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Summer Synopsis: Carolina Hurricanes

November 6, 2025 at 4:13 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski Leave a Comment

With the regular season now upon us, the bulk of the heavy lifting has been done from a roster perspective. Most unrestricted free agents have found new homes, the arbitration period has come and gone, and the trade market has cooled. Accordingly, it’s a good time to take a look at what each team accomplished over the offseason. Next up is a look at the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes have been a Stanley Cup contender for a long time. While they’ve been knocking on the door for a while, they have remained on the periphery, never advancing to a Stanley Cup Final. The Hurricanes have never been afraid to be aggressive in their pursuit of winning, but have never put it all together despite excellent coaching, a terrific NHL roster and a standout prospect system. The Hurricanes were busy this summer, making some impact moves in pursuit of a Stanley Cup, but was it enough to push them just a little bit extra they need to reach their goal?

Draft

2-41 – G Semyon Frolov, MHK Spartak Moskva Jr. (MHL)
2-49 – C Charlie Cerrato, Penn State (NCAA)
2-62 – C Ivan Ryabkin, Muskegon (USHL)
3-67 – D Kurban Limatov, Dynamo Moscow Jr. (MHL)
3-87 – D Roman Bausov, Dynamo St. Petersburg Jr. (MHL)
6-183 – LW Viggo Nordlund, Skellefteå AIK J20 (Sweden Jr.)
7-221 – RW Filip Ekberg, Ottawa (OHL)

The Hurricanes didn’t pick in the first round this year but did have three selections in the second round, taking a goalie with the 41st overall pick. Frolov moves well laterally, has good size, and tracks the puck well. He is very composed in the crease and doesn’t deviate much from his structure, even when he is making a ten bell save. On the development side, there are some concerns about consistency, and he isn’t an excellent puck handler. He also gets beaten high sometimes, the result of moving into his butterfly too early. He projects to be an NHL goaltender, with a ceiling as a potential starter.

With their second pick in the second round of the draft, Carolina chose Cerrato, a two-way NCAA center with a high hockey IQ. Besides being a skilled passer with excellent playreading, Cerrato is also a good forechecker who can kill penalties and shut things down in the defensive zone. He isn’t much of a shooter and will likely need to add some muscle if he wants to compete at the NHL level.

With their final second-round pick, Carolina chose Ryabkin from the USHL. He has good size, plays with an edge, and has goal-scoring ability. He isn’t the smoothest skater and will need to improve his agility and mobility before progressing further. That said, he plays a pro-style game and can handle physical matchups. He could eventually become a second or third-line center, but he needs refinement in certain aspects of his game, which Carolina’s coaching staff has traditionally managed well.

In the third round, the Hurricanes selected a defenseman named Limatov. Standing 6’4” and weighing 190 lbs, Limatov will likely need to add some muscle, but he isn’t afraid to play physically and skates exceptionally well, especially for his size. He moves the puck confidently and isn’t hesitant to join transition plays. He also demonstrates decent defensive skills, but must boost his consistency in the defensive zone to make the jump to the NHL. Scouts are concerned that his defensive reads reveal a poor understanding of positioning, and he relies on stick checks too often.

Trade Acquisitions

D K’Andre Miller (from New York Rangers)
G Cayden Primeau (from Montreal)

People were quite divided over the Miller trade, with many arguing that the Hurricanes gave up too many assets for him and signed him to a vibrant contract extension. There is a valid point here, considering Miller’s decline in performance last season, which raises concerns about the hefty assets and dollars Carolina invested to secure his long-term commitment.

Miller is clearly very talented offensively and is arguably one of the best skaters in the NHL. He has size and reach, highly valued traits for any team. However, his defensive game isn’t strong; at times, it’s pretty poor, and it didn’t improve during his time with the Rangers, reflecting on both Miller and the team. In Carolina, Miller will have a real opportunity to play within a structure that complements his skills. There’s no guarantee it will work, but Carolina believed he was worth taking a chance on.

From the Rangers’ perspective, the trade made complete sense after they signed Vladislav Gavrikov as a free agent. They were able to unload a young, but flawed, defenseman who was due for a massive payday, while also recouping two high draft picks and a top defensive prospect in Scott Morrow.

The jury will be out for a while on who won this trade, but it’s one to watch, especially as Morrow develops in the Rangers system.

