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Senators Reassign Leevi Meriläinen, Recall Cole Reinhardt

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The Senators announced Friday morning that they sent goaltender Leevi Meriläinen back to AHL Belleville and recalled winger Cole Reinhardt.

That indicates Linus Ullmark is ready to return from a muscle strain that’s kept him out of the lineup for nearly two weeks. He was widely anticipated to return against Utah on Tuesday but was ruled out on the day of the game, prompting Meriläinen’s recall a few hours before puck drop. Meriläinen didn’t play against Utah, instead backing up Anton Forsberg, who pitched a 31-save shutout.

Unsurprisingly, Meriläinen didn’t get to add to his two-game NHL résumé. The 22-year-old netminder was a third-round pick of the Sens in 2020 and made his major league debut in a brief call-up in the 2022-23 campaign, posting a .878 SV%, 4.23 GAA, and a 0-1-1 record. The 6’3″ Finn has fared decently well in the minors, where he has a career 2.82 GAA, .906 SV%, two shutouts, and a 15-10-1 record in 31 appearances with the B-Sens over the past three years. He also had a sparkling .926 SV% in 13 games for the ECHL’s Allen Americans last season.

Reinhardt has been ferried between leagues a couple of times this season, most recently being sent down on Tuesday to make room for Meriläinen on the active roster. He’s back up today, meaning Shane Pinto remains a game-time decision at best for tonight’s contest against the Golden Knights after sustaining an undisclosed injury in Utah, per Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.

The 24-year-old Reinhardt has yet to be rostered for a Sens game in 2024-25 despite the transactions, but that will change tonight. They have 13 other forwards on the active roster, but with David Perron on personal leave, Reinhardt will make his season debut against Vegas if Pinto can’t play. The 2020 sixth-rounder has one NHL appearance to his name, coming against the Predators on April 7, 2022. He recorded a shot on goal and two hits in 8:35 of ice time. He’s been off to a hot start in Belleville, posting two goals and three assists through his first three games of the season.

Panthers, Hunter St. Martin Agree To Entry-Level Deal

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The Panthers announced Friday that they’ve agreed to terms with left-wing prospect Hunter St. Martin on a three-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Florida picked up St. Martin, 19, in the sixth round of this year’s draft. He was initially draft-eligible in 2023 but was passed over, which wasn’t surprising given his underwhelming offensive production for WHL Medicine Hat. The 6’2″ winger posted eight goals and 22 points in 61 games for the Tigers.

But last year was a breakthrough campaign for St. Martin. The Edmonton native finished fifth on a deep team in scoring, logging 52 points (24 G, 28 A) in 68 games and a +14 rating. That was enough for the defending champions to snag him with the last pick of Round Six.

Dobber Prospects calls St. Martin “a true Swiss Army Knife-style player” who can slot in anywhere he’s needed, at least at the junior level. If he continues to build on that offensive breakout and march toward receiving an NHL look in a few years, he likely won’t be restricted to certain types of deployment. That’s arguably the most intriguing part of St. Martin’s upside.

As for why the Panthers signed him to his entry-level contract now with 19 months left to evaluate his game before they lose his rights, his torrid start to the campaign likely has something to do with it. St. Martin now serves as an alternate captain in Medicine Hat and leads them with seven goals in eight games, doing so on a star-studded team that includes likely 2026 No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna and 2024 Flames first-rounder Andrew Basha.

St. Martin won’t play 10 NHL games this season, and since he doesn’t turn 20 until next June, his entry-level contract is eligible to slide for one year and one year only. The deal will go into effect for the 2025-26 season and expire after the 2027-28 campaign, making him an RFA.

Snapshots: Kane, Canadiens, Heinola, Rooney

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Oilers winger Evander Kane is on pace to return to the lineup in early 2025, reports ESPN’s Kevin Weekes (Twitter link).  The veteran had surgeries last month to repair two torn hip adductor muscles, two hernias, and two torn lower abdominal muscles.  At the time, the timeline for his return was three to four months so if early 2025 is the target return time, it appears he’s on schedule.  Kane had 24 goals and 20 assists last season in 77 regular season games while chipping in with eight points in 20 postseason appearances before playing through the injuries became too difficult.  Kane is currently on LTIR and a midseason return means Edmonton won’t be able to spend much of that short-term cap space as they’ll need to be cap-compliant to activate him later on.

