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West Notes: Gaudette, Leskovar, Akey

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The Sharks have activated forward Adam Gaudette off injured reserve, relays Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News (Twitter link).  The 29-year-old has missed a little more than a week due to an upper-body injury.  Signed to a two-year, $4MM contract this past summer, Gaudette has been reasonably productive in limited playing time, picking up three goals and an assist in nine games despite playing less than 11 minutes a night.  That usage is similar to last season when he averaged just 10:25 per game but still managed to notch 19 goals in 81 games with Ottawa.  With Patrick Giles being sent back down on Monday, they had the open roster spot available to activate Gaudette so no further moves were needed.

Elsewhere out West:

  • The Wild announced (Twitter link) that they have activated defenseman Stevie Leskovar off season-opening injured reserve and assigned him to ECHL Iowa. The 21-year-old is in the first season of his entry-level contract but he was dealing with a wrist injury that had kept him out of the lineup.  Leskovar had six points in 35 games last season with OHL Brampton and also got into one professional game with AHL Iowa.  But for now, he’ll go to the Heartlanders and look to get some playing time in at that level with the hopes of an AHL promotion later on.
  • The Oilers have assigned defenseman Beau Akey to ECHL Fort Wayne, per an announcement from AHL Bakersfield (Twitter link). The 20-year-old was a second-round pick back in 2023 and is in his first professional season but hasn’t been able to play yet due to injury.  Now cleared to return, he’ll get a chance to get in some game action with the Komets and will likely rejoin the Condors soon after with this assignment being more of a conditioning assignment than a long-term one.  Akey had 32 points in 52 games with OHL Barrie last season.

Metropolitan Notes: Devils, Fensore, Berni

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The Devils should soon be getting some help on the injury front.  Head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters today including Kristy Flannery of The Hockey News (Twitter link) that winger Connor Brown is a possibility to return Thursday against Montreal.  He has missed the last two games due to an undisclosed injury, putting on hold what has been a strong start to his season with five tallies in his first 11 outings.  Meanwhile, center Cody Glass and winger Zack MacEwen are skating and while Keefe suggested they’re unlikely to play tomorrow, they’re likely to skate Friday and are also nearing returns.  Glass, who has missed a couple of weeks with an upper-body injury has a pair of goals in six games so far while MacEwen has made one appearance thus far and has missed the last three weeks with an upper-body issue.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • The Hurricanes have once again assigned defenseman Domenick Fensore to AHL Chicago, per a team release. Recalled on Sunday, he didn’t see any action this time out, keeping him at one NHL appearance on the season.  The 24-year-old has three goals and four assists in five games with the Wolves this season and will have to suit up for them at least once before being eligible to once again be recalled as injury insurance.  In the meantime, his roster spot could be earmarked for K’Andre Miller, who is believed to be nearing a return from a lower-body injury.
  • It’s fair to say that Tim Berni won’t be returning to the NHL anytime soon. The Blue Jackets RFA defenseman will be staying in Switzerland as Zurich of the NL announced that they’ve signed the 25-year-old to a six-year contract beginning next season.  This season, Berni has three points in 20 games with Geneve-Servette.  He previously saw action in 59 games with Columbus back in 2022-23 but even with close to a regular role on the roster, he elected to return home after that season.

Devils Reassign Seamus Casey, Recall Colton White

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The New Jersey Devils are making a slight change to their defensive core. According to a team announcement, the Devils have reassigned Seamus Casey to the AHL’s Utica Comets and have recalled Colton White in a corresponding roster move.

Today’s roster move ends a 10-day stint in the NHL for Casey, though he only appeared in two contests. He went scoreless in those games with a -3 rating, averaging 18:01 of ice time per game. The University of Michigan alumnus raised a few red flags on the defensive side of the puck, though he managed a CorsiFor% on the positive side of 50%.