UFA Signings

G Frederik Andersen (one year, $2.75MM)^
D Gavin Bayreuther (one year, $775K)*
LW Nikolaj Ehlers (six years, $51MM)
F Juha Jaaska (two years, $1.55MM)*^
C Tyson Jost (one year, $775K)*
D Mike Reilly (one year, $1.1MM)
LW Eric Robinson (four years, $6.8MM)^
RW Givani Smith (one year, $775K)*

*-denotes two-way contract
^-denotes re-signing

Signing Ehlers was a significant victory for the Hurricanes after they missed out on Rantanen and Guentzel long-term in previous summers. Ehlers isn’t quite at the same level as those two players, but he’s a strong top-six option who has consistently put up around 60 points for much of his career.

The six-year term shouldn’t be too restrictive for Carolina, as Ehlers will only be 35 when the deal expires, meaning he could remain reasonably productive throughout its duration. The $8.5MM AAV isn’t high either, and it should look more attractive as the deal goes on and the salary cap rises. The deal also comes at a time when Carolina has plenty of room under the salary cap, which means this probably won’t be an overpay for a free agent, assuming Ehlers stays healthy, which remains a concern.

Aside from Ehlers, Carolina remained quiet during free agency, focusing on depth and minor signings. They did, however, re-sign veteran netminder Andersen, who will once again form a tandem with the much younger Pyotr Kochetkov. Andersen is still a capable goaltender when healthy, though durability is often a concern for the 36-year-old. He appeared in just 22 games last season, but was solid in the regular season, posting a +9.0 goals saved above expected (according to MoneyPuck), and was outstanding in the playoffs with a +8.6 goals saved above expected in 13 games. While he can’t be a full-time starter, he’s an excellent option for 30-40 games.

RFA Re-Signings

RW Jackson Blake (eight years, $40,936,016)
C Skyler Brind’Amour (one year, $775K)*
D Domenick Fensore (one year, $775K)*
RW Noel Gunler (one year, $813,750)*
G Amir Miftakhov (one year, $775K)*
G Cayden Primeau (one year, $775K)
D Ronan Seeley (one year, $813,750)*
C Logan Stankoven (eight years, $48MM)
C Ryan Suzuki (one year, $775K)*

*-denotes two-way contract

The Hurricanes secured some of their key young players this summer by signing Blake and Stankoven to eight-year contract extensions. Carolina saw enough from Blake in just one season to commit long-term, and while it’s always risky to pay a player based on one year of production, they believed his potential was too significant to overlook. Blake is a skilled playmaker and an effective forechecker, but he is also somewhat small and not particularly quick. How he will develop remains uncertain, but even if his ceiling is only slightly above last year’s output, Carolina should still gain value from the deal.

The Stankoven deal was another eight-year agreement, reflecting a pattern this summer for the Hurricanes as they bet heavily on their young talent and chose to extend them the maximum term before it drops to seven years in the near future. These deals also come ahead of potential massive salary-cap increases, meaning that if Miller, Blake, and Stankoven all develop as Carolina expects, they could position themselves to be competitive for a long time. However, with Blake and Stankoven on the smaller side, injuries are always a possibility, so the risk is significant.

Stankoven’s skill is evident in the eye test, and while he struggled to score last year, he is a good transition player and an excellent playmaker who won’t shy away from contact or a battle, even if he is undersized. He posted 14 goals and 24 assists in 78 games last year, split between Dallas and Carolina, which was good enough for 7th in the Calder Trophy voting. At 22 years old, Stankoven is just scratching the surface, and the Hurricanes have taken a big bet that he has a lot more to offer.

Departures

D Brent Burns (signed by Colorado, one year, $1MM)
G Spencer Martin (signed in KHL)
D Scott Morrow (traded to New York Rangers)
D Dmitry Orlov (signed by San Jose, two years $13MM)
G Yaniv Perets (signed in AHL)
F Jack Roslovic (signed by Edmonton, one year $1.5MM)
D Riley Stillman (signed by Edmonton, two-year $1.55MM)*
C Tyson Yost (claimed on waivers by Nashville)

*-denotes two-way contract

The Hurricanes experienced quite a bit of key depth movement this summer. Up front, the only notable loss was Roslovic, who became a free agent amid expectations of securing a lucrative multi-year deal. However, that contract never materialized, and Roslovic had to settle for another one-year prove-it deal. The Hurricanes might have shown interest in Roslovic’s $1.5MM asking price, but considering their depth at center, the 22-goal scorer from last season wasn’t a priority.

