHL seemed inevitable, as was evident in head coach Patrick Roy’s comments after the game. Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News captured the quote of Roy saying, “It’s sad. Those things happen, but Sam [Bolduc] needs to be better if he wants to play in the NHL. He’s got to understand [that] and step up. He’s a good hockey player. He’s got all the tools. Now, he just needs to figure it out. But he needs to be better if he wants to play for us“.

The young defenseman now finds himself in a difficult position. He’s been solid offensively throughout his tenure in the AHL with 20 goals and 62 points in 151 games over the last five seasons. Unfortunately, he has still not taken adequate steps in the right direction with his play on the defensive side of the puck prohibiting him from becoming a full-time member of the Islanders. The clock is ticking on his time as a top prospect in New York’s system and he has yet to inspire much confidence in the organization’s coaching staff.

The move also suggests the Islanders’ are more willing to play down a man on defense than give Bolduc any meaningful playing time. Stefen Rosner reported earlier that Romanov and Rielly are still considered day-to-day meaning they may only have five tomorrow night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Still, there is some hope Romanov can return tomorrow giving New York some confidence they’ll be able to deploy a complete blue line.

Boston Bruins Sign Tyler Johnson

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Veteran forward Tyler Johnson finally has a resolution on his professional tryout agreement with the Boston Bruins. The organization announced they signed Johnson to a one-year contract for the 2024-25 season with a league minimum salary of $775K.

According to PuckPedia, the move brings Boston to a full 23-man roster with a current cap space of approximately $515K. Outside of the team’s fourth line, the Bruins have had little consistency from the rest of their forward line to start the year meaning Johnson should begin somewhere in the team’s middle six.

He’s no longer the typical 50-point threat during his time with the Tampa Bay Lightning but brings Stanley Cup pedigree to an organization that has failed to move beyond the second round of the playoffs since 2019. He’s spent the last three years on a rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks team scoring 32 goals and 70 points in 149 games while producing a -64 rating. The Bruins shouldn’t expect that Johnson’s addition to the lineup will bring them out of their current 27th-ranked offense but he should help out in a few other areas.

Johnson is a much better player on the defensive side of the puck than his tenure with the Blackhawks suggested which should theoretically help lower Boston’s 3.23 GA/G. The Bruins are also one of the league’s worst possession teams at 24th with a 48.3% CorsiFor% in all situations. Johnson has maintained a 52.1% CF% throughout his career including a 49.7% average during his time in Chicago.

He may also feature on the Bruins’ penalty kill but it’s unlikely league-average production with a man disadvantage is a priority to fix with more pressing issues at hand. On paper, the move strikes as a positive move in the right direction for a struggling Boston team but not necessarily the game-changing impact they appear to need.

Atlantic Notes: Ostapchuk, Zub, Laine, Slafkovský, Motte, Benson

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The Senators papered Zack Ostapchuk back up to the active roster today after sending him down to AHL Belleville yesterday, per a team announcement.

Ottawa has now recalled the young center on three separate occasions this season. After initially cutting him from their roster on the final day of training camp, he’s been recalled thrice in the past week to serve as an injury fill-in while David Perron and Shane Pinto are out of the lineup.

Ostapchuk has served as the Sens’ third-line center between Noah Gregor and Michael Amadio and will do so again against the Sabres tomorrow, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia. The 21-year-old went without a point in seven appearances last season but has managed to get on the scoresheet in 2024-25, recording his first career assist and a +1 rating while averaging 11:55 through three games.

While Ottawa will remain without Perron and Pinto for a while yet, they’re getting healthier on the back end. Defenseman Artem Zub will make his return from a concussion “sooner than later,” Garrioch said today. He’s been practicing with the team for the better part of the past week but will likely miss his ninth straight game Tuesday in Buffalo. He sustained the concussion in the Sens’ third game of the season against the Kings on a hit from L.A. winger Tanner Jeannot.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Canadiens winger Patrik Laine hasn’t yet debuted for the team after sustaining a knee injury in preseason, but his return timeline predicates he’ll hit the ice and return to regular-season action sometime next month. He’s still done enough throughout his career to put himself in consideration for a spot on Finland’s roster for February’s 4 Nations Face-Off, general manager Jere Lehtinen told Shawn P. Roarke of NHL.com. There’s a solid chance he won’t get to see game action before rosters for the tournament are due in early December, but leaving him off the roster would leave the already-underdog Finns without a dynamic offensive talent. Health has been a significant hurdle for Laine over the past few years, but his 0.91 points per game since the beginning of the 2021-22 season rank fourth among Finnish NHLers behind Mikko Rantanen, Aleksander Barkov and Sebastian Aho.
  • Still with the Habs, winger Juraj Slafkovský practiced today after leaving Saturday’s loss to the Penguins late after a high hit from Pittsburgh forward Noel Acciari, relays Patrick Friolet of RDS. Slafkovský confirmed to reporters that he didn’t suffer a concussion on the play and will remain in the lineup against the Flames tomorrow, albeit in a slightly reduced second-line role alongside Jake Evans and Alex Newhook, while Kirby Dach takes his spot on the top-line alongside Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. Slafkovský, 20, already missed three games earlier this season with a shoulder injury. When in the lineup, he has a goal and seven assists in nine appearances.
  • The Red Wings will have forward Tyler Motte available on Wednesday against the Blackhawks after he missed the last seven games with an upper-body injury, head coach Derek Lalonde told reporters today, including Ansar Khan of MLive.com. However, he may still be out of the lineup as a healthy scratch after Detroit escaped their division-rival Sabres with a 2-1 win over the weekend. Signed to a one-year, $800K deal on the second day of free agency, Motte did not have a point with a -2 rating in four appearances with Detroit before exiting the lineup.
  • The Sabres may activate winger Zach Benson from injured reserve before tomorrow’s contest against the Sens, head coach Lindy Ruff told Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. The 19-year-old has sat out the last five games with a lower-body injury he sustained in their Global Series games against the Devils that never wholly resolved. It showed in his performance, as he was held off the scoresheet and logged a -4 rating in six appearances when in the lineup for Buffalo last month.