Still, even when factoring in his performance from last season, there’s no doubting that Casey could use some more seasoning in the AHL. Since turning professional last year, he’s scored three goals and 19 points in 31 games for the Comets.

Fortunately, the Devils have one of the deepest defensive cores when healthy, so there’s no need to rush Casey to the game’s top level. Keeping that in mind, it’ll be far better for his development if he can play in more situations and have the opportunity for more ice time in Utica.

Meanwhile, at 28 years old, White is no longer considered a prospect. Although New Jersey selected him in the fourth round of the 2015 NHL Draft, White took a brief leave from the Devils organization from 2022 to 2024, when he was playing in the Anaheim Ducks organization.

The 2025-26 campaign is the ninth professional year for White. Spending much of his time with the Devils’ AHL affiliates, he’s scored 20 goals and 91 points in 323 games with a -70 rating. In the NHL, he’s tallied 10 assists in 84 games with a -20 rating. Despite spending nearly a decade in the professional circuit, White has yet to play in a postseason contest in either the AHL or NHL.

Maple Leafs Activate Scott Laughton, Reassign Easton Cowan

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5:00 p.m.: As expected, the Maple Leafs confirmed they’ve activated Laughton from the injured reserve. Additionally, the team shared that they’ve reassigned Cowan in a corresponding roster move. The 20-year-old scored one goal and four points while averaging 12:33 of ice time throughout his 10-game debut with Toronto.

11:39 a.m.: Maple Leafs center Scott Laughton will be activated from injured reserve ahead of tonight’s clash with the Mammoth, he told reporters (including Luke Fox of Sportsnet). Toronto does not have an open roster spot and will need to create one to activate him. That could mean an IR placement for Steven Lorentz, who has sat out two games with an upper-body injury, meaning his placement could be retroactive to Oct. 29. If he’s also available against Utah, the team could send down rookie Easton Cowan or Dakota Mermis. They could also waive either Sammy Blais or Calle Järnkrok, who are both projected scratches.

Laughton hasn’t had a chance to suit up in the regular season. The 31-year-old anchored Toronto’s fourth line during the preseason, often flanked by Lorentz and Cowan, a combination most thought would stick but hasn’t gotten the chance to play together. He sustained a lower-body injury during a match late in camp and was ruled week-to-week, forcing him to start the season on IR.

Toronto paid a steep price to acquire Laughton from the Flyers at last season’s trade deadline, parting ways with winger Nikita Grebenkin and a conditional first-round pick in 2027. For that return, Philadelphia retained half of his remaining salary, which means the pending UFA only counts for $1.5MM against Toronto’s cap. That makes his underwhelming performance down the stretch last season more palatable if it’s a sign of things to come for the balance of 2025-26. The 12-year veteran only managed two goals and four points in 20 regular-season games for the Leafs before a two-assist performance in 13 playoff games.

Some of that can and should be attributed to a decrease in role. Laughton had been a top-nine fixture in Philadelphia for the past five-plus years but was immediately relegated to fourth-line and penalty killing duties upon arrival in Toronto. His ice time dropped from 15:06 per game with the Flyers to 13:06 per game with the Leafs, and his most common linemates last season were Lorentz and Järnkrok, who only combined for nine goals and 26 points themselves.

Nonetheless, scoring hasn’t been a problem for the Leafs this year. Their stars have held up their end of the bargain in the wake of Mitch Marner’s departure, and the team’s 3.62 goals per game is third in the league. They’re allowing as much as they’re generating, though, in part due to underwhelming goaltending from Anthony Stolarz and Cayden Primeau. Nonetheless, Laughton’s defensive acumen is what Toronto is looking forward to the most as they try to build upon what currently sits as the fifth-worst defense in the league.

Hurricanes Potentially On Nazem Kadri’s No-Trade List

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Even before their hot start to the 2025-26 campaign, the Carolina Hurricanes were known to be looking for a quality second-line center. Unfortunately, one of the top names on the market may be unwilling to relocate to Raleigh.