More from around the NHL:

  • Canadiens GM Kent Hughes has started calling around the league to see what trade options might be available, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic shared earlier today in a TSN Early Trading He added that they’re not interested in parting with future assets while they’re likely looking to try to match salary in a move.  Montreal has plenty of LTIR room with Carey Price on there for the full season (not to mention Patrik Laine for a couple more months) but if they intend to get below the cap and out of LTIR by the end of the year to avoid or reduce any bonus carryover penalty, they’d be wise not to take much money on.
  • Jets defenseman Ville Heinola hasn’t resumed skating yet as he continues to deal with the recurrence of his ankle injury, notes Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link). The team is being patient with the injury after how much time he missed last year.  Heinola, a 2019 first-round pick, has been limited to just 35 NHL games over parts of four seasons despite showing plenty of offensive upside in the minors.  He was expected to make the team out of training camp but this injury derailed that opportunity.
  • Calgary has activated forward Kevin Rooney off injured reserve, relays Flames Nation’s Ryan Pike (Twitter link). The 31-year-old suffered a concussion in the opening period of their season opener earlier this month.  Rooney is in his third season carrying a $1.3MM price tag but has five points in 51 games in a Flames uniform.  Their roster is now at the maximum of 23 so roster moves will be needed to activate Yegor Sharangovich and Samuel Honzek off injured reserve, both of whom skated today.

East Notes: Jarry, Jarnkrok, Pinto, Tokarski

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The Penguins announced that they’ve sent goaltender Tristan Jarry back to Pittsburgh from their current road trip to work with their director of goaltending Jon Elkin.  Head coach Mike Sullivan indicated that this was the plan heading into the trip which has two games remaining on it.  Jarry is off to a particularly rocky start with a 5.47 GAA and a .836 SV% through his first three starts and while that’s a small sample size, he struggled late last season as well, eventually losing the starting role to Alex Nedeljkovic.  The assignment will give Jarry a few days to reset away from the team and he will remain on the active roster during this time.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • Maple Leafs winger Calle Jarnkrok’s lower-body injury is believed to be a sports hernia, reports Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. The 33-year-old has filled an important middle-six role for Toronto over the last two years but hasn’t been able to play this season due to the injury.  Jarnkrok is currently on LTIR and while he’s eligible to return in early November, that doesn’t seem likely to happen at this point as he has yet to skate since sustaining the injury.
  • Senators center Shane Pinto is listed as a game-time decision for their game on Friday, relays Sportsnet’s Alex Adams (Twitter link). The 23-year-old is off to a decent start to his season with three points in six games while logging nearly 18 minutes a night.  If he doesn’t play, Ridly Greig will likely move back to his natural position down the middle.
  • Still with the Senators, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch suggests that Ottawa might need to make a move to shore up their goaltending depth with Mads Sogaard being injured last weekend. If they do look to do that, he feels they could once again turn to veteran Dustin Tokarski.  Ottawa brought in the 35-year-old on a training camp tryout that ended without a contract but Tokarski hasn’t signed anywhere since.  He spent last season with AHL Rochester, posting a 3.32 GAA and a .890 SV% in 24 games and is a veteran of more than 400 appearances at that level over 14 seasons.

Calen Addison Signs AHL Contract With Henderson

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Calen Addison’s stock has certainly taken a hit over the last couple of seasons.  After failing to secure an NHL contract in free agency, he has accepted an AHL one as Henderson, affiliate of the Golden Knights, announced that they’ve signed the blueliner to a one-year deal.

In 2022-23, the 24-year-old picked up 29 points in 62 games with Minnesota and it looked like he at least had found a fit as an offensive-minded depth player.  However, he struggled in the early going last season before being traded to San Jose.  Unfortunately for both him and the Sharks, things didn’t go particularly well for Addison there either.  He managed just one goal and 11 assists in 60 games following the swap and struggled considerably in the defensive end.  That resulted in San Jose deciding to non-tender him in late June.

Addison eventually had to settle for a training camp tryout with Ottawa in early September.  He got into three games with the Sens where he was held off the scoresheet and eventually was released.  Now a couple of weeks into the season, it’s clear there wasn’t an NHL offer on the horizon for him.

Addison has 78 career AHL appearances under his belt and has fared quite well at that level, notching 13 goals and 45 assists in those contests while being named to the All-Rookie Team in 2020-21.  He should be an impactful player for the Silver Knights as well and if he fares well with them, an NHL opportunity could come up later in the season, either with Vegas or elsewhere.

