Snapshots: Stolarz, Konecny, Samuelsson
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz reached another milestone as he approaches his return. David Alter of The Hockey News revealed that Stolarz skated with the regular group today.
The 31-year-old will be eager to get back into action after what’s been a trying 2025-26 so far. Unable to play since November 11 after an upper-body injury, even beforehand, Stolarz struggled a bit. His .884 SV% and 3.51 GAA are below expectations from the upcoming four year extension worth $3.75MM per year, in which Toronto is banking on the late-bloomer to hold down their crease for his first true #1 role.
Winners of seven out of their last 10, the Leafs have turned the corner after it appeared their season was in serious danger. Just shy of a Wild Card spot for now, the team could finally have two-punch stability between the pipes. Joseph Woll has exceeded expectations since coming in for Stolarz, with a .921 SV% and 10-4-2 record.
There’s not yet a specific return date for Stolarz, but he and Woll figure to give Toronto a formidable duo entering the final push of the season.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Philadelphia Flyers star Travis Konecny has had an eventful last few days, but returned to the lineup tonight, shared by Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Enquirer. Konecny missed Saturday’s game after an upper-body injury from the day before, and came back to practice yesterday, which seemed to be a good sign. The 28-year-old then left yesterday’s skate with another injury, unable to catch a break. Thankfully back tonight without a hitch, Konecny was ejected from the game for abuse of officials, as reported by Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. The Flyers top forward will look ahead to next Wednesday’s game in Buffalo.
- Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson was shaken up late in tonight’s loss against Florida, and Head Coach Lindy Ruff had no immediate update postgame, per Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News. Samuelsson has missed just two games on the year, his play as a top pairing blueliner a huge part of Buffalo’s revival of late. The 25-year-old appeared to be favoring his right arm after taking a spill. The Sabres are back in action Wednesday, hosting Konecny and Philadelphia, hopefully not sans their lefty minute-eater in the midst of his best campaign yet.
Atlantic Notes: Samuelsson, McAvoy, Arvidsson, Zacha
Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson exited Friday’s game against New Jersey after going into concussion protocol, notes Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. He was hit with around 12 minutes left in the third and left the ice bleeding; head coach Lindy Ruff didn’t have an update on him after the game. Samuelsson has had a strong bounce-back showing this season, picking up 12 points in 22 games (just two shy of tying his career best from a year ago) while recording 52 blocked shots. Notably, he is logging just under 22 minutes per game, second only to Rasmus Dahlin and was showing that he could consistently handle the top-four role that GM Kevyn Adams had envisioned when he signed the blueliner to a seven-year deal coming off his entry-level contract in 2022.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy and winger Viktor Arvidsson skated today as they work their way back from respective face and lower-body injuries, relays Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald (Twitter links). McAvoy still has a ways to go before returning but Arvidsson appears to be getting closer to returning but won’t play tonight. McAvoy hasn’t played in two weeks and still sits second on the team in assists while Arvidsson was quietly off to a solid start to his tenure in Boston with six goals and 52 shots in 20 games.
- Still with the Bruins, Conroy adds (Twitter link) that center Pavel Zacha is listed as a game-time decision for tonight’s contest against Detroit. He missed yesterday’s contest against the Rangers with an undisclosed injury. Zacha sits third on the team in scoring with 17 points in 25 games and with David Pastrnak out again tonight, getting Zacha back would help boost an offensive group that has been thinned out as of late, even with Casey Mittelstadt’s return.
Short-Term Absences: Raymond, Foligno, Samuelsson
At least for now, the Red Wings are exhaling that the news isn’t worse regarding the health of star winger Lucas Raymond. He won’t play tonight but is only considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury, the team announced. Raymond left Monday’s win over the Maple Leafs midway through the second period after taking a cross-check into the boards from Toronto defenseman Chris Tanev (video via B/R Open Ice). There was initial fear and speculation that he may have sustained something as serious as a collarbone fracture, but he was back on the ice for morning skate today, according to the team’s Daniella Bruce. He might not even miss a full week, considering there’s been no injured reserve placement. Through two and a half appearances, Raymond had scored twice and added an assist with a +3 rating in what’s otherwise been an iffy start at even strength for Detroit’s top line of him, Dylan Larkin, and rookie Emmitt Finnie.
More short-term absences of note from around the league:
- The Blackhawks announced that captain Nick Foligno will be taking a “brief” leave of absence and will miss tonight’s game against the Blues. He’s stepping away to be with his family as his daughter undergoes a follow-up surgery related to her congenital heart disease. All of us at PHR send our best wishes to the Foligno family. You can visit their foundation for heart health, The Heart’s Playbook, at this link.
- Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson has been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Senators, according to Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550. His absence shouldn’t last much longer, though. He skated on his own today and could be an option to play this weekend, head coach Lindy Ruff said. Samuelsson remains on the active roster after departing last weekend’s loss to the Bruins early. He’s only missed one game so far.
East Notes: Hurricanes, Samuelsson, MacEwen
Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour issued injury updates to two key players today: Jaccob Slavin and Pyotr Kochetkov. As relayed by team reporter Walt Ruff, Slavin is still “being evaluated” for a lower-body injury, and is currently questionable to travel with the team on its upcoming six-game road trip. Additionally, Kochetkov will not travel due to his own lower-body injury, though they did add the caveat that he may join the team on the road at some point. Finally, Brind’Amour said that waiver addition Brandon Bussi will get to start a game “at some point” on their road trip.
While the full extent of Slavin’s injury is not known at this point, any extended Slavin absence would be a massive loss for Carolina. Slavin is the team’s most important defenseman and is in the eyes of many the league’s premier shutdown defender. He was the team’s number-one defenseman last season and averaged nearly three minutes a night on its penalty kill. Meanwhile the loss of Kochetkov is also notable, though the Hurricanes are more well-equipped to handle his absence. They already have experienced veteran Frederik Andersen on their roster, and Bussi’s resume from the AHL suggests he very well could be able to handle a backup’s workload while Kochetkov recovers.
Other notes from the Eastern conference:
- The Buffalo Sabres announced today that defenseman Mattias Samuelsson did not play in today’s game against the Colorado Avalanche due to an undisclosed injury. Head coach Lindy Ruff said that “the initial prognosis on the injury was positive,” and expressed optimism that Samuelsson would be ready to play in time for the team’s game Wednesday. Samuelsson played alongside Jacob Bryson in the team’s Saturday game against the Boston Bruins, and saw his spot filled by 2019 first-rounder Ryan Johnson for today’s contest.
- New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe told the media today, including The Hockey Writers’ Mark Scheig, that forward Zack MacEwen will miss “an extended period” after leaving the team’s Saturday win over the Tampa Bay Lightning early. Keefe elaborated that MacEwen suffered an injury late in the team’s game, and will be out indefinitely. MacEwen played nine shifts in his lone game with the Devils, registering two shots, a hit, and a blocked shot. The 6’4″ grinder was slotted into the Devils’ fourth line and was recently acquired by the team from the Ottawa Senators.
East Notes: Glendening, Senators, Sabres, George
While Luke Glendening didn’t land on the season-opening roster for the Devils, that shouldn’t be interpreted as him not having made the team. Per team reporter Amanda Stein (Twitter link), head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that the veteran is expected to sign with the team before they depart on their season-opening road trip which begins Thursday in Carolina. New Jersey has set up their roster for an in-season LTIR placement which should come as soon as Tuesday, opening up the cap room at that time to sign Glendening. The 36-year-old had just seven points in 77 games with Tampa Bay last season but won 57% of his draws, making him a serviceable specialist on the fourth line.
Elsewhere in the East:
- While the Senators placed winger Drake Batherson and defenseman Tyler Kleven on injured reserve today, neither have been ruled out for Thursday’s season opener, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Their IR placements were back-dated to when they were injured in training camp, meaning they technically have already served the required seven days. Both players skated for about 45 minutes today but haven’t been cleared to return just yet.
- Sabres winger Zach Benson (undisclosed) and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (upper body) returned to practice today as they work their way back from their respective injuries. Neither has been ruled out of Thursday’s season opener. Meanwhile, winger Jordan Greenway (mid-body) and defenseman Owen Power (strain) skated on their own today. Unlike Benson and Samuelsson, they’re not on the active roster as they were among the long list of players that landed on injured reserve today. At this point, their availabilities for Thursday appear to be in question.
- Despite playing in 33 games with the Islanders last season, Isaiah George was sent to the minors today. Speaking with reporters (video link), GM Mathieu Darche indicated that the 21-year-old had a strong camp but the decision was made to prioritize playing time, something he’ll get a lot of with Bridgeport but wouldn’t have received in New York as the eighth defender on the depth chart.