In a recent article from Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos, the writer said, “Kadri has been linked to multiple teams, but we have to specifically mention the Carolina Hurricanes, who have been in a relentless pursuit for a top player since falling short on Mikko Rantanen and Mitch Marner last season. For now, the Hurricanes seem an unlikely destination for Kadri, as they are on his 13-team no-trade list.”

To be fair, Kypreos is one of the only prominent insiders attempting to confirm that the Hurricanes are on Kadri’s no-trade list. Typically, in trade negotiations, team names on no-trade lists are not disclosed unless shared directly by the player or their representatives.

Still, if the news is true, it would certainly put a wrench in Carolina’s plans this season. As of now, Kadri is one of the best centers known to be on the trade market, though that could change if the Pittsburgh Penguins pivot toward trading one or both of Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin.

After scoring 28 goals and 87 points in 71 games for the Colorado Avalanche during the 2021-22 season en route to the only Stanley Cup ring of his career, Kadri signed a seven-year, $49MM contract with the Calgary Flames the following summer. The 2025-26 season marks the first year of Kadri’s deal without a full no-movement clause, providing the Flames with greater flexibility in considering a trade.

He has maintained a strong scoring rate during his time in Alberta while staying remarkably healthy. Since signing the deal in 2022, although he hasn’t reached the postseason, Kadri hasn’t missed a game for Calgary. He’s scored 91 goals and 208 points in 260 games for Calgary while averaging 18:26 of ice time per game.

Kadri also plays a possession-heavy game, making him a hypothetical fit within Rod Brind’Amour’s system. Additionally, it would allow younster Logan Stankoven, who’s been holding down the fort centering the second line, to move back to a more comfortable position on the wing.

Regardless, there are only five other teams that could afford Kadri outright at the time being, and none are in the same stage of competitiveness as the Hurricanes. If Kadri is traded this season, it will likely be at the trade deadline, when all the competitive teams have accrued as much cap space as possible, giving Calgary a larger list of potential suitors. Since the Hurricanes have until March, that gives them plenty of time to put together an enticing offer — one that could influence the Flames to put pressure on Kadri to alter his list.

Vancouver Canucks Reassign Kirill Kudryavtsev

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According to a team announcement, the Vancouver Canucks have assigned defenseman Kirill Kudryavtsev to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. Vancouver did not make a corresponding roster move.

Even without Kudryavtsev on the roster for tonight’s matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Canucks still have seven defensemen to choose from. The team likely felt confident about captain Quinn Hughes’ performance on Monday, which led them to reassign Kudryavtsev. The 21-year-old Russian was originally recalled on October 26th — one day after Hughes sustained a lower-body injury against the Montreal Canadiens.

Unfortunately, given that seven healthy defensemen were ahead of him on the active roster, Kudryavtsev did not play for the Canucks despite spending 10 days with the team. After today’s reassignment, the only NHL playing time to his name came last season in mid-April.

He has spent most of his playing time in the North American professional circuit with the AHL Canucks. Last season, the first of his professional career, Kudryavtsev scored five goals and 26 points in 65 games with a +18 rating. Further, he registered one goal and 10 points in 21 postseason contests with a +18 rating, helping Abbotsford win the 2025 Calder Cup Final.

This season, he’s off to an encouraging offensive start, tallying five assists in five games. The team has had a challenging start to their Calder Cup defense, holding a record of 2-7-0-1 after their first 10 games, which places them last in the Western Conference.

Tristan Jarry, Justin Brazeau, Noel Acciari All Out Multiple Weeks

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Yesterday, eyes raised when the Penguins placed all of goaltender Tristan Jarry, winger Justin Brazeau, and center Noel Acciari on injured reserve without much explanation. Today, the team’s public relations department provided updates on each of them. Acciari and Jarry have been shut down for the next three weeks due to upper and lower-body injuries, respectively, while Brazeau will miss at least four weeks with his upper-body issue.