On the backend, Carolina saw the majority of their departures, with Burns, Morrow, Orlov, and Stillman no longer part of the team. Burns left as a UFA and signed a one-year deal slightly above the league minimum. He could have likely stayed with the Hurricanes and served as a third-pairing defenseman, but it’s fair to wonder if the Hurricanes were hoping to go a bit younger in that spot. Burns isn’t the Norris Trophy candidate he once was, but he is still an NHL player and can serve a purpose as he tries to chase his first career Stanley Cup.

Sticking with the defense, Orlov left after two years in Carolina. The 34-year-old had a rough playoff run last year but played reasonably well in the regular season, aside from some careless puck handling as he set a career high in turnovers. With Miller coming into the picture, it made sense for the Hurricanes to let Orlov go, as they opted to go younger and maybe tried to get bigger on the backend.

Salary Cap Outlook

The Hurricanes are in good shape regarding the salary cap, sitting about $8.8MM below the threshold (according to PuckPedia). That figure translates to $36.335MM at the NHL Trade Deadline, making Carolina a team to watch as the season progresses. The Hurricanes have made significant moves during the season over the past two years, neither of which turned out very well (Jake Guentzel in 2023, Mikko Rantanen in 2024), so they might avoid going big game hunting again. However, time will tell — they have the space and the cap room to make just about any move they want.

Key Questions

Can the goaltending steal playoff games for them?

Andersen and Kochetkov have been a solid pairing for the Hurricanes for several years, but they have never been able to steal a series late in the playoffs. It’s not the reason that Carolina has never advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, but if one of them were to stand on their head in the Conference Finals, it would go a long way to the Hurricanes finally getting over the hump. Goaltending certainly isn’t the problem in Carolina, but

Can they finally reach the Stanley Cup Finals?

It’s been a long time since Carolina was in the Stanley Cup Finals. It’ll be 20 years this spring, and they have come close to reaching the Finals in terms of the playoff bracket; however, they haven’t been competitive in any of the recent Eastern Conference Finals they’ve participated in, dating back to a 2009 sweep by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Overall, they are 1-16 in those four series and were never a threat in any of them. Teams like this have existed before—strong regular-season performers for over a decade—that ultimately fall short of winning a Stanley Cup. The Hurricanes hope they don’t become yet another cautionary tale.

Is Andrei Svechnikov going to rebound?

Svechnikov has faced a lot over the past few years, including an upper-body injury last season, which was a very inconsistent year. Coming into this season, the hopes were that the 25-year-old would bounce back, but so far, that hasn’t happened. In fact, Svechnikov is scoreless thus far and looks like a shell of his former self. Carolina is definitely concerned, but there’s plenty of season left, and maybe it’s just taking him some time to find his feet and get back up to game speed. Svechnikov is a key part of the Hurricanes’ quest to win another Stanley Cup, and if he becomes more of a liability than an asset, it could cause serious problems.

Photo by Connor Hamilton-Imagn Images

Sharks Recall Zack Ostapchuk

November 6, 2025 at 3:13 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

4:41 p.m.: It’s an IR placement for Misa as the corresponding move, per Peng. He sustained the injury in the morning skate prior to yesterday’s game, so the placement can only be backdated to Nov. 5. That puts him out for San Jose’s next three games. He’ll be eligible for activation on Nov. 13.

3:13 p.m.: The Sharks have recalled center Zack Ostapchuk from AHL San Jose, according to Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. With no open roster spot, they need to make a corresponding move. That will presumably be an IR placement for either William Eklund or Michael Misa, both of whom are ticketed to miss tomorrow’s game against the Jets with lower-body injuries.

Both Eklund and Misa missed yesterday’s 6-1 drubbing of the Kraken as well, which means San Jose was forced to go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Ostapchuk gives them a 12th forward to slot in against Winnipeg if they want to go back to the traditional allocation. Acquired from the Senators in last year’s Fabian Zetterlund deal, the 22-year-old pivot isn’t off to a great start in the minors. Through nine AHL games, he has two goals and an assist with a -4 rating.