Buffalo Sabres Injury Updates
With 10 days remaining until their opening game of the 2025-26 season, the Buffalo Sabres are dealing with injuries on multiple fronts of their roster. Earlier today, the Sabres provided updates on several injured players, including Bowen Byram, Mattias Samuelsson, Jiri Kulich, Jordan Greenway, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Fortunately, aside from Samuelsson, it doesn’t appear that any player is expected to miss opening night, though there is some cause for concern. Byram, who the team shares is dealing with an undisclosed injury, is expected to practice with the team tomorrow. However, he’ll miss their preseason contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Luukkonen, who is the de facto top netminder in Buffalo, has only recently returned to practice after suffering a lower-body injury toward the end of his offseason training. The Sabres expect Luukkonen to play in Buffalo’s contests on Wednesday and Thursday this week, and there’s no doubt in the organization that he’ll play opening night. It will be an important year for Luukkonen’s trajectory, as he followed up a promising 2023-24 campaign with a disappointing effort last season.
Kulich (undisclosed) and Greenway (middle body) are expected to return to practice either this week or next, though the latter has yet to practice with the team at all this preseason. Although Greenway, who signed a two-year, $8MM extension with the Sabres last season, may be healthy enough to play on opening night, Buffalo may wait a week or two to allow him time to ramp up after missing several weeks already.
Unfortunately, Samuelsson, who has dealt with injury concerns every season of his professional career, may not start the season on time due to an upper-body injury suffered last week. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said that Samuelsson is expected to miss multiple weeks, which would take his recovery timeline beyond Buffalo’s opening night contest on October 9th. The update is becoming a theme with Samuelsson, who played in a career-high 62 games last season. He has five years and $21.43MM remaining on his contract.
Sabres Notes: No. 9 Pick, Peterka, Samuelsson, Coaches
While the Sabres are interested in multiple names as they hold the No. 9 pick in Friday’s draft, they’re also far more open to trading their top pick for immediate help than they have in years past, general manager Kevyn Adams told reporters during his media availability Tuesday (via Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550).
They’re far from the only team willing to move a top-10 pick in what’s viewed as a weaker-than-normal 2025 class. The Mammoth (No. 4) and Bruins (No. 7) are the two clubs that have been thrown out there the most in public speculation, but the only true untouchables are likely the Islanders and Sharks at first and second overall.
Immediate help is an immediate priority for the Sabres, especially as they look to replace and improve upon a pair of potential departures in the form of pending RFAs Bowen Byram and JJ Peterka. While they should be able to recoup legitimate value to their NHL roster in those deals while adding a bit to their pipeline, they won’t likely be able to replace their current impacts directly. That means leveraging another asset in their system to help bolster their group after a highly disappointing 79-point finish in 2024-25, their 14th consecutive season without playoff hockey.
If they can’t or don’t anticipate being able to land a top-four caliber right-shot defenseman in return for Byram or Peterka, they’ll presumably try to leverage the ninth overall pick to land one. Jacob Bernard-Docker and Connor Clifton are the only NHL-caliber righties under team control for next season, and the former is a pending RFA.
A top-six center is a widely publicized desire for the Sabres as well. They could offer the Wild the pick straight-up for 2020 No. 9 overall selection Marco Rossi, whom they’ve been linked to, but that doesn’t fit Minnesota’s desire to land an NHL-ready piece in return for the pending RFA center instead of futures.
There’s more on the Sabres from Adams today:
- Adams wouldn’t comment on any trade discussions surrounding the pending RFA Peterka, according to Michael Augello of The Hockey News. He declined to confirm or deny speculation that Peterka had submitted a formal trade request. Regardless, there has been no reported progress on a new contract. While the Sabres are in no rush to part ways with the 23-year-old winger, the lack of productive negotiations means the Sabres are at least legitimately listening to the offers they receive for him.
- Mattias Samuelsson will not be bought out this summer, Adams confirmed (via Hamilton). While they’re reportedly listening to trade offers for the underperforming 25-year-old defenseman, there was never even a consideration of triggering a buyout that would have cost the team an even $714.3K per season over the next 10 years.
- Adams said that assistant coaches Seth Appert, Matt Ellis, and Marty Wilford, as well as goaltending coach Mike Bales, remain under contract for 2025-26 (via Hamilton). There’s still flexibility for head coach Lindy Ruff to make changes to his support staff if he desires, though. Adams said he’d be open to Ruff requesting any subtractions or additions to the bench.
Sabres Notes: Peterka, Byram, Samuelsson
While NHL teams are preparing for the start of free agency, the Buffalo Sabres are actively working the phones on a few key potential trades, according to The Fourth Period.
The expectation is that general manager Kevyn Adams will be busy this week, with forward JJ Peterka at the top of the trade block rumor mill. Despite his youth, potential, and the fact that he seemingly fits perfectly into Buffalo’s long-term plans, Peterka is also considered an ideal candidate for a change of scenery.