It’s an especially unfortunate blow for Brazeau. The right-winger has already missed two games, but before his absence, he was one of the league’s best breakout stories. The 27-year-old has been stapled next to Evgeni Malkin after signing a two-year, $3MM deal with Pittsburgh in free agency and erupted with four goals in his first four games. He’s kept that pace up and was clicking at a point per game with a 6-6–12 line before getting hurt.

This is Brazeau’s third NHL season and just his second as a full-timer. Undrafted, he spent time in the Maple Leafs and Bruins organizations on minor-league deals before landing his first NHL contract from Boston midway through the 2023-24 campaign. He had 11 goals and 22 points last season in 76 games between Boston and Minnesota, where he was traded at the deadline.

His line with Malkin and Anthony Mantha has been nothing short of dominant offensively, playing a crucial role in Pittsburgh’s 8-4-2 record, which has seen them score the second-most goals in the league. Malkin is off to a vintage start with 16 assists and 19 points in just 14 games, while Mantha has more than held his own with a 6-5–11 line after missing most of last season due to ACL surgery. Philip Tomasino has replaced Brazeau on that line but is still looking for his first goal of the season after six appearances. It’s unclear if that will hold after the Pens’ roster moves yesterday.

As for Jarry, his injury quells what’s also been an impressive comeback season. After languishing with a .892 SV% in 36 appearances last season and even ending up on waivers, Pittsburgh’s formerly undisputed No. 1 has returned to form in a platoon with newcomer Arturs Silovs. They’ve started seven games each, and while Silovs has the slightly more impressive numbers, Jarry has still been well above the mean with a .911 SV%, 2.60 GAA, one shutout, and a 5-2-0 record. His 4.8 goals saved above expected are 14th in the league, per MoneyPuck.

How Pittsburgh distributes its goaltending workload in Jarry’s absence is perhaps the most compelling storyline to emerge from today’s news. The team has eight games in the next three weeks. Top prospect Sergei Murashov was called up yesterday and will presumably start at least two of them – they play the Kings on Nov. 9 and the Kraken on Nov. 22 in the second half of back-to-backs. That could mean a stretch of six in eight for Silovs, a workload he hasn’t seen at the NHL level since being forced into action for the Canucks in the 2024 playoffs.

Acciari’s injury is the second notable one in the past couple of months. He was a non-factor for most of training camp while recovering from a core muscle injury, but returned late in the preseason. It’s unclear if his upper-body designation is related to that previous abdominal issue, but it’s a possibility. He’s played in 13 out of 14 for the Pens, managing three assists and a +3 rating while averaging 12:56 per game and winning a career-high 60.4% of his draws. He’s been a quietly valuable piece at the bottom of Pittsburgh’s lineup with Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte.

Capitals To Activate Rasmus Sandin From Injured Reserve

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The Capitals will activate defenseman Rasmus Sandin from injured reserve before tonight’s game against the Blues, head coach Spencer Carbery told reporters (including Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post). They quietly placed center Pierre-Luc Dubois on IR in the corresponding move after receiving word he’ll be out for several weeks.

Sandin hasn’t played since Oct. 21 due to an upper-body injury, missing five games. He’s been skating in a non-contact jersey for over a week now, so conditioning shouldn’t be much of an issue.

Before the absence, Sandin was off to a fine start. His offensive production was a bit lacking through seven games, logging only two assists after hitting 30 points in 82 games last year. However, he supplemented that with a +3 rating and has been increasingly active with the puck on his stick. His 3.14 shot attempts per game stand as a career high, and he also demonstrated a bit more physicality than usual, with 16 hits. Overall, he’s been a bit more involved in the play than he was last year, despite only a marginal increase in average ice time from 19:11 to 19:24 per game.

