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Blackhawks Recall Isaak Phillips

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Blackhawks defenseman Isaak Phillips is back on the NHL roster after a brief stint in the minors, per a team announcement. He’d been sent down a few days ago to open up a roster spot for goaltender Drew Commesso, as an illness to backup Arvid Söderblom meant the Hawks temporarily needed to carry three goalies. Commesso was returned to Rockford yesterday, though, opening up Phillips’ roster spot.

The 23-year-old Phillips cleared waivers at the beginning of the month and has been rostered for five of Chicago’s 10 games this season between reassignments, but he’s been scratched for all of them. The left-shot prospect inked a two-way deal with Chicago in late July after reaching restricted free agency and was expected to make the team as a No. 6/No. 7 option but has been surpassed on the depth chart by 2021 first-round pick Nolan Allan. It’s likely that Phillips will spend roughly equal time in Chicago and AHL Rockford the rest of the season unless a rash of injuries takes over the Blackhawks’ blue line.

Phillips had made two appearances with Rockford amid NHL call-ups. He was held off the scoresheet and posted 5 PIMs with an even rating. It’s a middling start for the alternate captain, who impressed with 14 points and a +7 rating in only 29 showings for the AHL club in 2023-24. He also made 33 appearances for the Blackhawks last season in what was his most extended audition at the NHL level but struggled with six assists and a whopping -26 rating with underwhelming possession metrics.

A fifth-round pick in 2020, Phillips has 11 points and a -37 rating in 53 career showings with the Hawks dating back to the 2021-22 campaign. He can be on the NHL roster for 18 more days or play 10 games, whichever comes first, before he needs waivers again to return to the AHL.

Senators Recall Zack Ostapchuk

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The Senators have called up center Zack Ostapchuk, per a team announcement. Forward Adam Gaudette is also back with the team after yesterday’s paper transaction sent him to AHL Belleville. However, left-winger Cole Reinhardt remains in the minors after being demoted along with Gaudette yesterday. No corresponding move is required with two open spots on the 23-man roster.

Ostapchuk, 21, was an early second-round pick of the Sens in 2021. He made his NHL debut last year with Ottawa, going without a point in seven games. He posted a -1 rating, had five shots on goal, averaged 10:30 per game, and won just 26.8% of his 41 faceoffs.

Unsurprisingly, he didn’t make the opening night roster for 2024-25 after that underwhelming late-season showing. The 6’3″, 205-lb pivot has taken it in stride, though, and is off to a raucous start in the minors with a goal and four assists in six games for Belleville. Last season was Ostapchuk’s first in the professional ranks, after all, making the jump after splitting his fourth and final junior season in 2021-22 between the Vancouver Giants and Winnipeg Ice of the WHL. If nothing else, he flashed his penchant for physicality in his brief NHL showing, laying the body 13 times and blocking six shots.

Per Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, Ostapchuk will make his season debut tonight against the Blues, centering Ottawa’s third line between Michael Amadio and Noah Gregor. Gaudette will center the fourth line, and Ridly Greig will remain on the wing while Ottawa deals with the absence of the top-nine fixtures David Perron and Shane Pinto.

With a pair of off-days after tonight’s game, expect Gaudette and Ostapchuk to be papered down tomorrow for the Sens to keep accumulating as much cap space as possible. Ostapchuk is waiver-exempt this season and likely will be until the 2026-27 campaign unless he lands a full-time role sooner than expected.

Wild Reassign Daemon Hunt, Jared Spurgeon To Return

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The Wild have reassigned defenseman Daemon Hunt to AHL Iowa, per a team announcement. The move signals that captain Jared Spurgeon will return tonight against the Penguins after missing the last six games due to lingering effects from the back and hip surgeries he underwent last season, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Spurgeon was never placed on injured reserve, but with him returning to health, they had eight healthy defenders on the active roster. That made Hunt a redundancy for Declan Chisholm, who is likely headed for the press box with Spurgeon re-entering the lineup.

With Spurgeon unavailable, the club has turned to Zach Bogosian for top-four duties over the past few weeks. He’s done a fine job as a fill-in, logging two assists and a +2 rating in his eight appearances this season while averaging 17:42 per game. Still, the Wild are happy to get Spurgeon back as a legitimate puck-moving impact piece in their top four.