Kings Activate Darcy Kuemper, Reassign Pheonix Copley

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Netminder Darcy Kuemper’s time on the injured reserve is ending. The Los Angeles Kings announced they’ve activated Kuemper off injured reserve and reassigned goaltender Pheonix Copley in a corresponding roster move. This move puts Kuemper in line to make the start tonight as the Kings take on their rivals, the San Jose Sharks.

Kuemper’s been on the injured reserve with a lower-body injury suffered during a difficult start against the Ottawa Senators on October 14th. His first two starts back with the Kings organization were exceptional with Kuemper 56 of 59 shots against the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins to the tune of a .949 save percentage. Kuemper more than doubled his goals against in the contest against Ottawa allowing eight goals on 41 shots in an overtime loss.

The team’s goaltending has been a mixed bag since Kuemper went on the injured reserve. The combination of David Rittich and Copley allowed 14 goals in four games but 12 of those goals came in two separate games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights. Kuemper, assuming he’s fully healthy, should put Los Angeles in a better position to improve upon their modest 3-2-2 start to the regular season.

Copley didn’t garner any starts for Los Angeles during his emergency recall but filled in for Rittich during the team’s loss to the Maple Leafs on October 16th. He managed to stop 10 out of 12 shots in 27:29 of ice time for a .833 save percentage and 4.37 goals against average. He’ll now return to the crease for the AHL’s Ontario Reign where the team has averaged four goals against per game using three netminders.

Utah Inquiring On Ivan Provorov, Other Teams Interested

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In today’s rendition of Early Trading with TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the insider shares that the Utah Hockey Club general manager, Bill Armstrong, has been working the phones to fill the void left by Sean Durzi and John Marino’s injuries. Specifically, LeBrun reports Armstrong has checked in on Columbus Blue Jackets’ defenseman Ivan Provorov although other teams remain interested.

It would be surprising to see Provorov moved at this point in the regular season unless Don Waddell receives an offer he can’t refuse. The Russian defenseman would be a dream trade candidate for any rebuilding team’s general manager. He’s a top-four defenseman set to hit unrestricted free agency next summer with no trade protection in his contract. Assuming he’ll head for greener pastures next offseason, nobody would fault the Blue Jackets for taking him down to the wire of the trade deadline season to reap the best possible return.

The NHL’s newest franchise might be the one to make that offer early in the year out of pure desperation. Durzi and Marino’s surgeries will keep them out for much of the regular season, putting glaring holes in Utah’s blue line. They currently sit fourth in the Central Division standings through seven games and have a legitimate pathway toward the Stanley Cup playoffs should the Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators continue their struggles out of the gates.

Not only does Utah need to add a top-four blue liner but they also represent a strong trade partner for Columbus. Armstrong has spent the last couple of years stockpiling draft capital during his tenure with the Arizona Coyotes and has 26 draft selections in the next three NHL Drafts. Utah may hesitate to part with a first-round pick for Provorov but has several second-round selections to dangle.

Utah could also help the Blue Jackets in areas outside of the draft. Forward Michael Carcone is an obvious low-cost trade chip. He’s only managed three games with Utah to start the 2024-25 NHL season but is coming off a year in which he scored 21 goals in 74 contests. Columbus has been one of the highest-scoring teams to start the year and Carcone should add to this strength with increased usage.

They could also help Columbus get over the salary cap floor with the existing contract of defenseman Shea Weber. Utah has Weber’s $7.857MM salary on LTIR but the Blue Jackets have the financial flexibility to activate him for the rest of the 2024-25 season. Carrying all of Weber’s salary and retaining a decent chunk of Provorov’s would allow Columbus to move out other pending unrestricted free agents at the deadline without having to take back much salary in any future trade.

Vegas Golden Knights Sign Shea Theodore To Seven-Year Extension

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The Vegas Golden Knights are keeping one of their most important pending unrestricted free agents for the long haul. The team announced they had signed defenseman Shea Theodore to a seven-year contract extension worth $51.975MM, making for an AAV of $7.425MM.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports that the deal breaks down as follows:

2025-26: $9.5MM
2026-27: $9.5MM
2027-28: $8.6MM
2028-29: $7.275MM
2029-30: $5.7MM
2030-31: $5.7MM
2031-32: $5.7MM

Theodore is one of three original members of the Golden Knights organization left, and this extension will keep him with the team through the 2031-32 NHL season. He was projected to become one of the most sought-after defensemen in free agency next offseason, making this extension somewhat of a hometown discount. Evolving-Hockey projected Theodore to land an eight-year extension worth just over $9MM a season, meaning the Golden Knights will get him for $1.5MM cheaper, with the salary cap continuing to rise.

