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Jonah Gadjovich

Panthers Recall Jack Devine

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Nov. 19: The Panthers made Devine’s recall official this morning and placed winger Jonah Gadjovich on injured reserve in the corresponding move, per PuckPedia. Gadjovich won’t be back anytime soon after undergoing surgery to address an upper-body injury earlier this month, putting him out through early February.

Nov. 18: The Florida Panthers have recalled top prospect Jack Devine and could award him his NHL debut in Thursday’s matchup against the New Jersey Devils, per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now. Devine currently leads the Charlotte Checkers in scoring with 12 points in 13 games.

Devine has continued the hot start to his pro career that began when he scored seven points in his first 10 AHL games at the end of last season. It continues a streak of scoring that stretches back to his days with the U.S. National Team Development Program in 2019-20 and 2020-21. He scored 34 points in 42 games in the USHL, but had his U18 season cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. That gave him little runway into a quiet freshman year at the University of Denver. He recorded 19 points and a plus-12 in 36 games while operating from the fourth line of a Pioneers squad that’d run all the way to a National Championship. Still, that performance flew under the radar enough for Florida to land Devine with the third-to-final pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

He took off after the draft, climbing to 31 points in 38 games as a sophomore, then emerging as Denver’s star in his junior year. Devine posted Denver with 27 goals, 56 points, and a plus-29 in 44 games – leading the Pioneers in scoring en route to their second National Championship in three years. He led the team again last year, with 57 points in 44 games.

Devine has had the arc of a draft gem and will get his first chance to prove it on Thursday. He’s a true playmaker with a strong build and sharp thinking under pressure. That could be an X-factor addition to the Panthers, who have posted a 3-2-0 record across their last five games.

Florida Panthers’ Jonah Gadjovich To Undergo Surgery, Will Miss Three Months

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Florida Panthers forward Jonah Gadjovich will undergo surgery as part of his recovery from his upper-body injury suffered on Oct. 25 against the Vegas Golden Knights, relays Katie Engleson, the Panthers’ rinkside reporter.

It’s a tough break for Gadjovich, who had played in all 10 of the Panthers’ games leading up to his injury. Gadjovich skated in just 42 regular-season games in 2024-25, but the injuries the Panthers have already suffered up front looked to have paved the way for Gadjovich to play a more regular role in 2025-26. Now, due to this injury, he’ll miss that opportunity to get to play NHL games on a more regular basis than he has had in the past.

The 27-year-old has been part of the Panthers’ back-to-back Stanley Cup championship teams, originally arriving in the organization on an AHL contract before he was signed to a full NHL deal.

He subsequently earned a two-year, one-way league minimum extension, and signed an additional two-year, one-way $905K AAV contract extension on Oct. 12. That deal included a $10K signing bonus for its first year, the first signing bonus Gadjovich has received since the standard bonuses included in his entry-level contract.

A grinder by trade, the 6’3″ winger ranks last in time-on-ice per game among all Panthers forwards this season, averaging under eight minutes per contest with no special-teams usage. He does have three assists, though, and despite his limited ice time ranks fourth among Panthers forwards in hits with 30.

Gadjovich provides a relentless, physical element to the Panthers’ fourth line, one they’ll now have to be without for the next few months. In Gadjovich’s vacated fourth-line right-wing spot, the Panthers have played forward Noah Gregor. Gregor is playing just about the same amount of ice time, although the Panthers did utilize him on the penalty kill on Oct. 28 and Nov. 4.

This unfortunate injury suffered by Gadjovich does have potentially significant implications for Gregor. The 27-year-old entered the season on a PTO, and parlayed that into a one-year, two-way deal carrying a $775K NHL value and $450K AHL salary. With Gadjovich, who is Gregor’s primary competitor for NHL ice time, now sidelined for a few months, Gregor has a clear chance to play regular NHL games for the Panthers.

With that opportunity, Gregor, who has not played in the AHL since 2021, could very well earn the right to remain an NHL player for another season. By putting forward solid performances in this fourth-line NHL role, he could even position himself to once again receive a one-way contract next season. Gregor played on one-way deals from 2022-23 through 2024-25.

The Panthers have struggled with significant injuries in 2025-26, and have not looked nearly as dominant so far as a result. The loss of Gadjovich is a far more manageable one for the team to absorb compared to the injuries suffered by Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, but this is nonetheless an unfortunate development for a team that is badly in need of some positive luck when it comes to injuries.

Photos courtesy of Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Atlantic Notes: Maccelli, Gadjovich, Lindholm

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Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matias Maccelli has been made a healthy scratch for today’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, reports The Hockey News’ David Alter.  The move comes as Toronto sits 23rd in the NHL, having had a slower-than-expected start to the season. Their 6-5-1 record places them 23rd in the league standings at this early point in the season. While a player getting healthy scratched is a relatively routine occurrence and not hugely noteworthy on its own, tracking Maccelli’s standing in Toronto is of a heightened importance due to the transaction he was involved in over the summer.