Ostapchuk, a second-round pick back in 2021, hasn’t had sustained offensive success anywhere since turning pro in 2023. He was well over a point per game in his final year in juniors, but aside from 11 points in 15 games for AHL Belleville last year before the trade, he has yet to pop. He spent most of last season up in the NHL with Ottawa and San Jose, but only recorded one goal and four points in 56 appearances while averaging 9:25 per game.

His long-term ceiling likely remains that of a fourth-line center. He showed he can at least handle the role last year and posted solid possession metrics in 13 games with the Sharks down the stretch – evidenced by a -1 rating despite not recording a point. He won 48.6% of his faceoffs, a good number for a pivot in his age-21 season with plenty of room to grow.

Ostapchuk will remain waiver-exempt this season but loses that status for 2026-27. He’ll get another chance here to stick around in a fourth-line role for the Sharks as he aims to push Misa or fellow AHL call-up Ethan Cardwell out of a job when San Jose gets back to carrying a healthy forward group.

Devils Place Brett Pesce On IR, Activate Cody Glass

November 6, 2025 at 2:30 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

The Devils officially announced that defenseman Brett Pesce has been placed on injured reserve. His roster spot will go to center Cody Glass, who’s coming off IR and will be available tonight against the Canadiens.

Pesce’s IR placement is backdated to his last appearance on Oct. 26. Since that’s more than a week ago, he can technically be activated at any time, but he’ll be on IR for at least a couple of more weeks. The team said Pesce, who’s dealing with an upper-body issue, won’t be back until Thanksgiving at the earliest.

In his second season in New Jersey, the 30-year-old continues to play as their top shutdown option. Not including his last game, in which he played 6:07 before leaving with the injury, he was averaging 21:20 of ice time, which would stand as second on the team amid what’s been an incredibly balanced deployment from head coach Sheldon Keefe regarding his back end. Of the Devils’ six regulars on defense, none has averaged more than 22 minutes per game, and none has averaged less than 16.

Before the injury, Pesce had three assists and a +3 rating in nine showings. He was Luke Hughes’ right-hand man at even strength with spectacular results. Among the 104 defense pairings with at least 60 minutes together, Hughes and Pesce’s 60.2 xGF% ranks 10th, per MoneyPuck.

Seamus Casey and Dennis Cholowski have rotated into the lineup in Pesce’s absence. The former is no longer an option, at least for now, after he was sent back to AHL Utica yesterday in exchange for veteran Colton White.

As for Glass, the Devils are welcoming him back after a 16-day, seven-game absence. He played in six straight to start the year before sustaining an upper-body injury against the Maple Leafs on Oct. 21. So far, he’s given New Jersey decent reward for the two-year, $5MM contract they signed him to this summer. He had two goals and a +1 rating while seeing 12:34 of ice time per game. He was centering the third line between Connor Brown and Arseny Gritsyuk before exiting the lineup. Glass returns to that slot tonight, per Mike Morreale of NHL.com, but will have Ondřej Palát on his flank instead of Brown as the latter deals with an undisclosed injury for the third straight game.

Blues Expected To Scratch Jordan Kyrou

November 6, 2025 at 1:04 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 17 Comments

A tough start in St. Louis is coming to a head today. The club is making top-six winger Jordan Kyrou a healthy scratch for tonight’s game against the Sabres, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports.

While likely a message-sending vehicle to the entire team rather than targeted at Kyrou, it’s still a perplexing decision for a club scoring 2.71 goals per game, 24th in the league. Few Blues have performed up to expectations through 14 games, Kyrou included, but he’s still tied for second on the team in scoring with four goals and eight points. He’s fourth among forwards in average ice time per game at 17:23.

It’s also hard to attribute St. Louis’ 4-8-2 record to much else other than their goaltending. Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer have combined for one of the more disastrous starts from a goalie tandem in recent memory. Among the 43 goalies with at least five games played this season, Binnington’s .859 SV% ranks 40th, and Hofer’s .836 SV% ranks last. They’ve combined to allow 11 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck. With even average goaltending, the Blues are looking at a -10 goal differential instead of their current -21 and would be hovering around .500 instead of four games below it.