Spurgeon has been a top-20 defenseman in the league for the past decade, but injuries have begun to take a severe toll on him in his mid-30s. After a decade of essentially healthy campaigns, those back and hip surgeries limited him to 16 appearances last season, registering five assists and a +5 rating. His absence was one of, if not the most significant, reasons why the Wild missed the playoffs in 2024 for just the second time in 12 years.

He’ll return in a second-pairing role with standout shutdown man Jonas Brodin as his partner, a pairing that’s been outright dominant in possession control at many points over the last 10-plus years in Minnesota. With sophomore Brock Faber and Jacob Middleton comprising the top pairing, Spurgeon’s return gives Minnesota a playoff-caliber blue line once again – if he can manage to get last season’s surgeries behind him.

Meanwhile, his health leads to another reassignment for Hunt, his third of the young season. Now 22, Hunt was a third-round pick of the Wild back in 2020. A smooth-skating, physical left-shot defender, he had 29 points and a -4 rating in 51 games for Iowa last season and has been ferried between leagues with frequency this year due to his waiver-exempt status. He’s only made one NHL appearance this year, though, logging two shots in 8:01 of ice time against the Blues back on Oct. 15. He was a healthy scratch in four straight games since being recalled last on Oct. 18.

Utah Reassigns Josh Doan

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Utah rookie Josh Doan wasn’t rostered for last night’s collapse against the Sharks. That’s because he was assigned to AHL Tucson shortly before puck drop, the team announced.

Doan had yet to be a healthy scratch this season after cracking the opening night roster, but his role was dwindling. The 22-year-old played a season-low 8:44 against the Kings on Saturday. Without a stable fit in Utah’s top nine for now, he’ll return to the minors to log what should be first-line minutes before his next NHL chance.

The 2021 second-round pick of the Coyotes burst onto the scene last year in the final days of the Arizona franchise, posting five goals and four assists in 11 games. It was a small sample, but combined with his 26 goals and 46 points in 62 games for Tucson, the Arizona State product was developing well offensively.

That strong start led many to pencil Doan in on Utah’s opening-night roster after the players and staff relocated, and those prognosticators were correct. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the same impact on the scoresheet, as he was limited to a goal and an assist through nine games. That’s despite seeing more average ice time (13:05 vs. 12:19) and better possession metrics (60.0 CF% vs. 51.8 CF%) compared to last year’s call-up. But Doan was shooting the puck far less this time and not creating chances himself, taking only 10 shots in nine games compared to 23 in 11 last year.

Utah is certainly searching for answers on the NHL roster, which has lost six of its last seven after starting their inaugural season 3-0. However, Doan’s long-term development is still a key factor for the club, which will opt to give him more runway in Tucson rather than slashing his minutes at the NHL level. With the move, the club gains $925K in cap space and now has an open roster spot.

Connor McDavid Being Evaluated For Lower-Body Injury

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Oct. 29: McDavid has left the Oilers’ road trip and is returning to Edmonton for further evaluation, head coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters, including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, after yesterday’s 6-1 loss to the Blue Jackets. He’ll miss Thursday’s game against the Predators and should be considered highly doubtful for Sunday’s Battle of Alberta matchup.

Oct. 28: Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid has left tonight’s contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets and will not return due to a lower-body injury (Twitter link). McDavid appeared to be tripped up by Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski at the Columbus blue line and looked as though he jammed his left leg into the boards as he slid the length of the defensive zone and into the corner.

McDavid attempted to continue his shift but appeared to be uncomfortable putting any weight on his left leg. He quickly ended his shift and skated gingerly towards the Oilers bench before leaving down the tunnel and back to the dressing room. The incident happened on McDavid’s first shift of the game, and he did not play again. His total ice time for the evening was 37 seconds.

There was no penalty on the play, although the video of the incident isn’t the best angle to see whether Werenski tripped McDavid or he caught an edge before falling. In any event, it’s extremely bad luck for McDavid and the Oilers as they are still trying to find their game after a slow start to the season. The club can ill afford to lose McDavid for any length of time as the forward scoring has been non-existent early in the season outside of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

McDavid has points in seven of his first nine games coming into tonight, but he hasn’t been able to find that next gear, posting just three goals and seven assists in ten games. The Oilers will go as far as McDavid and Draisaitl can take them, meaning that his return is a must for a club with Stanley Cup aspirations.