When Toronto acquired Maccelli in June, they sent a conditional 2027 third-round pick to the Utah Mammoth, with the condition being that if Maccelli scores at least 51 points (and Toronto reaches the playoffs), the pick upgrades to a 2029 second-rounder. At this stage, not only is Toronto outside of a playoff spot, but Maccelli is scoring at a 35-point pace. So, at this stage, it does not seem as though Utah will receive the upgraded draft choice, though it is important to stress how early in the season it is. It was just two years ago that Maccelli looked like one of the more promising young wingers in the game after he scored 106 points in 146 games across two seasons, so while his start to his season as a Maple Leaf hasn’t been ideal, it’s still far from a certainty that he won’t end up passing the thresholds for his former team to get the 2029 second-rounder.

Other notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • Florida Panthers winger Jonah Gadjovich will not travel with the team on its upcoming road trip as the full recovery timeline for his upper-body injury is still being worked out, per team reporter Rob Darragh. Gadjovich hasn’t played since Oct. 25, when he sustained the injury in a game against the Vegas Golden Knights. The physical 6’3″ winger has played a reserve role on the Panthers’ back-to-back championship teams, skating in 81 total regular-season games and scoring eight points across the 2023-24 and 2024-25 campaigns. Gadjovich also played in 16 playoff games last season and has three points in 10 games so far this season. Gadjovich skated as the fourth-line left winger when he last played, alongside Cole Schwindt and A.J. Greer. That spot has since been filled by Noah Gregor, one of Gadjovich’s former teammates from their shared time with the San Jose Sharks.
  • Last week, we covered news that Boston Bruins center Elias Lindholm would be out on a week-to-week basis with a lower-body injury suffered in the team’s Oct. 30 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Today, the team confirmed to the media (including WEEI’s Scott McLaughlin) that Lindholm’s MRI confirmed that the center would be out with a week-to-week recovery timeline. It’s a significant loss for the Bruins, who count on Lindholm as a key top-six center. Lindholm lined up as the team’s number-one center in that Oct. 30 contest against Buffalo, a spot that has since been filled by Marat Khusnutdinov. Lindholm had gotten off to a solid start to the 2025-26 season, scoring nine points in 13 games. That’s a 57-point 82-game scoring pace, a notable improvement from last season when he scored 47 points across 82 games.

Atlantic Notes: Gadjovich, Marchand, Kesselring, Järnkrok

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The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions have been severely affected by injuries this season. That theme continues today as team reporter Jameson Oliven shared that forward Jonah Gadjovich would miss the next week after being elbowed against the Vegas Golden Knights.

After appearing in nearly half of Florida’s regular-season games over the past two years, Gadjovich had appeared in all 10 for the Panthers to begin the 2025-26 campaign. He’s tallied three assists while averaging 7:57 of ice time per game, only one point shy of his totals over 42 games last year. The Panthers are expected to utilize Noah Gregor on the fourth line in his stead.

Gadjovich won’t be the only freshly missing piece from Florida’s forward core in their next contest. According to George Richards of Florida Hockey Now, veteran Brad Marchand will miss tomorrow’s contest due to a death in his family. The 37-year-old wing has scored five goals and 11 points in 10 games to start the year, and there’s no word on when he’ll return to the Panthers lineup.

More notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • The Buffalo Sabres could be getting a huge boost to their defensive core. After today’s practice, Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald relayed a note from head coach Lindy Ruff indicating Michael Kesselring could be activated from the injured reserve for tomorrow’s game. Kesselring, who was acquired from the Utah Mammoth this past offseason, scored seven goals and 29 points in 82 games last year, averaging 17:41 of ice time per game.
  • According to Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun, forward Calle Järnkrok is questionable for the Toronto Maple Leafs tomorrow night due to a lower-body injury. Järnkrok missed the team’s practice today and has dealt with lower-body injuries over the past few years. He’s registered three goals in eight games for the Maple Leafs this season, but has already sustained a -5 rating in the team’s middle-six.

Panthers Sign Jonah Gadjovich To Two-Year Extension

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The Florida Panthers have agreed to a two-year contract extension with left-winger Jonah Gadjovich. The deal will carry a $905K cap hit, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Florida announced the deal on Gadjovich’s 27th birthday

Few Panthers have a role as defined as Gadjovich’s. He is the team’s go-to enforcer, with a tremendous 164 penalty minutes in just 81 games between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. Only two players across the league – Austin Watson and Matt Rempe – averaged more penalty minutes per game played in that span, and Gadjovich still recorded more total PIMs than both. He scored just eight points in the same stretch, and added three points and 33 PIMs in 16 playoff appearances.