The group of skaters, as a whole, has largely held up its end of the bargain. There hasn’t been a dominant offensive force – Pius Suter’s nine points lead the team – but they’ve put together above-average two-way play, including a 54.4% share of high-danger chances at even strength. Individual ratings like Kyrou’s -8 mark and Brayden Schenn’s -13 are deceptively low because of the goaltending behind them. St. Louis’ de facto second line, featuring Kyrou, Schenn, and Dylan Holloway, has actually been quite adept at controlling play. Out of 54 forward line combinations with at least 60 minutes together, their 58.7 xGF% ranks 13th, per MoneyPuck. In terms of raw shot attempts, they’re still a respectable 27th at 54%.

Kyrou was frequently mentioned as a trade candidate last summer, including being linked to the Canadiens more than once. That talk largely quieted after Kyrou’s full no-trade clause kicked in on July 1. As of now, there’s been no indication that he’s been asked to waive it or that he’d be willing to do so if asked. He’s only in the third year of an eight-year, $65MM deal that carries a cap hit of $8.125MM.

While it’s been a tough stretch, Kyrou is as consistent a high-end second-line/fringe first-line piece as they come. He’s topped 30 goals for three years in a row and has finished with no less than 67 and no more than 75 points in the last four years. His early-season pace now puts him on track for 47 points over an 82-game schedule, which he won’t achieve with tonight’s scratch. While he’s finishing slightly below his career average at 12.5%, it’s a general lack of chance generation that brings his point totals down. He’s registering 21% fewer shots on goal and 12% fewer shot attempts per game than he did last year.

Several Teams Showing Interest In Vitali Pinchuk

November 6, 2025 at 11:41 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 4 Comments

There are still several months to go until the end of the regular season, when the international free agent market begins to pick up. Nonetheless, European leagues start their seasons earlier than the NHL, meaning sample sizes are large enough by the time November rolls around for teams to begin to identify breakout targets.

One of those names to keep an eye out for is Belarusian center Vitali Pinchuk, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. “Several teams” have made contact with his representation as he mulls a jump to North America following the conclusion of his season with Dinamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League, where he’s spent the vast majority of his professional career.

Pinchuk, 23, isn’t a total stranger to North American hockey. He was initially draft eligible in 2020 and spent that season in the Ontario Hockey League in hopes of boosting his chances of being picked. The 6’3″, 203-lb pivot recorded 13 goals and 34 points in 54 games with a -12 rating, but wasn’t picked. When the OHL closed its doors for the 2020-21 season due to the pandemic, Pinchuk returned to Belarus, where he has remained ever since.

He made his KHL debut for Dinamo the following year. He was a fixture of Belarus’ teams at the World Juniors until the country was banned from international competition by the IIHF for its part in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – in fact, he was named the country’s top young player in 2021. His development has been a slow burn, but he had his first meaningful breakthrough in the 2023-24 season. After posting limited point totals in bottom-six jobs over the previous few years and struggling to stay in the lineup, he worked his way into a top-nine job with Dinamo with nine goals and 22 points in 43 games.

It was last season that Pinchuk began to take on star status in the KHL. Dinamo’s 39-21-8 record last season was its best in eight years, and Pinchuk finished second on the club with 25 goals and fifth with 43 points in 66 games. This season, the club is off to a torrid 13-5-3 start with Pinchuk clicking at a point per game, logging a 9-12–21 scoring line through 21 contests.

A point-per-game season in the more offensively conservative KHL is no small feat. Only three players hit the mark last season after seven achieved it in 2023-24. Keeping up that pace will be challenging for Pinchuk, but even still, he’s one of only 13 names with at least five games played at this point in the year to be at or above the mark.

Pinchuk turns 24 in January, so that will be his signing age if he inks an NHL contract next summer. That limits him to landing a one-year, entry-level contract that would make him a restricted free agent in 2027.

Hurricanes Activate K’Andre Miller From Injured Reserve

November 6, 2025 at 10:49 am CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

After a two-and-a-half-week absence, K’Andre Miller is set to make his return to the Hurricanes lineup. The team announced that Miller has been reinstated from injured reserve today and will play tonight against the Wild.