Evening Notes: Vesey, Hague, Joseph

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Mollie Walker of New York Post Sports reports that New York Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey has been upgraded from a non-contact jersey and skated in a regular one today at Rangers practice. The 31-year-old sustained a lower-body injury during the preseason and has yet to dress in a regular game after playing 80 games last season and 81 the year before.

The Boston, Massachusetts native only resumed skating last Thursday and could play at some point this week if he progresses. New York has been using a revolving group of forwards in Vesey’s absence and re-called Matt Rempe yesterday from Hartford to presumably fill in until Vesey is ready to return.

In other evening notes:

  • Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague remains day to day with a lower-body injury (as per Jesse Granger of The Athletic). The 25-year-old was injured in the second period of Friday night’s 6-4 win over the Ottawa Senators after scoring his first goal of the season earlier in the game. Kaedan Korczak replaced Hague on Saturday against San Jose, and it appears as though Hague will miss tonight’s game against Calgary. Hague has a single point on the season in eight games and has struggled to start the year as his possession numbers have been abysmal with a 37.8 CF% at even strength (as per Hockey Reference).
  • St. Louis Blues forward Mathieu Joseph will be returning to St. Louis to be evaluated after he suffered a lower-body injury in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to Montreal (as per Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post Dispatch). Joseph will reportedly miss the remainder of the Blues road trip which sees them in Ottawa tomorrow night and Philadelphia on Thursday. Joseph has had a decent start in his first season with St. Louis posting two goals and two assists in nine games while being one of the team’s top penalty-killing options.

Transaction Notes: Benson, Smith, Commesso

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The Buffalo Sabres will have to wait a little longer for the return of their top prospects. As expected, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio reported earlier that the organization placed forward Zach Benson on injured reserve to make room for Nicolas Aube-Kubel tonight.

Buffalo has been fairly vague regarding Benson’s timeline, but he has sat out the last two games and the team’s most recent practice with a lower-body injury. There is some indication the injury has plagued Benson for much of the regular season with the youngster going scoreless in six games to start the year.

Line rushes from yesterday morning indicated that Aube-Kubel will assume the left-wing role on the team’s second line where Benson should end up upon his return. The organization will likely make the IR placement retroactive to Benson’s last game on October 19th meaning he’s already eligible to be activated once fully healthy.

Other transactions:

  • With their road trip ending tonight, it was inevitable that the Carolina Hurricanes would shorten their roster. The team has done just that announcing they reassigned defenseman Ty Smith to their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. Smith has been with the team as a seventh defenseman for much of the road trip with his original recall coming on October 18th. Unfortunately for Smith, the team’s blue line was fully healthy during the road trip eliminating any chance for him to enter the lineup.
  • Chicago Blackhawks netminder Arvid Soderblom has fully recovered from his illness meaning the team no longer requires goaltender Drew Commesso on the NHL roster. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports the team has reassigned Commesso to their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. It marked Commesso’s first call-up with the Blackhawks this season although he has yet to make his NHL debut. He’ll return to an IceHogs roster where he’s already played two games this season with a .854 save percentage.

Penguins Notes: Rust, Bunting, Nieto

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The Penguins were without winger Bryan Rust at practice today, per Josh Getzoff of SportsNet Pittsburgh. Head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed that Rust is being evaluated for a lower-body injury he sustained against the Canucks on Saturday, and there’s no timeline for his return to the ice yet (via Michelle Crechiolo of Pens Inside Scoop).

Rust, 32, left the weekend loss to Vancouver after getting his right leg tangled up awkwardly with Canucks winger Nils Höglander. It’s been a mediocre start to the campaign for the five-time 20-goal scorer, who’s been limited to three goals and an assist in eight games with a -7 rating. But he’s still averaging 19:20 per game – that’s second-most among Pittsburgh forwards and, correspondingly, a large hole to fill for a team short on forward depth if he misses any extended time.

Almost no Penguin has started the season as they’d like to, aside from a handful of exceptions – namely Evgeni Malkin, who’s turned back the clock with 14 points in 10 games. But it’s been especially difficult for Rust, who also missed the season’s first two games with a separate lower-body injury. If he can’t play tomorrow against the Wild, Cody Glass is the extra forward on hand and will return to the lineup after missing the Canucks game with an illness.