Part of the lower-than-expected price tag may be due to Theodore’s availability over the last several years. The former 26th overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft only managed 180 regular-season games for Vegas from 2021 to the end of last season, losing over a quarter of the games due to various injuries. Should his injury history continue into this contract, it could mark one of the riskier extensions of the last year.

Despite the absence due to injuries over the last few years, there is credibility for the Golden Knights, making Theodore their second-highest-paid defenseman. He’s arguably been Vegas’ best offensive weapon from the blue line over his eight-year tenure, scoring 67 goals and 296 points in 450 games, with 88 points from the powerplay.

He hasn’t been a slouch on the other side of the puck, either. Theodore has posted an impressive 58.8 CF% with a 91.0% on-ice save percentage in all situations throughout his time in Sin City, with an expected rating of +78.4, according to Hockey Reference. There’s an argument to be made that much of Theodore’s success in the possession metrics comes from his 63.2% offensive zone start rate, but it wouldn’t excuse all of it from a defenseman who’s averaged nearly 22 minutes of ice time per game.

Starting next season, the Golden Knights will have $23.575MM invested in three defensemen at the top of their lineup. This may prohibit the organization from retaining other pending unrestricted and restricted free agents currently on the roster, but it’s par for the course from one of the league’s most aggressive franchises.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Nick Ritchie Signs In Slovakia

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Former NHL winger Nick Ritchie has found a place to play for 2024-25. Slovakia’s HC Nove Zamky announced on Facebook that he’d inked a one-year deal.

Ritchie, 28, last played in the NHL with the Coyotes and Flames in the 2022-23 season. He began the year in Arizona and was a decent depth scoring option, scoring nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points in 58 games. At the trade deadline, he was dealt to the Flames for his brother, Brett Ritchie, and finished the year with five points in 16 games for Calgary.

He wasn’t re-signed upon reaching unrestricted free agency. Ritchie had to settle for a professional tryout, inking a PTO to attend the Blues’ training camp in 2023 but was released and wasn’t offered a contract. That signaled the likely end of Ritchie’s NHL career unless he could dominate on an AHL contract or overseas.

The 2014 10th overall pick attempted to do the latter, signing with Finland’s Kärpät. It didn’t go to plan, though. He scored just once and posted a whopping 70 PIMs and a -7 rating in 10 games. They mutually terminated his contract, and he finished the year in Germany with the Iserlohn Roosters, where things didn’t go much better with two points and a -4 rating in eight appearances.

Unsigned for this year up to this point, Ritchie will now look to ply his trade in a slightly less competitive European professional circuit in Slovakia. He joins Nove Zamky’s roster as the only player with NHL experience besides defenseman Shawn Lalonde, who appeared in one game with the Blackhawks in the 2012-13 season.

Barring a significant resurgence overseas, Ritchie’s NHL stats will likely remain where they are until he retires. The 6’3″ left-winger made 481 appearances for the Ducks, Coyotes, Bruins, Maple Leafs, and Flames across eight seasons, scoring 84 goals and adding 102 assists for 186 points.

Lightning To Reassign Conor Sheary

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Oct. 24: Sheary has cleared waivers, per Friedman. He can now be assigned to Syracuse at will, something Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports will happen in short order.

Oct. 23: The Lightning have placed winger Conor Sheary on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Syracuse, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Sheary’s time in Tampa hasn’t gone to plan since inking a three-year, $6MM contract in free agency in 2023. He missed significant time in the first half of last season with an upper-body injury and wasn’t the same after coming back, serving as a healthy scratch on several occasions later on. His four goals in 57 games were his lowest ever in a season, and his 15 points were undermined only by his 10 in 44 games with the Penguins in his rookie season in 2015-16.

Fast forward to the beginning of this season, and little has changed for the 32-year-old. He was a healthy scratch for the Lightning’s first game and has only played every other contest, going without a point and recording a -2 rating in third-line minutes alongside Michael Eyssimont and Conor Geekie. Possession quality has become an issue for the veteran, who controlled a career-low 43.5% of expected goals at even strength last season.

Sheary will likely clear waivers given the money and term left on his deal. If so, and assuming he reports to Syracuse, it will mark his first AHL action since he was part of the Penguins organization nine years ago. The preference on both sides would likely be to find a trade for Sheary, which he’d likely need to waive his 16-team no-trade list to make happen.

The Lightning can reduce Sheary’s cap hit from $2MM to $850K by stashing him in the minors.

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