Interestingly, Gadjovich has found a way to avoid the penalty booth to start this season – instead boasting one assist and a plus-one in three games. He has not been one for hte positive side of the scoresheet at the NHL level. Through parts of six NHL seasons, Gadjovich has only managed 19 points in 163 career games. He’s racked up the penalties, though, earning 17 PIMs in his NHL debut with the Vancouver Canucks in 2020-21 and since raising that number to 312 PIMs on his career.

While he’s found a clear way to be productive in the NHL, Gadjovich wasn’t always the default hitter in his lineup. He has racked up 46 points and 81 PIMs in 103 AHL games, and stood out as a dangerous scorer in junior hockey, with 89 goals, 155 points, and 175 PIMs in 228 OHL games.

But those days seem to be in the past. Gadjovich has evolved into Florida’s go-to option when they need a big hit, or big fight, to help turn the tides. He fills important fourth-line minutes and will now stick in that spot for two more seasons. That role has already led Gadjovich to two Stanley Cup wins, and should continue to be profitable as the Panthers have yet to lose this season.

Atlantic Notes: Beecher, Domi, Gadjovich

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Bruins center John Beecher was a regular on the fourth line last season and seemed to have an inside track at a similar role this season before Boston went and overhauled its bottom six.  The team added Tanner Jeannot, Sean Kuraly, and Mikey Eyssimont (plus some other depth additions) in free agency, creating more competition for that role.  With that in mind, Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald posits that Beecher might be in tough simply to earn a spot on the roster let alone retain his slot in the lineup.  Considering he’s just 24 and is signed for $900K, it’s unlikely he’d pass through waivers unclaimed so if Boston decides that he’s not going to be on their opening roster, Beecher could find himself on the trade block pretty quickly.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Maple Leafs forward Max Domi is expected to make his preseason debut tonight, relays Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun. The veteran has been hampered by a lower-body injury through the first week of camp, holding him out of the lineup in their first three games.  While he spent a lot of time at center last season, it’s expected that he will get a look on the right wing on the top line when the regular season gets underway.  Domi had just eight goals and 25 assists in 74 games last season, the second-lowest point total of his career.
  • Panthers winger Jonah Gadjovich returned to practice today, notes Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). He has been dealing with a lower-body injury for the past few days.  The 26-year-old spent last season in somewhat of a fourth-line rotation, getting into 42 games where he had four goals and 127 hits.  With both Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov out long-term to start the season, Gadjovich could be in line for a more consistent spot in the lineup this time around.

Finals Notes: Hyman, Gadjovich, Nosek

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Veteran winger Zach Hyman isn’t available for the Oilers for the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to make an impact on the team. According to NHL.com reporter Jamie Umbach, Hyman continues to make a positive impact through his leadership, despite undergoing surgery to repair the wrist he dislocated in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final. Hyman said he’s staying around the team just as much as he would if he were playing.

“Life has a funny way of working. I truly felt that as a group, having gone through what we went through last year in that moment, that I knew most of our guys were coming back and that we had a hunger and a fire to get back to this point. I’m just looking forward to cheering the guys on, and I think we’re ready,” he said.

Hyman said he knew right away the wrist injury was serious after taking the hit, but he didn’t expect it to end his season. Initially, he believed he could play through the pain before team doctors ultimately shut him down.

“I think I was still a little delusional that I could play through it until after the surgery, obviously, and I was emotional in the moment. I don’t think you fully grasp it until a little bit later, and then you can get your head around it. Some things in life you can’t control, and this is one of them,” he said.

In other notes from the Stanley Cup Final:

  • Panthers forward Jonah Gadjovich briefly exited Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Oilers but later returned to the ice. Head coach Paul Maurice confirmed today that Gadjovich will be available moving forward, per Jameson Olive of NHL.com. The bottom-six forward skated just 6:02 of ice time in Game 1, but that’s not far off from his average during the playoffs of 7:40. Through 11 playoff games, he has recorded two goals and three points.
  • Maurice also expressed support of forward Tomas Nosek following his overtime delay-of-game penalty in Game 1, which led to the Oilers’ game-winning goal, per Tim Capurso of Sports Illustrated. “We’re not here without Tomas Nosek. It’s a tough break. We make sure he doesn’t eat alone tonight, he has lots of people sitting at his table reminding him of how good he has been for us. It’s going to be tough. He’s going to eat that one for a day,” Maurice said.