Other items of note out of Pittsburgh:

  • One of this season’s biggest disappointments so far has been winger Michael Bunting. Acquired from the Hurricanes near the tail end of last year as arguably the highest-value part of the return for Jake Guentzel, he’s fallen completely flat with just one assist in nine games. He’s already been a healthy scratch once in 2024-25, and Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports the Penguins organization as a whole is “very unhappy” with his performance. It’s a completely unforeseen drop-off after he ended last season with 19 points in 21 games for the Pens, mainly playing alongside the red-hot Malkin.
  • Winger Matthew Nieto returned to practice today for the first time since sustaining a knee injury that ended his 2023-24 season all the way back in November, relays Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Nieto, 32 next week, underwent laparoscopic surgery on his left knee shortly after the New Year but suffered a setback that required him to undergo a reconstructive MCL procedure in May. After inking a two-year, $1.8MM deal in free agency in 2023, Nieto had a goal and three assists in 22 appearances for Pittsburgh before the season-ending injury.

Kraken Recall John Hayden, Cale Fleury

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The Kraken announced today that they’ve summoned defenseman Cale Fleury and forward John Hayden from AHL Coachella Valley. With three open roster spots and ample cap space due to Vince Dunn’s long-term injured reserve placement, no corresponding transactions are necessary.

It’s no surprise to see Fleury’s name here. The 25-year-old has been recalled and reassigned twice in the last week as Seattle looks to keep him on the roster for game days as injury insurance while delaying the expiry of his temporary waiver exemption. However, it is Hayden’s first recall of the season after he cleared waivers near the end of training camp. The 29-year-old veteran of 249 NHL games is off to a good start for Coachella Valley, with three assists in his first four games of the campaign. Now in his third season with the Kraken organization, Hayden has spent most of his time under contract with Seattle in the minors. However, he has made nine combined appearances over the prior two years, scoring twice while averaging just 7:39 per game in a Kraken sweater.

The 6’3″, 223-lb agitator can play both center and right wing. The Kraken don’t have any apparent injury issues up front ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Canadiens, but due to cap constraints, they weren’t carrying any extra forwards on the active roster. With Dunn now sitting on LTIR, there’s some flexibility for them to have a 13th forward in case of game-day injuries or if head coach Dan Bylsma wants to make a lineup change.

The same goes for Fleury, who hasn’t played an NHL game yet this season despite his multiple recalls and Dunn’s injuries. Seattle was carrying Josh Mahura as an extra defender to begin the year, so he’s been getting third-pairing reps alongside William Borgen. At the same time, sophomore Ryker Evans has slid up to top-pairing duties on the left alongside Adam Larsson in Dunn’s absence. Even with the roster shuffling, Fleury has managed four appearances for Coachella Valley, tying for the team lead in scoring with four points (3 G, 1 A). He can still be on Seattle’s roster for a cumulative total of 27 days before he needs waivers again to head back to the AHL.

Lightning Reassign Gabriel Fortier

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Oct. 28: Fortier cleared waivers and will head to Syracuse, per PuckPedia.

Oct. 27: The Tampa Bay Lightning have placed forward Gabriel Fortier on waivers per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Fortier started the year on the non-rostered injury list after surgery to address an unspecified injury this off-season. His mention on the transaction log indicates a return could be imminent.

It’d be a surprise to see Fortier head anywhere other than the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, where he’s spent the bulk of the last four seasons. He recorded 26 points, split evenly, in Syracuse’s middle-six last season – continuing a trend of decreasing scoring since a career-high 35 points in 2021-22. He’s proven a stout minor-league forward over the years but hasn’t yet translated to the top flight, with just one goal in 11 career NHL games.

Fortier was far more productive across six total seasons in the QMJHL. He found his scoring touch quick – with 11 goals and 17 points in 25 games at age 17 and 26 goals and 59 points in 66 games at 18. The bulk of that scoring was earned by smart positioning and strong shooting. Tampa Bay bought those traits with the 59th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, though Fortier would stick around the QMJHL through the next three seasons. He totaled 236 games and 230 points in the league and served one-year stints as captain for both Baie-Comeau and Moncton. Fortier will continue his search for similar stability at the pro level once he clears waivers and, likely, heads back to the minor leagues.

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