Minor Transactions: 10/4/25
With the preseason wrapping up today, some teams will be recalling players they’ve already cut to give them one more game or they will be returning players recently brought up for that purpose. We’ll keep track of those moves here along with any other minor transactions.
- The Sabres announced that defensemen Vsevelod Komarov and Zach Metsa have been returned to AHL Rochester. Komarov is entering his second professional season while Metsa was one of the top-scoring blueliners in the minors last season, notching 46 points with the Amerks.
- The Devils have brought up forwards Jack Malone and Matyas Melovsky from AHL Utica, per a team release. Malone had 13 points in 57 games with the Comets in his first professional campaign while Melovsky is entering the first year of his entry-level deal after putting up 83 points in 57 games with QMJHL Baie-Comeau last season.
- The Blackhawks announced that they’ve recalled more than half a lineup from Rockford for their preseason finale. Returning from AHL Rockford are goalie Mitchell Weeks, defenseman Cavan Fitzgerald, Taige Harding, and Kevin Korchinski, plus forwards Gavin Hayes, Paul Ludwinski, Martin Misiak, Samuel Savoie, Brett Seney, Aidan Thompson, and Dominic Toninato.
- Veteran defenseman Andrej Sustr was let go from his NHL PTO last weekend. However, he has found a new team to try out for as Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News relays (Twitter link) that the 34-year-old has inked a PTO deal with AHL Bridgeport. Sustr split last season between Czechia and Finland and hasn’t played in North America since 2022-23 when he split time between Minnesota and Anaheim’s farm teams.
- The Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forwards Chase Bradley, Maros Jedlicka, Taylor Makar, Jayson Megna, Tristen Nielsen, and T.J. Tynan, along with defensemen Sean Behrens and Alex Gagne from AHL Colorado. They were all cut earlier in training camp and should be sent back to the Eagles in short order following their game tonight.
- The Rangers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled goalie Callum Tung and forward Casey Terrance from AHL Hartford. Tung will be entering his first full professional campaign after signing with New York out of college late last season while Terrance was acquired this past offseason as part of the Chris Kreider trade.
- As expected, a day after recalling forward Shane Bowers, defenseman Braden Hache, and goalie Jakub Skarek from AHL San Jose, the Sharks announced (Twitter link) that all three players have been returned to the Barracuda.
- A day after recalling him, the Oilers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve sent goaltender Matt Tomkins back to AHL Bakersfield. Tomkins is in his first season with Edmonton and cleared waivers earlier this week.
- The Lightning have brought a few players back for their preseason finale. The team has recalled forwards Dylan Duke, Boris Katchouk, Scott Sabourin, and Wojciech Stachowiak, plus defensemen Charle-Edouard D’Astous and Roman Schmidt from AHL Syracuse, per a team release.
Central Notes: Yurov, Stastney, Hayes
Wild prospect Danila Yurov won’t be making the jump to North America next season after all, at least at the start. Championnat’s Pavel Novikov reports that the 20-year-old has inked a one-year extension with Magnitogorsk Metallurg of the KHL, keeping him signed through next season. Yurov was the 24th overall selection back in 2022 and had a particularly impressive showing this year, notching 21 goals and 28 assists in 62 games, good for the team lead in scoring while finishing 17th in points league-wide. Countryman Marat Khusnutdinov went to the NHL after his KHL campaign ended back in February and since Minnesota hasn’t signed Yurov to an entry-level deal yet, it’s possible that he follows that path next season.
More from the Central:
- The Predators lost Friday’s third game against Vancouver and also lost a blueliner in the process with the team announcing (Twitter link) that Spencer Stastney suffered an upper-body injury. The injury occurred early in the first period on a hit from Dakota Joshua; a major penalty for boarding was initially assessed before being dropped to a minor. Postgame, head coach Andrew Brunette didn’t have an update on Stastney’s condition. The 24-year-old only played in 20 games during the regular season but has suited up in all three postseason games so far.
- The Blackhawks have re-assigned prospect Gavin Hayes to the minors, per an announcement from their AHL affiliate in Rockford. The winger was a third-round pick in 2022 (66th overall) and split the season between OHL Flint and Soo, combining for 37 goals and 39 assists in 55 games along with 16 points in 11 postseason contests for the Greyhounds. Hayes has already signed his entry-level deal and will now get a taste of professional hockey before playing there full-time next season.
Chicago Blackhawks Sign Gavin Hayes
The Chicago Blackhawks have signed forward prospect Gavin Hayes to a three-year, entry-level contract through 2025-26 with a cap hit of $896,667, according to NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis.
Hayes, who’s still just 18 years old, is having a spectacular post-draft season with the OHL’s Flint Firebirds. The left winger finished second on the team in scoring during the regular season, posting 41 goals and 81 points in 66 games. His season could be coming to an end soon, though, as Flint has gone down 2-0 in its first-round playoff series against the Saginaw Spirit, losing by a combined score of 11-2.
Drafted 66th overall in 2022, Hayes is a skilled puck handler with a goal-scoring ability that appears translatable to the professional ranks. He’s a nice secondary addition to a quickly-growing pool of Blackhawks prospects and projects as a middle-six scoring winger.
Hayes, in all likelihood, will be returned to juniors next season, sliding the beginning of his entry-level contract to 2024-25 (or 2025-26, if he’s returned to juniors for two straight seasons).