The 25-year-old is in the early stages of his third full season with Washington after being acquired from the Maple Leafs near the 2023 trade deadline. He’s seen his ice time slightly reduced during his tenure, as the club has added other notable names like Jakob Chychrun via trade and Matt Roy via free agency. However, he still plays a critical support role and could see his usage increase after this season if pending unrestricted free agent John Carlson doesn’t return. While regarded as an offensive-minded blue liner, he’s been paired with Roy at even strength this season and used in a primarily defensive capacity. The duo has only allowed one goal against in 76 minutes of 5-on-5 play, but has also only been on the ice for one goal for during that time.

Chychrun slotted in next to Roy in Sandin’s absence, and that duo fared better, both in actual goals share (60%) and expected goals share (64.6%), per MoneyPuck. They’re keeping that duo together and bumping Sandin down to third-pairing deployment with Trevor van Riemsdyk as a result, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. Sandin will still quarterback Washington’s second power play unit.

Avalanche Recall Jack Ahcan, Reassign Tristen Nielsen

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Nov. 5: Nielsen was returned to AHL Colorado after making his NHL debut last night, the team announced. He skated just 5:25 of ice time, recording four hits.

Nov. 3: Amidst numerous injuries to regular lineup players, the Colorado Avalanche announced today that they have recalled forward Tristen Nielsen and defenseman Jack Ahcan from their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. The moves come after several updates to injured Avalanche players were reported earlier today by Guerilla Sports’ Jesse Montano: forward Gavin Brindley has been managing a concussion, Logan O’Connor is “progressing” but will remain out, and Samuel Girard is a possibility to return to the ice this weekend.

In recalling Nielsen, the Avalanche have given themselves an additional forward option to work with while O’Connor and Brindley remain injured. The Avalanche have been running an extremely inexperienced fourth line: two of the three players (Zakhar Bardakov and Taylor Makar) have played in a combined nine total career NHL games, and combine for less than 30 games of experience playing professional hockey in North America.

By recalling Nielsen, 25, the Avalanche have given head coach Jared Bednar a more experienced option to potentially pencil into his fourth line. While Nielsen doesn’t have any NHL experience just yet, he does have nearly 250 games of AHL experience, and has won a Calder Cup championship.

Nielsen also positioned himself for an early-season recall with a tremendously successful preseason performance: he tied for the lead among Avalanche forwards in goal scoring with two in his three preseason contests, to go along with one assist.

There were those in Vancouver’s media sphere who believed Nielsen had done enough in the AHL to earn a call-up in Vancouver, but the opportunity to make his NHL debut never materialized for the tenacious winger. But through his strong preseason performance and solid start to his AHL season (he ranks third on AHL Colorado with nine points in 11 games) he has put himself in a position to finally get into an NHL game in Colorado.

On defense, Girard’s lingering injury means that the team, before this recall, only had six healthy defensemen on its roster. By recalling Ahcan, they’ve given themselves a spare blueliner to provide insurance in case any of their regular blueliners is unfit to play.

With the team set to host the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow and Girard reportedly not ready to return until this weekend, keeping a seventh defenseman is an important move to ensure the Avalanche don’t get into a tough spot in case an unexpected injury or other reason for unavailability on defense were to pop up.

Ahcan, 28, is a 5’8″ left-shot defenseman bringing 279 games of AHL experience and 13 games of NHL experience to the table. Ahcan has been a quality producer from the blueline at just about every level he’s played at on a full-time basis, and he has scored at a 40-point 72-game pace over the course of his AHL career.

The Avalanche’s current third-pairing left-shot blueliner is Ilya Solovyov, a big stay-at-home defenseman who the team plucked off of waivers on Oct. 3. This recall gives Bednar the option to swap Solovyov with Ahcan should he prefer to ice a third pairing with a little less size and a little more offensive ability than it would have with Solovyov in the lineup.

Photos courtesy of Walter Tychnowicz-USA TODAY Sports

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