Atlantic Notes: Ullmark, Hakanpaa, Panthers, Cirelli

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The Senators won’t have goaltender Linus Ullmark back for tonight’s game against Minnesota.  However, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays (Twitter link) that the veteran is nearing a return and is expected to accompany the team on its upcoming four-game road trip that begins on Monday.  Ullmark has missed nearly six weeks now due to a back injury.  He had settled in well before being sidelined with a 2.38 GAA and a .915 SV% in 23 appearances.  Fortunately for Ottawa, prospect Leevi Merilainen has played quite well since being promoted in Ullmark’s absence, helping the Sens not only hang around the playoff picture but actually enter play today in a top-three seed in the division.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • The Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Jani Hakanpaa will not play in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off due to his ongoing knee injury. He has been limited to just two appearances with Toronto this season, both of those coming in mid-November.  He becomes the second blueliner that Team Finland will need to replace with Miro Heiskanen also out of commission.
  • Panthers winger Mackie Samoskevich was scratched for today’s contest versus Chicago due to illness, relays Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). The 22-year-old has done well in his first full NHL season, collecting 16 points in 47 games so far.  His spot in the lineup was taken by winger Jonah Gadjovich, who made his return after missing nearly six weeks with an upper-body injury.  Gadjovich picked up his second goal of the season early on in the game.
  • Lightning center Anthony Cirelli is listed as a game-time decision for tonight’s contest against the Islanders, relays team reporter Benjamin Pierce (Twitter link). It’s unclear if Cirelli is under the weather or just dealing with a minor injury.  Cirelli has 19 goals and 20 assists in 49 games this season while logging 18:56 per game, a career-high.  Considering his personal best in points is 45, he’s well on his way to establishing a new benchmark in that category as well.

Aaron Ekblad And Jonah Gadjovich Won’t Travel On Road Trip

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Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad and forward Jonah Gadjovich will miss at least the next two games as neither player is travelling with the team on their road trip this week (as per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now).

The Panthers have a back-to-back in Philadelphia and New Jersey and will have to make do without Ekblad who has been having a solid bounce-back season and is dealing with an undisclosed injury. He did not play yesterday in an overtime loss to the Boston Bruins, and although it hasn’t been confirmed when he was hurt, it seems likely that it occurred when he blocked a shot against the Pittsburgh Penguins in a shootout win on January 3rd. Ekblad played regularly for the remainder of the game, but missed their next game on January 6th, and then was back in the lineup a few days later to take on Utah.

The injury doesn’t appear to be a long-term concern for Ekblad, but it does seem like a lingering issue that the Panthers would like to allow Ekblad to heal from. The 2014 first-overall pick has two goals and 18 assists in 41 games this season and has seen his ice time increase dramatically from last year as he is averaging 23:32 per game.

Gadjovich has played sparingly in 18 games this season, averaging just 7:50 of ice time per game. The Whitby, Ontario native has already missed the Panthers’ last nine games and will be reevaluated when the team returns home on Thursday. The 26-year-old has a single goal this season and is a -1 plus/minus with 56 hits.

Panthers Recall Rasmus Asplund

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The Panthers announced that center Rasmus Asplund has been recalled from AHL Charlotte. They’ve been rolling with an open spot on the active roster for quite a while, so no corresponding move is necessary.

Asplund, 27, will play in his first NHL game in 618 days this afternoon against the Lightning. He enters the lineup in place of winger Jonah Gadjovich, who head coach Paul Maurice said is unavailable due to an upper-body injury (via the team’s Jameson Olive). Center Jesper Boqvist is also day-to-day with an upper-body issue, so they would’ve only had 11 forwards on hand for today’s intra-state rivalry matchup without a recall.

Asplund is in his second season in the Panthers organization. Briefly an everyday player with the Sabres early in the decade, he fell out of a regular role in the 2022-23 campaign and, after an uneventful post-trade deadline stint with the Predators, wasn’t tendered a qualifying offer and settled for a two-way deal with Florida in free agency. After spending all of last season on assignments to Charlotte, he signed a duplicate extension aside from a slightly higher salary guarantee in late June to remain in South Florida and stay off last summer’s free agent market.

The Buffalo second-round pick back in 2016 was a decent two-way player near the bottom of the lineup in his days as an NHL roster fixture. The Swede posted 18 goals, 49 points and a -14 rating in 183 NHL appearances with the Sabres and Preds from 2019-20 to 2022-23, including a career-best 27 points in 80 games with the Sabres in 2021-22. He averaged over 14 minutes per game that season and posted a strong 52.8% shot-attempt share on a defensively challenged Sabres team, earning himself some outside Selke Trophy consideration.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t keep up that play in more shutdown-oriented minutes at even strength the following season and has since ended up as a minor-league fixture. He’s been a decent top-six piece in Charlotte, posting 19 goals, 41 assists and 60 points with a -2 rating in 92 appearances over the past two seasons. He’s got 10 goals and 16 points in 25 showings thus far in 2024-25.

Asplund can remain on the roster for up to 30 days or play in 10 games until he requires waivers to return to Charlotte. It’s likely that he’ll be returned to the AHL once Boqvist or Gadjovich is ready to return barring an unexpectedly strong showing.

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