While the Sabres appear to have hesitancy toward trading Peterka, the list of teams interested in his services continues to grow. And as Peterka nears restricted free agency, the Sabres are now more open to listening to offers for the 23-year-old, amidst the belief that Peterka’s preference would be to move on. Peterka set career highs this past season with 68 points, finishing tied for second on the team with defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, just behind forward Tage Thompson. The 23-year-old has increased his point total by 18 points in each of the last two seasons, and his stock is rising as he looks for his first long-term deal.
Elsewhere with the Sabres:
- The league also appears to have significant interest in defender Bowen Byram, who originally joined the Sabres at the 2024 Trade Deadline in a one-for-one swap that sent center Casey Mittelstadt to the Colorado Avalanche. Byram was a staple in the Sabres’ top four during the 2024-25 season, playing all 82 games and averaging over 22 minutes per night. He also set career highs with 38 points and 116 blocked shots. While Byram has had some struggles in the defensive zone, his offensive upside and age make him an attractive option for teams looking to bolster their defensive core. Like Peterka, Byram is believed to be seeking a fresh start. Per The Fourth Period, the Sabres are not interested in moving either player for future assets and would prefer to receive NHL-ready talent in return.
- The Fourth Period also notes that the Sabres are actively shopping defender Mattias Samuelsson, who put up 14 points in 62 games. The 25-year-old was selected by the Sabres in the second round of the 2018 draft and has played 212 games for the team over the course of five seasons. The 6’4″, 220-pound lefty has brought a physical presence to the Sabres over that span, posting more than 100 hits in each of the last four seasons, despite never playing more than the 62 games he suited up for last year. Samuelsson is entering the third year of a seven-year deal that carries a $4.285MM AAV.
Buffalo Sabres Activate Jordan Greenway, Mattias Samuelsson
The Buffalo Sabres have a pair of veterans back tonight for their game against the New York Rangers. Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News passed along a note from the NHL’s media site saying the Sabres had activated forward Jordan Greenway and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson from the injured reserve.
It’s been a long road back for Greenway. The pending unrestricted free agent hasn’t suited up in a game since December 15th due to an undisclosed injury. Considering the three weeks missed from mid-November to early December, Greenway has only participated in 20 games this season.
He hasn’t improved his free agency market when healthy either. Greenway scored three goals and seven points leading up to the injury averaging 15:55 of ice time per game. He’s still a physical forward averaging approximately three hits a game but he shouldn’t expect a payday close to his current $3.5MM salary. Furthermore, it’s difficult to argue that Greenway should still be considered an effective middle-six winger unless he can string together a few healthy seasons.
Meanwhile, Samuelsson returns to the lineup after missing two games leading up to the 4 Nations Face-Off break due to a small fracture in his foot. Unfortunately, those two absences followed 17 others throughout the year. Samuelsson can only reach 63 games played this season should he remain healthy.
On a positive note, 63 games played would become a new career-high for Samuelsson. The Philadelphia, PA native maxed out at 55 games played during the 2022-23 season — just before signing a seven-year, $30MM extension with Buffalo. Still, the Sabres will have a completely healthy lineup for tonight’s game against the Rangers.
Buffalo Sabres Recall Felix Sandstrom, Place Mattias Samuelsson On IR
Just ahead of tonight’s matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Buffalo Sabres announced a roster move. Buffalo shared that they’ve recalled goaltender Felix Sandstrom from their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, and have placed defenseman Mattias Samuelsson on injured reserve in a corresponding transaction.
The reasoning behind Sandstrom’s recall is entirely without controversy. Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reported earlier that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is out with a minor injury and that although the team would have called up Devon Levi, there wasn’t enough notice given he’s still in California for the AHL All-Star Challenge.
It’ll be the first time this season that Sandstrom will participate in a backup role for the Sabres. After clearing waivers at the beginning of the season, Sandstrom has spent the entire season with AHL Rochester posting a 9-4-1 record in 14 games with a .900 save percentage and 2.89 goals-against average.
If Buffalo didn’t have Levi waiting in the wings, this would be respectable enough production to warrant an unexpected call-up to the NHL level. Still, the Sabres brought Sandstrom in on a one-year, $775K contract this past summer in case Levi needed to be recalled, not the other way around.
Sadly, Sandstrom’s recall adds further complications for an organization that can barely endure more challenges. Samuelsson will again be placed on injured reserve this season after missing 17 games due to injury.
The Philadelphia, PA, native hasn’t skated in more than 55 contests in a single season since joining Buffalo as a full-time defenseman for the 2021-22 NHL season. The Sabres still owe Samuelsson $21.429MM over the next five years after the 2024-25 campaign — a heavy price for a blue liner that has only maxed out at two-thirds of a full season.