Miller arrived in Carolina over the offseason to much fanfare, signing an eight-year, $60MM deal as part of a sign-and-trade with the Rangers. It’s a major bet on Miller’s upside by Carolina after he stagnated in a second-pairing role in New York over the past few years. The left-shot’s seven goals and 27 points last year were his lowest offensive outputs since his sophomore campaign in 2021-22, and he posted his second straight season with a sub-50 xGF% and only recorded 107 hits, down from the 150 range in the three years prior.

Early on, Miller delivered on the Hurricanes’ expectations. The 2018 No. 22 overall pick flourished in increased usage, averaging north of 23 minutes per game and delivering a pair of goals, four points, and a +1 rating in six outings before he sustained a lower-body injury against the Golden Knights on Oct. 20. That last outing was a tough one for him – he had a -3 rating in a 4-1 loss and he posted an xGF% of 39.3.

His return is incredibly welcome news for a team that’s played most of the last two weeks without three of their most well-regarded blue liners in him, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Jaccob Slavin. Slavin hasn’t played since sustaining a lower-body injury in the second game of the season and still doesn’t have a return on the horizon, while Gostisbehere is out indefinitely with an abdominal issue. He’s expected to skate in second-pairing duties tonight with Jalen Chatfield while rookie Alexander Nikishin gets to continue his strong play in top-pairing duties with Sean Walker.

Blue Jackets Recall Luca Del Bel Belluz

November 6, 2025 at 10:28 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 1 Comment

The Blue Jackets announced that they have recalled center Luca Del Bel Belluz from AHL Cleveland. Defenseman Erik Gudbranson was moved to injured reserve in the corresponding move.

Del Bel Belluz’s addition to the roster comes in the wake of an injury to top center Sean Monahan, who left last night’s game against the Flames after sustaining an apparent upper-body injury late in the second period on an awkward collision into the end boards with Calgary rearguard Rasmus Andersson. Columbus isn’t expecting Monahan to miss significant time, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports, but a short-term absence still appears likely.

Del Bel Belluz is in his third season of professional hockey after the Jackets picked him in the second round of the 2022 draft, 44th overall. He’s in the second year of his entry-level contract, which carries a reduced cap hit of $859,999 because of a pair of slide years. With over $16MM in cap space, according to PuckPedia, there’s virtually no limit on the roster moves Columbus can make.

The No. 4 prospect in Columbus’ system got his first legitimate taste of NHL action last season and looked the part. He made his debut the previous season but only played in one game. That time around, he got 15 appearances in January and February, also due in part to a Monahan injury. He was given bottom-six deployment but still averaged a respectable 13:45 of ice time per game, about 50 seconds of which came on the power play. He was productive in his chance, scoring twice and adding six assists for eight points. He only won 43% of his faceoffs – as to be expected for a rookie – and he wasn’t particularly physical with just four hits. His possession impacts were undesirable as well, although the Jackets will wait for a larger sample size before making any determinations on the quality of his two-way play.

While his defensive growth remains a question mark, Del Bel Belluz’s offensive ceiling is evident. In a Columbus pool flush with up-and-coming centers, he has some work to do to stand out, but he is making a real push. Now, 21, he has three goals and five points through his first seven games for Cleveland this season. Last year, he was named to the AHL’s All-Star Game amid a 27-goal, 53-point effort in 61 showings.

Columbus already had Yegor Chinakhov sitting as an extra forward, but he’s a winger. With Monahan facing missed time, they wanted insurance down the middle. They have options already dressed on the wing who can easily slot in down the middle – Boone Jenner and Cole Sillinger, in particular – but, understandably, head coach Dean Evason doesn’t want to mess too much with a forward group that’s helping Columbus generate 32.8 shots per game, second-most in the league.

The Blue Jackets aren’t back in action until Saturday, so they have some time to make a determination on Monahan’s status. As for Gudbranson, he’s on his second multi-game absence of the season already. He hasn’t played since Oct. 25 due to a hip issue, so since he’s missed more than a week, he’s eligible for activation at any time. The 33-year-old has only made four appearances this season because of his hip problem and a previous upper-body issue. He’s averaged only 14:51 per game and has a -2 rating.

Pittsburgh Penguins Recall Joona Koppanen

November 6, 2025 at 10:00 am CDT | by Brennan McClain Leave a Comment

According to a team announcement, the Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled forward Joona Koppanen from the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Since they only had 22 players on the roster before the recall, there was no need for a corresponding roster move.