Stars Reassign Kyle Capobianco

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The Stars assigned defenseman Kyle Capobianco to AHL Texas today, according to the minor league’s transactions log.

Dallas recalled Capobianco, 27, from Texas last weekend as extra injury insurance while the team traveled to Finland for their Global Series contests against the Panthers. He wasn’t needed, serving as a healthy scratch for both losses. Now that the team has returned stateside, he’ll return to the minors.

After spending the last two seasons in the Jets organization, Capobianco reached Group VI free agency and inked a two-year, partial two-way deal with the Stars in July. This season carries a two-way structure, so he earns a salary of $475K while on assignment to Texas compared to his $775K NHL salary. He’ll earn that $775K league minimum regardless of where he plays next season.

Capobianco cleared waivers during the preseason. His call-up lasted eight days, so he can remain on the NHL roster for 22 more across multiple call-ups before he requires waivers to head back to the minors. The 6’1″ left-shot defender had a goal, two assists and a -1 rating in six appearances with Texas to start the season.

A 2015 third-round pick of the Coyotes, Capobianco has 73 NHL games under his belt but none since appearing with Winnipeg in the 2022-23 campaign. He has 12 points (5 G, 7 A) with a -17 rating in those appearances, all of which have come with Arizona and Winnipeg. He’s averaged 15:04 per game and controlled 47.2% of shot attempts and 44.2% of expected goals when on the ice at even strength.

The Stars now have an open roster spot and $1.68MM in current cap space, per PuckPedia.

Philip Broberg Out 4-6 Weeks With Lower-Body Injury

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Blues defenseman Philip Broberg will be sidelined for four to six weeks with the lower-body injury he sustained Saturday against the Maple Leafs, head coach Drew Bannister told reporters today, including Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic.

Broberg hasn’t yet landed on injured reserve. Without an open roster spot and with only one extra defenseman, Scott Perunovich, on hand before his injury, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him land there before tomorrow’s game against the Lightning or shortly after that. Given his return timeline, he’s eligible for long-term injured reserve, but the Blues already have plenty of space in their LTIR pool with Torey Krug and his $6.5MM cap hit there.

Many feared a longer-term, potentially season-ending absence for Broberg after he fell awkwardly on his right leg following a collision with Toronto star Mitch Marner. He needed help skating off the ice and clutched his right knee while lying on the ice for several minutes after the injury. However, Bannister’s announcement aligns with a report from Andy Strickland of FanDuel Sports Network Midwest earlier today that Broberg’s absence wouldn’t be as long as initially feared.

Signed to a two-year, $9.16MM offer sheet and plucked away from the Oilers in August, Broberg has been instrumental in filling the gap vacated by Krug’s season-long absence, plus a lengthy stretch without Nick Leddy in the lineup. He’d taken over as their best left-shot defender in the interim, posting two goals, seven assists, and nine points with a +6 rating in his first 12 games with St. Louis.

Broberg appeared in just 12 regular-season contests with Edmonton all of last season, spending most of the campaign in the AHL. He’s on pace this year to avoid a minor-league assignment entirely for the first time since being drafted eighth overall in 2019 and subsequently arriving in North America with the Oilers two years later. The projected length of his absence still gives him a chance to crack his previous career-high of 46 NHL games set in 2022-23. After just two goals and 13 points in 81 showings in Edmonton, his offensive game was finally thriving in a much more significant role in St. Louis. Drafted as a two-way defender with the potential for decent NHL point totals, Broberg had 38 points (5 G, 33 A) in 49 games for AHL Bakersfield last season.

At even strength, Broberg had been skating in a second-pairing role alongside Justin Faulk while 40-year-old Ryan Suter held down top-pairing duties with Colton Parayko with Leddy out. Pierre-Olivier Joseph slid up alongside Faulk in practice today, according to Lou Korac of NHL.com. He will replace a good portion of Broberg’s minutes, at least for now. Perunovich is expected to re-enter the lineup in a third-pairing role alongside Matthew Kessel after serving as a healthy scratch in two of the Blues’ last three games.

Broberg’s contract costs $4.58MM against the cap. He’s signed through 2025-26 and will become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights upon expiry.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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