Since the Penguins only had 12 forwards on their roster, Koppanen’s recall is likely linked to an injury or ailment of some sort. Forward Filip Hallander suffered an undisclosed injury at yesterday’s practice, so Koppanen may replace him in the lineup for this evening’s game against the Washington Capitals.

It’s been some time since Koppanen last suited up in an NHL contest. The Tampere, Finland native skated in 11 games for the Penguins last year, with his last coming on April 17th. In total, including his five appearances with the Boston Bruins during the 2022-23 season, Koppanen has scored one goal and one assist in 20 NHL games.

Therefore, it’s understandable that most of his professional playing experience has come in the AHL. Still, despite there being less overall talent, the former 135th pick of the 2016 NHL Draft has continued to struggle.

Since debuting with the Providence Bruins in the 2017-18 campaign, Koppanen has scored 54 goals and 139 points in 365 games with a +35 rating. That output is respectable for a third-line scorer at the AHL level, though it isn’t surprising he’s earned few looks in the NHL.

Given that he’s already 27 years old, Koppanen is no longer considered a prospect in the Penguins system. Still, since he has nearly a decade of professional playing experience, he’s a quality choice for one or two game stints as an injury filler.

Poll: Who Will Win The 2025-26 Calder Trophy?

November 6, 2025 at 8:51 am CDT | by Brennan McClain 7 Comments

A month into the 2025-26 season, some rookies have already begun to separate themselves from the pack. Notably, recent first overall pick Matthew Schaefer and former fifth overall pick Ivan Demidov continue to make waves around the league.

There’s no questioning why the two are neck-and-neck in early Calder Trophy odds. Demidov is leading the way in rookie scoring with four goals and 12 points in 13 games with the Montreal Canadiens, while Schaefer is close behind with five goals and 11 points in 13 games with the New York Islanders.

At this point, if both players unexpectedly maintain a point-per-game scoring average, the voters will likely lean toward Schaefer, given that he’s a defenseman. Still, given the status of their respective clubs, Demidov has a far greater chance of pulling away from the pack. If Schaefer wins, it’ll be the first time that defensemen have won the award in consecutive years since Kent Douglas and Jacques Laperriere in 1962-63 and 1963-64.

Meanwhile, Schaefer and Demidov aren’t the only rookies making some noise this season. Although there are some questions regarding his play on the defensive side of the puck, blueliner Zeev Buium of the Minnesota Wild is scoring at a relatively high rate with three goals and nine points in 14 games.

Additionally, there are a pair of forwards looking to toss their hats in the ring. University of Minnesota alumnus Jimmy Snuggerud sits tied for second on the St. Louis Blues in scoring with four goals and eight points in 14 games. At the same time, recent seventh-round pick Emmitt Finnie has matched that level of scoring with the Detroit Red Wings.

Moving back to Montreal, Demidov’s performance so far hasn’t completely overshadowed the performance of his teammate, Jakub Dobes. Technically a rookie despite debuting last season, Dobes has managed a 6-0-0 record this season with a .930 SV% through the early part of the 2025-26 campaign. Unfortunately, he’s had to split the crease with Sam Montembeault, which would negatively affect his chances should that trend continue.

For most rookies, there’s about 80% of the regular season remaining, meaning there’s plenty of time for someone to pull away from the pack. Who do you think it will be?

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Atlantic Notes: Norris, Kozak, Maple Leafs, Benoit

November 5, 2025 at 10:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

There’s some good news on the horizon for the Sabres on the injury front. Head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters including Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald that center Josh Norris has resumed skating as he continues to recover from an early-season upper-body injury sustained in Buffalo’s season opener. While the team never announced a formal timeline for his return beyond his absence being a long-term one, there was some hope that he’d only miss a couple of months. Since he’s back on the ice already, that could ultimately be the case, assuming there aren’t any setbacks.

Meanwhile, another center is about to return as Tyson Kozak was a full participant in practice and could suit up on Thursday against St. Louis. The 22-year-old has missed the last six games due to a lower-body injury and has a pair of goals in his seven appearances this season. The Sabres have a full 23-player roster so they will need to make a move to free up a roster spot before Kozak can be activated off injured reserve.

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